As a former owner of two brand new Jimny's, which to this day I still really miss, this little pickup would be a really great alternative, as a brand new Jimny is now only available as a commercial and more expensive than this pickup. I must say Jonny your video just makes me want this pickup, for the fun factor alone, my Jimny was great off-road and in the snow, this pickup would be equally as good or maybe even better than a Jimmy. I love it Jonny when you review these quirky little vehicles, please keep them coming, no-one does it better than you. 👍😁👍
You said the key words. This is a commercial vehicle so it circumvents the NCAP safety requirements for a passenger car. I think that's perfectly O Kei.
My boss is on his second, in black( 2nd is a silky silver wrapped in black metallic) went for a commercial the second time(no VAT) which means he has no rear windows no rear seats and steel wheels...it looks better I’m my opinion. He adores them...he also owns an SVT defender 3 door, so knows his stuff.
Anyone can review a 911 or an E39 M5 but it really takes some excellent communication skills to hold someone's attention for a 20 minute segment on this ....great job😁
We applaud this comment and thank you gratefully. When Jonny was on Fifth Gear he'd often be challenged to make a full item out of one of the least interesting new cars on sale. That was always his focus - to find interesting aspects of 'normal' cars. Some 17 years later we have The Late Brake Show with little to no new SuperCar content. Why? Because they aren't relevent anymore in the real world.
@@TheLateBrakeShow Exactly. I remember Jonny's review of the BMW i3 on another channel years ago just after I bought one myself. At the time, few other journos bothered with this weird little electric car with rubbish range, but he focused on what made it special and - lo and behold - many are singing its praises now...after it's been retired. Late Brake Show FTW. ETA: I sooo much want one of these Daihatsus.
It's so much easier to speak positively about something your enjoying, I suppose the same applies when something's so bad you don't know where to start! And the stuff in between that literally leaves you speechless. This bit of kit speaks for itself, even if he hadn't said a word the smile on his face says it all!!!!!!
I've been daily driving a Midget II for about a decade. Kei trucks are fun little donkeys, they're not fast or spacious or luxurious or flashy, but they get the job done without complaining and make people smile.
That looked like tons of fun!!! - I do think Europe as a whole would benefit greatly if the SUV-craze was replaced by a Kei-craze. We need more stuff like this, thank you for shining a light on the Kei alternative.
Not to mention that Kei cars has its own subculture with frankly really cool stuff being done to it. Hell, these Kei Trucks has a pretty big community in Japan with its own magazines dedicated to it and some part in the US started growing a community as well.
As a (former) owner of a Suzuki Super Carry and a Jimny, I'd absolutely kill for one of these! I had been looking at older second hand ones, but having the mod cons that this includes is really tempting.
I did a very enjoyable 56,000 miles in my 1986 Super Carry and it was the most useful vehicle I ever owned. With a 1cwt bag of sand over the rear axle, the five speed gearbox with the beautiful precise gear change and a set of good Michelin tyres, it was vastly better than it had any right to be. A crash would have killed me of course but that van carried so much taking display equipment to locations where larger vans could not go, it was wonderful when I built my house…it never ever failed and nothing broke. An EV version for Amazonman would be perfect for town work these days! 😃😃😃
What a great and fun review! Growing up on a farm in Japan I learned to drive in one of these - obvs it wasn’t as fancy as this particular little beast. But, at just nine years old, it was the perfect machine to learn in. We always had a 4x4 Kei truck on the farm, used for everything from going into the mountains to fetch firewood and mucking out the cowshed. They were capable in the snow too. The fact you have to rag the thing is part of the fun! One further consideration is that the load space in one of these is similar to the useable load space in a pickup truck, which makes these even more impressive.
People are fooled into thinking the little kei trucks have a tiny bed but the bed on my 1996 4WD Hijet kei truck is slightly larger than the bed on my previous Tacoma with a "full size bed", and the Hijet bed is lower so it's easier to load, the sides fold down or quickly remove to make a flat bed, there are no wheel wells poking up into the bed as on US pickup trucks to reduce the cargo space and break your drywall when you hit a bump, and the tie downs are on the outside which is much more convenient and useful. They look cute but the kei trucks are extremely practical and useful. I'll load mine completely full of wet fresh cut water maple firewood and drive it 23 miles to a friend's farm, fold down a bed side and quickly dump the firewood. I've loaded the bed ten feet tall with tree limbs, tossed nylon straps over the top and cinched the load down six feet until it's almost even with the top of the cab. The limbs hung 8 feet out the back of the 6+ foot bed so I tossed a strap around it and cinched it together to keep the limbs off the road, tied a red flag on the extended load and drove it 20 miles to the compost pad at the dump.
Have a new appreciation for these trucks after seeing the MCM boys love of theirs, fully cemented that opinion now. We need more of these smaller cars in our cities! Imagine how popular a small delivery vehicle version could be, or even electrified
@@stevebosun7410 just thinking of last mile delivery solutions in clean air zones with lots of traffic, where you don’t need massive vans, but for general use absolutely not, they’re efficient enough 👍🏻
This looks like a practical antidote to those massive American-style pickups which in most cases are used as oversized saloons with an open-air boot. The Daihatsu really is fit for purpose.
I used to have a daihatsu 850 panel van in a rusty orange colour. It had a fold up seat in the back but no windows, which my mates loved! I overloaded it with a mobile disco every weekend it was ace! That was 30 odd years ago. I'd love one of these now, I live in Devon and is probably more capable than my audi! Lol
EV makers should start focusing more on compact vehicles. Japan could do some great stuff there, but right now it seems like China is top at making small cheap EVs in their domestic market.
@@MOSSFEENwrong, there used alot in NZ. Way more versatile than a quad due to having a tray. People chuck the quad bike chunky tyres on them and they go anywhere.
Mighty car mods turbo one of these and add extra 4wd with snorkel and knobblys. It's by no means a beast but is more capable than you'd give it credit for. Theirs has a ripper that holds about half a ton. Good for small jobs or transporting ya bikes and quads same as is said here. A tipper, theirs has a tipper. They do push it to its limits 8f you have a watch.
