Mitsu Delica vs Toyota Townace vs Toyota Hiace vs VW Syncro

[psilosin]

Just wondering if anyone in their prepurchase shopping happened to test drive multiple vehicles or used to own one before the other. Interested in peoples comparitive views of one vs the other.

I had a VW Vanagon Syncro for a number of years and it was extremely capable off-road even without a dedicated low range transfer case (the front and rear difflocks were awesome). Were it not for never ending problems with the electronics of the EFI I would still have it. Thinking about a Delica or Hiace (or maybe a Townace) as a replacement one of these days....

[Jungle Jon]

Hi Psilosin, welcome to the site!

Personally I've never had a chance to drive anything but a Delica, and I've only seen a Townace close-up once. However, there is already a thread that discusses some differences here:

http://www.delica.ca/forum/viewtopic.php?t=138

Cheers,
Jon

[collector]

I believe that the Delica is by far the best looking of the the bunch. I'm a die hard Toyota fan, but even I think their version of a 4x4 van (Hiace) is as ugly as a busted blister. I never even looked twice at a "mini van" set up until I saw the Mitsu L300...Very cool and functional appearance. As for the VW Syncro-forget about it! They are impossible to source and are about as reliable as...a Volkswagen!!!! :P

[psilosin]

Jon, thanks for the link, even though I just registered I've been visiting the site for a while but never noticed that post.

Collector, I also think the Delica is the coolest looking of the Japanese vans...looks the most like a VW and not quite as spaceshipy as the Toyotas. And I know all about VW reliability...I had a Syncro for 6 years :lol: . Too bad about their engine and electronics because the rest of them is a marvel of engineering (they were designed by Steyr-Puch...they are the little brother to the Pinzgauer). It was always the highlight of my day to cruise through a section of muddy trail passing by a hopelessly stuck Jeep and getting stares of disbelief. From what video's I have seen so far of Delica's it looks like they would give a similar offroad performance. :D

[terrain]

I've owned westys for too many years and am thankfull to finally be free of them (still one in my yard coming up for sale). They nickle and dime you to death on insufferable repairs, are a lousy drive (compared to the delica) and worse on fuel.

This vehicle is a truck 4x4 with incredible balance, torque, and incredibly stable at high speed in high winds on adverse roads. I will miss some of the camping features of the westy (but not that much).

[scott]

i would second what terrain has said. i've been using my van as my field work vehicle for the last couple of weeks, and it's been offroad every day. so far, no problem with 10 cms of fresh on icy snow beneath uphill, deep rutted mud from the logging trucks hauling full loads with chains on etc.
it is a really stable vehicle, the only thing i've notcied is that because the chassis is narrower than most trucks, if you're on a rutted road, you either have to put one wheel in the rut and one out, or get surfed around a lot.

kind of like a fast canoe, intially feels unstable, but won't go over no matter how much you try!

and i have yet to get stuck in 4 low, and i tried pretty hard the other day :D
cheers,
s

[BCDelica]

Despite hearing the same reports of the TowAce van's and having so much fun with the 74' Westy we had for years; my past relation ship with a Toyota van had a huge part in my discussion to buy a Delica.

I bought a 1984 Toyota cargo van; bought in 1984, I put on over 360,000 km's, only vehicle I ever shed a tear watching it drive away sold ever so dented and rusty. Way too many memories attached to that van. Mechanicaly it was the best, even after all those miles the engine oil always drained out looking new at a change.

Long story short, I really like the chassis layout. Makes sense for van (That can fit 31" off road tires). :D

[terrain]

got stuck (as I mentioned in another post) but only after going up a long snow incline and then backing out onto some fresh stuff - I was overly impressed at how far I got with the vehicle and confidently stupid enough then to back into deep wind banks. Will be installing a winch soon.

[crushers]

couple points to consider before wheeling your Delica:
take a crawl under your unit and look at that neat scoop right in front of the rad...kind of looks like a shovel or a ramp ready to direct sticks, snow, ice, seeds, water etc right into it.
also look where all your coolers are located...pretty vunerable stuck out there...
i would suggest caution and preventitive work to be completed before getting too carried away. damage the rad and over heat the engine.

a expanded steel "skid plate" would be a good addition to add between the scoop and the bull bar. also a fine netting added to the rad to catch any seeds when driving through grasses esp in the fall would be a good idea.

there is a great russian video that i enjoy watching over and over about 2 delicas doing frozen river crossings... of course you can tell they are not planning on keeping the vans for very long. still it is a fun viewing...

cheers

[squamish_chief]

I am thinking about a 94 townace 4x4 truck.. it has the 1.8ltr gas engine... Cannot find much info on it at all.. anyone have anything? Head issues? overheating?
Jeff

[unclejemima]

I know this is an old post, but I am looking at a townace with the 1.8 and curious if it has a good history with head issues, overheating, ext.
Anyone know about these motors?

I am thinking about a 94 townace 4x4 truck.. it has the 1.8ltr gas engine... Cannot find much info on it at all.. anyone have anything? Head issues? overheating?
Jeff

[psilosin]

I know this is an old post, but I am looking at a townace with the 1.8 and curious if it has a good history with head issues, overheating, ext.
Anyone know about these motors?

I am thinking about a 94 townace 4x4 truck.. it has the 1.8ltr gas engine... Cannot find much info on it at all.. anyone have anything? Head issues? overheating?
Jeff

Hey if you are talking about the 1.8L gasoline engine then that would be the 2Y I do believe...which is in the same family as the engine used here in the Toyota LE Vans through the 80's (believe they had the 4Y...slightly larger). These were very reliable engines so I would assume the 2Y is pretty well built as well. The Liteace/Townace trucks are great...I have had mine for almost 5 years now and it always puts a smile on my face with what it can accomplish.

[Kuan]

Townace pickup can come with a 2C diesel engine (1974cc). I know 2 people with them and they really like them. The box is nice and big and they can be 500-1000kg load. Only problem is the engine is "undersized" so you have to drive it with that in mind. Not a problem if you are used to these japanese diesels. (as opposed to the North American pickups)

I have the same engine in my 4wd sprinter (corolla) and its perfect for that application. It gets great economy and very reliable.

[roadie]

My delica replaces a Estima Lucida that my wife drives. Sorry if it's not on your list, but the estima is extremely capable in snow. The weight distribution is very good. Very underpowered, and prone to overheating and head gasket issues. The mileage is actually worse than my delica. The l400 is superior (so far) in every way. We'll see come winter !!!!

[bionic]

Hi,
I have owned a 92 Delica L300 (151k on the odometer), an 89 Toyota LE 4x4 (320K on the odometer), and currently drive a 91 VW Doka Syncro (181K on the odometer). The Toyota LE was the best as far as out of the box reliability, handled pretty well, and was quite comfortable...it was however a little ugly. The L300 was the least reliable, and gutless of them all...cold in the winter, ran too hot in the summer, hard to start (numerous glowplug/pump issues) ..leaky auto trans, leaky front panels, weak rear diff, and what could only be described as dismal performance. The VW Syncro is easily the most capable offroad, and versitile to boot, but after replacing/upgrading both the engine/trans ($$$) to get it roadworthy, I would have to give the ugly little space shuttle LE the thumbs up, although a 1.8 would be less power than the 2.2L the Canada LE came with, which might disuade me from getting one.
If a Delica exists where someone hasn't fudged the numbers during import, or hasn't abused the thing in Japan, I have yet to see it. Owned 2 and never again (in Canada).