With as capable as Sidekicks, Trackers and Samurai's are I wonder why Suzuki never took them to the next level in terms of offroad capability.  The most I've ever seen for them from the factory is some skid plates on the ZR-2 of the 2nd gen and a limited slip rear diff.  Wouldn't you think that they could have sold a lot more of them if they have a few either factory or dealer options such as lifts or lockers?

probably it was a liability thing.   if you make such components, and someone gets hurt while using them,  you, the manufacturer are responsible if it was stock on your vehicle.   

I would bet the ol' Consumer Reports scam that sucker punched them and killed the sales of the Samurai in the US...

oh i don't know, jeep seems to do quite well with the "rubicon" models with the lockers and t-case gears exc.....

i think they know that Suzuki people are cheap and wont spend the $$$ to buy a built truck brand new LOL

probably it was a liability thing.   if you make such components, and someone gets hurt while using them,  you, the manufacturer are responsible if it was stock on your vehicle.   

oh i don't know, jeep seems to do quite well with the "rubicon" models with the lockers and t-case gears exc.....

i think they know that Suzuki people are cheap and wont spend the $$$ to buy a built truck brand new LOL

Quote from: Bobthebiker on May 17, 2010, 07:38:52 AM

probably it was a liability thing.   if you make such components, and someone gets hurt while using them,  you, the manufacturer are responsible if it was stock on your vehicle.    

The problem with that logic - at least in the US - is that there are NO new Suzuki trucks to build!

It's no fun to take a unibody Grand Vit and try to lift it.

If we had Jimnys in the US, then it would be a different matter altogether.

Also, I don't think Suzuki is looking for another situation like the one Consumers Union put them through again.

As a result of the lawsuit, there is still no mechanism in place to keep any publication from committing the same act that Consumer's Union did to Suzuki. 

You may question the above statement, but if you take the time to study the legal opinions that came from this court case, you'll find that deeper, fundamental issues came into play that the courts and the parties in the case could not ignore.

Suzuki did not win. 

Consumer's Union did not win. 

However, your right to publish information without fear of instant litigation because "someone didn't like what you wrote" is protected. 

Had consumer reports not done that BS thing about the samurai,  we would likely still be seeing a bunch of awesome 4x4 trucks from them.    suzuki doesnt realy want to have a repeat of the consumer reports crap again.     

In all fairness, the samurai does have a narrow wheelbase,  but its still not that easy to roll one, unless you're taking a 90 degree turn at 40mph.

I agree Bob and if you add wider tires it helps them both on and off road

IMO, Suzuki never went any further with their 4x4's here in the Good Ol USA, is because in America, we only build vehicles to satisfy the lowest common denominator of idiot drivers. Why do you think there's all the " mandated safety equipment?"  Traction control, vehicle stability control, ABS, collision avoidance warnings, Drowsy driver alerts, 20 airbags per vehicle, back up warnings, and on and on. Teach people to be better, more responsible drivers? Hell no, we'll just make the cars smarter so the drivers can get dumber! Parallel park? Don't even bother to learn, the car can do it for you!
Take a look at what kind of Suzuki's you can buy in the rest of the world, they get some pretty cool stuff.  It's no wonder they gave up the true 4x4 here and now build what everybody in America really wants. Grand Vitera, Kisashi, The Frontier clone. All good vehicles I'm sure, but the simplicity and ruggedness of the Samurai and 1st +2nd gen Trackicks are things of the past. The Majority of folks want all the bells and whistles, and want the vehicle to do the work, not them. No thinking while driving means more time for texting, phone calls, laptops, make up application, etc, etc. Forgive me I rant.

Bentparts,  I think you actually got it EXACTLY RIGHT.    sadly, Americans as a whole are generally getting dumber.  There are still purists out there like us that dont want this unibody computer controlled self parking crap and just want a good full frame, very basic truck that GETS IT DONE.

