The Subaru Sambar Is a Cute, Surprisingly Practical Tiny Van
čas přidán 23. 04. 2022
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Subaru Sambar review! The Subaru Sambar is a tiny van -- and it's both cute and practical. Today I'm reviewing the Sambar, and I'm going to show you all the quirks and features of this little Subaru van. I'm also going to get behind the wheel of the Subaru Sambar and show you what it's like to drive -- and I'll review the Sambar's driving experience.
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Subaru Sambar review! The Subaru Sambar is a tiny van -- and it's both cute and practical. Today I'm reviewing the Sambar, and I'm going to show you all the quirks and features of this little Subaru van. I'm also going to get behind the wheel of the Subaru Sambar and show you what it's like to drive -- and I'll review the Sambar's driving experience.
WEBSITE & MERCH!
www.dougdemuro.com
FOLLOW ME!
Twitter - twitter.com/dougdemuro
Instagram - instagram.com/dougdemuro
Facebook - facebook.com/ddemuro
DOUGSCORE CHART:
www.dougdemuro.com/dougscore
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Komentáře
Thank you Doug for still doing these quirky/older cars despite the lower revenue! There’s a ton of us who love these!
9mos later, this video now has a very respectable 1.5 million views. So it turns out that there's no financial reason to not review weird tiny vans anymore either, micro vehicles are in a renaissance
Wow, for you to assume how much he's making us pretty weird of you
@chriscmxiii this video is approaching 1.5 million views; he's making lots of money.
Keep in mind supercars get boring quick.
@Aaron Fauth i do
I lived in Japan for almost 10 years. I've owned 2 Kei-cars. In the first one, I had to turn off the A/C and radio to drive up hills. The other, had "turbo". I have no idea what that meant but, it could go up hills with the A/C on as long as the hill wasn't too big.
@ldobehardcore im dead
@F NC A Kei car is a very tiny Japanese car that is regulated by its size and engine power in Japan. 660cc engine is the max, and I think the maximum length is around 10 foot long.
I drive a 1997 Daihatsu MOVE with the larger 850 cc for export only engine. I have absolutely nothing to complain about, when ascending hills. I'm sure that I also get better fuel milage than the equivalent 660 cc Japanese versions, simply because my engine doesen't need to work so hard
Nothing changes when the radio is turned off
Cars since the 90's are smart enough to switch off the AC compressor during heavy acceleration. The ECU controls it. For one, it prevents the compressor from overrevving and exploding when the engine is at high RPMs while allowing pulley ratios that give decent cooling at idle.
This was our first car when my Japanese wife and I got married. A present from my father-in-law. Memories of getting married and bringing our first child home from the hospital. We easily had seatbelts installed in the backseats. It was a good car. My children loved the open sunroof in the back.
@Harry Carley really good and fun car. I hope you get what you want.
@Ahmet Türker I have a Suzuki Swift. Over 12 years old now. It has held up very well. Great blue color, sporty, good pick up. I might consider buying another one but have also been thinking of another van. Camper vans have become very popular here since the virus.
Happy memories. What are you driving now?
What I love about this guy, is that he puts all his enthusiasm into reviewing a vehicle like this, in exactly the same way as he does when reviewing a 500k dollar rolls Royce or a 3m dollar Bugatti! Many people that have the privilege of reviewing and driving so many luxury vehicles would look down their nose at something like this but Doug just doesn't! This makes watching a review of these cheap quirky vehicles just as entertaining as watching a review of the brand new Range Rover sport. I know, because I just watched them both! Love this guy!
I completely agree. I was regular car reviews :-)
This is the content we want Doug to produce!
Supercar vids are boring and uninteresting. The old car vids are better.
A rolls royce is boring. This is much more interesting for a car lover!
To me, these reviews are far more interesting. While it's cool to see what an almost infinite amount of money can get you in a car, it's far more interesting to see companies that innovated on/for a budget.
