The truck manufacturers aren't worried about kei trucks at all because if you have $10,000 to spend on a twenty-five year old truck, then you don't have $70,000 to spend on a new truck, so there is no competition. If they ban the kei truck, you won't buy a new truck, you'll just buy another old, small truck like a Ranger or Frontier, or a used UTV.
@@tenpoundburrito That's not how most people buy cars. There's no competition because there's literally no other choice. You want a truck? Either fork out the money or buy a 15 year old truck. The Kei truck fits nicely in the market of people that want a light workhorse but don't want to be forced to buy used or pay the truck premium.
While I agree with you 100%, the whole 'road legal' aspect comes down to one legality: having 4 tires. Yeah, it wouldn't pass crash test requirements, but as you aptly pointed out, motorcycles are a thing. Back to the tire part, if you could modify one in such a way to have three tires, you could within the legalities according to your state, register it as a motorcycle. On the flip side, in some states side by sides can be made road legal and you have about as equal a chance in a crash as you might on a scooter, with a side chance of partial ejection.
This is a dishonest argument and I say that from the point of view of someone who drives these things. You're not strapped to a motorcycle. Even in a head of collision with a car you're effectively dismounted from your vehicle and unless your body encounters a hard barrier in it's path you're most likely to decelerate at a leisurely pace sliding on pavement with very little injury (unless you're riding in a t-shirt and shorts then you will see what your bones look like from the inside lol). Motorcycle riders are statistically many times more likely to die but most of that can be swept up to the fact that they take significantly more risks than drivers or other cars and travel and significantly higher speeds not because they lack seatbelts or airbags. in a cab-ove mini truck in a head on colission you're stuck between a hammer an an anvil and since these vehicles can be imported to the US only when they're old the crash safety structure on a vehicle with plenty of crash-safety-structure-exemptions from the Japanese government is lacking. You can be as safe of a driver as possible but all of that is rendered null when other people are involved.
Leave it to America to ban affordable, efficient Kei trucks citing safety concerns, but allow enormous trucks that are more likely to kill anyone else they hit. They're also the worst performing for emissions. So much for freedom and common sense.
These are banned in the US strictly because they are Cheap, and to Fuel efficient. The government can say safety but we all know that’s not true because there are plenty of vehicles on the road today that shouldn’t be😅
Unfortunately your cheap and fuel efficient argument isn't true in the slightest. There are other cheap and fuel efficient twenty-five year old trucks that aren't banned, like the little 4-cylinder Rangers and D21 Hardbodys, or especially those diesel S-10s and Pups. Where you are right is the government (specifically the safety institutes) are just banning them because they're power crazed. If they can get away with banning kei trucks, they'll move on to banning other vehicles in an attempt to force you to go electric.
@@mrt3206 it's protectionist. If the US Gov allowed the types of vehicles allowed in other countries such as kei trucks, or like the Hilux. The American Manufacturers would probably go out of business.
If you ever cannot logically explain why something is illegal, it is about money. It isn't about safety when you can buy, register, insure and ride motorcycles and use ATV's on roads in a lot of states.
Yep, more people voluntarily hurt themselves by racing around on motorcycles in busy urban areas every week than have ever been hurt in a KEI vehicle. They know these trucks would be extremely popular. If I was a contractor or worker in a tight city a truck like this would be a joy, as long as it fits your needs.... You can fit practically anywhere
Curbing affordable vehicles. Domestic auto makers can build one of these, but their masters saids no. Instead, they sunk their money into EV white elephants.
That's not true, otherwise they wouldn't have a need to require airbags, reverse cameras, antilock brakes, electronic stability control, all of which are now mandatory on passenger cars.
I have a 2006 Jimny Kei version, 3cyl turbo (imported from Japan to Canada) - it is a fantastic, cheap, nimble little SUV. Fun to drive. Very useful, sips gas, easy to park of course. Don’t disagree with restrictions on interstate highways, but clearly it is competing commercial lobbying taking away consumer choices that blocks these trucks and SUVs from being more available. Banned from import unless 15 years old in Canada, 25 years Federally in the US, but many States won’t register them or outlaw them on public roads. If they were legal they would be hugely popular, as they are all over the “free” world.
I've got 2. I call them my ChoreWhores😂 no broken CV axles, no more shredded belts, no more exploded diffs and they actually tow and haul a decent load reliably. Haven't been messed with by local or state cops when I run to the local feed store.
Wyoming allows Kei trucks to be registered like ATVs/UTVs/side x sides and used on all roads but the Interstates. I think it's fine in rural areas, and no different than folks driving agricultural equipment on the streets. And of course kit cars, motorcycles, trikes, vintage autos, and Amish buggies are allowed the use of roads despite not meeting modern crash standards, so I think the refusal of most states to allow Kei trucks comes down to poorly worded laws.
I had one as a work vehicle at Al Udeid Air base, Qatar. It was a great vehicle for use as an expediter truck on the flight line. The A/C was really good which was a plus in the desert heat.
I lived in Oklahoma about 15 years ago and worked for the school district in IT support. We had one that we used to haul computers around the district. It was fantastic and very economical to use around town. I would even be okay if they said not acceptable for highway use, but through town or country roads, they are amazing.
I believe when translated to USD these start around $7,000 brand new. Unfortunately As long as people are gullible enough to buy $100k trucks we will never get these in the states because manufacturers would rather sell the 100k vehicles and make more money. It has nothing to do with safety
I live in a state in the Midwest. Somebody in my state imports and sells used Kei trucks. They are usually bought as a farm truck, although they are sometimes seen running errands off the farm.
All the JDM vehicles we can buy in the US have to be 25 years old, so they naturally have 25 year old safety standards. These can’t go fast and they don’t weigh much, so they aren’t as dangerous as a full size pickup. They are perfect for hauling moderate loads and at least some of them have a four lug wheel that can easily take ATV tires to go as far off road as you want with the low ground clearance. I used to have a 1985 Toyota Van which was sold in the US and you could reach your foot out and wiggle the headlights because it was a cab forward design where you sat on top of the front wheels with the engine access by flipping the seats up. That left a lot of space for seating, or cargo behind the front seats. It was just very practical and got 30mpg, but it wouldn’t win any races, and going up mountain passes was third gear and 35mph all the way. But the 2nd and third row folded down to make an enormous bed for sleeping at trailheads, or removing the seats made moving to a new apartment pretty easy. These Kei trucks are similarly practical and utilitarian. They are made for doing work and not impressing people
They would be great for an urban contractor, good for a farm, I would like to have one for running around town, hauling home improvement stuff, driving to work, which for me is only 8 miles and all surface streets. I could also see it up north at a cottage, light off roading, running two track, maybe taking it to hunting camp. Such a versatile little vehicle.
