Mitsuoka Buddy

Mitsuoka is known for turning everyday Japanese cars into wannabe vintage cars for a price in the hopes for customers to stand out from the rest of the pack. From the Roadster-derived Himiko, the Corolla-derived Ryugi, and the March-derived Viewt, Mitsuoka knows a thing or two about converting regular Japanese cars into faux classics. Now, they've jumped to the crossover bandwagon by creating their first-ever SUV called the Buddy. What this crossover is based on is quite a surprise.

The 4,697,000 Yen Mitsuoka Buddy crossover is usually a fifth-generation Toyota RAV4 that talks like an American and when you take it everywhere, most people will usually mistake it for a very old American SUV, say an ancient Chevrolet Suburban or a K10 Blazer of some sort but you get the point.

Of course, while the Buddy is mistakenly American on the outside, the interior works and feels just like today's RAV4. It's basically spacious, comfortable, and functional, just like the Toyota crossover it was based on so anyone with such experience will have no problem getting to know its interior that fits all walks of life.

Just like the RAV4, the Mitsuoka Buddy features a rigid unibody chassis, MacPherson struts, double-wishbone rear suspension, shorter overhangs, and increased ground clearance, making driving somewhat a new normal rather than being normal indeed. It's front-wheel-drive by default but the one with the Dynamic Torque Vectoring AWD makes it more enjoyable to drive even in the dirt. Going rough roading rather than offroading is what Buddy's capable of.

Under the hood, the Buddy comes with the M20A-FKS Dynamic Force 2.0L inline-four-cylinder engine mated to a Direct Shift CVT and an A25A-FXS Dynamic Force 2.5-liter inline-four-cylinder Toyota Hybrid System II engine with Electronically-Controlled CVT.

In terms of safety, the Buddy comes with the next generation of Toyota Safety Sense, which adds new active-safety technologies and capabilities including Lane Tracing Assist and Road Sign Assist, among many others.

The Mitsuoka Buddy crossover is proven to be quite a stir for the company behind the pseudo-classic commoners and thanks to such demand, the whole inventory's sold out until 2023, which is bad news for those who wanted to buy this pseudo-American RAV4. Anyway, although you can't buy one until 2023, the Buddy is for those who think today's Toyota RAV4 cramps their style. Case closed.

Photo: Mitsuoka Motor Co., Ltd.