1982 Mara Kanyon
Mara developed the Kanyon in the early 1980s as an offer in the emerging Archanan ‘sport utility’ market (albeit with a small ‘s’ and a capital ‘U’) and also sold the car in selected export markets after the initial pre-orders were fulfilled. The early export models could usually run on 85 octane fuel as the engines were only tuned specifically for the export markets from the mid 1980s onwards.
The 4x4 Kanyon: (Almost) uncompromising off-road capability
Engineering-wise, the Kanyon borrowed heavily from other Mara products of the past and present. The 4x4 drivetrain was moderately modernised compared to the Konyk, and the Konyk and Tovarish also had a ladder frame chassis.
Many other characteristics are shared with the Irena: a 2.4m wheelbase, double wishbone suspension at the front, a coil-sprung solid axle at the rear, and a 4-speed manual gearbox (although geared for towing capacity rather than fuel economy or quietness). The 2.5l Perspek I4 engine mounted longitudinally was also similar to the one in the sporty Irena SX or base model Kavaler but here in a much milder tune again focused on low-end torque.
The Kanyon’s externally mounted rear spare wheel dominates the look for the rear
The interior also carried over many parts from the Irena and even the Kavaler, giving the Kanyon a more regular car feel inside the cabin and behind the steering wheel, but without compromising on the off-road prowess (or cost efficiency, for that matter). Notable was also the Kanyon’s low dry weight of around 1.1 tonnes while still having a certified load capacity and towing capacity of more than half that in both regards.
OOC: I briefly thought about submitting the ute version of this in direct response to the AMM above, but the sUV fits better I think.