It all seemed rather inauspicious. Not being a fan of either Mitsubishi nor minivans, this Chariot might have been a bit of a challenge to write up, but no. I was determined to find the good amongst the mediocrity, to squeeze a drop of interest out of this stone of boredom. Would this quixotic endeavour meet with success?
Back in the ‘70s, when the wagon reigned supreme, the thinking heads of the global automotive industry were busy trying to devise a way to offer more space to the car-buyer with a family. There weren’t too many ways to square that circle: more width was not on the cards, particularly in Japan, where that parameter was tightly regulated (less than 170cm). Extra length, other than by a few inches, was not really feasible either, for the same reason. The only way to grow was up.
The great minds over at Mitsubishi Motor Corp. got together in 1977 and started work on the Super Space Wagon (SSW) – initially, pretty much the one-box tall wagon that we would today call a minivan. The SSW was based on the latest FWD Mitsubishi technology, to ensure that what was gained from raising the roof wasn’t offset by cramped legroom. It all looked promising, but the way to go about revolutionizing the wagon was to go slowly and step by step, so Mitsubishi displayed the SSW as a prototype at the 1979 Tokyo Motor Show.
Reactions were positive, but Mitsubishi dithered. The company was busy finalizing the Tredia saloon already and the SSW, soon to be renamed Chariot, was to use the Tredia’s platform. Work on the Chariot resumed in 1981 and Mitsubishi designers dialed back the one-box concept a bit, reverting to a slightly more conventional front end.
They also added 10cm of wheelbase, which made legroom for the middle and rearmost seats quite decent, especially given the vehicle’s overall size. The Chariot was finally unveiled in February 1983 – many months after Nissan had launched the very similar Prairie. Not for the first time, Mitsubishi had a good idea only to fumble its execution.
Initially, Japanese law still required fender-mounted mirrors, but this was relaxed later in 1983. Still, quite a few gen 1 Chariots (as well as some gen 2s) were fitted with them. None of that goofy-looking nonsense for our feature car, though, which was instead fitted with 5mph bumpers (this was an option at the time) and subsequently thoroughly de-badged and given a US market-style headlamp arrangement.
This excerpt from the 1985 JDM brochure provides us with an idea of the car’s period appearance, as well as the engine and drivetrain options available at the time. The 4WD variant was added to the range in mid-1984. Not seen here is the 1.8 litre turbodiesel version.
Two seating layouts were available: the 7-seater, pictured here, or an interesting 6-seater where the middle seats could pivot 180 degrees.
As hinted above, the Chariot had an international career that befitted its role as a minivan pioneer. North American cars were rebadged as the Colt Vista Wagon and sold by Plymouth and Dodge dealers in the US (and Eagle in Canada). The rest of the world also got Chariots, but they were usually renamed Mitsubishi Space Wagon: the term “Chariot,” as used in both English and French to describe a type of horse-drawn vehicle, was perhaps deemed to be ill-suited to such a forward-thinking machine. For some reason, Australian cars were named Nimbus and Wheels elected the Mitsubishi their COTY for 1984.
In the 1980s, the good old manual transmission was still pretty common in Japanese-market cars – though it was losing ground very quickly. It’s a 5-speed in this Mitsubishi; automatics were 3-speed and 4WD cars had Mitsubishi’s “Super Shift” transmission – a 4-speed manual transaxle with an overdrive for all gears, essentially turning it into an 8-speed.
The first generation Chariot was made for quite a while – the second generation only took over in May 1991. Production numbers totaled just under 300k units, which was good by any measure for such a novel vehicle, but also outdid such now-celebrated luminaries as the first generation Renault Espace (1984-91, 190k units). The Mitsubishi was sold in many more markets than the Renault, which goes some way to explain this difference. But that’s all to Mitsubishi’s (and Chrysler’s) credit: it’s great to think and build innovative cars, but success lies in managing to sell them.
Somewhat reluctantly, I must confess that I warmed up a bit to the Mitsubishi Chariot. Not that it would make my fantasy garage list, but as an archaeological artefact from the earliest history of the minivan, it does have its charms. But ultimately, the archetypes of the species, i.e. the Espace and the Caravan/Voyager, are the icons of the times. Mitsubishi may have beaten them to the market by a few months, but just like the Prairie it feels more like an overgrown wagon than a true minivan. Once again, Mitsubishi managed to snatch muted disappointment from the jaws of genuine success.
Related posts:
Cohort Pic(k) of the Day: 1991 Dodge Colt Vista – A Vista Of The Past, by PN
CC Capsule: 1992 Mitsubishi Chariot (N30) MX – Mirror, Mirror, On The Wing…, by T87
There’s a Big Boy restaurant in Tokyo?
Oddly enough, there’s about 4 times more Big Boys in Japan than in the US (and most of the remaining US restaurants are in Michigan).