They were officially imported to Europe and I had it's predecessor. Mine actually had 3 rows of seats with belts and was incredibly versatile: You could turn the front seats around and convert those in the middle to table or use all of them as a large bed. A fun to drive tiny van
we actually had both. Subaro Libero called in Germany, the first version without the glass roof and the second with the large one. Took them up and down the alps.
I am obsessed with this channel, Doug's cadence is so weirdly engaging. He sounds like he's hosting a children's show like blues clues or something, it's endlessly charming and you can tell how passionate he is about the subject matter. I keep accidentally stumbling on these videos but I'm always super happy when I do.
@Danatronics you'd be around Doug's age then lol maybe Doug played it back in the day and took inspiration from it 😆
@SmokeyTheBear He eats sausage all the time.
@Raleigh Smalls No, but it's also elongated in shape and much bigger and meatier. Rhymes with a sock.
In Finland, there was a company called Elcat who converted these into electric. They were used mainly as mail delivery vans by the Finnish Postal service Posti.
@Al Dente I have three. One of them electric elcat, the other two are subarus with rear mounted 1.2L inline 3 cyl engine.
@Fosty 1990-2002
@Eemil I study there! How can you take it for a drive?
Are they halal?
Had one of those in Germany it was branded as a Subaru Libero. It was brilliant. The interior in the back was completely different with 5 seats in the back and all of them had seat belts. So we could take 7 people over the Autobahn at up to 130 km/h(80 mph). The 4wheel drive was great in the Snow.
How did this thing even reach 130km/h? Must take minutes lol
I live in Japan and these vans have gotten more and more luxurious. Smart cruise control, collision avoidence, you name it! VERY popular due to lower insurance, taxes, and the cost is VERY low compared to other larger vehicles. There are also a WIDE variety of campers built using the K cars.
I love this car! I can imagine this being ideal in the narrow streets of Japanese cities, especially as a delivery van. Japanese car makers are masters at designing vehicles appropriate to the needs of their customers.
This is truly "larger inside than outside". All the extra storage places were once common, but gone with the introduction of airbags. Other safety features will mean thicker sidewalls and that either reduces interior width or increases overall width. Since I knew of this I found the concept extremely appealing, especially for anyone living in a city, considering it even has four wheel drive and as it seems decent ground clearance so it could go on steep bumpy forest roads as well, on a snowy winter day perhaps. Two people going on a wilderness trip, reclining their seats into bed position to spend the night somewhere far away, what more could you ask for? What Subaru offers on the European market nowadays all seems to fall into the SUV/crossover category and (without taking measurements) might actually offer less inside space while being a lot heavier, larger and more expensive.
The first small van I remember being sold in the US was the Subaru. I was a teenager when the Subaru dealership opened in my small Texas town (approx. 1971), and that exceptionally compact van looked like JUST what I wanted back then.
7:58 A supercharger adding only 9hp doesn't sound like a big jump, but in context, that's a 20% increase in power!
@tom murphy I find a lot of everyday drivers are too scared to use the bottom half of the pedal. So in new electronic throttle cars, the pedal mapping seems to have it do very little past half way.
@MrDuncl Might as well as not leave the house in case you trip on a pavement and break every bone in your body 🙄
@Humbulla93 I came here for this comment.
@tom murphy i would guess a crazy guy would do that
@Humbulla93 who would do that to a hayabusa??
The Subaru decal at 8:45 is inscribed _"Sawayaka"_ in sky blue text next to *Sambar | Super Deluxe* which translates roughly to "Refreshing". Also, Japan's climate 11:07 varies from subtropical in the southern islands (Okinawa) to temperate in the central plains like in the Northeast of the US (Tokyo/Osaka) and subarctic up north (Aomori/Akita/Hokkaido). It actually gets _very_ hot and very humid during the late summer seasons all throughout the islands, even in the northern regions (think NY/NJ/PA in late July - August) but humid all throughout... I love these reviews of unique cars -- keep it up!
