Here are the Top 10 weirdest Japanese cars sold in the U.S.!

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In this episode I provide my picks for the top 10 weirdest Japanese cars that were sold in the U.S. There were plenty of other weird cars sold in Japan that never made it to the U.S., so send your suggestions for a potential future episode.

[@MyOldCar]

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[@herbcraven7146]

I kinda loved the Scion xB. I once saw one with a bumper sticker that said "You just got passed by a toaster." 😆

[@WilliamHollinger2019]

A neighbor of mine I pissed off he have one and he is a boomer .

[@keith.s7139]

A very fitting sticker

[@johnnymason2460]

The first Scion xB is what I want. It's nice and tall. Very fuel efficient.

[@Noah_E]

A friend had a Honda Element she called the Toaster. She traded a 2 door V6 Accord in for it and then traded the Toaster for an Acura ILX. It's safe to say her taste were getting progressively worse.

[@Kjk_808]

A mutual friend of mine has one, once when we were dipping out of a party quickly he was like “everyone to the toaster” 😂

[@claudiobizama5603]

Funfact: the Right Hand Drive version of the Nissan Cube was asymmetrical, but mirrored. They had the resources to make a wrap around rear window for both markets.

[@hk20000]

Cube was the best selling vehicle for a few years in Japan. There was also a Cube³ (reads cube cubic) that was a LWB version of the same car, fitted with 3rd row jump seats, for the previous model.

[@KyrosTheWolf]

The Juke and Cube proved to be extremely popular in Europe, particularly the Juke despite its bizarre styling

[@fortheloveofnoise]

The Juke was when CG injected an experimental Renault flavor drug into a Nissan.

[@orwellboy1958]

Greetings from the UK. That little Subaru looked like a fiat 500 and a VW beetle did the dirty.

[@raymonde4272]

The Beetle was designed in the 1930s but very few were made before WW2 , production then resumed after the war when the British reopened the factory

[@arevee9429]

I've owned one of the weird ones - the xB. Scion blew it with the re-style.

[@GeeEm1313]

It lost its traction control and excellent gas mileage.

[@johnstapler5956]

I love the Brats. I like all the Subarus from that vintage. Elements are one of the finest vehicles Honda has ever made. They are still quite valuable.

[@willschires7283]

It's a shame Honda stopped making the Element

[@robertknight4672]

I used to have a 2006 Honda Element. The suicide doors going to be a little bit annoying if you had rear seat passengers. The elements tall roofline is very useful for transporting fully assembled two-stage snowblowers especially older ones with a handlebars do not fold down. I used to see so many different companies using Honda Elements is small cargo vans.

[@johnjones393]

I would pay way more than I should for a clean, unmolested Pulsar Sportbak.

[@PRH123]

The concept was very cool... surprised it didn't catch on more....

[@davidkacerek8294]

The Subaru B9 Tribeca also deserves mentioning 😁

[@ayrproductions]

Except it wasn’t weird. Just crap.

[@johnnymason2460]

​@@ayrproductions Actually, it was both weird and crap. The facelifted version that came later was much better. The current Subaru Ascent is much, much better.

[@peekaboo4390]

The supercharged Previa had a magnetic coupling for the charger so you could turn it off or on.. like the Mad Max type. The SC14 supercharger used for this is a compact unit that is easy to install on almost any car.

[@frankdeboer1347]

One comment on Subaru. Every Subaru with maybe one or two exceptions are weird cars. Somehow Subaru stylists bring a little weird to all their models.

[@alphawoolf5981]

I LOVED the Subaru BRAT. Very cool vehicle. In fact I love most all of these weird cars.

[@ayrproductions]

The VehiCross wasn’t based on the Trooper, but on the Isuzu pickup (sold as Holden Rodeos in Australia) with a widened track. It’s more like a rebodied Isuzu Mu or Vauxhall/Opel/Holden Frontera Sport than anything else. Only thing about it that came from the Trooper was the 3.5 V6 along with the front and rear diffs. The Previa (or Tarago as it was known here in Australia) was actually quite popular in other countries. At one stage, they were even the hauler of choice for touring bands in Australia due to being more comfortable than any mini bus, but still having tonnes of room to store gear.

[@TheCriminalViolin]

The Vehicross, much like one of the others on here, was clearly modeled after the Isuzu Rodeo.

