This Subaru Kei Van Parks Like A Motorcycle But Swallows Half Your Garage

Some vehicles make you wonder how much car you really need. This 1992 Subaru Sambar Try Dias currently listed on Cars & Bids is one of them. At 3,295 mm (129.7 in) long, it could fit within the wheelbase of some modern SUVs and has less power than a tune can add to a basic crossover, and yet somehow looks capable of swallowing half the contents of your garage.

The fifth-generation Sambar arrived in 1990, continuing a formula started when Subaru debuted the original at the 1960 Tokyo Motor Show based on Subaru 360 minicar bones. Like its predecessors, the Sambar 5 was designed around Japan’s kei car regulations, squeezing maximum utility from minimal dimensions.

Also: Subaru Wants To Send An 8-Year-Old American SUV To The Country That Invented The Kei Car

That meant a rear-engine, rear-wheel-drive layout, a one-box body shape, and a footprint tiny enough to fit into the kind of parking spots normally the preserve of motorcycles. Power in this example comes from a naturally aspirated 658 cc four-cylinder producing around 40 hp (40 PS) and 40 lb-ft (54 Nm) of torque, paired with a five-speed manual transmission.

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Forty horses isn’t much, though the seller reckons it’ll cruise – noisily – at 60 mph (96 km/h). But back in the early 1990s Subaru also offered a supercharged version of the same engine that cranked output all the way up to a dizzying 54 hp (55 PS), practically turning the Sambar into a WRX STI by kei van standards.

Space In Six Varieties

The real attraction isn’t performance, anyway. It’s packaging. This Try Dias model features dual sliding rear doors, dual “Sun Sun Roof” panels, fold-flat front and rear seats, and air conditioning. Judging by the photos, the interior can be rearranged in enough different ways to make a Swiss Army knife seem one-dimensional.

Of course, practicality comes with some compromises. The cab-over design places occupants alarmingly close to whatever they might hit, airbags are nowhere to be found, and the tiny body offers little of the crash protection modern drivers take for granted.

More: Subaru’s Cheapest New Car Is A $7,200 Kei Van With Three Pedals

Still, the Sambar is bursting with charm. And while this fifth-generation example is now a quirky import, the nameplate itself is very much alive. In fact, Subaru just revealed 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.

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