Back in the 1990s my parents used to have a Honda 600cc pickup with a RomaHome two berth piggy back motor caravan unit. That little Daihatsu would be a great for modern day version of that. They loved their little RomaHome and did thousands of miles touring the U.K. and Europe in it. It was small enough to go to places that were best avoided by people with bigger vehicles.
Kei cars and kei trucks quite simply rock! Australia, like the UK, received many over the 1970's to early 2000s. Often with slightly larger capacity engines, their import killed off by increasing crash standards and low profit per unit. I've got my eye on a near new Honda N-One and my partner can't wait to get a brand new Honda N- Box turbo.
I would have one of these in a heart beat. I have loved small cars since the 80's when I had 2 particularly kool Fiat 126 DeVilles. Those cars were so cute and quirky and nothing like cars today. As soon as I saw this vehicle, I thought 'Adventure Truck'. Put a roof tent on top and a small kitchen and toilette on the back deck. You could even have an ebike on the back too, lol. A proper little adventure awaits...............
Great fun review Jonny! We used the Honda equivalent on our farm for years and it's utterly brilliant - they can go anywhere, the payload of 350kg sounds small but turns out to be seriously versatile across countless jobs. They're also available at all budget levels, what's shown here is top tier (wish I could afford one!) but you can get a basic -- obviously much older -- 4x4 Carry, Acty, Sambar or HiJet for few grand, lift kits are cheap and easy to fit! I highly recommend Mike Festiva and Olympic Overland's channels for anyone interested in getting into these, two brothers who've used their minitrucks all over the mountains NW of Seattle on some serious terrain.
Why not? Electric is clearly the most relevant thing to purchase now. My cold and snowy country has a share of 80%+ electric in new car sales.@@stevebosun7410
I got a Suzuki kei lifted about 4", 13" rim with 175/95/13 all terrain tire. And I use it going to my farm loaded some agricultural staff like ex. 2sacks of fertilizer, some hand tools, power tools. I really helpful since I can literally drive it even in muddy places (which my hilux refuses to go). It really save me from backaches lifting those tools. Ex. My generator with welding set. My electric chainsaw which I can now use since my Gen.set on my little truck. I really find it amazing little truck.
Looks like a modern version of the brilliant Steyr Puch Haflinger. I remember watching the Haflingers on Christmas TV when they did an Army vs Civilian "Point to Point". A friend of my Dad owned a Haflinger and drove it up Helvellyn sometimes back in the 1960s!
For the internal Japanese market that engine was also used in the Daihatsu Mira. Export Miras were available with a 989 cc 4-cyl engine that fits in the same space.
The Mighty Car Mods YT channel featured a Daihatsu Midget with the 989cc engine I mentioned previously. I can't recall whether they fitted a turbo or not.@@metricstormtrooper
I love Daihatsu. I had Terios which I fell in love with and I greatly regret selling. But I replaced it with Copen and that makes up for the loss. Having an offroad kei truck is my next target 😀
The box van variant ones are very very popular for micro-camper conversions in Japan. I would actually love to get one in Romania and do the same for my own leisure.
Actually, the pickup is the most popular for camping here. The box van is a passenger car and not a commercial one like the 'kei-tora' (kei truck). That roof rack is a third party accessory and was designed with leisure in mind. There are tents that attach to it and can be left on whilst driving.
I've been pining over a new one of these for quite some time now, as when I was a kid growing up (Australia) we had a 1980 hijet (2wd 550cc 4sp) which i learned to drive in. The old one we had was absolutely unstoppable, we used to use it as a backup car when it was still registered but eventually was for around the paddock on our 11 acre property to take fallen branches raked up pine needles and leaves etc, down to the fire heap. My best memories of it's though, when I got to that teenage hoon phase around 14 or 15 years old I used to flog it around the paddock as fast as I could and it used to amaze all my mates who had come over for rides in it. In the end we sold it off for $500 in a pretty dilapidated state when it was about 27 years old, but I often wish that i had a kept it and restored it.
That was brilliant, thanks Jonny. I have a GMC 2500 farm pickup in Canada, it’s an utterly horrid thing and I would gladly swap it for your Daihatsu, in fact it’s making me want to move back to the UK just so I could get my hands on one. Nice of you to give it a wash before you took it back.
Living in rural Cornwall this would be perfect, especially in the winter. Great for the dump run, local shop visit or DIY tasks. I really want one! I’d do a 2” lift and 13’s with winter tires myself. Great video and commentary Jonny.
I own a gen 4 Jimny and always wanted a Daihatsu hijet jumbo after a recent visit to Japan. I love quirky JDM cars and can’t wait to add to my collection.
That's fantastic, I would buy one in a heart beat. I can see this as a great mini truck for Farmers. For a gardener looking to keep their eco footprint small I can also see this being amazing!
I used to own a daihatsu charade 1.0 td. It was so basic, didn't even have power steering. The little engine though, a three cylinder turbo diesel, was nippy, sounded great and the economy was awesome. I could drive from Leicester to London and back on £10 worth of diesel
Thoroughly enjoyed watching your review. I'm in the process of getting a 2020 Daihatsu Hijet Cargo (the 4-seat van version) imported and prepped for my use in the UK. I've gone with a rear wheel drive, manual version (to keep things simple and reliable), however they are also available in 4wd and automatic (should you need it). Can't wait to be bumbling about in it early 2024. 😊👍
@uncomfortabletruth8976 I am buying mine through a company called TorqueGT. They offer a personal import service that does everything from sourcing and bidding on the vehicle in Japan, taking care of the import service, and then prepare, test & register the car here in the UK.