[@johnnymason2460]

​@@TheCriminalViolinI believe you are thinking of the Isuzu Axiom. That was based on the Isuzu Rodeo.

[@gregorycomunale1550]

The lady punching the subaru is actress Ruth Gordon she won a oscar for her role as the nosey neighbor as a witch, in the horror movie ,Rosemarys Baby .

[@Henry_Jones]

Weird only sells to a fringe few. The cybertruck is the next example.

[@danzeldiaz7447]

The cyber truck is also a Japanese car. It’s based off of a Nissan pick up with some powertrain sharing and is built by Nissan Mitsubishi alliance.

[@jcruz4759]

But there's a difference between weird and gross.

[@pac1fic055]

The SVX was a beautiful car, and technologically weird with its 4-wheel steering.

[@reinatycoon3644]

It was a beautiful car, Too bad it only came with automatic transmission. The black and dark red Alcyones were the best looking.

[@pac1fic055]

@@reinatycoon3644 I know what you mean. To this day I’ve always bought manual transmission only cars for myself.

[@johnnymason2460]

When did the SVX have 4-wheel steering? I've never seen that even mentioned.

[@pac1fic055]

@@johnnymason2460 for the Japanese market only “The Japanese-spec "SVX L" received four-wheel steering in 1991 and 1992 (model code "CXD" of which 1,905 were built).” - Wikipedia

[@averyparticularsetofskills]

15:59 😂look at the "driver" of the Isuzu ...hillarious

[@cbrue1896]

Great video, as always! Subaru seemed to have quite a few offerings in this video. The SVX is a pretty cool car. Good luck with finding any of them on the roads today.

[@Noah_E]

I own a 92 SVX LS-L with under 90k miles. A worker for the local water dept has a half dozen. They are his daily drivers and are pretty clapped out, with none having less than 200k miles. One was close to 300k when I chatted with him a couple years ago

[@ineedarniepalms]

Yeah I have only seen one so far

[@arthurhu2290]

when I see one it is always in really good condition

[@nathancook1404]

Nice work on the Weirdest Japanese Cars sold in U.S. Video, I would like to see you come up with a Top 10 List of Japanese Cars that never got sold in the U.S. in a future video since there were some interesting popular makes & models that people likes that they could never find in the U.S. Like the Nissan Skyline and many other Makes & Models that people would love to own.

[@2040wagon]

The infamous chicken tax. Always amusing to hear it and enjoy misapplying it to other circumstances.🐓🐔

[@fosterfuchs]

When the xB first came out, I thought it was brilliant that Toyota was able to convince people that a toaster on wheels is hip.

[@genericreference6969]

These were the days of the flying toaster screensaver, after all

[@davinp]

Toyota Previa was the weird egg-shaped van with part of the engine under the driver's seat. Unfortuantely, it performed poorly in IIHS crash test

[@pxn748]

I really like the second gen Pulsar when it came out, but I just didn't fit in it. I'm only 5'11", but I have long legs.

[@botortamas]

I loved the vehicross. Remember wiping the floor with it in 4x4 evolution on ps2. Still looks great today.

[@padroooo]

I didn't know some of these existed. Thanks Pat

[@trwsandford]

I'd love to have a BRAT. Been playing with the idea of putting a modern drivetrain in one for years now.

[@claudiobizama5603]

I have seen some with WRX swaps. The spare tire was under the hood, so there's room for any modern Subaru engine.

[@reinatycoon3644]

I love the Subaru 360 it's so adorable! Also, as for the Wankel rotary it has a better power to weight ratio in comparison to piston engines in general. The Suzuki X90 is also a chassis and modded body swap of the Japanese only Suzuki Cappuccino kei sports car.

[@PRH123]

I remember as a kid in the 70's listening to the Mazda radio ads, for rotary engined cars, they marketed them very strongly...

[@michaela2279]

untrue. the cappuccino is unibody and 129" long, the x-90 is body on frame and 146" long. the x-90 shares a platform with the sidekick/tracker, using the same g16 engine and an identical chassis. only non-cabin difference between the x-90 and sidekick is 1.5" of ground clearance and slightly lower differential gearing.

[@9ZERO6]

I loved the 1st gen xB. Bullet proof drvetrain. It went harder than it should have.

[@Pooby1000]

The first gen Rav 4 2-door could be an honorable mention.

[@GeeEm1313]

Yes. The thing looks stunted.

[@damilolaakanni]

The 2nd generation as well.

