The Mazda Navajo was Mazda’s first SUV. Built by Ford in the United States and sold from 1990 to 1994, it was almost identical to the first-generation Ford Explorer but was offered only as a three-door. It won Motor Trend’s Truck of the Year award for 1991.
Mazda Navajo at a glance
| Built | three years from 1990 |
|---|---|
| Maker | Ford, for Mazda |
| Based on | first-generation Ford Explorer |
| Bodies | three-door only; the Explorer also had a five-door |
| Engine | 4.0-litre V6 |
| Gearbox | five-speed manual standard, four-speed automatic optional |
| Drive | four-wheel drive at launch, rear-wheel drive added in 1992 |
| Trims | DX and LX |
| Award | Motor Trend Truck of the Year 1991 |
| Successor | Mazda Tribute, from 2000 |
The English Wikipedia has no separate Navajo article; the page is based on the German article and the Explorer’s first-generation section.
History of the Mazda Navajo
The Navajo was sold in the United States and Japan but was built for Mazda by Ford, and it was almost identical to the first-generation Ford Explorer. The main difference was that the Navajo came only as a three-door, while the Explorer was also offered as a five-door. It was Mazda’s first SUV model and was named Motor Trend’s Truck of the Year for 1991.
Externally the Navajo differed from the Explorer only in small details: a revised front bumper, new tail lights and wheels, and bumpers painted dark grey, which removed all the chrome trim. The interiors of the two were largely the same, though the Navajo had its own instrument-panel lettering in line with other Mazdas, and the Mazda name was added to the Ford steering-wheel hub.
Instead of the three trim levels of the three-door Explorer, Mazda offered the Navajo only in base DX and top LX form, roughly equivalent to the Explorer Sport and the three-door Explorer XLT. At launch it came with four-wheel drive, and a rear-wheel-drive version was added in 1992. Like the first-generation Explorer, every Navajo had a 4.0-litre V6, with a five-speed manual as standard and a four-speed automatic as a paid option on both DX and LX. Production ended after three years because sales were modest; one reason was the absence of a five-door version, which was the more successful Explorer body. Its successor can be seen as the Mazda Tribute, introduced in 2000 on the Ford Escape.
Design and features
- Ford-built: assembled by Ford in the United States as a three-door Explorer twin.
- Three-door only: the five-door body that made the Explorer a success was never offered.
- 4.0 V6: the only engine, with a five-speed manual or four-speed automatic.
- Dark bumpers: painted bumpers and different lights set it apart from the Ford.
Mazda Navajo versions
- Navajo DX: the base trim, roughly the Explorer Sport.
- Navajo LX: the top trim, roughly the three-door Explorer XLT.
The Navajo was Mazda’s first SUV and was succeeded by the Mazda Tribute; its five-door twin is the Ford Explorer. More Mazdas are in the Mazda collection.
Sources
- Mazda Navajo, German Wikipedia: differences, trims, engines, end of production
- Ford Explorer, English Wikipedia: the first-generation Explorer it was based on