Hah GIT R DONE!
I can't believe that new parallel-park "assist" thing.  "Assist?"  It's not "assisting" if it's DOING IT FOR YOU!
Jeez.  I learned to drive in an extended-cab shortbed chevy 4wd half ton.  Parallel parking and everything.  It was a 1995 and it didn't turn on a dime.  You learn to plan ahead when making u-turns or in a parking lot.  You learn how to back up a lot more.  You learn how to turn WIDER than usual.  I still drive the same type of truck but newer, 2003, and being ex.cab S/B, it's still a bit longer than my '95 was.  The 03 was a hand-me-down from my father and that's what I did my FIRST driving in, though...about 10 hours of TRAIL driving in the mountains during hunting season.  Now that teaches good driving skill...looking out for rocks and trees and learning to turn wide and know where your tires track.  Hell, my father drives a Ford Super Duty, it's a Supercrew and 8ft. LB with front leaf springs (so turning radius sucks even more than the newer front coil-sprung trucks) and he still can flip a bitch easily.  Just something you get used to fast.
It's ridiculous.  I think the best advancement is the air-bag...probably one of the safety features that is a good thing.  Because, it doesn't teach you to be less knowledgeable (as parallel park assist, drowsy driver alert, etc.) it's just there to DEFEND YOU from the OTHER drivers that have all that safety crap that taught them to be ignorant.  Car's aren't plug-and-play, they can be deadly, and people need to wake up and realize that when they get behind the wheel, they must act RESPONSIBLY, and not expect the car to DO IT FOR THEM.
Anyways, sorry about the rant.  If we still want a "good full frame, very basic truck that GETS IT DONE" then we just may have to start building our own soon enough.  Fabricate your own frame (or use a frame off something else) and start from there.  Look at what muskegtracker is doing...he gets the fun aspect of the XL7 V6 while keeping the "basic" Tracker body and deleted all the unnecessary safety equipment.  Unfortunately, many of us (myself included) don't have the time, money, or skill, to undertake such a project as that.  But, you can see the end result of someone having that time and skill and dedication to finish a project.  I mean, read all the build diaries on this forum alone (not to mention those all over the web elsewhere...and those who don't have online access and have builds too) and see what people can do themselves.
Besides, if you build it yourself, you learn to appreciate it more, much more than something that is "ready-to-go" from the showroom floor (although it would still be awesome to buy new 4x4s with all the goodies).
In California there is such a thing as a "Special Construction Vehicle" class that does not require smog.  How about that for being awesome?!?

AMEN. 

What bentparts said.   

all this crap just isnt ncessary.  air bags, and power brakes are realy all I NEED to have.   the rest, screw it, i dont need it.   I learned how to drive in big body cars and pickups, and I'm good at handling them, without all tat fancy crap.  dont need it, dont want it, so yeah

AGREED I think it is sad when I can back a vehicle into a parking space better than a lot of people (around where I live and drive)  can do going forward. What I want to know too is what happens when that "assist" parking feature fails or the throttle sticks while it is going back? I also have my commercial drivers license and I know how to back big rigs better then the 4 wheeled car drivers I see here. 

I know how ya feel man.   its not hard to drive backwards if you've practiced it and really know how to judge distance well.   

I know how ya feel man.   its not hard to drive backwards if you've practiced it and really know how to judge distance well.   

HECK YA!  im 23 and just learned to drive this year. thank to a great instructor who taught me, i can out park most people who have been doing int 10-20 year longer.(he usualy teaches big_rigs 5th wheels and motorhomes and has been teaching for 40+ years)

i get soo pissed off when i see the shit other drivers pull! just yesterday i was in a 4 way stop and as i was making my left turn some asshole in a new porshe blows through my stop doing 80 mph! just inches away from me!! was a good thing i stopped. butr now i was stalled  and shifting to first when some moron in a shiny new exploder speeds up (wanting to blow though the stop sign) and slams his brakes blaring his horn at me stopping 6 inches from my freaking door!!!
as we all know samurais are slow starters in first and the guy was not even giving me enough room to finish my turn! grrrrrrr

anyways i rant. people are dumb, suzuki's rock and fords can lick my sack!