@@TheLateBrakeShow I'm a single guy living in south London, a Kei van would be all the car I would ever need. Ideally I'd love a micro camper that I could take out on trips around the country on the weekends. On the look out for a Suzuki Carry at the right price 😉
Wow so good to see a hijet on the show 👍 I have a 2004 hijet Roma home & it’s such good fun to drive ‘ it runs on petrol & LPG with a top speed of 78mph down hill 👍😁
Absolutely loved that. Just proper fun. May I suggest Mighty Car Mods? Marty turbo'd and lifted an earlier generation Pickup Kei Truck and they produced a fun set of videos, including Dyno runs, culminating in an 'offroad adventure' Cheers Jonny, keep up the ace videos
I have to say I love it! I love the simplicity of it, it just does what it says on the tin! I am a little bit biased, I was delivered my new Golf MK8, 1.5 etsi, petrol, automatic, in May this year. Four months later I bought a 2013 Jimny for bashing up country lanes and taking the dog out. It is filthy inside, does the business and is so enjoyable to drive. I leave the Golf for my wife or motorway driving! This Daihatsu would suit me down to the ground!
Nice one, Jonny. Lovely little beastie which I can imagine could win fans in rural areas as well as in real urban use - its size and maneuverability making it useful where a Transit or Ranger may become clumsy. Sure it’s a small niche. But it fits.
Thanks for taking us on your adventures. Jonny brilliant! Love these K cars. Been watching them on Australians best 4x4 channel. When you nearly got the brown back door stuck I was in tickled laughter legend
Great that the JDM K cars are getting some air time, perfect review. My 17 year old has done all the research and now we are looking for a rot free Copen for his first car. Cheap insurance and tons of bang for the buck. Cheers fella. Best C
This looks utterly brilliant. That little three cylinder engine sounds great, and it looks like you could quite happily cane it around without even getting into trouble in a 20 zone.
It brings back memories of my Mitsubishi L300 4x4 short body van. That was lifted and had a tickled 2.5 TD engine among several other modifications. People where always stared and asked questions because they do not expect a van to tow a stuck Jeep or Land Rover. The most fun modification was the snorkel in the B pillar, beccause it was not visible people did not understand why it could wade trough anything. In fact the biggest problem was that if the water was to deep that you loose traction because it started floating.
Great vid. Fast expensive stuff bores me to death. The pickup is cool but the van version is it for me. I used to have a Suzuki back in the 90s, such a great vehicle
Mighty Kei vehicle's punch well above their weight, and so many features,turbo engines, all wheel drive,4 wheel steering, automatics, what is there to hate. ❤
Love the off beat reviews. Here in NZ these are imported by the dozen as they make excellent farm vehicles and better than the ole quad or side by side. These are bullet proof, typically getting thrashed, bashed and trashed yet still keep ticking along.
Love the kei trucks unfortunately they seem to be a bit fashionable of late so lots of companies and importers are making a quick buck on the back of them. Like a lot of Japanese hero cars the prices have adjusted in Japan to suit the demand, These things are everywhere in Japan and they used to sell for pennies. Great bits of kit though I have seen one MASSIVELY overloaded and it still did the thing
Also need to remember this is the newer side of the market. They have been making the same vehicles for decades. Go out an older one and have the same amount of fun for a fraction of the cost. Hell if you are brave stick a motorbike engine or a Rotary in it, it has been done several times.
Being in Japan and in a rural coastal city (city, but not particularly urban), I am surrounded by kei cars. Typically driving in the middle of the road as it seems that there is an unwritten mysterious law of the universe that dictates that the smaller the vehicle, the more space they take up on the roads! The roads aren't wide enough for there to be a painted centre line, but there is enough space for two vehicles to pass if they stick to their own side of the road. Kei drivers seem to think that no centre line means that they should be in the centre and the little buggers just love to play chicken with my Disco 5! So, the method of driving means stick to the speed limit (often 30kmh or 18.75 mph) and have your wits about you and drive as close to the edge of the road as is possible. I kid you not, the amount of elderly drivers who to be honest are well past their driving life is becoming a serious issue here and they often choose a kei car in part because of the lower costs and in part because they feel driving a smaller car is easier. They often drove much larger vehicles when younger and somehow, they still drive as if they were in their former larger vehicles in terms of lane placement. The vehicles themselves are great, but certain kei cars are for XYZ of the population, making purchasing one a bit more difficult as there is a stereotype attached. The kei pickups have become popular with the younger trendsetting group and that is in part because of the camping boom and that the manufacturers actually stopped only selling them in a colour choice of white or white.
I honestly think kei cars are the future. I've not really seen anything bad about them for a start! Me and my dad had an idea, many moons ago, where every household could get a 'pork pie van' as he called them, from the state, in a configuration best suited for that households needs. If another vehicle was wanted or needed it could be bought just as normal. We called it the socialist autonomous utility vehicle, because it was a way to give everybody the freedom they should be afforded that only a vehicle can provide.
You could put one of those roof tents on like on land rovers. Love it! Does it only come in pick up versions ! Who’dve thought Johnny’s quirky outside the box love of cars would give him such longevity, yet that’s what’s so great about him. Always something different and interesting. Now I have a problem I want one of these but have no need for it, damn it !!
I have a 4wd Honda Acty which I use on my boggy land and it's awesome . Being a flat bed, these can carry 8x4 sheets of ply, which most bigger 4x4's can't as their wheel arches are in the way. I get more crowds around it than my 2 Ford Anglias at car & coffee meets. I still have my big 4x4 for but my Acty is my go to for pottering around. Great review.
Japan has produced some amazing little, nimble 4x4s over the years and this looks like the latest of them! Personally I wish we got more cars like this in the UK; small affordable cars can be as fun and as charismatic as expensive cars in their own way if the manufacturer will give up on trying to copy more expensive cars that they will never be able to compete with and instead embrace that small/affordable vibe and do something fun with it.
Love it ❤ I live in the countryside, semi disabled, only go a couple of miles a week. Something like this would put a smile on my face, for what is otherwise, a pretty sad existence 😔
Well I am buying a Suzuki Carry 4x4 , I have driven the around the Philippines and fell in love with them. I go down the Sand dunes and Beach 3-4 times a week with my two dogs now that I am retired on the Old Aged Pension so a SuxukiCsrry Kei truck will suit me down to the ground. The Kei Truck for me and a new Suxuki Swift for my daughter who gets her driver's license next year. Best of both worlds for an aged single dad and a teensger.
