Navajo Research

[Crankcase]

Over all the Navajo sold very poorly. Maybe it had to do with its small options list compared to the Explorer sport.

I think it had to do with the totally different looks / Mazda name on a Ford product....

Also, it was never EVER available in Canada.....So we get to see even fewer up here. It is like the Mountaineer..we don't have that either.

 

[SVO]

I think the Navajo looks better than the first gen X, sorry folks.

 

[Flounder]

I'd lean it was caused by the Mazda name itself.

Recently, foreign vehicles have gotten the respect they deserve from build quality, engineering, etc. However, in the early 90s, 'SUVs' were still '4x4s' and their owners were throwbacks to the 60s and 70s truck owners who believed no Datsun could ever come close to their Ford F-100. Even if the Mazda badge was a marketing action to include a 4x4 in the Mazda line, to outsiders, it was a foreign vehicle. Therefore, the sales were much lower than their American-branded counterparts.

But this is just my opinion, so take it with a grain of salt and a piece of pretzel...

 

[Kris Guilbeaux]

The over all looks of the navajo is better then the Explorer sport. I liked the interior, bumpers and grill better.

 

[SVO]

Whle unpacking some more stuff in the garage from my move to Austin, I found a box f old magazines, one of them happened to be a Motortrend, new vehicle review for November 1994.

So I scanned and cropped these to blurps:

 

[Crankcase]

Now that is one conversion I HAVEN'T seen here...a 93-97 Ranger front on an Explorer......


Sweet find Jeff.