VW - Life was simple back in 2003. You could either buy a hatchback or an off-roader. Not both together. Simple. Then someone at Rover had some kind of brain-burp, and came up with the Streetwise. This was essentially a very ordinary Rover 25 made to look like a 4x4. The groan-worthy name may have been embarrassing and the car didn't actually have four-wheel-drive, but history has endorsed Rover's decision. Other brands quickly latched on to the marketing opportunity. After all, how much does it cost to slap some plastic body cladding and taller suspension on a car? Not a lot, we'd wager. If truth be told, the Streetwise wasn't actually the first faux-4x4. There were at least two before it, and one of those came some 26 years previously, as you can discover in our feature. So here's our round-up of the Streetwise legacy: the urban, on-road, soft-roader. CREATED BY: MSN UK Cars
Rover Streetwise
Rover - Rover kicked off the whole modern urban on-roader craze with the decidedly dodgy Streetwise. Launched in 2003, its life was terminated early when MG Rover imploded in 2005. But the Streetwise has since enjoyed a second life in China, badged as the MG 3SW. It's even had some success in the Chinese Rally Championship! CREATED BY: MSN UK Cars
MG3 Xross
MG - We're not sure exactly how you pronounce it, but the Xross is the car that will finally replace the MG3 SW/Streetwise (it's due to reach the market in 2012). Based on the all-new MG3, it also has an increased ride height, standard roof bars and plastic body side cladding. CREATED BY: MSN UK Cars
Matra Rancho
Matra - Forget the Rover Streetwise, the Matra Rancho was the world's first-ever 4x4 wannabe. This chunkily-styled front-wheel drive estate was way ahead of its time when it debuted in 1977. Trouble was, it was way behind in every other area: poorly built, unreliable and dynamically outdated. Some 56,700 Ranchos were built between 1977 and 1984. CREATED BY: MSN UK Cars
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