My friend ran these back in the 90s for his tool hire company. He said they were brilliant and we're so reliable. I could probably use one for my tree surgery business as a second vehicle which could go anywhere 😁😁
Don't forget the dump truck or scissor lift options, as well as the Jumbo Super with twice the extended cab. Great dependable trucks. I used them when I was in Japan. I wish I had one here on the farm, but alas, I am too poor for such a luxury. Well done video. My first time seeing your channel and I liked it.
As a farmer i would definitely buy this for my small farm. This is a nice truck - manual gearbox, 4x4, low range, AC, nice interior, small and agile work truck, i love this thing.
I'll have a no lift full rack one please, super handy little urban truck-about for getting gardening stuff and materials for the odd bit of carpentry. Plus space for the dog! Best new truck on sale today.
Recently bought a Toyota Alphard JDM import, such a brilliant and unique vehicle at a price point that can’t be matched by a European competitor. Plus a Japanese lady tells me I’m a great driver and more handsome than Chris Helmsworth every time I turn on the ignition (I assume that’s what she’s saying)
I'd definitely buy that instead of a Jimny as a utilitarian 4x4 to visit my summer house just an hour from the city. Especially if it could have some after market hard top cover for the trunk.
When I was an apprentice back in the mid 70's the firm I worked for got a new Suzuki Carry van - it was great fun to drive and even more fun when winter came! We also had a Commer FC van which was frightening to drive when it was icy - the Suzuki was like a _Mini-Me_ of the Commer...
Back in the early 1990s I lived in NZ and owned a Suzuki Super Carry 5 speed 1000cc van, with windows all round. My wife and I took that little bugger everywhere, up/down gravel mountain passes, meeting fuel road tankers rutting up the steep sharp corners, to beach coasts that were virtually empty. And that little van took all of it in its stride, winter to summer. And it would take me to work and cruise down the main road at 60-70mph like a sewing machine. Thing is, these micro vans/campers are a brilliant concept. We really need electric ones now.
We had the Suzuki carry van & the identical badge engineered Vauxhall Bedford Rascal with 800 or 1000cc. Friend of mine in the 90s had both he use to do 20,000 miles + a year working on Power stations in the UK humping all his gear around back end of the 90s he went to Astra diesel vans .
Jonny, that's the best car you've reviewed all year, I'm not joking, it's brilliant. All those nuclear families (mum, dad, 2 kids) wasting their lives in some godforsaken hatchback based crossover that can't cope with anything more "off road" than a supermarket carpark. They could buy 2 of those, save some money, and have a lot more fun.
Had 2 HiJet vans back in the day a 1.0 and the 1,3. Both superb and turned every mundane journey into an odyssey. Saw 87mph out of the 1.0, oddly the 1.3 was slower.
Another example that shows Europe should adopt the Kei car system. City centers would benefit alot from this, in terms of space and maybe even air pollution mitigation. Japan would naturally have a headstart but i think it would take other brands little time to catch-up.
As a former owner of two brand new Jimny's, which to this day I still really miss, this little pickup would be a really great alternative, as a brand new Jimny is now only available as a commercial and more expensive than this pickup.
I must say Jonny your video just makes me want this pickup, for the fun factor alone, my Jimny was great off-road and in the snow, this pickup would be equally as good or maybe even better than a Jimmy. I love it Jonny when you review these quirky little vehicles, please keep them coming, no-one does it better than you. 👍😁👍
You said the key words. This is a commercial vehicle so it circumvents the NCAP safety requirements for a passenger car. I think that's perfectly O Kei.
@@karlp8484 haha I see what you did there
I used to have one of these years ago. Great little machine. I like commercials and tbh porches, Ferraris etc bore me shitless😂
@@karlp8484 уои меап, kei words?
My boss is on his second, in black( 2nd is a silky silver wrapped in black metallic) went for a commercial the second time(no VAT) which means he has no rear windows no rear seats and steel wheels...it looks better I’m my opinion. He adores them...he also owns an SVT defender 3 door, so knows his stuff.
Anyone can review a 911 or an E39 M5 but it really takes some excellent communication skills to hold someone's attention for a 20 minute segment on this ....great job😁
We applaud this comment and thank you gratefully. When Jonny was on Fifth Gear he'd often be challenged to make a full item out of one of the least interesting new cars on sale. That was always his focus - to find interesting aspects of 'normal' cars. Some 17 years later we have The Late Brake Show with little to no new SuperCar content. Why? Because they aren't relevent anymore in the real world.
@@TheLateBrakeShow Exactly. I remember Jonny's review of the BMW i3 on another channel years ago just after I bought one myself. At the time, few other journos bothered with this weird little electric car with rubbish range, but he focused on what made it special and - lo and behold - many are singing its praises now...after it's been retired. Late Brake Show FTW. ETA: I sooo much want one of these Daihatsus.
I need one of these in the garden
It's so much easier to speak positively about something your enjoying, I suppose the same applies when something's so bad you don't know where to start! And the stuff in between that literally leaves you speechless. This bit of kit speaks for itself, even if he hadn't said a word the smile on his face says it all!!!!!!
I love this video
I've been daily driving a Midget II for about a decade. Kei trucks are fun little donkeys, they're not fast or spacious or luxurious or flashy, but they get the job done without complaining and make people smile.
That looked like tons of fun!!! - I do think Europe as a whole would benefit greatly if the SUV-craze was replaced by a Kei-craze. We need more stuff like this, thank you for shining a light on the Kei alternative.
Not to mention that Kei cars has its own subculture with frankly really cool stuff being done to it. Hell, these Kei Trucks has a pretty big community in Japan with its own magazines dedicated to it and some part in the US started growing a community as well.
@@AbrahamArthemius Europe actually has it's own kei truck in the Multicar. A tiny truck mostly used for urban utility stuff.
Don't go crash testing any of these. 30 something years of fraudulent results.
Not gonna happen due to safety concerns
As a (former) owner of a Suzuki Super Carry and a Jimny, I'd absolutely kill for one of these! I had been looking at older second hand ones, but having the mod cons that this includes is really tempting.