Was thinking the same thing, anyone who has visited Japan in August will point out that it does in fact get screaming hot in the summer. The other thing I disagree with is the claim that Kei cars are designed for the city. Maybe true, but when I lived in the countryside of Japan every farmer or craftsman is driving a Kei truck. Still a fun video!
I love the environment and the lighting in this video, I would love to see this environment and lighting in more videos. It makes the video very inviting and chill
This van gives me the same vibes as the Toyota Previa. Very quirky small minivan that was cute, cozy, and utilitarian. I owned one for years and I was always impressed by how comfortable the back seats were on long drives. Also, it blows my mind that this is smaller than a Mini. What a cool car.
I'm sure it would be pretty easy to install passenger seat belts. Overall, it's a pretty cool van.
I love Doug's enthusiasm for the original and unusual.
For those who wondered why it doesn’t have rear seat seatbelts, those rear seats wasn’t intended to be used on a daily basis for starters. Japan applied lower taxes for commercial vehicles, and thus Japanese car manufacturers used this loophole and fitted a removable rear seats so it can be classified as a commercial vehicle that benefited lower tax but still have practicality of a passenger vehicles. Unfortunately, they (the government) noticed this and decided to raise the tax to avoid Japanese car manufacturers using this disadvantage. Also, Dias is a part of the model name; it was given to the van body style while the pickup body style doesn’t. Super Deluxe is what they called for the trim.
Even if you fitted the head restraints, on someone Doug’s height, they’d only reach mid-back!
@Tomoko Kishi Rear seatbelts were not until the revision later on in the 90s for this model. But you can fit aftermarket seatbelts to these without much trouble.
I think it was taken out on this video since there is a place to put the head restraints. Also, it’ll be much more practical to remove the whole rear seats without it attached since it’s currently used as a mobile photo booth
The answer we didnt know we needed 😂😂😂
Also concerned about the lack of head restraints on the back seats
You forgot to mention (or might not know) that the front seats revolve around themselves to make a nice table-seats interface, with the "rear seats" folded. In the version with 3 seat rows, you could make a central table with front and back seats (3rd row) to make a gathering space. To be honest, we only used this interface once but it's rarely practical
Outside of the power and rear passenger seatbelts this does really feel like all the vehicle most could need
Love this era of all Subarus, early 90s. The first generation Legacy had this same low range gearbox option which was very useful and the early 90s Subaru engineering is unmatched. The Sambar seems to be the best of the tiny vans, popular export and this one seems very well preserved.
One of the few hard things about giving up my brief career as a rural mail carrier is that I no longer had a good excuse to import something like this to use as a mail van, especially considering they made a CVT version IIRC. Though I do tend to think it might not have enough room for parcels, spacious as it is.
Love it! We had a Subaru '91 Fiori K car, which had the same ~700cc 4 cylinder motor, and I can guarantee that was no slouch, particularly around town, the power to weight ration was excellent. Even went on some huge interstate trips in that little hatchback, it could easily pull 110-120kph - though it revved like a bike, and you needed to 'prepare' for longer hills with a wind up lol..
That you do content on the quirkier, older cars is a testament to your loyalty to all of your fans, Doug. Thank you!
Are those round drums/boxes in the back speakers ?
@Jordan L I'd rather watch a review of an old Saab than the latest most limited super special edition $3M Lamboclarenarri.
It's not just the fans but HIMself. He always loved quirky cars and likes reviewing them.
@MisterCoolGuy1 same, i dont care about the super cars especially all the boring stuff about the infotainment systems.
I'll watch these over a redundant video of another McLaren trim with 14 more hp and power seats removed
Back in the day I had a chance to daily drive the previous generation unit. I loved it. Nowhere near to call it comfortable, but man was it fun to drive. And it could pull a decent sized fishing boat out of water on sand easily because of the 4wd. That car had seats for 6 which was really practical. I wish this kind of stuff would still be in production to outside Japan.