@@shiftymcgee9359 it because of how the CAFE regs are written, bigger = lesser MPG targets, that is the real reason full size trucks have gotten gigantic, it's far cheaper to make a truck bigger than it is to make it more fuel efficient.
@@afcgeo882What do you mean? Thats exactly how it’s written. @alexanderdeburdegala4609 is right. Manufacturers can’t make trucks like the size of the old school Ford Rangers anymore because it doesnt meet Cafe Rules. To make a modern truck in 1990s size the mpgs requirements are unobtainable probably 50mpgs or more. What manufacturers end up doing is to just make the vehicle bigger so they dont get penalized.
If you want a Ford Ranger, you could import a normal japanese truck instead of a kei truck, such as the Toyota Hi-Ace. It's slightly bigger than a kei truck, has enough power to do normal highway speeds of 80-90 MPH, and has a payload 3x higher than a kei truck (2200 lbs).
I remember when those were considered mid size compared to the ones from the 70s. I used to drive a '75 Ford Courier in high school and they weren't much bigger than these Kei trucks.
It has to do with fuel economy. It's a usefull work truck that can handle almost the same size load as most trucks and use half or less fuel as a American truck.
I as a die hard truck guy think Kei trucks have a perfectly valid place in the market especially as we see trucks get smaller and smaller and move closer to being more SUV's than trucks. I really think I will see in my life a time when a 8ft bed is no longer available and on that day full size pickups will finally die.
Absolutely. I have one of these trucks, they go anywhere and take a lot of abuse. And yes it is a place called Sukayu in Aomori which receives absolutely mad amounts of snow.
I think there's certainly a place for these trucks in the US. I don't even think they would compete directly with US trucks because these little guys would fill a niche that's been lacking in the US for a really long time. My first truck was an 81 Toyota that had 300,000 miles on it when I first bought it. That truck would look like a toy next to the truck I have now, but guys just starting out don't have access to smaller used trucks like I did. These days pickups are basically luxury SUVs with a truckbed on the back.
If the USA could get Kei trucks and vans they could be inexpensive second vehicles for local use. Imagine using a Kei van as a grocery getter and for other local use.
The problem with owning two cars is that the cost of registration, insurance, fuel, and maintenance is not worth the fuel savings of the smaller car. I would love a kei truck to go to the hardware store and haul my bike around but it would be because I want one, not because I wanted to save money.
@@bwofficial1776 I never mentioned saving money or fuel. I own an SUV and zippy subcompact. Just for the fun of it. Both paid in full so I can handle the expense of maintenance, etc.
@@bwofficial1776 Not necessarily, it's more complex than that. If you own one car, that car needs to meet all of your needs, which often means it needs to be bigger, more powerful, "nicer", etc. Your insurance knows you drive it exclusively so they know it's on the road more, thus raising rates. It's big and powerful, so it slurps gas. Tires and other parts are more expensive because they're bigger and have higher load ratings. On the flip side, if you have a depreciated older-but-nice car and a beater, you can save on gas, tires, maintenance, etc. racking up the miles on that and save your nice car for when you want to use it. You can claim to your insurance most of your miles are on the beater so they give you a better rate on the nice car and ultimately save more money. If it's a classic car and you have a garage, you can even get collector insurance for your nice car and save even more. When I switched from a do-it-all FR-S to a C5 Corvette and a 10 year old Mazda 3, my insurance actually went down and I pay very little extra overall to have both cars over just one. If one breaks down, I don't have to rent a car or take Ubers everywhere. I also have a kei truck and that is a minimal insurance add as well and now I don't have to rent a truck or pay a cargo service if I need to move bigger items or risk messing up the interior bringing dirty/oily stuff around in one of the cars. If you do it right, you can actually own several cars and it barely make a difference over just one and may actually work out better if you run a lot of commuter miles and the value of the "nice" car stays up from having fewer miles and you benefit from better MPG with a less thirsty engine.
@@bwofficial1776 In Japan the Kei vehicles are cheaper to insure and register because they are for limited use. My daughter moved there last year and bought a little Kei car.
If they are 25 years old or older, they are legal in NC, on all roads and can be titled. New ones, because of the chicken tax, cannot be titled but, can be used for farm/offroad use.
Seeing all the Kei vehicles everywhere in Japan really makes you think. Easy to drive, cheap to own, takes up very little parking space, and there are so many different models available. Lots of opportunity for personal style expression.
Japan has completely different geography and population distribution than North America. Most Japanese live in densely-populated cities with narrow streets where there isn't room for anything bigger. They take trains everywhere so they don't mind if their car is cramped. Highways are expensive and speed limits are low and strictly enforced. Cars are heavily taxed based on overall size and engine size. I think kei cars are cool but I wouldn't want one as my only car in North America. I enjoyed car spotting when I was in Japan.
@@bwofficial1776 Agree with all that, but they could still be great cars here, unfortunately the demand wouldn't be there. "Cramped" isn't necessarily true though. They are surprisingly roomy inside despite the exterior dimensions. Tall boxy shapes help with that.
I wouldn't drive one of these things on the interstate, but around town or even on short highway runs i can't see why they are any worse than a motorcycle.
These are safer than motorcycles. Fully enclosed so they can be driven in all weather and have some rollover protection, four wheels so they won't tip over, and some like this one have airbags and ABS and traction control.
Its simple. The maverick isn't a truck. Its bed is less useful than a Subaru baja. And the side by side market can fail. 25k+ for a toy that you have to haul around woth a full size truck is just stupid.
There are a few dealers here in Vancouver, Washington that sell the heck out of these things, I’m not sure if they’re Toyota or Honda? But they’re definitely K trucks.
Japan built those smaller trucks and cars to fit the narrow roads , streets and sidewalks . I was in Japan (1970) , and when 4 of us asked a taxi to take the shortest time to a show, all hell broke loose . He drove on the streets and mostly on the sidewalks . We never say fast again, because taxi drivers want to make as much money in a short time span!
Wish a company over here would just make a full size version of these. And why do we still not have fold down bed-sides over here yet? Its such a great feature!
@@NeilHodges Thoese are great trucks. They are true commercial trucks though. Much heavier duty than even F550s and they would have to be registered as commercial trucks. .... and we all know how the F350 guys like to register them as passenger vehicles then use them as commercial trucks...... really the answer is to close all the loopholes in our laws. If you buy a big, heavy truck, you need to register it as one with all the fees that go along with it.
@@ducati135 In my country we get the Hyundai H100, very similar but only in 2WD, still a great work truck. Comes as a fold down deck or dump bed option.
@ It might be cheaper, but I doubt it’s tougher and it’s certainly less capable. It won’t fit 5, it can’t go on the highway, it’s considerably narrower, and its payload and tow eatings are much lower.