The menu is quite different, but the atmosphere seems similar to a classic American family restaurant. This video gives a quick tour of a Japanese Big Boy:
Regarding the Mitsubishi, it’s been at least a decade since I’ve seen one. Here in the US, it seemed that these cars sort of fell through the cracks and didn’t hit any emerging trend head-on. Too bad; it was a good concept.
This was an intelligent design when all manufacturers were focusing on efficiency, weight and waste. They weren’t sporty. They weren’t broughams. They weren’t streamlined. Instead, these designs touted a different design language, appealing to drivers interested in showing that they saw driving as a function. It was hip to be square for about a decade.
I always thought these were neat, and I believe these were the first AWD minivan (“Microvan” might have been a better name) sold in the US.
While I understand the Mitsubishi/Chrysler deal to a certain extent, it seemed odd to offer these for sale on the same lots as the Caravan/Voyager, though. My research indicates that the Colt Vista had a base MSRP around $700 less than a Voyager ($8800 vs. $9500). That made the Mitsu only about 8% less expensive on the sticker, but my recollection suggests that rebates were common for the Voyager and less so for the Colt Vista, making the price gap even narrower.
If a buyer needed AWD, the Colt Vista was the only choice, but barring that, if FWD was good enough for you, it would be hard to justify selecting a Colt Vista over a Voyager.
A couple of things: the Colt Vista was introduced in the US a year before the Caravan/Voyager, so it got off to a decent start for that reason. As to pricing, I certainly do not remember rebates being common on the Chrysler minivans; they were a huge success from day one, and any discounts would have been quite rare. Also, keep in mind that the Vista came better equipped (as was typically the case with Japanese cars) whereas the Caravan/Voyager charged extra for all sorts of little convenience and common things. Bottom line: for those looking at both, the Colt would have been cheaper. And the Colt benefited from the quality image Japanese cars had, unlike the Chryslers.
The Colt Vista also had roll-down second row windows, a highly desirable feature in a family car in the north where folks were unaccustomed to shelling out for air conditioning. Especially if you were trading out of a GM A/G-body or first-year K car and had already made that mistake once!
My sister had a Colt Vista when she lived in Ontario, but I don’t recall it being Eagle-branded. I’m curious now, I’ll see if I have pictures. I know it was a manual but I don’t recall the dual range transmission either. Was it a TwinStick like the smaller Colt?
As for Big Boy in Japan, when Big Boys were closing in California, our local Big Boy was replaced by a Japanese chain called Ringerhut. It didn’t last long and was in turn replaced by Domino’s which has been there for 25 years now. First Domino’s in the area.
The Nissan Prairie/Stanza Wagon might have been available with a third row of seats in some markets, but not in the US. It was shorter than the Chariot/Vista, and the third row must have been a very tight fit.
The lack of a third row in the Nissan means that it did not really compete directly with the Space Wagon, at least in terms of that key feature.
I once rode in the third row of one of these from Eugene to Vancouver B.C. and back, and it wasn’t too bad. I was a bit more flexible then, but I was somewhat surprised.
Refreshing, to see meek and purposeful styling.
Love the very 1980s wheel design. Reminds me of floppy disks. And the original Corel Corporation logo.
Great post and great find. These used to be quite popular here, then I began to see more rusted out, then hardly any. This one is beautiful – must have spent most of its life in a garage.
Colt Vista is this car in US, it has its followers back then. My uncle was of them. It was his favorite vehicle, which lasted close to 200k miles without major repairs. Colt Vista was the vehicle of one of the hosts of then very popular “Car Talks” in Public Radio. The guy mentioned his vehicle in almost every show if I recall.
I love these! A more sensible me might have looked at one when my kids were small, but then minivans had taken over by then. In addition to the pure station wagon goodness, it is both a manual transmission and painted brown! Sign me up!
+1
Manual transmission, painted brown, almost a station wagon. I would put it in my driveway. Even with the right-hand drive!
Hyundai used this as the basis for their own first MPV for the domestic market, the Santamo.
This seemed more to me like a proto-crossover than a proto-minivan. It didn’t have sliding doors, you couldn’t walk between the two front seats or between the first and second rows, and (IIRC) you couldn’t easily remove the second and third row seats or otherwise fold them away except in traditional station-wagon style, leading to a higher floor. It did offer 4WD, also like crossovers and unlike most mid-’80s minivans. Whatever they were, I liked them, especially the high-trimmed models which were luxury-sedan plush. But somehow the Colt Vista (as it was called in the US) fell through the cracks – the Chryslers were better minivans and the Cherokee or 4Runner was a better SUV. And by 1986, the Taurus was a better, or at least more conventional, wagon. Mitsubishi/Chrysler didn’t do itself any favors by calling this a Colt, a name overused on Mitsubishi-built cars (Mitsubishi always seemed to have two, three, or four unrelated vehicles sharing the same name – how many Colts, Galants, Mirages, Lancers, Arrows etc were there?)