The rear AC vents are controlled by the front temperature settings. Many cars of that area did it that way. You loose the option to set separate temperatures, but you end up with a much smaller and lighter hvac.
I'm not going to lie... After watching this, I kind of wanna save up for one as my first car(17 atm). I mean, after looking they go for 5 to 10k and some have good miles on them, I dont know how long they last but I mean it looks so cool!!! I would love to get one and go on a road trip!!! I'm actually considering this
I bought one of these for about 1000 US in japan. I absolutely love these cars and trucks.
I would definitely not drive a car like this at 17. You want a boring, cheap to run car that is relatively modern and has decent safety. Kei cars are really not suited for the US unless you never leave the city. Even here in the UK where we have smaller cars in general you would be pushing it.
If you are seventeen you are going to want the car with a crumple zone...
Subaru is a great brand
I think one of these would make a great little camper for a road trip !
Seeing them in real life is wild, they're so small that the gardener at our college used to drive his on the walking paths with plenty of room to spare
You nailed the best US use of this, delivery. I have friends here in Seattle using newer models as cargo delivery for Prime and some third party delivery companies. Mile for miles they tell me the small engine and lightweight design not to mention cheaper price means it is more cost effective than electrics since they can haul twice the cargo at any given time
Thanks Doug for bringing in these old school quirk machines every once in a while. The internet is full of ferrari's, lamborghini's etc., but THIS!!!
@drippgxd It's good that he listened to his fans. He was concerned about the views of these old, quirky car reviews compared to the newer cars. But people didn't bother. They wanted more quirky cars.
Every once in a while is a stretch. Most of his recent videos was older cars
We had one of those sold in Europe under the name Subaro Libero - which had 3 rows of seats. Total of 6-7 spots (the rear bench was for 3 - but really only for 3 kids)
This is a REALLY cool car. As somebody who has lived in a van while seeing the road this is something I would feel comfortable driving, probably great gas mileage, the beds and storage bins are great. Very cool.
I would definitely drive that thing, I love it! I worked for Subaru for years and I never heard of it
I had the pleasure to drive a Delica. The brake pedal seemed like it was pitch control. The more you pressed, the closer you got to the ground!
I'd put a faster motor in it if possible, some bigger wheels, then the only other thing besides perhaps some seatbelts in the back is some sort of body panel mod to get more air through the radiator, I was lookin at the truck variant a few months back as a sort of mobile home project but the van might just take it's place, really cool little things to play around with, great video!!!
Funfact: this generation also had a retro version, the Sambar Classic, with round headlights. There's a popular aftermarket kit that makes it look like a miniature VW T2 bus
Yup!
@Adam Thompson Tip on the house: Check parts availability first.
@neSsu Chan I did the google. I want one so freaking much!
I have to search that in the internet to see how it look. I I can say it's worth the effort. So cute.
There's like 4 of them up on ebay right now. One of them has that VW conversion. And the cheapest one is like $9000. Still want a kei van though. This or an Acty
We had one for about 1-2 years when I was a kid. In the german version, there were seatbelts on all seats. And it had 6 seats, but very little cargo space.
This van (or more likely its predecessor) was Subaru's first vehicle sold in the US, in the early 1970s. I remember seeing a 6' tall guy park one and step out of it. Looked like he could have picked it up and carried it off, it was so small relative to the driver.
That's actually a very cool and practical car. Gets the job done!
I live in the country in LA where there's a ton of farms and about 70% of the farms around are full of the truck versions of these. They wrap them in camo, have some that have dump beds and they are even smaller in person. Pretty cool
My dad had one of these in Canada. It was a fun little thing. He put big tires and mags on it which made it look like a hilarious matchbox car.
The Subaru kei truck/vans in japan are known as “農道のポルシェ” or the farmers Porsche because it’s rear engined and it’s a lot faster then the other kei truck/vans.
@Nick Knee It is not. Sambar's kei engine is EN07, which is a straight 4.
