The Forgotten Dodge Raider: A Mini SUV that Packed a Punch
The Dodge Raider, the mini SUV that blazed onto the scene in the late 1980s, had some cool features. Do you know what it had in common with an airplane?
Raider is now one of those rare unicorns—an interesting, different-looking, capable car that didn’t last long in production and later became a collectors’ dream.
The Dodge Raider was a mini SUV that blazed onto the scene in the late 1980s and then blazed right back off again three years later. The Raiders were rugged and easy to maintain. So why didn’t they last?
have their well-established niche, but for some consumers, they are simply too large and unwieldy. Our current solution to this is the crossover—smaller, more manageable SUVs on easy-to-drive, comfortable car frames.
But, back in the late 1980s, the boxy mini SUV craze was going full force. These little vehicles were not so car-like and were built with body-on-frame with four-wheel drive for rugged off-roading. These mini SUVs were popular in the late ‘80s. Where have they gone?
The Dodge Raider was basically identical to the Mitsubishi Pajero, which was sold in South America, and the Mitsubishi Montero, which was the North American version.
pointed out that the Pajero debuted on sale for 1982 and “quickly proved its off-road capabilities in the Paris Dakar Rally, taking first place in the grueling off-road race a total of 12 times.”
The Raider was part of the Chrysler-Mitsubishi partnership that sold Japanese cars using American car company names. The words “Imported for Dodge'' were emblazoned on the Raider’s liftgate handle, leaving no doubt.
The Raider had two passenger doors, and a rear tailgate door. It originally came with an Astron 2.6 L four-cylinder engine that put out only 109 hp. In its last year of production, Chrysler introduced the Cyclone engine, which was V6 and produced 143 hp. It was an improvement, but still didn’t produce too much pep for this little SUV.
With part-time four-wheel drive, many Raider owners often bought extra gear to further equip their rides for off-road adventures. They added gear like custom suspensions, roof racks, off-road tires, lift kits, and others. The Jeep Wrangler, though, mostly came with these options, which didn’t bode well for the Raider.
How is a Dodge Raider like an airplane?
The Raider had a unique gadget not found on many cars. As HotCars described it, “The Raider's interior was as the '80s as it got. Filled with boxy angles and neon orange gauges, the Raider also inherited a sweet stock feature from the Pajero—the Inclinometer.”
This cool gauge, much like the ones found on airplanes, would measure the car’s position in relation to the horizon.
What happened to the mini SUVs?
Boxy mini SUVs were popular in the late 1980s, but ultimately, they couldn’t compete with the rugged capability of the Jeep Wrangler.
Still, the market was flooded with many different little SUVs, and the Raider was a little too late to catch the biggest market share. The Dodge Raider debuted around the same time as the Jeep Wrangler, the Suzuki Samurai, and the Geo Tracker. Other automakers had their answer for the small boxy SUVs as well.
said, “With competition this steep, and being a little late to the dance, the Dodge Raider didn’t live long beyond its three-year run.”
Soon, mini SUVs were no longer in vogue and mostly disappeared from the market. Why? What killed them off? Was it the American appetite for bigger vehicles with more storage? Could it have been the advent of the minivan? Was it the desire for smoother, more luxurious car-like rides?
Whatever, it was, the Dodge Raider was only in production for the 1987, 1988, and 1989 model years.
You can still find Dodge Raiders for sale today, but they are few and far between, and you’ll have to compete with the avid Raider collectors out there!
Dodge Raider, or not, you still need car insurance. Have you tried
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