Delica Canada | Mitsubishi Van Club | Hiace haters

I'm a proud owner of several Delicas. I love the delica starwagon's rugged looks, the bush bar, the fact that it's a part time 4wd and that it looks good lifted but...
The Toyota Hiace has more power (i think pound for pound the 3.0lturbo D was the best engine that toyota ever made), runs smoother, has better suspension and handling (when not off-roading of course) has just as many if not more cool options (see triple OPENING sunroof, coffee warmer, "joyful talk" etc). So why all the hate? OK maybe not hate but why haven't they been popular in Canada?
I live in Japan and sell vehicles locally and overseas so I have had the opportunity to drive many different vehicles so I feel I can make a good comparison and truth be known, let's just say the Hiace is a very well built vehicle. Bottom line, it's a TOYOTA.
Again I will reitterate that I love the starwagon (not a huge fan of the spacegear even though I own several) and the rugged looks definitely put it in a class of it's own but Mitsubishi's (and I've driven and owned lots) are just not as reliable.
The fact that there is a large delica community who can help eachother out is going to be a large decider for many but I also notice that there are many backyard mechanics on this forum and all over canada for that matter so I don't think people are "afraid" of them. And I will admit that when I first visited Japan 15 years ago the starwagon (and spacegear) were the vans that really said to me "these would be awesome in Canada".

So what's everyone else's take on this? I know there has been a couple of threads comparing Hiaces vs Delicas but I think they are out dated given the fact that you can import as late as 1994 now.

When I do move back to Canada I will probably "need" both because I don't want to have to make such a hard decision.

I actually like the look of the hiace. I cleaned one the other day and was thinking how cool the coffee heater was !! Pretty plush inside. The back bench seat was like a couch. They don't however, emit a felling of being very tough. Just the sense of the 4 wheel drive and suspension etc.....seems pretty whimpy. But i do like them. You would be surprised at how many you will see here in vancouver !!! I see them every day on the road.

They do have more bells and whistles than the delica. I noticed the sliding door closing itself when it gets close to being shut !! I think i will keep my L300 but i do think the toyota's are good as well.


cheers isaac

Hey,
I saw a Nice Hiace up in Cumberland today.
I thought they has reported some head problems
with those engines,no?
They are pretty funky.
Not enough to cure my Delicitis,but neat for sure.

Drove an L400 today too kinda different eh?

Right on!

Are those engines mid mounted under the van...or is that another one I'm thinking of.

It's pitiful at the line of cars and trucks we have to pick from here in NA.

I don't like the Hiace for the same reason I don't like the Previa or the L400: it reminds me of a 4X4 or SUV wannabe and/or it's got 'soccer-momminess' painted all over it. It's like the 'jellybean' Land Rovers: "I ain't never been off da pavement!" (whimpers the one SUV with the spinners at the end of the movie "Cars") - trying to be something they're not.

I also think it's going to take a while for the 2.8 litres (or is it the 2.5?) to work their way out of our system over here, the ones with the cooling problem on the one cylinder. For the Delicanites, IMHO, there hasn't been a single-point-of-failure on the L300 (I'm talking something critical, not the Crystal Lite blinds in the back), so there isn't an underlying bad sentiment driving people away from them. A bit underpowered for what some of us are accustomed to, but other than that, once you learn how to drive an L300 they perform wonderfully.

Just my dime's worth... and you can keep the change.

I have no issues with the Hiace Van.. its a reliable Van for sure..

When im in Africa thats what i drive, the Thing runs like a champ in those Harsh Enviroments, with 6' pot holes. You rarly see Delicas in Africa, 90% of the cars on the road there are toyota. Why?? Im not sure..

Hiace for the Win For sure.

I owned an 87 VAN 4x4 that I loved dearly! I looked at the HiAce and Ace vans a lot in the last few years but went with the Delica simply because of the reported head gasket/head crack problems I've heard about with the Toys. Even my little gas Toyota tended to get hot, and I know the gas Previas have the same issue. I almost bought a Previa from a dealer a few years ago then the salesman called me to say that the head cracked the day before I came in to buy!

I do like the macho look of my lifted Smellica but have no issue with the appearance of the Toys.

Several yrs. ago when travelling through Africa I was very impressed by the ruggedness of the Hiace vans I saw there...hauling around heavy loads of people on rough dirt roads (at high speeds!) and they seemed to be powerful and hang together just fine. So when I was looking for a more modern camping mobile to import to replace our aging (yet arguably still practical in many ways compared to a Delica) '76 westy, I initially considered a Hiace. I did a little research and was somewhat dissuaded by the head problems I'd read about. At the time it also appeared that complying the headlights would've been a bit of an expensive hassle as compared to the Delica (was importing/complying myself). I suppose it was mainly that the Delica had such a following here (which I thought would help w/ regards to parts supply down the road) and has more ground-clearance that ultimately swayed me (not to mention friend Konadog's force-of-personality/dog-with-a-bone/near-religious-fervor practically demanding I get a Delica and not a wimpy Toyota )
Oh yeah, another big factor was that back when I was shopping the auctions there appeared to be way fewer low km, good condition LWB Hiaces available than P35W Delicas and the selling prices of the Hiace's was usually considerably higher (like double) that of the Delicas, regardless being higher-mileage and poorer-condition. I suppose that is just the market at work - higher demand due to better product = higher prices. Like dah_hunter mentioned - most of Africa drives Toyotas and the Hiaces are super popular there (as they are throughout SE Asia) as taxis/buses for a reason.
Although it's still early, so far I'm impressed and happy with my Delica, but when I do it all again I'll probably go for a more spacious 3 litre AWD LWB Hiace.

Toyota Hiace with 1KZ engine is considered to be "King Of Vans" in Russian Far East, comfort, reliable engine, 4WD, but it has no harisma. It is very popular, but the price... A lot of delicaowners are hunters & fishermen - that means bad terrain & Hice has nothing to do with it. There is nothing to upgrade in it (bush bars, lift, big wheels, Rancho suspension, etc.) Imagine upgraded Hiace - funny, way more expensive & useless.

Not at all complicated for me. I find them simply too diminutive, the first time I saw a Delica it's ballsy 'in your face' attitude instantly appealed to me.

My friend has a Hiace. It gets better fuel mileage and has more room, and seems more deluxe.

That said, I have more clearance, room for larger tires, and a shorter wheelbase.

If I wanted a minivan only, then yes to the hiace... but I like the capabilities (and the look) of the Delica.

Josh

I'm quite interested in a 5spd Hiace Super Long 4WD 3.0TD. Would give us the extra room for our planed road trip. I have read many times about the overheating issue with the older 3L engine, but haven't heard about any issues with the newer KZ 3.0 Turbo Diesel version. Anyone?
Also now you see quite a few Hiaces in Vancouver is there still the issue with finding the e-coded headlights?
I haven't seen any photos of lifted Hiaces with bigger tires. Does that mean it's not possible?
I'm also curious about the load capacity.
They are for sure considerable more expensive as well as not as good looking as a l300, but the rest is quite a sweet package.

I used to have a Masterace Surf.,...and it was 21 yrs old and still going strong.

It had to have it's head done, but it had hardly any rust and just kept going and going.

I sold it when I got the 300, but I still miss it, and someone is still driving around in it...
Ang x

Don't forget Toyota = electronic 4x4, for me a big thumbs down.

I was on the original electronic shocks and the 4x4 worked a treat...:)

But then I'm a tad biased....cos I loved that van...:)

Ang x