@Christopher Gardner who calls the brz/86 a budget Porsche?? Where is it "known" or commonly referenced as a budget porsche???
@noneed4me2 right? There's also this really cool pick up truck built and sort of the same platform. I was super close to buying one here.
Japan always gets the coolest stuff in tech and vehicles. I still love American made crap but damn, I want one of them there vans; they look so fun.
and today we have the BRZ/86 which are known as the "budget Porsche"... now imagine if Subaru and Toyota developed the nex gen BRZ/86 as mid engine 😍
I had a UK spec Subaru Justy, 3 cylinder 1.2l engine around the same era. Lovely budget engines with a lot more "pep" than you'd expect as Doug says, but the body rot was atrocious; I'm amazed it's only the sun roof that doesn't slide, that van's been well looked after. Same push button 4wd on the gear stick too, but didn't have EL mode... it did pretty well on beaches but I never took it anywhere I thought the tiny tires would be worried by.
wow, that thing is amazing. I would rock that as a camper van. Looks simple enough, cheap, and lightweight. Exactly what I'd want. Wouldn't do it for the highway though sadly.
I love these videos with these weird older cars!! I wish they would make modern versions of these!
Man this is so cool I'd buy one in a heartbeat. It would really suck to get rear ended though, it would wreck the engine/trans.
That's alright, you do not worry about that stuff being dead and all.
Still safer than a motorcycle collision. But not by much 🤏🏻
I am the crumple zone. Hahahahaha
it would suck even harder to get front ended, cause it would wreck you
....life.
And way back in 1989 I was transported in one of those from Michael Grzimek school in Nairobi to a friends place in the outskirts of Nairobi - we were 11 kids in the back btw. 🙂 what a cooool vehicle! Thanks Doug, keep on doing this kind of unconventional videos!
My grandfather is a small size farmer in Japan and he used to own this. He used this car to haul his vegetables. My uncle loves adventures and he used to own this too. He converted this car to camper van and traveled everywhere in Japan.
@CAMUI GACKT it's visible when Doug drives it
Sugoi desu ne
@Manaa Al Suwaidi Yes but idk which sticker you are talking about. That circle shape sticker on the left bottom side of rear window is a "parking space certificate sticker". In Japan we have to register the location where you park or store your car regularly.
Are you Japanese? What does the sticker "OBA" on the tailgate door means? Odaiba inspection?
I went to Uzbekistan for holiday last year and I saw so many of these old minivans, they were tiny and so cute🤣 and they’re just thrashed around everywhere. I’d love to own one of these for fun!!!
Greatly appreciate the faster transitions between sections, and giving up your promo spot to the owner is a real nice move
I occasionally see a pickup version around town. It always makes me smile. (Spent some time in Japan and saw a lot of the flat bed pickups there. Speed limit was 50 kilometers per hour = 31 miles per hour.) Mr Subaru has one on his channel.
I love when you show us weird older cars!
Variants of this vehicle are incredibly popular as taxis in most of the developing world. I have covered many potholed miles in the back of one of these.
This video has such a nice vibe, the scenery the car the chill Doug… it’s like a calming early morning trip Love it
Calming? The guy talked non-stop for 18 minutes.
I dunno if it's my computer or what, but the framerate is really jarring to me. It's unwatchable. The early morning color palette is nice though.
I live in the netherlands in europe and own a daihatsu cuore L200 (or daihatsu mira in some countrys). I never had such a reliable little car and i love it to bits! We recently took a trip to the united kingdom in it and in 2 weeks we will be on a 2000 mile roadtrip in it to Italy. Everyone smiles at it because its just a cute likeable car. Thanks for the video Doug!
I love this van! And these old car videos!! Thanks Doug!!
It looks like there are mounting points for the seatbelts and if not, you would have to add them anyway due to the requirements in certain countries, I think even in Japan. That is really weird, but easy to fix. Love the k car type vans and vehicles, especially the smaller vans. What I especially like is that some of them even have 4wd, like this one. This vehicle really was designed for slow traffic in Japan, they do have highways, but the country roads and cities can have windy routes and a speed limits. This would have been the perfect car for driving to the beach or camping, the 4wd came in handy for that purpose.
