Subaru SAMBAR TRUCK AWD
1 model in this series
Subaru Sambar Truck AWD – Japanese kei truck from 1998: petrol engine with four-wheel drive, model year 1998 per the register
Subaru is a Japanese car maker whose Sambar line has counted for decades among the fixtures of Japan's kei vehicle segment. The Sambar Truck AWD is a kei truck, a minitruck of the Japanese kei vehicle class with especially compact dimensions and limited engine displacement, recorded here in its 1998 model-year version.
Read on 3 more paragraphs
The engine runs on petrol and drives all four wheels through four-wheel drive. On kei trucks such as the Sambar, the engine sits by design under or behind the driver's cab, ahead of the rear axle, rather than at the front as on larger trucks; this layout allows a flat, low load bed running almost the full length of the vehicle and shifts some weight onto the driven rear axle, which helps traction when loaded.
Kei trucks such as the Sambar are tailored specifically to Japan's regulations for this vehicle class, with very compact exterior dimensions that allow use on narrow urban streets and in tight parking spaces, along with tax advantages over larger commercial vehicles. Four-wheel drive on such minitrucks is usually engaged on demand for occasional loose-surface driving rather than sustained off-road use, and it extends the range of use to unpaved tracks and light off-road terrain, common in Japanese farming and rural delivery work.
When buying a four-wheel-drive kei truck, the condition of the drive shafts and the transfer case matters most, as these wear faster under regular off-road use than under purely on-road running. Rust on the chassis and load bed should also be checked, as kei trucks were often used outdoors and in damp conditions. Given the compact build, the engine mounts are also worth a look, as kei vehicles leave very little room around them.
Sources: SpecCodex-Register: Kennwerte des Modells Subaru Sambar Truck AWD
Models
Van in 3D section
Turn the model, look inside and click an assembly — each one is explained.