You can own them here in West Virginia, you can drive them on the roads here as long as the speed limit is not over 60 mph. Use to never see them, but now they are everywhere, drivers are always smiling. I think they are very cool!!!
TH-camr @MotoCheez has a great series on two different Kei trucks that he built up. Theyre cheap, reliable, and can take a beating. I drove one around while I was in the Air Force 15 years ago. Theyre also a ton of fun.
You two have a wonderful thing going on here. I would love to have an opportunity to work with my father like you do Tommy. My father was taken from me when I was one, so cherish the time you get to spend together. God bless and lots of love from Norway
@@ScottS-gc3wk yes they do. Extremely easy to reach into the bed, and if you are just carrying things like paint, pressure washing equipment, a lawn care trailer, etc, why do you need a full size pickup? Save on fuel and run a fleet of 4 cylinder trucks. The early 90's Tacoma's and Nissan hardbodys are dead reliable and simple small trucks, but people love them so they are hard to find these days.
What keeps them off the road is basically 'big truck and big truck lobby'. They used something called the chicken laws back in the 60s. I'm a truck guy and I know that if they can sell me my ram for 70k, they don't want me to EVER see a truck that can l to do mostly the same stuff for $900
Sometimes I need to load up some bags of mulch or something at Home Depot and just need something that can haul it easily. I wish we had these in the United States. Heck, I wish we had that $15,000 Toyota Hilux Champ. That thing should be able to be legalized for our roads. I don't need or want a $30 to $60k truck!
I use my Daihatsu HiJet more than my Superduty. The HiJet bed is the perfect height for bringing home larger boxes, like a toolbox from HF. I have the HF platform cart that will raise to even with the HiJet bed, so I can just slide it off the truck and lower it to the floor.
Big brother once again is protecting the stock market. Imagine ford, dodge etc with these coming to North America. They would sell less trucks than they already do.
Length/width requirements cited are for the Korean regulations; Japanese laws are _even_ stricter, although it might be more relaxed for kei trucks. Payload is so small that in most cases electric cargo bikes might well be better.
I got a ‘90 Suzuki Every 660. Its a van so the front seat back go lower than 90°. I’ve had 5 people in it and still 1/3 of the van for cargo. It’s got a turbo and fuel injection that gives it almost 60 horsepower. It’s been a great “runabout” vehicle around our town.
A friend of mine in the Philippines had a company issued suzuki carry kei van for his sales run. He was representative of a beverage corp so it was very useful and efficient for him. It was sold in the country in left hand drive configuration. I sometimes hitched a ride with him whenever he visited me at work. Good times.
They should be legal to own and drive on normal roads. But, since most of them top out at less than 70 mph, they shouldn't be permitted on interstates. Let's be honest, the lobby against them can likely be traced back to normal manufacturers not wanting to compete with them.
As an added comment on the Kei truck, some of the older viewers will remember the Mercedes SMART ForTwo car which was a 2 seater car marketed in the USA from 1998 to 2014 in the USA and Canada which had a less than 1.0 litre gas or diesel engine that could get up up to 90 MPH and up to 70 MPG on the highway. It was also one of the SAFEST cars on the road with a fancy hemispherical impact-absorbing safety cage plus every major safety feature available and you STILL had room to store your groceries and bags in the back. It was only 8.4 feet long and was fast enough to go on major highways! It was fully certified for all 50 states highway-use AND in every Canadian province! You could buy it for less than $25,000 and I will say that modern manufacturers could EASILY make the same type of super-safe/super-fuel-efficient car but extend it a bit more to make it a proper truck with a 6 foot or even 8 foot bed! ANd they could EASILY sell it for around $25,000 USD if they followed what SATURN originally did in the 1990's and 2000's by making body panels out of super-weather/ruse/corrosion-proof Impact Absorbing Polymer and use a super-impact-absorbing Giga-Stamped aluminum frame! V
The little kei vans make the most sense. I'd buy one if they sold then here. It would be perfect for city life. Small enough to park anywhere and enough space for 4 plus the ability to haul stuff.
These remind me of my 1991 Ford Festiva. It was such a fun "scooter" car; scoot here, scoot there... I actually referred to it as my nanovan. Flip the back seat and you had a quite reasonable cargo area. A friend who was over six feet tall loved it, too. The boxy body helped with headroom and cargo, with just enough curves to add cute styling. More functional than fancy. No airbags, but it had the power shoulder belts. It was replaced with the Aspire, which curved the rear roofline and ruined rear sear headroom.
I have seen people loading 1700 lbs in these kei trucks. This is really frustrating that we didn't get them in us market. They also come with abs and air bags. suzuki mazda also makes them under the name of every
I have one more theory about why they are banned, taxes. States/counties lose a ton of money when many of them are also taking in to account the weight of the vehicle. These suckers are very light for what they are.
I ride a bicycle and I don't mind what passes me. I like kei trucks because they're cool and I love seeing imported cars but I also enjoy driving big trucks.
The Pixis truck, like all the imported Mini Trucks, are under the class Keitora (which means Light Truck in Japanese). Essentially the same as Kei Cars (Keijidosha, which means Light Vehicle in Japanese), but with the added rule of a max 350kg (772lb) payload limit in production models. There are also fire truck, cargo truck, and RV variants that use heavier duty rear springs which are allowed to exceed the payload cap but only if done through specialty shops all around Japan. Most older Kei Trucks often lacked forced induction (compared to Kei Cars which have always been available with Turbocharged or Supercharged engines). However many owners (both in Japan and imported elsewhere) have added forced induction to these Kei Trucks as the engines are the same as those found in Kei Cars with the exception being that Kei Truck spec engines have a tune that somewhat increases low-end torque for better hauling capability and reduces the RPM limit for better reliability under full load. The newer models, such as that Toyota Pixis Truck (Daihatsu Hijet), do have a optional Turbocharged engine from the factory, but are still tuned differently from the similar engine used in their respective Kei Cars (Daihatsu Cast / Toyota Pixis Joy).
