Not all two-door SUVs were created equally.

Two-door SUVs used to be all the rage decades ago when they were genuine utility vehicles based on pickup trucks or so dead-focused on off-roading that a shorter wheelbase made them unstoppable. But in recent times, when crossovers have become the automotive flavor of the month, this segment has become a little more niche. But they still exist, some more successfully than others, and so we’ve compiled 10 SUVs (crossovers included) with two doors and separated them into SUVs that won at life and those that failed miserably, proving not all manufacturers nail the brief when it comes to car design and engineering, no matter how much money they pour into it.

From tiny JDM delights to full-size American behemoths, let’s dig into this two-door journey.

CarBuzz

Ford Bronco – Win

We start off with an absolute win with the new Ford Bronco, which is available in both 2-door and 4-door forms. The 2-door sticks to the theme of the first five generations of Bronco, with the 4-door being the one to break from tradition. Brought back to life as a rival to the Jeep Wrangler, the new Bronco offers robust performance with a choice of engines – a standard 2.3-liter turbocharged EcoBoost four-cylinder with 275 horsepower or an optional 2.7-liter V6 EcoBoost producing 315 hp. Unfortunately, there is no Raptor version of the shorter Bronco.

Nearly a full 16 inches shorter than the Bronco 4-Door, with all of that lost from the wheelbase, the Bronco 2-Door is a vastly more adept off-roader, taking its G.O.A.T. off-road driving modes and putting them to good use with up to 29 degrees of breakover angle compared to the 4-Door’s maximum of 26.3. For off-road enthusiasts, the Bronco 2-Door is about as good a it gets, but it’s not alone as a competent two-door off-roader…

1999-2001 Isuzu VehiCROSS – Epic Win

Without a doubt, the coolest two-door SUV ever has to be the Isuzu VehiCROSS. It was effectively identical to the 1993 VX concept car, right down to the black body cladding that covered the entire lower half of the SUV. Built to showcase Isuzu’s off-road technology, it took the underpinnings of another two-door SUV, the Isuzu Raider (also sold in the US as the Acura SLX), and gave it a bespoke body with short overhangs for exceptional approach and departure angles. One of its strangest design quirks was the rear-mounted spare wheel, which was only accessible from within the trunk.

It combined its short overhangs with a BorgWarner Torque-on-Demand (TOD) 4WD system with 12 sensors to detect wheel slip and apportion torque to wheels with more grip, while power came from a 3.5-liter V6 with 215 hp and 230 lb-ft. It featured early precursors to external reservoir off-road shocks and proved itself in the Paris-Dakar Rally, taking a class win in 1998.

Sold in the US from 1999 to 2001 (Japanese sales commenced in 1997), it was considered a sales flop, but its production was, in fact, limited to just 5,958 because of its unique production method, which used ceramic dyes instead of steel ones to reduce tooling costs at the expense of longevity when creating its oddly-shaped panels. When the dyes wore out, production ended, with 4,153 units arriving in the US at a base price of $28,900 (equivalent to nearly $50,000 today).

And if you think the VehiCROSS is as cool as we do, there’s one for sale on CarBuzz right now.

Other 2-Door SUVs

Two-door SUVs are far more common than we think, but most have been relegated to the history books. While we picked ten SUVs to list above, mixing good and bad, there are dozens more we could’ve looked at. The list of two-door SUVs includes, but is not limited to:

  • Toyota Land Cruiser FJ40
  • Original Range Rover
  • Suzuki Jimny/Samurai
  • 2018 Range Rover SV Coupe concept
  • Chevrolet Blazer
  • Dodge Raider
  • Suzuki Vitara/Geo Tracker
  • Dodge Ramcharger
  • Jeep Cherokee Sport
  • Mitsubishi Pajero
  • Chevrolet Tahoe/GMC Yukon
  • VW T-Roc Cabriolet
  • Isuzu Amigo
  • Isuzu Trooper RS
  • Jeep Commando
  • Daihatsu Rocky
  • Ford Explorer 2-Door/Mazda Navajo
  • Toyota 4Runner (second gen)
  • Willys Jeep
  • 1987 Nissan Pathfinder