9) Suzuki Jimny
We have a homegrown off-roading icon in the Jeep Wrangler, and Jeep manages to sell hundreds of thousands of them every year. It’s the default choice, but what if you wanted something a bit smaller, and more plucky off-road? That’s where the Suzuki Jimny comes in, as it’s a modern take on the old Samurai we did get in the U.S. It’s small form factor, light weight and capability would win favor among some American off-road enthusiasts, even with how much we love our Wranglers and off-road trucks.
Still, there’s a problem — Suzuki pulled out of the American market in 2012. While the company still sells motorcycles here, it has no infrastructure to sell any cars in our market, let alone giving us the Jimny. In a few years, there may be some older examples hitting American streets as imports, but it’ll be awhile before we see the latest version.
8) Mercedes-Benz Unimog
G-Wagen? Never heard of it! Amazingly, this line of Mercedes workhorse trucks has been in production since the late 1940s, although the version shown above has been around since 2013. They have a reputation as go-anywhere trucks thanks to their design, and are popular as utility and agricultural vehicles. That said, the Unimog is also a favorite in grueling off-road races like the Dakar Rally.
The Mercedes-Benz Unimog is an uncommon sight here in the U.S., but to be fair the automaker did try to sell them in North America before. In the early 2000s, then-DaimlerChrysler aggressively marketed the truck under its Freightliner brand, though it exited the market due to stricter emissions requirements after selling just a handful of vehicles.