Currently only Daihatsu and Suzuki are manufacturing Kei Trucks. Subaru and Honda stopped a couple years ago. Mitsubishi and Mazda long before that. The Subaru Sambar was the only one available with a supercharger and a four cylinder rear mounted engine. Since I live in Japan, my daily driver is a "Nissan Clipper" (a rebranded Mitsubishi Mini Cab) that I bought new in 2005 to haul motorcycles to the track. It's four wheel drive, manual 5 speed with a high-low range transfer case. Naturally aspirated, but has good torque for its size. I've buried the speedometer (140kph / 86mph) with it many times on flat highway. I wouldn't want to do that all day though for certain (let alone the fact that is far over the national speed limit)... but cruising at 60mph with 2 1000cc bikes in the back was no problem. I've since converted it for camping. Now with a rack and a hard shell rooftop tent mounted (rack covers the entire length of the bed and extends over the cab). I've also lifted it about 2" and mount 14" MT tires. Fully loaded for camping, I'm way over the 350kg limit but it does just fine and gets me out on the beach in four wheel drive without any problems. It's getting harder to find good used ones here though since so many people have been grabbing them up for export. I'm not a big fan of the current Suzuki and Daihatsu models either so I take good care of mine. Hoping it will last me another 10 years. It should, since it's low milage (it only became my daily driver after selling the family van a few years ago since the kids are grown and have their own vehicles now). I do all the work on it myself and most parts are still readily available.
I have a subcompact car that will fit in the bed of a KEI truck, we run around on it all the time because it is efficient to operate and fairly comfortable. The Kei trucks are legal to own and register here in NC and can be operated on most roadways, no interstate highway running is allowed. There are few of them in my immediate area and a gentleman in Mount Airy imports them, but they have to be 25 years old or older, that classifies them as antiques and the federal regulations no longer apply. It would be nice to be able to get new ones imported as they are really cool and practical vehicles.
In Alabama we have a particular license plate for these that say non interstate use. These are great around town, running errands and me and my wife get more thumbs up and waves than any vehicle, motorcycle, UTV, we've ever had. They do have a great purpose and I think Bama nailed it with how they allow it. Also fully insured, just like any car or motorcycle.
Sad to say but here in America, most people use trucks as a fashion statement. It appears else where that’s not the case. Just look at the flexibility use of that bed….. man I would welcome that in a heartbeat, but many would not being the way it looks…..
Or most people can only afford one or possibly two vehicles. That truck cannot tow a camper and a family to the mountains, or the boat to the gulf. The wife has her car, minivan, or SUV to get the kids to school and get herself to work, and the husband has the truck to do everything.
We used versions of them in Korea when I was stationed there with the USAF, we also used versions of them on Bagram AB they worked great on base where you're not going to be driving too fast. Cheap to drive with their little diesel motors.
I see it being no different than a SXS, in TN you can tag a Polaris Ranger for limited road use so what’s the difference? I’ve drove these while stationed in Okinawa, they are a hoot.
I have a '98 Subaru Sambar van road registered in the U.S.. I use it as essentially a road legal UTV and daily driver. It's 4wd, it's got a manual transmission, it's fuel injected, it's got air conditioning, and that's about it. It isn't quite as capable offroad as a UTV but it does just fine. The main thing that sold me on a kei van was 4wd in a small van platform. None of the small vans available in the U.S. are 4wd or AWD. Only the Transit and the Sprinter have that option and I didn't want something that big and they don't get 30+mpg. After owning the Sambar about a year I wish I would've bought something slightly more powerful but that's my only real complaint. (58 second 0-60 time). Maybe something EU import instead of JDM so I could get left hand drive but I'm used to RHD now.
It's only unsafe for the people who choose to ride in them but its their choice. Big trucks are unsafe for other people, people who didn't choose to buy one. You should be able to put your own life at risk but not other people's. If i were King I'd legalize Kei vehicles and require a special license for any vehicle over 6000lbs.
I've been riding around in my town for 25 years in a golf cart and no issues so these vehicles will propose no issues if you stay on roads no more than 45 miles an hour. Maybe on certain rural highways at 55 miles an hour, but definitely no interstate.
Safety on a typical US road against a F250 is probably not good. However, if it was a nation of lightweight vehicles with 600cc engines it probably is pretty safe.
If you hit an F250 with this truck there is not much weight/energy & speed so you would probably be fine. If you get rear ended by a F250 you would probably be fine too because of the bed. Only a frontal collision with an F250 would be catastrophic.
I have a 1993 Acty Attack for 3 years now and use it off road only. I love it. I'm in Ohio and I can get it registered and use in on the road but that is not why I have this.
Kei trucks are ideal for tasks like construction site errands, farm work, warehouse operations, and small business deliveries. They are well-suited for short trips, covering 50 to 70 miles daily. However, they are not designed for long-distance travel across the country. While some argue about safety concerns, this is inconsistent since motorcycles, which are less safe, are legal. These trucks are affordable and fuel-efficient, which may explain resistance from American oil companies and car dealers who prefer selling more expensive, less efficient vehicles. With slight modifications, such as larger cabs for taller American drivers, Kei trucks could be a practical solution for many industries.
Because if you buy a Kei truck, the other truck manufacturers will be pissed you aren't spending 70K+ on their trucks.
The truck manufacturers aren't worried about kei trucks at all because if you have $10,000 to spend on a twenty-five year old truck, then you don't have $70,000 to spend on a new truck, so there is no competition. If they ban the kei truck, you won't buy a new truck, you'll just buy another old, small truck like a Ranger or Frontier, or a used UTV.
Yup. Cheap little trucks with 6ft beds would kill all the domestic American giant trucks with 5 ft beds.
@@tenpoundburrito That's not how most people buy cars. There's no competition because there's literally no other choice. You want a truck? Either fork out the money or buy a 15 year old truck. The Kei truck fits nicely in the market of people that want a light workhorse but don't want to be forced to buy used or pay the truck premium.
@@felurfalas4427 yep, think how many people could buy one of these new and start a business from home !
also same with a Kei car !
@@felurfalas4427 bingo
The safety argument is invalid as long as motorcycles are allowed on the roads.
I agree
I love calling that lie out, then watching someone eat their shoe as I point out the obvious horseshit with that answer.
While I agree with you 100%, the whole 'road legal' aspect comes down to one legality: having 4 tires. Yeah, it wouldn't pass crash test requirements, but as you aptly pointed out, motorcycles are a thing. Back to the tire part, if you could modify one in such a way to have three tires, you could within the legalities according to your state, register it as a motorcycle.
On the flip side, in some states side by sides can be made road legal and you have about as equal a chance in a crash as you might on a scooter, with a side chance of partial ejection.
This is a dishonest argument and I say that from the point of view of someone who drives these things. You're not strapped to a motorcycle. Even in a head of collision with a car you're effectively dismounted from your vehicle and unless your body encounters a hard barrier in it's path you're most likely to decelerate at a leisurely pace sliding on pavement with very little injury (unless you're riding in a t-shirt and shorts then you will see what your bones look like from the inside lol). Motorcycle riders are statistically many times more likely to die but most of that can be swept up to the fact that they take significantly more risks than drivers or other cars and travel and significantly higher speeds not because they lack seatbelts or airbags.
in a cab-ove mini truck in a head on colission you're stuck between a hammer an an anvil and since these vehicles can be imported to the US only when they're old the crash safety structure on a vehicle with plenty of crash-safety-structure-exemptions from the Japanese government is lacking.
