by A Subaru Sambar microbus has appeared at the Cars & Bids auction in the USA. This is the fifth generation of the model with a 40-horsepower engine displacing 660 cc and a manual transmission. The vehicle was created according to Japanese kei car standards, so its length is only 130 inches.
How much car do we really need?
Some vehicles make you wonder how much car you actually need. This 1992 Subaru Sambar Try Dias, now listed on Cars & Bids, is just such an example. At only 3,295 mm (129.7 inches) long, it could fit within the wheelbase of some modern SUVs and has less power than what can be added to a base crossover through chip tuning. And yet, it looks like it could swallow half the contents of your garage.
History and design of the fifth generation
The fifth generation of the Sambar appeared in 1990, continuing the formula pioneered by Subaru when they introduced the original at the 1960 Tokyo Motor Show, based on the Subaru 360 microcar. Like its predecessors, the Sambar 5 was designed according to Japanese kei car regulations, squeezing maximum utility from minimal dimensions.
This meant a rear-engine, rear-wheel-drive layout, a single-box body shape, and a tiny footprint small enough to fit into parking spaces usually reserved for motorcycles. Power in this example comes from a naturally aspirated four-cylinder engine displacing 658 cc, producing about 40 hp (40 PS) and 54 Nm of torque, paired with a five-speed manual transmission.
Performance and features
Forty horses aren’t much, although the seller claims it can — noisily — reach 60 mph (96 km/h). However, in the early 1990s, Subaru also offered a supercharged version of the same engine, boosting output to a dizzying 54 hp (55 PS), practically turning the Sambar into a WRX STI by kei van standards.
Space in six variations
The real appeal, in any case, is not in performance. It is in the packaging. This Try Dias model features dual sliding rear doors, dual “Sun Sun Roof” roof panels, front and rear seats that fold flat into the floor, and air conditioning. Judging by the photos, the interior can be reconfigured in so many different ways that a Swiss Army knife would seem one-dimensional.
Compromises of practicality
Of course, practicality has its compromises. The cab-over-engine design places passengers alarmingly close to whatever they might hit, airbags are absent, and the tiny body offers little crash protection that modern drivers take for granted.
Charm and legacy
Nevertheless, the Sambar is full of charm. And while this fifth-generation example is now a quirky import, the model name itself is very much alive. In fact, Subaru has just introduced an updated version of the current eighth-generation Sambar in Japan, proving that more than six decades after its debut, this little box on wheels is still a great idea.
This vehicle is a vivid example of how engineering thought can create a maximally functional vehicle in minimal dimensions. Despite obvious drawbacks in safety and comfort, models like the Sambar demonstrate an alternative approach to automobile manufacturing, where priority is given not to power or size, but to practicality and efficient use of space. The fact that the model is still in production testifies to a steady demand for such utilitarian solutions, especially in the conditions of Japan’s dense urban development.
