As a child of its time, the Toyota RAV4 is loaded with the most modern techniques, especially if you go for the Hybrid or the yet to be introduced Plug-in Hybrid. Do you want to combine all that beauty with the look of a classic American SUV like the Chevrolet Suburban from about 40 years ago? Then knock on the door of the magisterial and idiosyncratic Mitsuoka.
Mitsuoka is perhaps best known in Europe for the Viewt, a Micra disguised as Jaguar Mk 2. Currently, the brand supplies the aforementioned Viewt and the at least as crazy as fun Ryugi, the Galue, the Viewt Cutie Hatchback, the Himiko and the Rock Star. The latter is basically a Mazda MX-5, but one that likes to do its best to look like a Corvette C2. The brand now adds the Buddy to that beautiful line-up, a Toyota RAV4 with a very remarkable carriage. Mitsuoka screws a completely new front and a completely new rear on the RAV4. With its gigantic railing, angular muzzle, sturdy bonnet and two-storey square lighting, the Mitsuoka Buddy looks like a Chevrolet Suburban from the 1980s straight from the front. The back is just as striking. Mitsuoka not only installs a completely new tailgate, complete with a wide dark panel on the SUV, but also gives it Cadillac-derived rear light units. Sometimes you don’t have to wonder why something is happening and just accept and appreciate that it happens. According to Mitsuoka, the Buddy is a “companion that can ride naturally and smoothly everywhere” and undoubtedly owes its sympathetic name. Mitsuoka doesn’t care whether you want a RAV4 with a petrol engine or a hybrid powertrain, because every variant of the Toyota RAV4 can be converted into a Buddy. The manufacturer supplies the Buddy in numerous color combinations and even has a set of classic-looking closed wheels, in black or white, on the menu.
Mitsuoka Buddy