You can be as safe of a driver as possible but all of that is rendered null when other people are involved.
And any classic vehicles like Model Ts or Willeys Jeeps.
Leave it to America to ban affordable, efficient Kei trucks citing safety concerns, but allow enormous trucks that are more likely to kill anyone else they hit. They're also the worst performing for emissions. So much for freedom and common sense.
Freedom for corporations to keep profiting
😭Cry more
@@pathunter7003troll harder
If smart car could sell cars in the US, kei trucks should be fine.
Land of the free, for a fee.
These are banned in the US strictly because they are Cheap, and to Fuel efficient.
The government can say safety but we all know that’s not true because there are plenty of vehicles on the road today that shouldn’t be😅
Unfortunately your cheap and fuel efficient argument isn't true in the slightest. There are other cheap and fuel efficient twenty-five year old trucks that aren't banned, like the little 4-cylinder Rangers and D21 Hardbodys, or especially those diesel S-10s and Pups. Where you are right is the government (specifically the safety institutes) are just banning them because they're power crazed. If they can get away with banning kei trucks, they'll move on to banning other vehicles in an attempt to force you to go electric.
@@mrt3206 it's protectionist. If the US Gov allowed the types of vehicles allowed in other countries such as kei trucks, or like the Hilux. The American Manufacturers would probably go out of business.
Same why they want to keep out European Semi Trucks and Tech US is 10 years behind or more and they dont want compete they try all to keep them out
These are licensable as long as they're 25 years old. Also depends on the state. They are everywhere here in Hawaii.
@@psycoloco1113 Hilux is just a Tacoma body and chassis.
If you ever cannot logically explain why something is illegal, it is about money. It isn't about safety when you can buy, register, insure and ride motorcycles and use ATV's on roads in a lot of states.
Yep, more people voluntarily hurt themselves by racing around on motorcycles in busy urban areas every week than have ever been hurt in a KEI vehicle.
They know these trucks would be extremely popular. If I was a contractor or worker in a tight city a truck like this would be a joy, as long as it fits your needs.... You can fit practically anywhere
Curbing affordable vehicles. Domestic auto makers can build one of these, but their masters saids no. Instead, they sunk their money into EV white elephants.
That's not true, otherwise they wouldn't have a need to require airbags, reverse cameras, antilock brakes, electronic stability control, all of which are now mandatory on passenger cars.
@@GROGU123 Those are all logically explainable, did you read ops comment?
@@jjx9316 You clearly didnt
I have a 2006 Jimny Kei version, 3cyl turbo (imported from Japan to Canada) - it is a fantastic, cheap, nimble little SUV. Fun to drive. Very useful, sips gas, easy to park of course. Don’t disagree with restrictions on interstate highways, but clearly it is competing commercial lobbying taking away consumer choices that blocks these trucks and SUVs from being more available. Banned from import unless 15 years old in Canada, 25 years Federally in the US, but many States won’t register them or outlaw them on public roads. If they were legal they would be hugely popular, as they are all over the “free” world.
See these things running around South Carolina. The farmers love them.
Wow
@@nedharris keep them on the farm, no problems
@pathunter7003 nuttin but no problems.
I've got 2. I call them my ChoreWhores😂 no broken CV axles, no more shredded belts, no more exploded diffs and they actually tow and haul a decent load reliably. Haven't been messed with by local or state cops when I run to the local feed store.
@bladenrexroth2555 why you cussing?
Forget GM's folding tailgate to a step.. i want that fold down bed!!
@@ronniegibson8577 go and browse Australian automotive sites and you will see tray style beds with fold down sides like this.
Wyoming allows Kei trucks to be registered like ATVs/UTVs/side x sides and used on all roads but the Interstates. I think it's fine in rural areas, and no different than folks driving agricultural equipment on the streets. And of course kit cars, motorcycles, trikes, vintage autos, and Amish buggies are allowed the use of roads despite not meeting modern crash standards, so I think the refusal of most states to allow Kei trucks comes down to poorly worded laws.
“I’m sure that Kei truck and that Daihatsu in the background would preform better in a crash test than a motorcycle.”
- a motorcyclist
I had one as a work vehicle at Al Udeid Air base, Qatar. It was a great vehicle for use as an expediter truck on the flight line. The A/C was really good which was a plus in the desert heat.
@@zeke7142003 Every base in CONUS had these and SV versions by Vantage.
I lived in Oklahoma about 15 years ago and worked for the school district in IT support. We had one that we used to haul computers around the district. It was fantastic and very economical to use around town.
I would even be okay if they said not acceptable for highway use, but through town or country roads, they are amazing.
I believe when translated to USD these start around $7,000 brand new. Unfortunately As long as people are gullible enough to buy $100k trucks we will never get these in the states because manufacturers would rather sell the 100k vehicles and make more money. It has nothing to do with safety
I saw them in great use in Japan. Very practical on farms and in towns and cities.
I bet they were used to actually carry things most of the time.
I live in a state in the Midwest. Somebody in my state imports and sells used Kei trucks. They are usually bought as a farm truck, although they are sometimes seen running errands off the farm.
All the JDM vehicles we can buy in the US have to be 25 years old, so they naturally have 25 year old safety standards. These can’t go fast and they don’t weigh much, so they aren’t as dangerous as a full size pickup.
They are perfect for hauling moderate loads and at least some of them have a four lug wheel that can easily take ATV tires to go as far off road as you want with the low ground clearance.
I used to have a 1985 Toyota Van which was sold in the US and you could reach your foot out and wiggle the headlights because it was a cab forward design where you sat on top of the front wheels with the engine access by flipping the seats up. That left a lot of space for seating, or cargo behind the front seats. It was just very practical and got 30mpg, but it wouldn’t win any races, and going up mountain passes was third gear and 35mph all the way. But the 2nd and third row folded down to make an enormous bed for sleeping at trailheads, or removing the seats made moving to a new apartment pretty easy.
These Kei trucks are similarly practical and utilitarian. They are made for doing work and not impressing people
Thankfully in Canada we get them a bit earlier, but yeah, the Canadian+US auto lobby is very anti consumer and does not want the competition
They would be great for an urban contractor, good for a farm, I would like to have one for running around town, hauling home improvement stuff, driving to work, which for me is only 8 miles and all surface streets. I could also see it up north at a cottage, light off roading, running two track, maybe taking it to hunting camp. Such a versatile little vehicle.
Only reason kei trucks are not sold here new is because of the us truck market. US manufacturing doesn’t have an answer to the small truck formula.
Even the Maverick is bigger than the old Ranger. US market is allergic to anything smaller.