[@claudiobizama5603]

I was astonished when I first saw it on the road. It's odd and rare since most sold were the 4 door ones.

[@stephen3164]

Pulsar Sportbak - first off, I love wagons. Second, I love t-tops. What a great concept with transforming the hatch to a wagon - as long as you had room to store the extra body piece. Sounds like a fun and practical car.

[@MREnzoHerbie]

The commercial with the lady punching the Brat killed me. 🤣 Really, the Brat is REALLY TOUGH, and now i am afraid of the lady.

[@Mr10Alpine]

That Suzuki X90 may be weird, but it left a legacy for Brazilian truck makers. Look up "tropical cabines".

[@josephgaviota]

17:35 There are still LOTS of Honda Elements on the road in So. Cal. EVERY person I've talked to who owns one, LOVES it.

[@AndrewBarsky]

The x90 was really slept on, that thing is badass!

[@The_R-n-I_Guy]

I still want a first gen Scion xB. Honda Element is okay. The X90 is definitely something I would drive

[@OLDS98]

Well thought out video. Well put together video as well. You keep putting the videos out. This was interesting and had great footage. Thank you.

[@pontiacmaniac7772]

The Pulsar Sportbak reminds me of the Firebird wagon

[@ericnazario2369]

I've owned over half of this list and loved them all. I guess there is a slice of the population that prefers to own and drive weird Japanese vehicles

[@joellamoureux7914]

Just a little pinch! Loved those commercials. I actually worked on a vehicross. It only needed a widow regulator. Never seen one since

[@guidomirabel4011]

The Vehicross is so cool! so unappreciated!

[@johndornoff]

Toyota: All Scion cars will only have one generation. XB: Are you sure about that? There are a couple of people in our town who have Murano convertibles, and I have to laugh when I see them running around town.

[@richsackett3423]

I always wanted a Honda Del Sol. It was the perfect small car.

[@Project_Low_Expectations]

Naaa, it replaced the perfect small car, the CRX

[@richsackett3423]

@@Project_Low_Expectations The CRX was pretty awesome. The hatch design was something else.

[@thanakonpraepanich4284]

Was the launch price of Del Sol way out of reach for CR-X customers, so they turned to EG-Series Civic and Del Sol was left to die?

[@nunyabidniz2868]

Nissan's Pulsar NX competed against the Toyota Celica pricewise, but only came w/ a 1.6L vs. the Celica's 2L engine and roomier passenger space.

[@BrandonBames]

Who knew Sbarro started off making cars?

[@xmanhoe]

Another quality video. Also know as the Isuzu MU Mysterious

[@Big_Loo]

I always thought the BRAT (and Dodge Rampage/Plymouth Scamp) were very cool, and the X90 is one of the cars I want.

[@PRH123]

The rampage was very cool, like a modern el Camino...

[@pac1fic055]

Please make an episode on the Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution series🙏

[@barron204]

The JDM models of some of these vehicles are more interesting though the USDM versions are weird enough.

[@whitetransgirlwithdreads]

I've owned two toyota vans and I loved both of them. One 1984 and one 1989. The 89 had a sun roof and moon roof as well as the fridge/icemaker. It was such a cool little vehicle.

[@Fairford2001]

Despite the lack of power with the 1st gen Scion XB, it was cool looking and economical. The 2nd gen solved the power issue but at a big expense in fuel economy. I like the look of the 1st gen better.

[@patrickracer43]

Btw, the Honda Element has it's own Skyrim mod

[@steviethek1511]

Another great video!!! Keep ‘em coming!!!

[@SHADOSTRYKR]

I think the styling of the Vehicross is incredible and ahead of its time

[@marclaplante5679]

The Honda Element was, hands down, the best vehicle I ever owned. I would buy another in a heart beat. Unbelievable what I carried in it, and the lovely rubber floors were so easy to clean. Honestly, nothing comes close.

[@johnnymason2460]

I want the Mazda Rotary Pickup. Especially with an automatic. It would be a nice niche product for me to drive.

[@ayrproductions]

You would need to find one and convert it then. They only ever came with a manual.

[@PRH123]

All of the small light pickups then were very cool, and so useful... Chevy, ford, Toyota, Mazda, vw, so many choices... such a shame there's nothing like that now....

[@johnnymason2460]

@@PRH123 Very true. If it wasn't for the pathetic chicken tax(25% tariff), we would have small pickups now.

