The Suzuki Samurai: A Tiny but Mighty Vehicle

In this episode, we take a closer look at one of Japan's most iconic cars, the Suzuki Samurai, which was outlawed in the United States due to its 4x4 capabilities. Despite its small size, the Samurai packed a big punch and was perfect for devouring terrain. The host of the show is excited to share its knowledge about this fascinating vehicle.

The episode begins with a description of the car's engine, which revs up to impressive speed. The host explains that the 4x4 capability made the Samurai unique among Japanese cars, setting it apart from others in the market. This feature was not only useful for off-road driving but also contributed to its notorious reputation.

The episode also delves into the story behind the Samurai's infamous crash report in North America. According to the host, a fraudulent crash report led to the car being banned in the United States due to concerns about its safety. The author of this article will explore the details of this incident and how it affected the Samurai's fate.

The episode features a brief description of the Omaze promotion, where viewers can win a brand new 2020 Corvette Stingray with taxes and shipping included, as well as a $20,000 cash prize. The host expresses its admiration for the Stinger and claims to have had an amazing experience driving it through the canyons in California.

However, the host acknowledges that if the viewer were to win the Corvette, their version would be even more impressive due to the Z51 package, which boosts horsepower to 495 units. This upgrade significantly reduces the car's time to go from zero to sixty miles per hour and gives it a more refined engine performance.

The episode concludes with an invitation for viewers to visit Omaze.com/donut and enter their chance to win a Z51 Corvette and $20,000 in cash. The best part is that this contest supports the Ronald Reagan Medical Center at UCLA, an organization that helped the host during its heart attack.

WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: en- Wolverines.M80 fireworks.They're all small, mighty,and outlawed in the United Statesjust like today's car.This 4x4 packed a bigpunch in a tiny package.Today we're gonna lookat where it came fromand why one of the cutestcars to ever come out of Japanis actually perfect for devouring terrain.(engine revving)We're also gonna talk aboutthe fraudulent crash report inside jobthat killed it in North America.This is everything you need to knowto get up to speed on the Suzuki Samurai.(thunder)(8-bit music)Thanks again to our friends at Omazefor sponsoring this episode.Guys, it is officially your last chanceto win a brand new 2020 Corvette Stingraywith taxes and shipping included.And if that's not enough,they're also gonna give you $20,000 cash.The Stinger is an amazing car.Trust me.I've been ripping up thecanyons around Californiaall freaking day andthis thing is hella dope.(engine revving)But yours would be evensicker than this one,because Omaze sprung for the Z51 packagewhich bumps hrsprs up to495extremely buff yet refined hrsyprs.That means a zero to 60 timein less than three seconds.So hurry up and headover to Omaze.com/donutand enter for chance to win a Z51 Stingrayand $20,000 in cash.And the best part is helps to supportthe Ronald Reagan Medical Center at UCLA.Those are the same peoplethat helped me out whenI had my heart attack.That's Omaze.com/donut.Go there and donate tosupport an amazing cause,an amazing organization.And also you could wina fricking Corvette."Up to Speed".Chapter one, a new hope.Our story starts withthe Hope Motor company.No, not the used car dealer in Arkansas.Hope Auto is not the same as Hope Motor.Today I'm talking aboutthe Japanese automaker thatgot its start in the 50swith three-wheeled K cars.That's right, K cars.Not to be confused with K-cars.'Kay?Now these K cars are an ultra mini classthat became popular in Japanese cities.One, they're easy to park and maneuver,and two, their owners wouldbe exempt from certain taxesas long as their engine and bodymet specific size requirements.AKA, both of them got to be really small.Now Hope Motor Company did okay with the Kand in the mid 60s Hopebarged into their workshopwith an idea.Yo dudes, I have an idea,but nevermind, it's stupid.Oh, come on, tell us.No ideas are stupid, tell us.Nah.Nah, you guys are just gonna laugh at me.No, dude, come on.Blue sky only, baby, no judgment.Let's hear it.I don't know, what if we,what if we added a fourth wheel?Dude, you are twisted, but I love it.So they slapped on a fourth wheeland released the HopeStar ON360.Look at this little thing.Looks like a Power Wheeltruck for grownups.It also kind of drove like one,considering it had a blistering top speedof 43 miles per hour.It used a two strokeair-cooled Mitsubishi enginewhich made 20 horsepower.But what it lacked in power, baby,it made up for with surprising4x4 capability, baby.For Hope this was reallymore of a concept car.They only made 15 of them.But between that and their three-wheelers,a lot of people werehopeful about the company.In 1968 Suzuki boughtthe Hope Motor Companybecause the light bodies andengines fell right in linewith what Suzuki was all about,being small but innovative.They saw potential in theHopeStar and rebodied it.Even swapped out the Mitsubishi enginefor a Suzuki FB two cylinderwhich up to hrsprs from 20an absolutely massive 25.And in 1970Suzuki released their newversion of the HopeStar.Now called the Jimny.What?What's a Jimny, like a cricket?A Jimny is the same as a samurai.Oh my God, you need to cut this part out.I do not need any moreproblems with samurai.This was the first global hit for Suzuki.When the Jimny launchedit was the only 4x4 K carand instantly had a reputationas the perfect froader.It featured canvasdoors that zipped closedlike any proper froader should,and by 1979 outside of Japan,it came as a soft top, a hard top,and down under you could findmy adopted kangaroo, Nolan 2,behind the wheel of a Jimny Stockman.Oh, you think I adopted a baby kangaroo?No, everybody wants the babies.Nolan 2 is a full grownmiddle-aged kangaroothat was down on his luck.I actually did adopt a kangaroo.I got receipts.Now this Stockman featured a pickup tubthat had 42 free roaming Brumbies,now four cylinder four stroke motor.And when the secondgeneration launched in 1981,man, it was more refreshingthan an ice cold Shasta.The styling took a number of cuesfrom Jeep CJ models of the day.Suzuki knew who their demographic was.And just like in the 70sthere were K car and non K car models.So you could find allsorts of configurations.You hate your windshield, fold it down.Hate the roof, pull it off.It could go anywhere and do anything.Meanwhile we're over here in the States,people were watching the rest of the worldhaving all this fungoing to restaurants and stuffin their cute little 4x4sand we were like, "Um, hello."We'd like to have fun too."And in 1986, the Jimny came to a stop,looked us right dead in theeyes finally and was like--- Suzuki Samurai 4x4.