@@shiftymcgee9359 it because of how the CAFE regs are written, bigger = lesser MPG targets, that is the real reason full size trucks have gotten gigantic, it's far cheaper to make a truck bigger than it is to make it more fuel efficient.
@@alexanderdeburdegala4609 That’s not how they’re written.
@@afcgeo882What do you mean? Thats exactly how it’s written. @alexanderdeburdegala4609 is right.
Manufacturers can’t make trucks like the size of the old school Ford Rangers anymore because it doesnt meet Cafe Rules. To make a modern truck in 1990s size the mpgs requirements are unobtainable probably 50mpgs or more. What manufacturers end up doing is to just make the vehicle bigger so they dont get penalized.
@ Thanks for showing everyone your ignorance. The EPA has CLASSES of vehicles. There is “light duty” which is “GVWR
I have been wanting an actual small pickup since they quit making the 90s Chevy S10 or Ford Ranger.
I still see those old Rangers as delivery trucks for auto parts stores but they are in super rough shape.
If you want a Ford Ranger, you could import a normal japanese truck instead of a kei truck, such as the Toyota Hi-Ace. It's slightly bigger than a kei truck, has enough power to do normal highway speeds of 80-90 MPH, and has a payload 3x higher than a kei truck (2200 lbs).
@@noseboop4354 so the hi ace is a minivan
I remember when those were considered mid size compared to the ones from the 70s. I used to drive a '75 Ford Courier in high school and they weren't much bigger than these Kei trucks.
@@oohjah Hi Ace is also available as a truck, same platform as the van.
It has to do with fuel economy. It's a usefull work truck that can handle almost the same size load as most trucks and use half or less fuel as a American truck.
I as a die hard truck guy think Kei trucks have a perfectly valid place in the market especially as we see trucks get smaller and smaller and move closer to being more SUV's than trucks. I really think I will see in my life a time when a 8ft bed is no longer available and on that day full size pickups will finally die.
In addition to kei trucks, Japan still makes normal trucks capable of highway speeds and one ton payloads like US used to have with the Ford Ranger.
Big 3 don’t want Americans spending 4x less for a truck
1/4
@@rose415 Big 3 and John Deere, golf cart manufacturers etc..
The snowiest location ON EARTH is Aomori Japan! If Kei trucks are good enough there, they’re good enough anywhere!
Absolutely. I have one of these trucks, they go anywhere and take a lot of abuse. And yes it is a place called Sukayu in Aomori which receives absolutely mad amounts of snow.
I think there's certainly a place for these trucks in the US. I don't even think they would compete directly with US trucks because these little guys would fill a niche that's been lacking in the US for a really long time. My first truck was an 81 Toyota that had 300,000 miles on it when I first bought it. That truck would look like a toy next to the truck I have now, but guys just starting out don't have access to smaller used trucks like I did. These days pickups are basically luxury SUVs with a truckbed on the back.
They are cheap, tires cost $50 and they get 40 mpg. Obviously these large companies don't want such efficient vehicles on the street.
If the USA could get Kei trucks and vans they could be inexpensive second vehicles for local use. Imagine using a Kei van as a grocery getter and for other local use.
@@shattered115 yep also the cost of manufacturing doesn't linealy increase as size increase so manufacturers are more inclined to sell larger vehicles
The problem with owning two cars is that the cost of registration, insurance, fuel, and maintenance is not worth the fuel savings of the smaller car. I would love a kei truck to go to the hardware store and haul my bike around but it would be because I want one, not because I wanted to save money.
@@bwofficial1776 I never mentioned saving money or fuel. I own an SUV and zippy subcompact. Just for the fun of it. Both paid in full so I can handle the expense of maintenance, etc.
@@bwofficial1776 Not necessarily, it's more complex than that.
If you own one car, that car needs to meet all of your needs, which often means it needs to be bigger, more powerful, "nicer", etc. Your insurance knows you drive it exclusively so they know it's on the road more, thus raising rates. It's big and powerful, so it slurps gas. Tires and other parts are more expensive because they're bigger and have higher load ratings.
On the flip side, if you have a depreciated older-but-nice car and a beater, you can save on gas, tires, maintenance, etc. racking up the miles on that and save your nice car for when you want to use it. You can claim to your insurance most of your miles are on the beater so they give you a better rate on the nice car and ultimately save more money. If it's a classic car and you have a garage, you can even get collector insurance for your nice car and save even more.
When I switched from a do-it-all FR-S to a C5 Corvette and a 10 year old Mazda 3, my insurance actually went down and I pay very little extra overall to have both cars over just one. If one breaks down, I don't have to rent a car or take Ubers everywhere. I also have a kei truck and that is a minimal insurance add as well and now I don't have to rent a truck or pay a cargo service if I need to move bigger items or risk messing up the interior bringing dirty/oily stuff around in one of the cars.
If you do it right, you can actually own several cars and it barely make a difference over just one and may actually work out better if you run a lot of commuter miles and the value of the "nice" car stays up from having fewer miles and you benefit from better MPG with a less thirsty engine.
@@bwofficial1776 In Japan the Kei vehicles are cheaper to insure and register because they are for limited use. My daughter moved there last year and bought a little Kei car.
If they are 25 years old or older, they are legal in NC, on all roads and can be titled. New ones, because of the chicken tax, cannot be titled but, can be used for farm/offroad use.
Many usa farms import them
Heh
@@Mr-pn2eh Only old ones.
Seeing all the Kei vehicles everywhere in Japan really makes you think. Easy to drive, cheap to own, takes up very little parking space, and there are so many different models available. Lots of opportunity for personal style expression.
Japan has completely different geography and population distribution than North America. Most Japanese live in densely-populated cities with narrow streets where there isn't room for anything bigger. They take trains everywhere so they don't mind if their car is cramped. Highways are expensive and speed limits are low and strictly enforced. Cars are heavily taxed based on overall size and engine size. I think kei cars are cool but I wouldn't want one as my only car in North America. I enjoyed car spotting when I was in Japan.
@@bwofficial1776 Agree with all that, but they could still be great cars here, unfortunately the demand wouldn't be there. "Cramped" isn't necessarily true though. They are surprisingly roomy inside despite the exterior dimensions. Tall boxy shapes help with that.
I can see Andre and Mr Truck doing a max Ike with this 🤣🤣🤣
Oh God, the traffic!!!
It's really simple. This dates back to the 50s. The big 3 does not want competition.
@@Tinfoilhat311Really only 2 now, Stelantis heading out
I wouldn't drive one of these things on the interstate, but around town or even on short highway runs i can't see why they are any worse than a motorcycle.
