I disagree about the drawbacks. The domingo has double the engine size as the kei vans, which allows it to be practical as a freeway driver. Ans also allows the engine to be under stressed so it can get over 40mpg on the highway. For a 4wd car with this much cargo room, nothing else gets that much mpg. So this would make an incredible road trip or camping car.
9:18 Well, it did have the advantage of being able to park it in Tokyo streets... and still have three rows of seating. That was pretty cool by it's self.
I was going to bring this up. While the tax incentives, etc. were certainly a big plus to keis, their small footprint was also a huge asset for squeezing through traffic and parking in tiny parking lots. Anyone that has driven in Japan (I have) can attest that you don't want some big hulking SUV, you want a kei car.
You absolutely CAN'T leave a kei car overnight in Tokyo streets. You can park any car from a kei to an Abrams tank for short errands, like throwing Amazon packages onto front yard, grabbing a coffee, or loading a sofa, maybe 5 to 15 minutes. That's it.
@@すどにむ Oh, yeah. You could fit an Abrams tank anywhere in Tokyo, there's no place you couldn't park. Who would ever have a use for something as small as a Kei car to find a spot in Tokyo?
I really like kei cars. I know they're objectively not that good and way underpowered and small for North America but I want one. Since we don't tax engine size it seems like the 1.2L would be the way to go if importing one. If it weren't for the cramped ergonomics this would be a decent commuter/town car as long as highways aren't involved. I love how this looks like a miniature Delica Star Wagon with the two-tone paint and bumpers and yellow fog lights. It seems like the 90s were a golden age for JDM vans and weird glass roofs. The upholstery and decals are great retro. Related, I saw an L400 Mitsubishi Delica on the road the other day. They're finally starting to show up. It probably won't be long before someone offers you a freshly imported one to drive. It's a more minivan style with the engine and front axle in front of the driver rather than cabover like the L300. They're more powerful as well.
Edit: this is wrong Another benefit of kei vehicles in Japan that's rarely mentioned: you don't have to prove you have a parking space, whereas for a regular car you do
I'm not sure if this is still true. I had to verify and provide photos of my parking space when registering my kei vehicle. Perhaps it varies by city/prefecture?
and for proper k-car Domingo check Subaru Sambar Dias. It has 660cc, 2 rows of seat and small bumpers. there also was 1st gen Domingo, which is quite different.
Suzuki did the exact same thing with the Wagon R making the Wagon R Wide and eventually the Wagon R+ which was so popular they sold it in Europe and other markets
I have one and absolutely love it. While it is definitely sluggish when it comes to acceleration, once it gets up to highway speed, it has no trouble at all maintaining 110km/hr (although it can be a bit terrifying driving that fast on a windy day 😅). The versatility of the interior is unmatched imo and with good winter tires, it gets around in rain and snow with no trouble at all. Excellent city vehicle.
I loooove those vans!!! The only thing that holds me back for buying one is parts aviability... Not a lot of mechanics have parts or know how to work on one ...
At 3:10 you mentioned how because it's a cabover, you turn late. I wonder if you drove one of these every day for work, if you would have difficulty driving a standard configuration car.
Wait so a question u said some stuff and i think u technically said Kei cars aren't allowed to seat more than 4 people or something or like theyre not allowed to be 3 rows? Like did i gwt ir right or im stuiped
@@declan2775 lol I don't know what it is but I'm both disgusted and obsessed with them. That giant underbite chin, square ass, weird windows, nerdy looking sunroof,looking both tiny and massive at the same time... It somehow all works so well together.
