New Micro Van Subaru Sambar Dias

Stuart Ablett

Member
Messages
15,917
Location
Tokyo Japan
Well, we finally got our new micro van..........

subaru_sambar_van_front.jpg subaru_sambar_van_back.jpg subaru_sambar_van_interior.jpg
Some shots from Subaru.

Here is the van we actually got......
subaru_sambar_dias_van.jpg
The color is "Champagne Gold" though it does not look it in that picture :huh:

We picked it up around 11:30 AM on Sunday, then we drove out to our friends place on one of the US bases, the Sagami Housing area, that was our shake down run. It ran fine, the Subaru has the motor in the back, so the inside of the van was really quiet, surprisingly so:thumb:

It is a micro van, I did not much exceed 55 mph (90 kph) which on the expressway is fairly slow, even though the "Speed Limit" is only 80 kph or 100 kph most of the way. This van, because the front wheel is a fair ways back from the front bummer (most of the new micro vans it is almost in the front bumper) has a good turning radius, which is important to me with deliveries. Power steering, power brakes, with ABS, air bags, seatbelts in the front AND back seats, air con etc, it is all good! We got the little cowling things over the tops of the windows, this lets you have the window open an inch or two while driving in the rain, and not get rain in the van, a nice feature. We got the juiced up head lights, not HID, but better than stock, we got a cargo mat inside the back of the van, to keep the mess confined, there is a large roof rack for carrying stuff, etc etc.

The back seats fold right into the floor, making the entire back area completely flat, so I can carry full sheets of (Japanese sized) plywood back there, big bonus to me!

So shots (with inch sized) of the inside....
subaru_sambar_dias_van_width_height_sizes.jpg subaru_sambar_dias_van_inside_sizes.jpg subaru_sambar_dias_van_width_height_sizes.jpg subaru_sambar_dias_van_inside_long_sizes.jpg subaru_sambar_dias_van_inside_sizes_sofa.jpg
.... I know this is no pick up truck, but for where I am in the world, and what I mainly do with it, this is going to be a good van for us.

Cheers!
 
Looks cool. Is that a stick shift I see?
Why can't we have stick shifts in our vans. :mad:

And is that another roof rack support above the door, that looks out of line with the other supports?

So what happened to the old van?
 
Congrats on the new van, Stu. Like Jim said, it's well-tailored for your needs. I'm still amazed at how small some of the vehicles in Japan are. Is there a button on it you can push to make it fold up into a suitcase (a la George Jetson)? :p
 
Couple times now, I've browsed the forum quickly, and my brain momentarily reads this thread title as Sambar Dies, not Dias... :eek:

I bet that name would never make it past marketing in an English-speaking country. :rolleyes:
 
It's as if it was customized for your needs! Sounds perfect. The best of three worlds. Family, business, shop. Jim.
Yep, it should be a step up, the old Mitsubishi van was good, well made etc, but it did not have ABS, airbags, or seat belts in the back seats :eek: We did not know that about the seat belts, if we did, we would not have bought it.

Looks cool. Is that a stick shift I see?
Why can't we have stick shifts in our vans. :mad:

You only see them in the smaller vans, the micro vans, and from this October, two or three of the makers will stop making manual transmission ones, only automatic transmission vans will be available! :doh:

I've driven the micro vans with the 3 and 4 speed automatics, they are totally gutless, and get really poor gas mileage, as owners are constantly mashing the gas pedal to floor. :rolleyes:

Art Mulder said:
And is that another roof rack support above the door, that looks out of line with the other supports?
You are correct, the center support has this huge suction cup on the base of it, and it sits on the roof at a point that has a support built into the roof. The rack is only rated for 40 Kg (88 pounds) but I hope to only carry long sticks up there.

Art Mulder said:
So what happened to the old van?
We had it junked, to get in on the Japanese version of "Cash for Clunkers" :rolleyes: I'm sure it is on it's way to some other asian country now :wave:

Congrats on the new van, Stu. Like Jim said, it's well-tailored for your needs. I'm still amazed at how small some of the vehicles in Japan are. Is there a button on it you can push to make it fold up into a suitcase (a la George Jetson)? :p
Boy that button would sure solve the parking problem! :thumb:
 
Couple times now, I've browsed the forum quickly, and my brain momentarily reads this thread title as Sambar Dies, not Dias... :eek:

I bet that name would never make it past marketing in an English-speaking country. :rolleyes:

Well, I don't know where they come up with the names, trust me, there have been some funny ones in the past.

The thing is, this little van should NOT die, it has a 5 year/100,000 Km warranty, which is considerably more than any other micro van maker here in Japan. :thumb:
 
Ye need to flip yer negatives, it looks like the steering wheel is on the wrong side. :rofl:
With the front wheels set back like that, I'll betcha there is some built-in front end crash protection that is often missing from vans.
Looks like the perfect vehicle for your needs. I do believe something like that would find a market here in the U.S.
Congrats on the new wheels.
 