These are safer than motorcycles. Fully enclosed so they can be driven in all weather and have some rollover protection, four wheels so they won't tip over, and some like this one have airbags and ABS and traction control.
Its simple. The maverick isn't a truck. Its bed is less useful than a Subaru baja.
And the side by side market can fail. 25k+ for a toy that you have to haul around woth a full size truck is just stupid.
There are a few dealers here in Vancouver, Washington that sell the heck out of these things, I’m not sure if they’re Toyota or Honda? But they’re definitely K trucks.
@justindeclemente1130 I only know of one on hwy 99. Good to know that there is more
@@vinnyivanov2906 There are tons of them, but they are all over 25 years old.
Congratulations. You made a video exactly the same as hundreds of others. Originality’s on point
This really would make a good little truck for hunting in the woods.
Japan built those smaller trucks and cars to fit the narrow roads , streets and sidewalks . I was in Japan (1970) , and when 4 of us asked a taxi to take the shortest time to a show, all hell broke loose . He drove on the streets and mostly on the sidewalks . We never say fast again, because taxi drivers want to make as much money in a short time span!
Wish a company over here would just make a full size version of these. And why do we still not have fold down bed-sides over here yet? Its such a great feature!
We kind of do. The Isuzu NPR series can be bought in a short wheelbase form and with a larger version of the kei truck bed.
TELO!!!!!
Just got a Mazda bongo brawny diesel, 5 speed manual, 4x4. Looks similar to a kei truck but bigger with an 8’ bed.
@@NeilHodges Thoese are great trucks. They are true commercial trucks though. Much heavier duty than even F550s and they would have to be registered as commercial trucks. ....
and we all know how the F350 guys like to register them as passenger vehicles then use them as commercial trucks......
really the answer is to close all the loopholes in our laws. If you buy a big, heavy truck, you need to register it as one with all the fees that go along with it.
@@ducati135 In my country we get the Hyundai H100, very similar but only in 2WD, still a great work truck. Comes as a fold down deck or dump bed option.
The problem is the big three made illegal deals with Congress not to allow them on the to roads in America because they are reliable safe vehicles.
I'd be willing to bet the Chicken Tax has a lot to do with it.
No, states are trying to ban them from being registered. 25 year and older Kei trucks
😭
@@thalo215 Yes, that’s a big part of why they’re not exported here. They will end up costing in the high $20ks after modifications and tariffs.
@@afcgeo882 Still cheaper than a Ford Maverick, and a tougher work-horse.
@ It might be cheaper, but I doubt it’s tougher and it’s certainly less capable. It won’t fit 5, it can’t go on the highway, it’s considerably narrower, and its payload and tow eatings are much lower.
You can own them here in West Virginia, you can drive them on the roads here as long as the speed limit is not over 60 mph. Use to never see them, but now they are everywhere, drivers are always smiling. I think they are very cool!!!
I don’t think they physically can go over 60mph as they were designed to be that way by Kei standards in Japan.
TH-camr @MotoCheez has a great series on two different Kei trucks that he built up. Theyre cheap, reliable, and can take a beating. I drove one around while I was in the Air Force 15 years ago. Theyre also a ton of fun.
You two have a wonderful thing going on here. I would love to have an opportunity to work with my father like you do Tommy. My father was taken from me when I was one, so cherish the time you get to spend together.
God bless and lots of love from Norway
Think it is the EPA/CAFE standards; are the reason we haven't seen a true, new small truck here in the US for past 20 years.
Well what do you know???
And the Chicken tax
@@ScottS-gc3wk yes they do. Extremely easy to reach into the bed, and if you are just carrying things like paint, pressure washing equipment, a lawn care trailer, etc, why do you need a full size pickup? Save on fuel and run a fleet of 4 cylinder trucks.
The early 90's Tacoma's and Nissan hardbodys are dead reliable and simple small trucks, but people love them so they are hard to find these days.
@ScottS-gc3wk whatever.
@lab1042 people know the chick tax
What keeps them off the road is basically 'big truck and big truck lobby'. They used something called the chicken laws back in the 60s.
I'm a truck guy and I know that if they can sell me my ram for 70k, they don't want me to EVER see a truck that can l to do mostly the same stuff for $900
Perfect rig.
Sometimes I need to load up some bags of mulch or something at Home Depot and just need something that can haul it easily. I wish we had these in the United States. Heck, I wish we had that $15,000 Toyota Hilux Champ. That thing should be able to be legalized for our roads. I don't need or want a $30 to $60k truck!
These things are every where in local markets in Nigeria, very durable and easy for short distance deliveries.
@@ahmednjidda6182 Fellow African. Greetings from Ghana!😁
I use my Daihatsu HiJet more than my Superduty. The HiJet bed is the perfect height for bringing home larger boxes, like a toolbox from HF. I have the HF platform cart that will raise to even with the HiJet bed, so I can just slide it off the truck and lower it to the floor.
Big brother once again is protecting the stock market. Imagine ford, dodge etc with these coming to North America. They would sell less trucks than they already do.
Length/width requirements cited are for the Korean regulations; Japanese laws are _even_ stricter, although it might be more relaxed for kei trucks. Payload is so small that in most cases electric cargo bikes might well be better.
I got a ‘90 Suzuki Every 660. Its a van so the front seat back go lower than 90°. I’ve had 5 people in it and still 1/3 of the van for cargo. It’s got a turbo and fuel injection that gives it almost 60 horsepower. It’s been a great “runabout” vehicle around our town.
Roman Atwood got one of these a few months ago and uses it as his unofficial "work" truck. Has been doing a ton of fun content with it.
A friend of mine in the Philippines had a company issued suzuki carry kei van for his sales run. He was representative of a beverage corp so it was very useful and efficient for him. It was sold in the country in left hand drive configuration.
I sometimes hitched a ride with him whenever he visited me at work.
Good times.
I have a Kei truck it's great for work around the property.
I learned how to drive a manual in a Suzuki Carry kei truck
They should be legal to own and drive on normal roads. But, since most of them top out at less than 70 mph, they shouldn't be permitted on interstates. Let's be honest, the lobby against them can likely be traced back to normal manufacturers not wanting to compete with them.
As an added comment on the Kei truck, some of the older viewers will remember the Mercedes SMART ForTwo car which was a 2 seater car marketed in the USA from 1998 to 2014 in the USA and Canada which had a less than 1.0 litre gas or diesel engine that could get up up to 90 MPH and up to 70 MPG on the highway. It was also one of the SAFEST cars on the road with a fancy hemispherical impact-absorbing safety cage plus every major safety feature available and you STILL had room to store your groceries and bags in the back. It was only 8.4 feet long and was fast enough to go on major highways!
It was fully certified for all 50 states highway-use AND in every Canadian province!