Whats your thoughts on the suzuki hustler?
Love your channel Calum, cool to see you here!!
I'd still want a classic old Suzuki Mighty boy before a hustler!@@clarksonoceallachain8536
I did a very enjoyable 56,000 miles in my 1986 Super Carry and it was the most useful vehicle I ever owned. With a 1cwt bag of sand over the rear axle, the five speed gearbox with the beautiful precise gear change and a set of good Michelin tyres, it was vastly better than it had any right to be. A crash would have killed me of course but that van carried so much taking display equipment to locations where larger vans could not go, it was wonderful when I built my house…it never ever failed and nothing broke. An EV version for Amazonman would be perfect for town work these days! 😃😃😃
wait a minute. i know you...
What a great and fun review!
Growing up on a farm in Japan I learned to drive in one of these - obvs it wasn’t as fancy as this particular little beast. But, at just nine years old, it was the perfect machine to learn in. We always had a 4x4 Kei truck on the farm, used for everything from going into the mountains to fetch firewood and mucking out the cowshed. They were capable in the snow too. The fact you have to rag the thing is part of the fun!
One further consideration is that the load space in one of these is similar to the useable load space in a pickup truck, which makes these even more impressive.
People are fooled into thinking the little kei trucks have a tiny bed but the bed on my 1996 4WD Hijet kei truck is slightly larger than the bed on my previous Tacoma with a "full size bed", and the Hijet bed is lower so it's easier to load, the sides fold down or quickly remove to make a flat bed, there are no wheel wells poking up into the bed as on US pickup trucks to reduce the cargo space and break your drywall when you hit a bump, and the tie downs are on the outside which is much more convenient and useful. They look cute but the kei trucks are extremely practical and useful. I'll load mine completely full of wet fresh cut water maple firewood and drive it 23 miles to a friend's farm, fold down a bed side and quickly dump the firewood. I've loaded the bed ten feet tall with tree limbs, tossed nylon straps over the top and cinched the load down six feet until it's almost even with the top of the cab. The limbs hung 8 feet out the back of the 6+ foot bed so I tossed a strap around it and cinched it together to keep the limbs off the road, tied a red flag on the extended load and drove it 20 miles to the compost pad at the dump.
Have a new appreciation for these trucks after seeing the MCM boys love of theirs, fully cemented that opinion now. We need more of these smaller cars in our cities! Imagine how popular a small delivery vehicle version could be, or even electrified
Perish the thought of electrification. That would positively ruin it!
@@stevebosun7410 just thinking of last mile delivery solutions in clean air zones with lots of traffic, where you don’t need massive vans, but for general use absolutely not, they’re efficient enough 👍🏻
This looks like a practical antidote to those massive American-style pickups which in most cases are used as oversized saloons with an open-air boot. The Daihatsu really is fit for purpose.
I used to have a daihatsu 850 panel van in a rusty orange colour. It had a fold up seat in the back but no windows, which my mates loved! I overloaded it with a mobile disco every weekend it was ace! That was 30 odd years ago. I'd love one of these now, I live in Devon and is probably more capable than my audi! Lol
This has definitely got a place in modern motoring, city friendly, practical, nice price, it’s ticking lots of boxes
EV makers should start focusing more on compact vehicles. Japan could do some great stuff there, but right now it seems like China is top at making small cheap EVs in their domestic market.
An electric one would be very appealing although it would lose some lightness but have more torque
No, no, no. Not electric for heavens sake. What's the fascination with electric utopia?
Because electric is better for the climate, fossil fuels have no future.@@stevebosun7410
Well well, now I want one, put a winch on it and it's perfect, another top notch review Jonny
Absolutely love it. Limited use, limited size, unlimited entertainment.
I wouldn’t mind having something like this. It’s different to all other 4x4s I see. Farmers would appreciate it. City goers would run a mile
I'm a city person and I don't drive cause it is outside my price range to own a KEI-CAB/CAR
@@MOSSFEENwrong, there used alot in NZ. Way more versatile than a quad due to having a tray. People chuck the quad bike chunky tyres on them and they go anywhere.
@@MOSSFEEN it's not even setup for off-road lol it had light AT tyres on it.
Mighty car mods turbo one of these and add extra 4wd with snorkel and knobblys. It's by no means a beast but is more capable than you'd give it credit for. Theirs has a ripper that holds about half a ton. Good for small jobs or transporting ya bikes and quads same as is said here.
A tipper, theirs has a tipper. They do push it to its limits 8f you have a watch.
Back in the 1990s my parents used to have a Honda 600cc pickup with a RomaHome two berth piggy back motor caravan unit. That little Daihatsu would be a great for modern day version of that. They loved their little RomaHome and did thousands of miles touring the U.K. and Europe in it. It was small enough to go to places that were best avoided by people with bigger vehicles.
Kei cars and kei trucks quite simply rock!
Australia, like the UK, received many over the 1970's to early 2000s. Often with slightly larger capacity engines, their import killed off by increasing crash standards and low profit per unit.
I've got my eye on a near new Honda N-One and my partner can't wait to get a brand new Honda N- Box turbo.
What a great fun review of such a useful, capable and affordable vehicle. Really enjoyed watching it. Would buy one if I had a need for it!
I would have one of these in a heart beat. I have loved small cars since the 80's when I had 2 particularly kool Fiat 126 DeVilles. Those cars were so cute and quirky and nothing like cars today.
As soon as I saw this vehicle, I thought 'Adventure Truck'. Put a roof tent on top and a small kitchen and toilette on the back deck. You could even have an ebike on the back too, lol. A proper little adventure awaits...............
Great fun review Jonny! We used the Honda equivalent on our farm for years and it's utterly brilliant - they can go anywhere, the payload of 350kg sounds small but turns out to be seriously versatile across countless jobs. They're also available at all budget levels, what's shown here is top tier (wish I could afford one!) but you can get a basic -- obviously much older -- 4x4 Carry, Acty, Sambar or HiJet for few grand, lift kits are cheap and easy to fit! I highly recommend Mike Festiva and Olympic Overland's channels for anyone interested in getting into these, two brothers who've used their minitrucks all over the mountains NW of Seattle on some serious terrain.