I had a 1993 Subaru Justy. Looks like about the same wheelbase. I tell ya what though... that thing was an absolute BEAST in the Maine winters. You wouldn't believe the snow that it could go through. I miss that car!
Honestly, I want to buy this for when I get married. I’ll just install seatbelts for my kids, and some safety measures. And we can go on small trips. I really love it. It’s super cute, and I know my girl would like it too
Doug is the kind of guy who goes to Comic-Con International dressed as himself.
The boss of this family told you you are gonna be Doug DeMuro!
Yeah, but he just goes with it whereas younger Doug owned a comb.
@undefined bro it’s natural hair he’s born like that
Anyone notice how Doug's nose has gotten bigger with every video? 🤣
...heh heh
We had one of these about 10 years ago with the replica vw split screen front end & opening moon roof. Super cool little vans & one of the most reliable vehicles in the world !
People have been making mini campers out of these k-vans and they can be a surprisingly comfortable alternative to being stuck in a tent especially the more recent high-top versions.
I want a kei-class car so badly, and the Subaru Sambar is the perfect one for me! Definitely going to try getting one someday for road trips :)
The fact that Doug can fit in the kei van is a testament of how roomy it is 😂😂 I swear he should be hitting his head on every panel 😂
Theoretically you can turn that into an incredibly small and or terrible van camper. You already have a bed. Secure a flat topped storage container and a cooler. Rig up a light (even a solar powered flashlight) and small fan to the ceiling. You could store those window reflector heat things under the back seats (I see some storage under them.) Really push the idea of minimalist living
I'm surprisingly impressed. Really maximizes the space. I was shocked when he said it was 3 feet shorter than a mini cooper.
@kaikart modern cars have to be somewhat bloated in order to pass modern safety standards. also modern cars are a lot quieter and more comfortable inside, this all comes at a space cost, therefore cars need to get bigger. I imagine a lot more thought went into making this Kei Car work within its size limits than any modern car does. It's incredible how people can engineer around restrictions, but when there are non such stupid & non-sensical mistakes are made.
I'm ded 💀💀💀
really depends on the model year of the mini though
i drive one and i was shocked as well (though i have always said that the usage of space in that is terribly inefficient) and when i considered what i can(t) fit in the back of it even with the rear seats down i really got to thinking if i should get something a little more practical. not a kei van though...there is a limit xD
The rear seats also flip and fold forward down for a 6’ flat cargo area. Doug didn’t know that. And the rear windows roll all the way down after you engage the child safety switch. But yeah smash a whole lot into a tiny package.
I adore these K-Car review videos, hope we can see more of them!
This must have been it!! At Gardermoen, Oslo's international airport, they had a little Subaru van that everybody laughed at but it was incredible to get through thick and heavy snow. At last I know what it looked like. Even in Norway...
Oh my God, yes, I love these things. Went on a missions trip a few years back to Honduras and they have the Chevy versions of these things everywhere. Fell in love with them instantly.
This is an incredibly versatile design
I really like the vibe of this car. Wish my family had it when i was a kid
even for this small vehicle, the interior space is HUGE. even better than modern cars actually
@B Zilla Amazing how far "don't crash" can go when everyone is on the same page
Not better than a new kei van
@Mark O'Brien in a country with disciplined road users it isn't such a biggie, with a rate of 2.37 deaths per 100000 people a year in road accidents Japan is the 2nd safest country in the world for drivers.
@Efrain Astorga well they are mostly used in the city's and rural Japan and Japan is the 2nd safest country to drive in the world after Sweden when it comes to death rate per 100000 people at 2.37.
