shot in Punta Arenas, Chile by Rivera Notario
These used to be so common, at least in California. These were part of a major revolution of family cars; the boomers were now having kids, and they did not want the traditional station wagons their parents drove them in. They wanted something different, and more economical, please given the high gas prices of the early 80s.
The Dodge Colt Vista wagon appeared here in 1984, the same year as the Chrysler minivan twins. Those were sold out from day one, so the Vista was a good alternative. I remember looking at both at our local Dodge dealer that year. We ended up with a Cherokee, the other hot item that year, but I could have seen one of these in our apartment building garage.
The endless debate about what to call these is a bit silly. It’s an extended length, high roof wagon; but if you want to call it a minivan with conventional rear doors, help yourself.
The Vista was actually one inch longer than the Caravan, and put that to good use in its interior accommodations. The very big difference was that all of its rear seats folded down, in various configurations, making the space very flexible to adapt to many different needs.
The Caravan’s seats didn’t fold, and had to be removed for carrying large loads. Anyone who’s ever lifted those bench seats in and out of an early Caravan undoubtedly has vivid memories of that, and perhaps some old chiropractor bills to prove it. A royal pain; as I know all too well. Of course, once the Caravan’s seats were out, its load capacity was larger than the Vista’s.
Back in 1994, I rode in one of those rear-most Vista seats from Eugene to Vancouver and back, at least for part of the way. Given that I was 6’4″, I was rather surprised that it wasn’t all that bad. I’m quite sure the leg room was better than in an eight-passenger swb Caravan, whose seats were very close together.
They’re all gone now, but it’s nice to know that they’re still hard at work in other parts of the world.
Sold as Mitsubishi Nimbus/Space Wagon in the UK and the EU, they were reasonably popular but, here too, the Voyager was the market leader back then. A useful vehicle for sure, and more economical than the Voyager (in the gasoline versions) but now of course totally extinct – I could not find even one for sale in Austria…
This generation of Colt Vista should be considered as the most influential product in 1980s, it is car based and very versatile/practical. Coming from a compact car floor pan made it years ahead of today common chassis platform design.
It was the favorite vehicle of my 2nd Uncle. He used for up to 14 years with 170 k miles, which was significant because all other vehicles he owned ran less than 100k miles. He loved that vehicle. Just like Civic Wagon this vehicle should be our transportation means today rather SUV and pickup.
It was also the vehicle for NPR “Car Talk” hosts, although I never knew which brother owned Vista, which brother had Dodge Dart.
My sister had one, in Canada. Unfortunately totaled on a dirt road when one of her kids swerved to avoid an animal. I rode in it a few times, at least once with all rows occupied. Definitely roomier than one would think, but getting in and out of the third row was left to the kids.
It’s incredible that the Colt Vista, XJ Cherokee, and Caravan/Voyager all hit the USA in 1984, as if to announce “station wagons, your time is over!” (the Renault Espace, also a 1984 birth, helped do the same in Europe). So we had minivans, small SUVs, and these proto-crossover thingies like the Colt Vista all vying to become your family’s next car. Really, replace the small wheels and tires on the Vista (or Nissan Prairie/Multi/Stanza Wagon) with large ones, throw on some cladding near the wheel openings, and you have a modern-style CUV. About the only wagon that still sells in significant numbers in the States is the Subaru Outback, which is sold as a sort-of crossover with more ground clearance than the real thing.
I believe the pictured car is one of the AWD variants, the ride height looks a smidge higher and I think that’s a 4WD badge on the door…I recall considering the styling somewhat dorky back in the day, but certainly can’t deny their practicality.
These were of course built by Mitsubishi, along with several other interesting vehicles marketed by Chrysler Corp…
A good car. Again with these practical 1980s era designs! Mitsubishi wasn’t one of the greatest Japanese auto makers, but they were still Japanese and better than a lot of what was being offered from Detroit.
The world wanted a car that looked like pertinence because of the Brougham age sin designs just a few years earlier. Efficiency became cool and we ended up with very nice simple little rides like these. This look lasted about a decade and it was a good styling reset in the auto industry, in my opinion.
Nice car!
I think the rest of the world refers to this body style as an MPV, which was also the badge on the first Mazda minivan. About the last one we got was the Mazda5, which I always admired. It could also be argued that the current Ford Transit Connect, in passenger “wagon” trim, is a modern representation of what this Dodge nee Mitsubishi has become.
Ah yes the Nimbus, they disappeared rather quickly I havent seen one in years.
I had 2 of those Colt Vista’s . One auto matic and one ultra rare 5 speed manual NOT the and version.
Fare vehicles. A timing belt broke near a European mechanic shop and they couldn’t fix that balance shaft system correctly
These were fundamentally good cars. I remember the driving position was quite unexpected, as it made one sit in a very like a dining-chair posture. Very comfy, though.
Did you know there were two more generations of these, until 2003? And sort-of four, as the similarly-dimensioned Grandis was released in 2003, which replaced it. Still see some about, as they sold till 2012.
They’re quite stylish for a MiniOssverUv, or whatever they are.
I had access to one one these when Mom bought one used back in ‘90. The engine had detonated away a big chunk of one of the pistons. They were a tad under powered and had to be flogged to get up to speed. Once rebuilt and repaired it actually got 29 mpg. Not bad for such a large brick!