I would love an electric Kei truck like this one, it's got a charm to it, like an anti cybertruck.
No, no, no, not electric for Christ's sake!
Why not? Electric is clearly the most relevant thing to purchase now. My cold and snowy country has a share of 80%+ electric in new car sales.@@stevebosun7410
I got a Suzuki kei lifted about 4", 13" rim with 175/95/13 all terrain tire. And I use it going to my farm loaded some agricultural staff like ex. 2sacks of fertilizer, some hand tools, power tools. I really helpful since I can literally drive it even in muddy places (which my hilux refuses to go). It really save me from backaches lifting those tools. Ex. My generator with welding set. My electric chainsaw which I can now use since my Gen.set on my little truck. I really find it amazing little truck.
It’s really, really fab! Without the head banging rack, it’s perfect for MTB to off-road moto carrying. Thx!👏👏👏
Looks like a modern version of the brilliant Steyr Puch Haflinger. I remember watching the Haflingers on Christmas TV when they did an Army vs Civilian "Point to Point". A friend of my Dad owned a Haflinger and drove it up Helvellyn sometimes back in the 1960s!
For the internal Japanese market that engine was also used in the Daihatsu Mira. Export Miras were available with a 989 cc 4-cyl engine that fits in the same space.
I had a Daihatsu Move here in Australia and it had an 850cc triple and could cruise at 135 kl/h in fifth, it was great.
The Mighty Car Mods YT channel featured a Daihatsu Midget with the 989cc engine I mentioned previously. I can't recall whether they fitted a turbo or not.@@metricstormtrooper
I love Daihatsu.
I had Terios which I fell in love with and I greatly regret selling. But I replaced it with Copen and that makes up for the loss. Having an offroad kei truck is my next target 😀
The box van variant ones are very very popular for micro-camper conversions in Japan. I would actually love to get one in Romania and do the same for my own leisure.
Actually, the pickup is the most popular for camping here. The box van is a passenger car and not a commercial one like the 'kei-tora' (kei truck). That roof rack is a third party accessory and was designed with leisure in mind. There are tents that attach to it and can be left on whilst driving.
Bags of character, reliability, simplicity and easy to place and park! I want one!!
What a great little workhorse, smart,economical and practical, 👍
I've been pining over a new one of these for quite some time now, as when I was a kid growing up (Australia) we had a 1980 hijet (2wd 550cc 4sp) which i learned to drive in. The old one we had was absolutely unstoppable, we used to use it as a backup car when it was still registered but eventually was for around the paddock on our 11 acre property to take fallen branches raked up pine needles and leaves etc, down to the fire heap. My best memories of it's though, when I got to that teenage hoon phase around 14 or 15 years old I used to flog it around the paddock as fast as I could and it used to amaze all my mates who had come over for rides in it. In the end we sold it off for $500 in a pretty dilapidated state when it was about 27 years old, but I often wish that i had a kept it and restored it.
What a cool little rig … love it! Another great review Jonny.
That was brilliant, thanks Jonny. I have a GMC 2500 farm pickup in Canada, it’s an utterly horrid thing and I would gladly swap it for your Daihatsu, in fact it’s making me want to move back to the UK just so I could get my hands on one. Nice of you to give it a wash before you took it back.
Living in rural Cornwall this would be perfect, especially in the winter. Great for the dump run, local shop visit or DIY tasks. I really want one! I’d do a 2” lift and 13’s with winter tires myself. Great video and commentary Jonny.
The HiJet any day before a Cybertruck! This is so charming and cozy. 🥰
I own a gen 4 Jimny and always wanted a Daihatsu hijet jumbo after a recent visit to Japan. I love quirky JDM cars and can’t wait to add to my collection.
Great vehicle. Love it. Diff-lock engaged would have helped the stuck moment! did you forget it?
In a time that we supposedly need to save the Planet!! Surely small fugal vehicles like this are the way forward and still fun, love it and want one.
That's fantastic, I would buy one in a heart beat. I can see this as a great mini truck for Farmers. For a gardener looking to keep their eco footprint small I can also see this being amazing!
I used to own a daihatsu charade 1.0 td. It was so basic, didn't even have power steering. The little engine though, a three cylinder turbo diesel, was nippy, sounded great and the economy was awesome. I could drive from Leicester to London and back on £10 worth of diesel
Thoroughly enjoyed watching your review.
I'm in the process of getting a 2020 Daihatsu Hijet Cargo (the 4-seat van version) imported and prepped for my use in the UK. I've gone with a rear wheel drive, manual version (to keep things simple and reliable), however they are also available in 4wd and automatic (should you need it). Can't wait to be bumbling about in it early 2024. 😊👍
Where you buying and how easy was it 😮
@uncomfortabletruth8976 I am buying mine through a company called TorqueGT. They offer a personal import service that does everything from sourcing and bidding on the vehicle in Japan, taking care of the import service, and then prepare, test & register the car here in the UK.
Excellent tea time viewing, I'm watching now so will let you know after my cuppa what I think 😊
Kei cars are a perfect fit for Britain right now, I would love to own a Kei van!
Agree, there's lots of places these work
@@TheLateBrakeShow I'm a single guy living in south London, a Kei van would be all the car I would ever need. Ideally I'd love a micro camper that I could take out on trips around the country on the weekends. On the look out for a Suzuki Carry at the right price 😉
You are doing the MCM thing! Love it!!
Greetings from the Netherlands
Super cool... now praying for snow! 🌨️
Even if I didn't like unusual pickups, Johnny would make me want this. Proper motoring journalism. Top notch.