When I lived in NZ I had a Suzuki 1000 Super Carry 5 Speed, which did cruise ok at 60-65mph. And it was such fun and practical too. We took it everywhere, even up gravel track mountain passes. And it did everything without fuss. We'd cook off the back, and camp in it with a full size blow-up mattress. It did all the shopping and gear transporting, and it even took a couple of big V8 engines for a neighbour to be transported from the next town. A fun utility vehicle from the same era and very much like the Subaru.
This is a very cool van. Good work, Doug.
thx dude, i always enjoy your car reviews. anyway, i had the (actually no joke) pleasure to drive one of this little vans a while back. when visiting in germany i got it from a friend as a 3 week loaner to get around town. first i thought he was taking a p*ss... i got to love that little van! it got me everywhere without a prob (in town), it puts smiles on ppl's faces and i got constant 'thumbs up' (sth i otherwise only experience when driving my vw bug), it is actually pretty 'zippy' in urban traffic, it burns next to no fuel. you make it sound kinda ridicioulus - i don't think it is. it's friggin genius as a roomy 'micro van' to zip around town... did i mention, you can always find a parking spot!? you sqeeze this baby between two f-150's sideways and you are good... ;)
This van is unbelievably cool. My dream vehicle!
I have seen these so many times in the last year, all in pickup-form. They must have just recently hit the import/year restrictions... funny enough , I didn’t recognize it in van form until the pic of the pickup popped up.
Doug, as someone who lived in Japan for 3 years from 1991-1994, I can promise you that a van like this was 99% used by workers going to and from a job site. So, 4 guys/gals going to a construction site, building, whatever, to do cleaning, construction work. NOBODY in Japan used a van like this as a family car. I still have catalogs of all the Japanese cars for sale from the 1990s, that I bought at Japanese book stores (honya). I have always been a huge car fan since 1976, when I was 6 years old, and collected Car Stuff wherever I lived. I worked for a Japanese construction when I lived there, so I can tell you this from personal experience. Kei cars, which had a special license plate that had these yellow license plates and had a maximum engine of 550cc, but has now changed to 660cc. All you got was a tax reduction, when you paid your yearly, or bi-yearly car taxes, which I think was 30-40% off. This website explains it in more detail: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kei_car
@Trent Pettit What? The first-gen Ford Escape was sold by Mazda as the Mazda Tribute. They only stopped when the Escape was replaced by the Euro-designed Kuga.
Yellow license plates are for non-commercial vehicles whereas commercial ones have black plates instead I remember
Yes! This makes so much sense! My family has a van like this, and the features are perfect for placing tools and whatnot in the back and driving to and from work.
@Daigo Kawai ok! thx
@Johnny Katharsis Born and raised in Japan. Kei vans are definitely suitable and used as commercial vehicles, never for fun driving or used as a family van, like never as OP said, 99% of the time. I'm 42, and my dad drove Toyota Townace as a family van back then like others. Not sure what you watched, but that's not how we see Kei vans are here. Kei cars on the other hand, it's a daily commute car for 1-2 people most of the time, especially in rural areas where public transportation is rather non-existent, but no way it's a family car either. People buy family vans here, not kei vans for their families. That's a huge comprise considering its safty, space, horse power etc etc.
In the Philippines we use a cousin of that van, a little Suzuki Every and 2e use it as a little passenger jeepney with sidewards facing bench seats which gets the total seating capacity to 9 people. 2 in the front, 3 in the middle, sometimes when the drivers get greedy they seat 4 in the middle and 2 in each of the bench seats at the back.
My main concerns are lack of seat belts in the rear and no long hood in case of a crash!
i see one parked around here and everytime i see it i think to myself,this little car has great visibility and i think it would be lovely to drive it in the city :D
That is the coolest minivan ever! I would definitely have one for sure.
My dad had bought this car as a family car back in 1998. Actually it was the E12 Libero edition (also accompanied with some "superdeluxe" stickers). There were 3 rows of seats, all of them with seatbelts. In the middle row (the one we seeas the rear in the video), the 2 seats had seat belts attached to the floor and inserted through the crack between the seat and its back. They were lower-part seatbelts, like the ones in airplanes. I believe this van could have had seat belts as well, but someone might have cut them from the car floor.