[@PRH123]

@@johnnymason2460 in central and South America, fiat, Chevy and vw have some interesting little front wheel drive pickups, but for some reason they aren’t legal to import to the us…

[@johnnymason2460]

@@PRH123 I have seen pictures of those. We should be getting them but they would have to be built in the United States, Canada, or Mexico in order to avoid the 25% tariff(chicken tax).

[@Pillowbiter84]

I love these videos. Please keep going!

[@tonybrown6775]

I worked at Bob Rohman when these came out.

[@Sublimelife411]

How about an episode on the Toyota T100?

[@johnnymason2460]

I would love to see that. The T100 is still a really misunderstood pickup.

[@user-xx5kk9hx4c]

Love the channel bud! Any chance on any of the weird late 90s Oldsmobiles?

[@Niro.C]

The Subaru SVX was a very special car as it had an H6 engine and it was designed by Giorgetto Giugiaro's ItalDesign studio in Italy.

[@Inobscurity-n7j]

👍🏻👍🏻 Few thing in life offer so much and require so little to attain. Thank you for the hard work you put in. I watched the adds, hope you get paid.

[@ilovetotri23]

Great video!

[@runoflife87]

Well, the weirdest type of Japanese car fore were so called hardtops. Every JDM car had at least one such spec for sale well into 90's.

[@jamiebray8532]

I loved the 1st Toyota van & I really love the 1st generation Scion XB. The 2nd generation of the XB with the rounded edges just ruined it's freaky look that everyone loved. The 1st generation BRAT is an icon. That thing they came out with that kind resembled the BRAT was just a drunken mistake. I had a 92 Trooper. I absolutely loved that truck. It was just awesome all the way around.

[@a.edwardsnycta5785]

The intro to the Previa did it for me. Just flying through the mall

[@mattg8369]

I'm weird because I'd like to have a Murano CrossCabriolet in the debut teal color.

[@stephen3164]

I like the looks of the Evoque(?) but the roofless design didn’t work for me on the Murano - BUT, roofless SUVs were the majority of the market in decades past: Jeep, Bronco, K5 Blazer, Scout, etc. And even today as well. Maybe it only works on an off-road styled vehicle, instead of a fwd based crossove? 🤷‍♂️

[@nathanstroud2223]

I had several interesting sightings on a trip out of town a few weekends ago, including one of those Mazda rotary pickup trucks and the first DeLorean I've ever seen in traffic. I also saw a Honda Ailment, but they're still quite common.

[@scottoleson1997]

The xB was the most disappointing car I’ve ever owned. It had an aux input, but lacked the most basic features such as cruise control, armrests, temp gauge, or any usable space behind the backseat. I’m sure the manual was more fun, but it really was more of a rental car than a daily driver.

[@tolkien777]

I think if you were to do a "weird cars in Japan", i think the Mazda Roadpacer AP/Isuzu Statesman Devilles need to be mentioned , they were too big for Japan, being rebadged holden models and in the case of the Mazda, one with a rotary

[@ellenkelley5353]

I loved my 88 Pulsar! I had both the regular hatchback lid and the Sportbak . I had the triangular side windows and the normal hatch tinted bot the Sportbak windows could not be tinted because they weren't glass. It got way too hot inside the car in summer so I hardly ever used the Sportbak except when I moved. I wish I still had it .

[@undecidedmiddleground5633]

The SVX flopped because it only came in automatic. It compared quite favorably to other 90s Japanese sports cars like the 3000GT VR-4 and 300ZX.

[@davidcorliss]

I wanted a Subaru Brat and a Honda element still do today

[@xp50player]

Philo Beddoe’s Mom was in a car commercial?!

[@KTJohnsonkidThunder]

I loved the Scion xB and the Honda Element. BOTH cars are STILL on the road today.

[@Project_Low_Expectations]

Always liked the Brat… but they rusted away super fast

[@jamesonpace726]

Had a 98? Trooper II which was great, until the cam leak recall....

[@ML-dl1cp]

haha I worked on the movie which featured this Previa jump. It was called "Carpool" and it was terrible. BUT.... for the movie, we got the first Previas in North America, before they were available to the public (most of the movie takes place in a Previa and is mostly about Tom Arnold making fart jokes). The Previa really looked like it came from the future, and for its time it was pretty impressive, feature-wise. I still see them on the road from time to time nearly 30 years later, which is a pretty solid endorsement.

