L400 interior space

[vjtaylor]

Morning all - wasn't sure where to post this question so thought I go General

I've travelled around New Zealand in a Mitsubishi Delica turned into a camper van - the most fun EVER! But a few years on and three children later I'm now looking to import a Delica to use as a family vehicle (my JDM Isuzu Bighorn [also great fun!] isn't quite big enough inside); so I was wondering from those parents out there - do you find the interior roomy enough for kids car seats ... like say three of them?

Oh, and another question - my Bighorn is pretty easy to find parts for as it was sold LHD as a Trooper - but how easy is it to source parts for the Delica's for maintenance or *ick* something worse?

Cheers in advance for any help/advice.

Vanessa

[mrdueck]

Parent here of three girls now 12, 10, 7. We are out of car seats but wish we had this van when we did. I had a Eurovan with a similar seat conversion when they were young and it worked great. The Delica would be even better (with the high roof) as it would be that much easier to move around in. Thelwb eurovan is slightly roomier as it is about 4" longer than the Delica but with fewer bells and whistles. I think you will be fine with the l400 lwb. We do Wpg to BC 1-3x/yr. We just did it in the Delica for the first time and the kids kept on saying how much they like traveling in it compaired to the Suburban which was the latest vehicle we had. The only advantage the new minivans have is the extra sliding door, but I would take the extraroom in the Delica over them any day. Put the two youngest in the middle and the oldest in the back should work out well.

Hope this is helpful,
Rudy

[Kuan]

I have a L400 low roof SWB with the middle bench. Here in the picture you can see the happy campers. The jumpseat has a full 3 point seatbelt so its pretty nice but no head rest. The rear bench is quite narrow so 3 carseats don't fit well. In addition they are molded or bucket like so its not a flat surface across.

Other than that we are very happy with ours. Good visibility, power, and a fun ride for all.

Cheers.
Kuan

[jessef]

I have a L400 low roof SWB with the middle bench. Here in the picture you can see the happy campers. The jumpseat has a full 3 point seatbelt so its pretty nice but no head rest. The rear bench is quite narrow so 3 carseats don't fit well. In addition they are molded or bucket like so its not a flat surface across.

Other than that we are very happy with ours. Good visibility, power, and a fun ride for all.

Cheers.
Kuan

Awesome pic Kuan !

[tonydca]

I have a lo-roof SWB L400 also with the middle bench seat, and I have also hauled up to 7 kids around (plus me) for moderate trips with no issues. 6 grownups in total is also a snap.

For long term tho', I'd seriously ponder the middle row captains chairs for the pair of carseats - I'm beyond that stage personally, so I wanted room for the 8th butt but I can see the advantages.

A crystal-lite LWB is gorgeous inside - like a freakin' cathedral for room. But height wouldn't fit in my parkade, and there's that extra turning radius, but I'm sure you'd get used to it.

Either way, you won't be sorry. Best vehicle I've ever had.

[spence121]

This is a great thread thank you. My wife and I used to have an L300 and sold it as we had a Pajero also. Pajero gone and a Frontier and Freelander is our fleet, we are looking at a newer L400 as the Freelander doesn't have much room, especially as we are looking to start a family and have two large dogs. Has anyone had issues with parts availability and maintenance issues with the L400? I know the L300 was a pain to work on and parts were difficult to find here in Calgary. I know the L400 uses the 4M40 motor and i based on the Pajero platform so a bit easier to work on as you can open a hood as oppose to opening the seats haha..

[stever1000]

How much of a difference in height does the high-roof gain over the low roof? Is it worth the height at the cost of daily driving in the city (parkades, etc)?

Thanks :)