8:20 Never seen a blinker fluid filling cap being such conveniently placed.
@Al Dente a good way to ruin the pumps is to let them go dry.
@Vatharian The misreading could actually somewhat understandable, all things considered. At least an association could be the fluid for the headlight wipers that some cars have.
@magnushmann DAMN, I actually misread it as "wiper fluid cap". Now I feel stupid.
Most didn't seem to get the reference.
Just don't put the left blinker fluid where the right blinker fluid should go and you'll be ready to blink!
I once had a Subaru Sumo van, very similar to the Sambar, 3 cylinders and didn't have 4wd. It was brillient!
Oh man i love these micro vans. So cool looking. I used to have a Fiat 900T a few years back and would love to have to have another one but can't find one for sale for love nor money. Fantastic looking vans.
Great visibility. It's disgusting that many bigger cars have MUCH smaller visibility, especially in 3rd row.
Awesome mini van !! I think everyone wanna see more of cars like this!!
I think Japanese micro vans are amazing. I always dreamt of owning one just to drive slowly to the beach.
You know you are from US when your barbecue grill has the same size as a van.
You are going to make my barbeque grill self conscious.
@Jay A M aren't washing machines meant to be in a closet? I've always thought that is where they are supposed to be
@Someone Somebody Where luxury apartments have washing machines in a closet.
Or you know you're from Japan when your van is smaller than a grill😆
US-mailman would probably carry this van up your porch!
I got say... I am impressed! That's a pretty cool little van! Is amazing how they got creative they are with those "K" cars.
Kei cars have come a long way since the early 90's, with low-blow turbos focussed on torque and in gear response. They can cruise at freeway speeds with ease, have a massive amount of accessories available for them (yes, you can camp in them, see the Daihatsu Wake ad series on CS-tv) and are almost Tardis like on the inside. The AWD systems are super handy in snowy areas. These days, most of them are made by Daihatsu , Suzuki and Honda, rebadged and sold by Toyota, Nissan, Mitsubishi and other brands. Had a sit in a Toyota Tank (!) in Tokyo a few years ago, it was a jaw dropping experience.
I love those kei cars. I find a car representing cultural aspects of their origin very appealing. Japan 90's cars were awesome as well as late 60's early 70's US cars
Not exactly ideal to carry 4 Dougs, but a nifty little van with lots of practicality in general and clever design all around. And a sun-sun roof too! Quirky Factor: 8 out of 10.
“I am the crumple-zone.” Owners of vehicles this small need that on a T-shirt. 😆
Adding to the "this is only a city van" I was actually going to comment that the 4WD and the "EL" gear are not so much to get out of difficult terrain, but more likely to utilize the most out of the tiny engine so you could get up steeper roads that are common in some towns/cities in Japan, since many of them are quite close to mountains, and even extend into them. You'd need this extra oomf in order to drive up them with a van full of people or heavier cargo, and the 4WD could help when there's water or snow in said hilly roads.
@CRS WRO It can be suprisingly capable offroad but one offroad isn't the other: The lack of center differential helps offroading, but the small tires, while great for "cutting trough" snow down to the pavement underneath, will also 'cut trough' loose sand wich is... less desirable.
Makes sense. Dude talking seems like he doesn’t understand Japan isn’t the USA
@Stalin Cat very true. they are pretty bad with the crab walking. the 4wd is mainly for bad weather, but can do very light offroading. if you have a passenger and get stuck, they are light enough where 2 people can actually lift them out of a rut.
There is no central differential so using 4wd on pavement is not advised :)
@tom murphy mountains! :)
Unique car. Nice of you to review these old cars.
This has to be my favorite. Any chance you could do similar ones if you get the chance? And I wish people would clean their cars before they hand it over to you.
I think I’ve rarely seen Doug look as excited about a vehicle.