BACK IN the 1960s the choice of 4x4s was limited. You could opt for a Land Rover, an Austin Gypsy or go the whole hog an buy an ex-Army Austin Champ with a Rolls-Royce engine.
The problem was that they were all gas guzzlers and very utilitarian. But along came the Japanese and all changed with a variety of lightweight 4x4s that transformed the marketplace.
A main exponent was Suzuki, a company founded on beginnings in the textile industry which shop to fame with motorcycles and also started to accelerate in the world of cars and 4x4s.
The company's 4x4 line started in 1968 when Suzuki bought former Japanese automaker Hope Motor Company which had introduced fifteen small off-road vehicles called the HopeStar ON360.
The first Suzuki-branded four-wheel drive, the LJ10, was introduced in 1970. The LJ10 had a 359cc air-cooled, two-stroke, in-line two cylinder engine which was hardly sufficient off road.
The liquid-cooled LJ20 was introduced in 1972 with the cooling changed due to newly enacted emission regulations, and in 1975, Suzuki complemented the LJ20 with the LJ50, which had a larger 539cc, two-stroke, in-line three-cylinder engine and bigger differentials. This was originally targeted at the Australian market, but more exports soon followed.
The 4x4 range started to expand and Britain was a favourite export market.
Models such as the SJ40 of the late 1970s were a big hit with the likes of hill farmers because they could get to places which the heavier 4x4s could access but with the bonus of less outlay and vastyly better fuel economy.
The SJ40 was reasonably pleasant to drive on the road too and could double up as a shopping or leisure-mobile when the occasion demanded. It was powered by a 970cc four-cylinder with 52bhp on tap and was constructed on a ladder-frame chassis.
The only problem was that it was only capable of just over 65mph which limited its usefulness for any long-distance work.
But further development followed with models like the Samurai, the first Suzuki to be marketed officially in the USA.
The Samurai became intensely popular within the serious four-wheel-drive community for its good off road performance and reliability compared to other 4WDs of the time.
This is due to the fact that while very compact and light, it is a real 4WD vehicle equipped with a transfer case switchable 4WD and low range.
Its lightness made it a very nimble off roader, less prone to sinking in softer ground than heavier ones. It was also considered a great beginner off-roader due to its simple design and ease of engine and suspension modifications.
On April 21, 2007, the Chilean duo of Gonzalo Bravo and Eduardo Canales drove their modified Suzuki Samurai up the mountain called Ojos del Salado breaking the previous altitude record for a four-wheeled vehicle set by a Jeep Wrangler at at 21,804ft.
Then someone waved the style-stick over the range and it started to develop even faster with models like the Vitara, one of the better early smart SUVs and the way-out two-seat X90.
But the legacy of the early models is brought up to date with the Jimny in the UK. This is a surprisingly capable off-roader and and has a strong following.
Strange really because its economical way of going about things is just as appropriate in 2011 as it was all those years ago when frugal Suzuki all-wheel-drives became the rage.