Drive to the mall or beach or supermarket and it’s an attention-getter, guaranteed. The X-90 looks like a real car, only in miniature. It’s tiny — riding on a subcompact wheelbase of 86.6 inches and with a height of but 60 inches. It has a snub nose, and blunt tail treatment too, plus a top bar which wraps over the rear portion of the eensy-weensy passenger compartment. Inside, it might remind you of the old Porsche 914, that mid-engine 2-seater with no room to speak of behind front seats.

Yes, X-90 feels cramped inside at first blush because you’re probably not accustomed to sitting in a machine of such sparse interior measurements. But it becomes more comfortable as you acclimate to this new environment. The interior contains a number of comfort features and safety systems, beginning with twin airbags. What in the world is Suzuki trying to do with X-90? It’s obviously creating a new kind of car but this is not the first time the Japanese automaker has ventured into uncharted automotive territory.

Inside, X-90’s wee cockpit with twin bucket seats stocks standard safety features like power steering, daytime running lights and 4-wheel anti-lock brakes. Refinements appear even in the base model, such as floor carpeting, power windows and door locks, a tachometer with the analog instruments, intermittent windshield wipers and rear window defroster.

The 4WD edition adds cruise control, a security alarm and deluxe AM-FM stereo sound package with cassette deck. Sticker figures for X-90 begin at $13,900 for a base 4×2 with manual stick shift. Prices run past $16,000 for the top X-90 in 4×4 stance with automatic transmission. 1996 SUZUKI X-90