[@CarlosGuzman-bq8fr]

I love ❤️ Subaru 360 pick up and van.

[@Cat5988]

I still see the Scion XB to this day.... rarely.

[@EvanMoon]

Interesting that the Subaru 360 looks like a Volkswagen beetle but it’s much more similar to the Citron 2CV in size and engine

[@bikingD]

Could almost do a Subaru wierd list. Subaru 360. Subaru Baja. Subaru SVX. Subaru Brat. Subaru XT. Subaru Tribeca. Subaru Justy. They made cool but strange cars.

[@johnnymason2460]

I would agree with you. Subaru has always been called the Japanese Saab(quirky and weird).

[@dkpt1997]

There's more to add: Mitsubishi i-Miev, 1st gen Honda insight, scion XD, Mazda MX-3, Japanese Vans from the 80s by Toyota, Mitsubishi, & Nissan.

[@rustyshacklef00rd]

I’d be proud to own any of the vehicles on this list. I love orphan cars, thank you for this video!

[@OtterlyInsane]

Saying Ford owned Mazda is slightly misleading, they owned a maximum of 33% if memory serves.

[@Mister...H]

Nissan Xterra needs a video.

[@timesurfingalien]

2:27 there was a sportbak around where I grew up in Alabama

[@rogerb5615]

Ahhh, you missed a great opportunity to overdub the Mazda ad from the 1970s: "Other cars go boing boing boing, but the Mazda goes Mmmmmm".

[@michelleshaw337]

I'll add one other "weird" Nissan product: The Datsun F10 - all of the strangeness of 70s era body styling, with a FWD powertrain that had non-trivial problems with torque steer.

[@RJLightning68]

The Subaru SVX was more of a 2nd gen XT

[@aaronnichols9338]

I'd say a big reason it failed was it wasn't competitive with the other Japanese hot cars at the time, being nearly 100hp down from the likes of the 300ZX, RX7, and Supra

[@justas525]

​@aaronnichols9338 and SVX was available only as auto. Supra and RX7 were available as both

[@jaygee4345]

8:32 Bob ROARman! Rip to a legend 🙏

[@brooksrownd2275]

You might call the BRAT "weird", but it is in fact the most practical automobile ever sold.

[@PRH123]

I remember seeing them all over the place in the 70's, they were very popular.

[@theknifedude1881]

The first gen xB is neat! But I like the Dodge Magnum also.

[@bygsyxx4271]

I once owned a Honda Element an it was a great lil car....very practically comfy and pretty good on gas.

[@alanrogers7090]

The Subaru 360 was their answer to the Volkswagen Beetle. Rear engine four-seater and economical.

[@davebaker9128]

How about the Honda 600, I had two sedans, they were great

[@johnnymason2460]

The Z600 and the S600 roadster would qualify as weird cars.

[@billmcmurtrie1142]

I had a Z600 coupe when I was in high school. Fun car.

[@johnnymason2460]

@@billmcmurtrie1142 Considering how much fun Jay Leno had driving both the Z600 and his S600, I can see how you could have fun in both cars. I couldn't drive either because they were manual only.

[@metricstormtrooper]

In Australia the Nissan sportbak option that changed the car to a station wagon was illegal because at the time station wagons had higher registration costs so you would have been able to sidestep the higher registration costs.

[@deeacosta2734]

Thanks!

[@merafirewing6591]

Didn't a Fast & Furious Tokyo Drift character driven a Scion at some point?

[@plap.]

Honda shared nothing with Isuzu rodeo development. That truck was out for years before Honda realized they were missing the boat on SUV sales. they needed to have some showing in the market while developing their own. They worked a deal with Isuzu and slapped some badges on the rodeo. It was all Isuzu.

[@johnnymason2460]

That was true for the first generation Passport. Honda worked with Isuzu on the second generation Rodeo and Passport.

[@plap.]

@@johnnymason2460 First ones were all Isuzu rebadged as a Honda. The 2019 and up are all Honda The Isuzu oasis was a Honda for trade off, rebadged for their partnership

[@johnnymason2460]

@@plap. The 1994-1997 Passport was a rebadged Rodeo. The 1998-2002 Passport was developed jointly by Isuzu and Honda. The Isuzu Oasis(1996-2001) was a rebadged Odyssey(1995-2000).

[@neilcook4710]

You forgot Toyota tercel 4WD wagon, that thing was nuts