- Chapter two, American samurai warrior.The adorable off-roaderdebuted in some adorable commercials.The Jimny was rebadged asthe Samurai in the Statesto emphasize its lightweightagility and, well,it's Japanese heritage.It's all about surface level referencesfor us over here in the US.You could get the American modelas a convertible or a hardtop,complete with a 1.3 liter four bangerthat made an astounding 63 horsepowers,which was a pretty hefty increaseconsidering that thefirst model only made 20.Now the initial plan was to importroughly 14,000 Samurais in the first year.That's sounds it's terrifying.But when off-road enthusiastssaw how much dirt theselittle things could kick,that 14,000 ended up becoming47,000 by the end of the year.Hello?Yes, I need to upgrade my life insurance.What made it such a good off-roader?(scoffs) Where do I begin?(electronic music)For starters it was a true 4x4which should really be a givenwhen you're talkingabout cars for the trail.But the samurai had great low end torque.When you're trying to go over an obstacle,it's nice not to have to rev to red linejust to make it through.Gearing is also very importantwhen you're climbing overall of them bouldies.The Samurai had a transfercase which multiplies torqueto make it even more powerful in low gear.It also had killer angles.When you're off-roadingthere are three anglesyou're concerned about.Approach, break-over, and departure.The Samurai nailed all threebecause of its high groundclearance and short overhangs.The Samurai also used a solid axlerather than independent suspension.This meant better wheel articulation,literally keeping thewheels on the ground.That articulation was also helpedby its ladder frame chassis.Ladder frames are a very simplekind of body on framechassis that's existedfor pretty much as long asthere have been cars there.There's probably horse drawncarriages with ladder frames.Now they're antiquated but theycan handle a lot of torsion,which also means more wheel contact,and wheel contact means traction.(engine revving)Are there more capable off-roaders?Yeah, sure.But rarely is so much of that availablein such a small mass produced package.In edition to being good for off-roading,it's incredibly affordable.Just like our buff horses sticker packs.- What's up, guys.We've got new Low Car pins in stock.- Right now we've also gotnew Hi Car pins back in stock.These ones are different,they're super limited.They are finished in abeautiful black nickel finish.So if you want one don't sleep on it.We're only making 800 of each.Every single one is gonnabe individually numbered.Make sure you buy it from us'cause it'll be cheaperthan buying it from eBaywhen they're sold out.- Not only do we have new pins,but we also have new key chainsfor both Low Car and Hi Car.There's "remove from flight" tag style,so get your hands on those as well.- These are really cool,they're gonna sell out soon.Just like Nolan did and--(Nolan laughing)(funky music)"Up To Speed".I mean a Suzuki Samurai at $6,500only cost two thirds ofa 1987 Jeep Wrangler.Yeah, it only weigh 2,100 poundsand went zero to 60 in almost 17 seconds,but none of that mattersfor an off-roader.In fact,the Samurai outsold theWrangler two to one in 1987.Then in 1988, Suzukiintroduced the 88.5 modelwhich had softersuspension, better interior,larger roll bar, and a lower fifth gearto make it better for street driving.Yeah, sure, they didn'tincrease the power,but its lack of speed wasn't what startedslicing up Samurai sales.Chapter three,Suzuki Motor Corpversus the Consumer Unionof the United States.In the criminal justice systemthe people are representedby two separate yetequally important groups.The actual criminal investigatorsand James Pumphreywho makes internet car videosabout them years later.These are their stories.(mechanic buzzing)This is crazy, all right.I'm just warning you guys.All right, so in 1988 a youngdriver sustained mild injuriesafter rolling their Suzuki Samuraito avoid an object in the road.Now that wouldn't havebeen a noteworthy wreckexcept the driver happened to bean employee of the UnitedStates Consumer Union.The same organization thatpublishes "Consumer Reports",a magazine that reviewsproducts for safety and quality.Mostly old people read it.Now this accident prompted"Consumer Reports"to take a closer lookat the tip up tendencies of the Samurai.They subjected the carto sudden swerve testsat 40 miles per hour.And according to their summary,"Consumer Reports" foundthat the car was easily rolled over.This prompted "Consumer Reports"to give their firstunacceptable rating in 10 years."This is a car that weconsider dangerous,"said David Berliner,the Consumer Union's assistant director."Berliner" means "donut" in German."The design is inherently flawed."It's not something wherethey can make an adjustment"or put on some hardware inorder to make a difference."The only solution is totake it off the market."And just like that, salesof the Samurai tanked.- That's it.That looked looked pretty good.