My first car was a YRV (not a turbo, sadly). Absolutely loved it, hardly any left now
Wow so good to see a hijet on the show 👍 I have a 2004 hijet Roma home & it’s such good fun to drive ‘ it runs on petrol & LPG with a top speed of 78mph down hill 👍😁
Absolutely loved that. Just proper fun. May I suggest Mighty Car Mods? Marty turbo'd and lifted an earlier generation Pickup Kei Truck and they produced a fun set of videos, including Dyno runs, culminating in an 'offroad adventure'
Cheers Jonny, keep up the ace videos
My first “company vehicle” was a Hi Jet van….. in 1995 great little machine.. well done Johnny great job
I have to say I love it! I love the simplicity of it, it just does what it says on the tin! I am a little bit biased, I was delivered my new Golf MK8, 1.5 etsi, petrol, automatic, in May this year. Four months later I bought a 2013 Jimny for bashing up country lanes and taking the dog out. It is filthy inside, does the business and is so enjoyable to drive. I leave the Golf for my wife or motorway driving! This Daihatsu would suit me down to the ground!
As the long term owner of Honda Actys ,(thirty years)now Piaggio Porter truck,,Daihatsu Hijetta camper,and Daihatsu Copen car,great to see this video.
Nice one, Jonny.
Lovely little beastie which I can imagine could win fans in rural areas as well as in real urban use - its size and maneuverability making it useful where a Transit or Ranger may become clumsy.
Sure it’s a small niche. But it fits.
Thanks for taking us on your adventures. Jonny brilliant! Love these K cars. Been watching them on Australians best 4x4 channel. When you nearly got the brown back door stuck I was in tickled laughter legend
Marty's Kei tipper...the dose combined with 3 cylinder noises may be my favourite thing ever.
Thanks Jonny. I grew up in a Daihatsu 55 Wide. 550cc 2WD van version of this pickup. Great little van!
I had the same as you growing up but it was the ute (pickup) version. Was a machine!
That is cool!! If there was a back on it I’d sell my T6 in a heartbeat.
They will be selling box van and camper versions...
Great that the JDM K cars are getting some air time, perfect review. My 17 year old has done all the research and now we are looking for a rot free Copen for his first car. Cheap insurance and tons of bang for the buck. Cheers fella.
Best
C
This looks utterly brilliant. That little three cylinder engine sounds great, and it looks like you could quite happily cane it around without even getting into trouble in a 20 zone.
This is legit my dream car... what a fantastic little beast
It brings back memories of my Mitsubishi L300 4x4 short body van. That was lifted and had a tickled 2.5 TD engine among several other modifications. People where always stared and asked questions because they do not expect a van to tow a stuck Jeep or Land Rover. The most fun modification was the snorkel in the B pillar, beccause it was not visible people did not understand why it could wade trough anything. In fact the biggest problem was that if the water was to deep that you loose traction because it started floating.
Great vid. Fast expensive stuff bores me to death. The pickup is cool but the van version is it for me. I used to have a Suzuki back in the 90s, such a great vehicle
Fantastic video, I hope the MCM boys were watching this. We need a Porsche update, Jonny.
Mighty Kei vehicle's punch well above their weight, and so many features,turbo engines, all wheel drive,4 wheel steering, automatics, what is there to hate. ❤
Love the off beat reviews. Here in NZ these are imported by the dozen as they make excellent farm vehicles and better than the ole quad or side by side. These are bullet proof, typically getting thrashed, bashed and trashed yet still keep ticking along.
Love the kei trucks unfortunately they seem to be a bit fashionable of late so lots of companies and importers are making a quick buck on the back of them.
Like a lot of Japanese hero cars the prices have adjusted in Japan to suit the demand,
These things are everywhere in Japan and they used to sell for pennies.
Great bits of kit though I have seen one MASSIVELY overloaded and it still did the thing
Also need to remember this is the newer side of the market. They have been making the same vehicles for decades. Go out an older one and have the same amount of fun for a fraction of the cost. Hell if you are brave stick a motorbike engine or a Rotary in it, it has been done several times.
Being in Japan and in a rural coastal city (city, but not particularly urban), I am surrounded by kei cars. Typically driving in the middle of the road as it seems that there is an unwritten mysterious law of the universe that dictates that the smaller the vehicle, the more space they take up on the roads! The roads aren't wide enough for there to be a painted centre line, but there is enough space for two vehicles to pass if they stick to their own side of the road. Kei drivers seem to think that no centre line means that they should be in the centre and the little buggers just love to play chicken with my Disco 5! So, the method of driving means stick to the speed limit (often 30kmh or 18.75 mph) and have your wits about you and drive as close to the edge of the road as is possible. I kid you not, the amount of elderly drivers who to be honest are well past their driving life is becoming a serious issue here and they often choose a kei car in part because of the lower costs and in part because they feel driving a smaller car is easier. They often drove much larger vehicles when younger and somehow, they still drive as if they were in their former larger vehicles in terms of lane placement. The vehicles themselves are great, but certain kei cars are for XYZ of the population, making purchasing one a bit more difficult as there is a stereotype attached. The kei pickups have become popular with the younger trendsetting group and that is in part because of the camping boom and that the manufacturers actually stopped only selling them in a colour choice of white or white.
I honestly think kei cars are the future. I've not really seen anything bad about them for a start! Me and my dad had an idea, many moons ago, where every household could get a 'pork pie van' as he called them, from the state, in a configuration best suited for that households needs.
If another vehicle was wanted or needed it could be bought just as normal.
We called it the socialist autonomous utility vehicle, because it was a way to give everybody the freedom they should be afforded that only a vehicle can provide.
Proper! Aged 17 in 1989 I learnt to drive in a 80 Honda Acty TN Pick Up. My mum used to go mental when I got the back end out!
What a beast. Yup I'd definitely have one. If they did a van version, it would be REALLY awesome. Love the Rack too. I'm sold
They do do a van version!
@@TheLateBrakeShow Perfect family wagon 4 or 5 seats 4 x 4 and economical 👍
There is a van, and a box van too. The box van is very popular among micro camper conversion enthusiasts
Another cracking video.
A fine base for a project camper car. Looks such a blast. 600cc delivers a massive grin around that track.
Looks a wicked little truck and the whole Kei car ethos would be great in the UK. I also need the RC Daihatsu at the end of the video :)
You could put one of those roof tents on like on land rovers. Love it! Does it only come in pick up versions !