Yep, they have crumple zones air bags and full frames. I'd certainly MUCH rather be in a full sized car or truck if I had to be in an accident, but that is the kind of choice that one seldom gets.

We do choose to always wear our seat belts, and we bought a van with ABS and air bags, so we are doing our best to mitigate our risk, while living in the real world.

Cheers!
 
Stu,
Nice looking van... I would drive it, not sure if LOML would be all that enthused though... the seats look a little like the ones in my little Ford Ranger and she HATES the truck. From the cargo space, looks like I could use it for my shows around east TN quite nicely. LOML keeps talking about us getting a Town & Country to do shows in... don't know why she don't like my truck... it's a '91, low mileage - only has 107+++ on it, it's paid for; the AC doesn't work (Use the 2x55 concept.. both windows down at 55 mph); the previous owner got rear ended and the tail gate has to have a special key to open it (old worn out screw driver kept behind the driver's seat.. stick it in the passenger side latch and wiggle it until it releases the latch); gas gauge doesn't work, always reads empty...(always have to watch the mileage on the trip odometer--at 300 start looking for gas station); cigarette lighter doesn't work (my son uses it when he's home to roam the mountains.. can't plug in his lap top - claims he gonna fix it - he'll have to 'cause I don't smoke and don't care if it works); the radio volume will climb and just as you get interested in what's on, will drop to volume below human hearing level... so my first reaction is to turn it off as soon as I get in but wife and son like the radio.. again I don't care if it works; left front finder is crinkled from the rear ender.. the truck was slammed into car in front.. bumper bent down about 5 degrees.. doesn't affect the driving - who cares; finally had to replace driver side mirror... couldn't keep it adjust out so I could see to change lanes.. that only took 5 years.. otherwise it's a good truck, but after re-reading this post for errors, I don't think I like my truck... you van looks like it would serve me well and I do like the Suburu line of vehicles. Congratulations on the new ride.
(BTW two pretty young models showing it off.. your daughters????)
 
Chuck, you old truck sounds like a keeper, I had a buddy with a 67 chevy half ton, straight six, with a three in the tree transmission. It was a great old truck, no one else ever wanted to drive it, but I loved that old truck! He had it from the time he was 16 until I last saw him about 6 years ago, might still have it too!

Yes, those good looking girls are my lovely daughters, and yes, thankfully, they take after their mother! :D
 
Chuck, you old truck sounds like a keeper, I had a buddy with a 67 chevy half ton, straight six, with a three in the tree transmission. It was a great old truck, no one else ever wanted to drive it, but I loved that old truck! He had it from the time he was 16 until I last saw him about 6 years ago, might still have it too!

Yes, those good looking girls are my lovely daughters, and yes, thankfully, they take after their mother! :D

A few years ago I got rid of a truck that belonged to my step-father before he died... it was a '71 with a straight six, 3 on the tree, ran like a champ... only thing I ever had to do to it was change a water pump and put new valve cover gasket on it. The shift levers were wired in place, but still worked. It was beginning to rust out under the doors and had a hole in the floor board big enough to throw a cat through, but it ran every time I started it.
A Mexican man rang my door bell one day and ask if I wanted to sell it... I said no, then he asked if I did want to sell it what did I think it was worth... i gave him a price and he pull a wad of cash from his pocket...I didn't need the truck, so it went to Mexico... probably still running...
 
... it's a '91, low mileage - only has 107+++ on it, it's paid for; the AC doesn't work (Use the 2x55 concept.. both windows down at 55 mph); the previous owner got rear ended and the tail gate has to have a special key to open it (old worn out screw driver kept behind the driver's seat.. stick it in the passenger side latch and wiggle it until it releases the latch); gas gauge doesn't work, always reads empty...(always have to watch the mileage on the trip odometer--at 300 start looking for gas station); cigarette lighter doesn't work (my son uses it when he's home to roam the mountains.. can't plug in his lap top - claims he gonna fix it - he'll have to 'cause I don't smoke and don't care if it works); the radio volume will climb and just as you get interested in what's on, will drop to volume below human hearing level... so my first reaction is to turn it off as soon as I get in but wife and son like the radio.. again I don't care if it works; left front finder is crinkled from the rear ender.. the truck was slammed into car in front.. bumper bent down about 5 degrees...

And it's named "Lucky". :rofl:

Sometimes a beater is the best kind of truck to have. :thumb:
 
Stu,
The van is definitely a keeper. Looks like it's going to be a real workhorse. I would guess the safety thing is relative to your driving habits. It sounds like 90% of your driving is on local streets where speed won't be much of an issue. Then again, from the what you've said about the highway congestion, speed isn't a factor there either.:D

The front end kinda looks like it's sneering at you.:rofl:

Wes
 
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