- The report waspublished at the same timethat the Japanese yenwas rising against the American dollar,which had already forced Suzukito raise Samurai prices by 30%.And it didn't help that Americanswere primed to believethe consumer reports.There had been numerous findings of SUVsbeing involved in a highernumber of rollover accidents.It was a perfect storm of bad news.But Suzuki, they called BS.You see the Jimny had been aroundfor almost 20 years at this point,just not in the US.And there had been numeroustests performed both internallyand by federal regulators that showedit was safe to drive the Jimny.Something wasn't adding up.So they put their lawyers on the case,and after the better part of a decade,in 1996, Suzuki Motor Corporationfiled a $60 million libel suitagainst the Consumer Unionfor willingly fraudulent testing.In the course of their investigation,Suzuki found that "Consumer Reports"had manipulated evidence andchanged their testing criteriawith the express purposeof rolling the Samurai.They uncovered documentsfrom the first time "ConsumerReports" tested the Samuraiin which the researchers said the car"responds well and corrects quickly,"leans normally, snaps back in line."Confidence fairly high."No real problem."He even ranked it as oneof the best vehicles testedand gave it the highest safety rating.And if that wasn't enough,Suzuki got access to a videofrom the second round of testingin which testers is ranthe sudden swerve 47 timesbefore getting a single tip over.In the video a Consumer Union executivecan be heard saying to the testers,"If you don't find someoneto roll this car, I will."And it was another executivenamed R David Pittle, of course,who finally got the same writing tip.And when it tipsyou can hear another testershout with excitement.(tires screeching)(man yelling)Then they improvised a more difficult testwho employees who were there saidwas set up with the expresspurpose of filming an accident.And even in that test it took 15 triesto get the car to tip.- -- we get no lift off the ground.(chuckling) Oh god.A witness said"From what I heard and saw"during the testing of the Samurai,"the objective of the test"was not to simulatenormal avoidance driving,"but was to flip the Samurai."Every samurai I've ever metcould flip first time easy.- Those tests demonstratethat the Suzuki Samuraihas unusually high propensity to roll overof driver during routine driving.- "Consumer Reports" settled out of court'cause they got a ton of moneyand that's what rich people do,and they issued a public correctionbut the damage to thebrand was already done.Suzuki's automotive reputationwould never fully recoverand the perception thatthey made unsafe carsextended into the Suzuki Sidekickand even the Geo Tracker.It just goes to show you what can happenwhen one magazine getstoo much power, baby.(mechanical buzzing)Chapter four, the last Samurai.Suzuki did their best to holdon to the American market.But when the roll cagemandate came in 1994the end was near.Rather than re-engineerthe design of the car,Suzuki simply took out the back seatsto make room for the new roll cage.And then in 1995,they pulled the Samuraiout of the States entirely.But that's not the endof the story though.Jimnies are still being producedand they're crazy popularanywhere there's a marketfor K style trucks.Suzuki introduced the third generationin 1997 at the Tokyo Motor Showwith a much more modern designand a 1.3 liter Suzuki M engine,bringing horsepower up to a blistering 83.The third gen was sold around the worldunder different names.Maruti sold a version in Indiathat was perfect for parts of the countrywhere less capablevehicles were impracticalMazda sold a version called the AZ-Offroadwith the AZ standing for Autozam,Mazda's small car offshoot.In New Zealand it was soldas the Farm Worker 4x4,though there it wasstrictly intended for workand isn't legal to drive on streets.It's like a nice Gator.And of course it did well as a K carin its native land of Japan.It currently holds the recordfor the highest altitude drivenby a four wheeled vehicle.On April 21st, 2007,Gonzalo Bravo and Eduardo Canolasdrove a Jimny 21,942 feetup Ojos de Saldado in the Andes mountains.And on the waythey passed the sign left bythe previous record holderthat read "Jeep Parking Only,"others can't make it up here anyway."They brought the sign back down with them,which is just a flex.In 2018 Suzuki releaseda fourth generationcalled the Jimny Sierra.Like all other Jimnies it'sstill a killer off-road vehicle.It's currently availablein Japan, Indonesia,Thailand, and the Philippines.But sadly we probably won'tsee it here in the state.So we'll have to make due with trucksthat are way less cute.Thank you guys for watching this videoand everything else on Donut Media.Hit that Subscribe button and that bellso you don't miss anything.We put out a video dang near every day.You want to learn somemore about little trucksthat aren't meant to go off roadbut are really, really fastand have more than ablistering 83 horsepower,check out this episode of "Wheelhouse"hosted by Nolan Sykes.I love you.