Who’dve thought Johnny’s quirky outside the box love of cars would give him such longevity, yet that’s what’s so great about him. Always something different and interesting.
Now I have a problem I want one of these but have no need for it, damn it !!
I have a 4wd Honda Acty which I use on my boggy land and it's awesome . Being a flat bed, these can carry 8x4 sheets of ply, which most bigger 4x4's can't as their wheel arches are in the way. I get more crowds around it than my 2 Ford Anglias at car & coffee meets. I still have my big 4x4 for but my Acty is my go to for pottering around. Great review.
Japan has produced some amazing little, nimble 4x4s over the years and this looks like the latest of them! Personally I wish we got more cars like this in the UK; small affordable cars can be as fun and as charismatic as expensive cars in their own way if the manufacturer will give up on trying to copy more expensive cars that they will never be able to compete with and instead embrace that small/affordable vibe and do something fun with it.
Love it ❤ I live in the countryside, semi disabled, only go a couple of miles a week.
Something like this would put a smile on my face, for what is otherwise, a pretty sad existence 😔
Brilliant top review of a great little motor.
Awesome truck. I definitely want one. I'm going to look into this.
Risking a priceless Idol Chat Chair............there's product confidence for you!
Well I am buying a Suzuki Carry 4x4 , I have driven the around the Philippines and fell in love with them. I go down the Sand dunes and Beach 3-4 times a week with my two dogs now that I am retired on the Old Aged Pension so a SuxukiCsrry Kei truck will suit me down to the ground. The Kei Truck for me and a new Suxuki Swift for my daughter who gets her driver's license next year. Best of both worlds for an aged single dad and a teensger.
Just LOVE it, totally jealous cos that looked so much FUN
Forward control 😎 I drove a 4x4 van version in the early 90’s. Great little van 👍🏼
My friend ran these back in the 90s for his tool hire company. He said they were brilliant and we're so reliable. I could probably use one for my tree surgery business as a second vehicle which could go anywhere 😁😁
Don't forget the dump truck or scissor lift options, as well as the Jumbo Super with twice the extended cab. Great dependable trucks. I used them when I was in Japan. I wish I had one here on the farm, but alas, I am too poor for such a luxury.
Well done video. My first time seeing your channel and I liked it.
Oh. The Super Jumbo cab solves my problem of where to put the dog....
Me my dog and my mountain bike, love these K trucks.
As a farmer i would definitely buy this for my small farm. This is a nice truck - manual gearbox, 4x4, low range, AC, nice interior, small and agile work truck, i love this thing.
Want want want! Big lift, full rack, roof tent, mountain bikes in the back and off exploring!!
Do i need one of these???? No.... Do I want one of these???? Damn right I do......
An excellent review with Johnny and his chair on this funky HiJet.
I have to admit, even though I am not a farmer or trades person, and have absolutely zero need for one, I really like this.
Aussie here, I own the same model and bloody love it :-), it's my little runaround, camping/ hunting rig
I'll have a no lift full rack one please, super handy little urban truck-about for getting gardening stuff and materials for the odd bit of carpentry. Plus space for the dog! Best new truck on sale today.
Great little trucks. I remember the Suzuki Carry and Honda Acty. The came as vans too. Kei cars are brilliant.
Put a couple of MTB - Gravel - Road bikes on the back bed and let the adventures - fun times begin. I want one of these so much, magic!
Recently bought a Toyota Alphard JDM import, such a brilliant and unique vehicle at a price point that can’t be matched by a European competitor. Plus a Japanese lady tells me I’m a great driver and more handsome than Chris Helmsworth every time I turn on the ignition (I assume that’s what she’s saying)
Fun review Jonny. I've got this idea of converting one into a basic camper - chuck a mattress & tarp in the back and you're done.
No need, as a camper version will be available!
I'd definitely buy that instead of a Jimny as a utilitarian 4x4 to visit my summer house just an hour from the city. Especially if it could have some after market hard top cover for the trunk.
Love it. Perfect for my wife's gardening business. Would buy it in an instant if it were an EV, wouldn't need much range.
When I was an apprentice back in the mid 70's the firm I worked for got a new Suzuki Carry van - it was great fun to drive and even more fun when winter came! We also had a Commer FC van which was frightening to drive when it was icy - the Suzuki was like a _Mini-Me_ of the Commer...
Back in the early 1990s I lived in NZ and owned a Suzuki Super Carry 5 speed 1000cc van, with windows all round. My wife and I took that little bugger everywhere, up/down gravel mountain passes, meeting fuel road tankers rutting up the steep sharp corners, to beach coasts that were virtually empty.
And that little van took all of it in its stride, winter to summer. And it would take me to work and cruise down the main road at 60-70mph like a sewing machine. Thing is, these micro vans/campers are a brilliant concept. We really need electric ones now.
We had the Suzuki carry van & the identical badge engineered Vauxhall Bedford Rascal with 800 or 1000cc. Friend of mine in the 90s had both he use to do 20,000 miles + a year working on Power stations in the UK humping all his gear around back end of the 90s he went to Astra diesel vans .
Jonny, that's the best car you've reviewed all year, I'm not joking, it's brilliant.
All those nuclear families (mum, dad, 2 kids) wasting their lives in some godforsaken hatchback based crossover that can't cope with anything more "off road" than a supermarket carpark. They could buy 2 of those, save some money, and have a lot more fun.
That JDM could have been a Bedford Rascal pick up back in the day 😁
Gotta love the antics, was anticipating another car scuba ep 😜🙈😁
Had 2 HiJet vans back in the day a 1.0 and the 1,3. Both superb and turned every mundane journey into an odyssey. Saw 87mph out of the 1.0, oddly the 1.3 was slower.
Another example that shows Europe should adopt the Kei car system. City centers would benefit alot from this, in terms of space and maybe even air pollution mitigation. Japan would naturally have a headstart but i think it would take other brands little time to catch-up.
I use an old one of these, fully equipped with diff lock, lo/hi and a scissor lift. It's amazing.