I am seriously looking at buying a Sambar van.. But I have been told the major down fall is: 1. All wheel drive verse 4x4.. a. prone to more failure b. hurts fuel economy c. No low range 2. Rear engine is prone to over heating 3. Subarus are the hardest to get parts. Don't shoot messenger... I am just looking to confirm what I have been told.. Frankly I think the ride and comfort would be superior with the rear engine lay out.. Kenneth WInter in East TN.. Anyone near me.. I would love to see one in person???
I don't know much about the vans but I don't think they are full time 4x4 like the acty's. I don't think any of the van brands have low range. I do agree that some of the Subaru parts aren't as easy to get as the Hijet, but common consumables are available.
There are some Sambar Vans that are full time 4WD, and some that are Selectable. If there is a 4WD button on the shifter, then it is selectable. The rear engine is not prone to overheating. The radiator is still up front. I have no issues getting parts for my Sambar. The cheapest source is straight from Japan, but most parts are still in production. The gearing on these is quite low to begin with.. I find it unlikely that the lack of "low range" is really an issue. My 1st gear is a crawler gear, and I very rarely use it in actual practice. What exactly is "more prone to failure"? Can you be more specific?
rear engines not prone to overheating, the radiator is under between the seats and gets plenty of air. i can drive 6 hours on the highway and shut it off for 30 minutes and the water needle is at cold when i reboot it. they cool well. weight balance is far better with rear engine trucks like Sambar and Acty and the noise is minimal compared to mid engine trucks otherwise Sambar from 1990-1998 are basically the same minus a few changes, parts especially for the carb version are super easy to get and some stuff crosses over with Subaru Justy. EN07 engine ran until 2012 if i recall even too. only downside with them is theyre harder to lift not having a live rear axle and a bit harder to install hitches and stuff, but otherwise they have the highest build quality and biggest cab. plus theyre not interference engine while all the other mini trucks are otherwise theres no low range, just a crawl gear thats auto 4x4 making it a 6spd manual. you can get diff lock models but theyre harder to find. if the vans do have AWD or 4WD option, get 4WD. the 4WD on these is true 49/51 split making it very capable
My 1993 Sambar van is AWD, as in full-time 4-wheel drive. It gets 25 mpg. I believe a good chunk of the fuel economy hit is from the supercharger, but yes, AWD is less efficient than 2WD or selectable 4WD. I would rather have the benefits of AWD than squeeze a few extra km out of a tank of gas, though, personally. It has a 5-speed that has an additional extra-low gear below 1st which technically makes it a 6-speed. The extra-low gear would only be useful if I had 500 lbs of stuff in the back and was trying to start facing up a steep hill. I don't even use 1st most days, I start in 2nd. 5th is overdrive but the engine still has to rev very high to reach highway speeds. Having said that, it will do 120 km/hr just fine. I see posts from other kei truck/van owners complaining their vehicles struggle to do 100, so it's nice to not have to worry about that. Never seen the temp needle go past halfway on the gauge. Extended highway driving warms it up but it does not overheat.
