Crossover cars are now commonplace in the automotive world. In fact, they're now one of the most popular car types on the road, with their affordability and practicality making them a strong choice as a family car.

In the 1980s, however, this type of car was unheard of. Odd, in fact. But AMC was bold enough to go there, creating the first vehicle crossover the world had ever seen: the AMC Eagle — which, a year later, was followed up by the SX4 version, the one we're looking at here. Really, though, by the time the Eagle came around, AMC was no stranger to out-there designs. They had already released cars like the Pacer — you know, the one that's often nicknamed "the fishbowl" — and the odd-looking Gremlin in 1970 and '75, respectively.

But what the Eagle SX4 was, however, was the first time AMC had defined a new category of cars, taking different design cues and fusing them together in a never-before-seen manner.

So, then, given how important the classic Eagle SX4 is in the history of AMC and the car industry in general, let's see how much one costs today. 

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About The AMC Eagle SX4

Via: Greg Gjerdingen from Willmar, USA, CC BY 2.0 , via Wikimedia Commons

But AMC's extension into the all-wheel-drive world came naturally, really, since Jeep products had been built at the company's Brampton factory in the late 1970s. The AMC Eagle was born in 1980, then, and available in both station wagon and sedan form — both of which were modeled after the Concord. The ride height was raised, though, and they came with full-time all-wheel drive. This was unheard of at the time, with the Eagle being the first passenger car in America to come with all-wheel drive.

The car was a hit, too, with AMC selling around 50,000 Eagles in its first year. Spurred on by this, AMC decided to introduce another model to the Eagle lineup: the SX4. Much like the other cars, the SX4 was lifted and featured all-wheel drive, and only its body was now in coupe form — having been derived from another AMC legend, the Spirit. Its four-wheel-drive system could be switched to the rear wheels using a "Select Drive" option, too, so to reduce its mpg when four-wheel-drive wasn't needed. The SX4 also came with an option of an automatic transmission, four-speed manual, or, in later models, a five-speed.

At the heart of the Eagle SX4 was General Motor's "Iron Duke" engine. This was a 2.5 liter, four-cylinder engine with 84 bhp and a top speed of 89 mph. Nothing to shout about, then, but the Eagle SX4 was never about speed. Its sportier alloy wheels — on some options, that is — rear spoiler and muscular arches make it a far cry from its sedan and station wagon siblings.

Where the Eagle SX4 did shine, though, was in the way it provided the safety of an off-road vehicle — to a reasonable extent, that is — balanced with practicality and looks. Nowadays, this isn't really anything special, but in 1982 it was huge. Now, of course, this doesn't mean the Eagle SX4 could match the likes of the Jeep CJ-8 Scrambler when it came to off-roading. But what it was, was a drastic improvement over other, none-four-wheel drive cars, with Car and Driver reporting that the SX4 had a sure-footed grip that was comforting where other cars would get stuck or slide sideways through snow.

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Here's How Much The AMC Eagle SX4 Costs Today

Via: Greg Gjerdingen from Willmar, USA, CC BY 2.0 , via Wikimedia Commons

When the AMC Eagle SX4 launched in 1981, its starting price was $7,500 — which, accounting for inflation, is around $21,500 in today's money. The Eagle SX4 only ran for a total of three years as its production came to a halt in 1983 — unlike the sedan and station wagon, which ran until 1987 and '88, respectively.

Interestingly, there were actually more SX4s produced in that time than the sedan — around 2,500 more, to be precise — but these figures were still around 3.5 times less than the station wagon. As a result, there are far more wagons out there for sale than anything else. In fact, finding an SX4 for sale was pretty difficult, with no unmodified versions currently on the market. In late 2020, CarBuzz posted a listing for an SX4, which required a full restoration and was priced at $5,5o0. Also, looking at other recent sales, prices have ranged from around $6,000 for higher-mileage examples to $8,000 for those in better condition.

So, at the time of writing, expect to pay anywhere in the region of $5,500 to $8,000 for an Eagle SX4, depending on what condition you're after and how much work you're willing to put into it. Either way, you'll be getting yourself a car that represents an important moment in automotive history. And one that's a guaranteed talking point.

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