You could buy it for less than $25,000 and I will say that modern manufacturers could EASILY make the same type of super-safe/super-fuel-efficient car but extend it a bit more to make it a proper truck with a 6 foot or even 8 foot bed!
ANd they could EASILY sell it for around $25,000 USD if they followed what SATURN originally did in the 1990's and 2000's by making body panels out of super-weather/ruse/corrosion-proof Impact Absorbing Polymer and use a super-impact-absorbing Giga-Stamped aluminum frame!
V
just the fact that they sell motorcycle in usa is just make no sense we cant have all this cars
The little kei vans make the most sense. I'd buy one if they sold then here. It would be perfect for city life. Small enough to park anywhere and enough space for 4 plus the ability to haul stuff.
The little Daihatsu tippers fascinate me, there used to be loads of them in England, great on tight little job sites.
Perhaps the U.S. automakers can put that same bed on say the Colorado/Canyon as a start.
It would still only be about 4.5 feet, smaller than this Kei truck.
Basically a rebadged Daihatsu Hijet
How peculiar
And Toyota owns Daihatsu
@flight2k5 I know
Now Subaru Sambar too
@kmasstwin4395 whatever
I saw a bunch of those on the road when we went to Hawaii last year. They move along real well.
These remind me of my 1991 Ford Festiva. It was such a fun "scooter" car; scoot here, scoot there... I actually referred to it as my nanovan. Flip the back seat and you had a quite reasonable cargo area. A friend who was over six feet tall loved it, too. The boxy body helped with headroom and cargo, with just enough curves to add cute styling. More functional than fancy. No airbags, but it had the power shoulder belts.
It was replaced with the Aspire, which curved the rear roofline and ruined rear sear headroom.
I have seen people loading 1700 lbs in these kei trucks. This is really frustrating that we didn't get them in us market. They also come with abs and air bags. suzuki mazda also makes them under the name of every
I have one more theory about why they are banned, taxes. States/counties lose a ton of money when many of them are also taking in to account the weight of the vehicle. These suckers are very light for what they are.
Most people around the world are not 6*2* Not just the Japanese
No more dangerous than a motorcycle, I want 1bad....lol
A kei truck IS SAFER for pedestrians than any other American trucks. Better visibility, doesn't go fast, doesn't carry 6000lbs of insecurity.
If you were riding a bicycle, would you rather have one of these come up behind you or an F-250?
I ride a bicycle and I don't mind what passes me. I like kei trucks because they're cool and I love seeing imported cars but I also enjoy driving big trucks.
There are no turbos in light trucks. Some light vans have them. Airbags and ABS are now mandatory. They also have anti-sway devices.
The Pixis truck, like all the imported Mini Trucks, are under the class Keitora (which means Light Truck in Japanese). Essentially the same as Kei Cars (Keijidosha, which means Light Vehicle in Japanese), but with the added rule of a max 350kg (772lb) payload limit in production models. There are also fire truck, cargo truck, and RV variants that use heavier duty rear springs which are allowed to exceed the payload cap but only if done through specialty shops all around Japan.
Most older Kei Trucks often lacked forced induction (compared to Kei Cars which have always been available with Turbocharged or Supercharged engines). However many owners (both in Japan and imported elsewhere) have added forced induction to these Kei Trucks as the engines are the same as those found in Kei Cars with the exception being that Kei Truck spec engines have a tune that somewhat increases low-end torque for better hauling capability and reduces the RPM limit for better reliability under full load. The newer models, such as that Toyota Pixis Truck (Daihatsu Hijet), do have a optional Turbocharged engine from the factory, but are still tuned differently from the similar engine used in their respective Kei Cars (Daihatsu Cast / Toyota Pixis Joy).
Currently only Daihatsu and Suzuki are manufacturing Kei Trucks. Subaru and Honda stopped a couple years ago. Mitsubishi and Mazda long before that. The Subaru Sambar was the only one available with a supercharger and a four cylinder rear mounted engine.
Since I live in Japan, my daily driver is a "Nissan Clipper" (a rebranded Mitsubishi Mini Cab) that I bought new in 2005 to haul motorcycles to the track. It's four wheel drive, manual 5 speed with a high-low range transfer case. Naturally aspirated, but has good torque for its size. I've buried the speedometer (140kph / 86mph) with it many times on flat highway. I wouldn't want to do that all day though for certain (let alone the fact that is far over the national speed limit)... but cruising at 60mph with 2 1000cc bikes in the back was no problem.
I've since converted it for camping. Now with a rack and a hard shell rooftop tent mounted (rack covers the entire length of the bed and extends over the cab). I've also lifted it about 2" and mount 14" MT tires. Fully loaded for camping, I'm way over the 350kg limit but it does just fine and gets me out on the beach in four wheel drive without any problems.
It's getting harder to find good used ones here though since so many people have been grabbing them up for export. I'm not a big fan of the current Suzuki and Daihatsu models either so I take good care of mine. Hoping it will last me another 10 years. It should, since it's low milage (it only became my daily driver after selling the family van a few years ago since the kids are grown and have their own vehicles now). I do all the work on it myself and most parts are still readily available.
I have a subcompact car that will fit in the bed of a KEI truck, we run around on it all the time because it is efficient to operate and fairly comfortable. The Kei trucks are legal to own and register here in NC and can be operated on most roadways, no interstate highway running is allowed. There are few of them in my immediate area and a gentleman in Mount Airy imports them, but they have to be 25 years old or older, that classifies them as antiques and the federal regulations no longer apply. It would be nice to be able to get new ones imported as they are really cool and practical vehicles.
In Alabama we have a particular license plate for these that say non interstate use. These are great around town, running errands and me and my wife get more thumbs up and waves than any vehicle, motorcycle, UTV, we've ever had. They do have a great purpose and I think Bama nailed it with how they allow it. Also fully insured, just like any car or motorcycle.
Sad to say but here in America, most people use trucks as a fashion statement. It appears else where that’s not the case. Just look at the flexibility use of that bed….. man I would welcome that in a heartbeat, but many would not being the way it looks…..
@@krisw8597 wow
Or most people can only afford one or possibly two vehicles. That truck cannot tow a camper and a family to the mountains, or the boat to the gulf. The wife has her car, minivan, or SUV to get the kids to school and get herself to work, and the husband has the truck to do everything.
@FrankD71864 cool
@@FrankD71864 shh…he doesn’t want to hear facts.
@@nedharrisNed is really stimulated by this engaging dialogue.
Not everyone wants to spend 50k+ on a truck.
We used versions of them in Korea when I was stationed there with the USAF, we also used versions of them on Bagram AB they worked great on base where you're not going to be driving too fast. Cheap to drive with their little diesel motors.
I'd rather they bring over the Hi-lux Champ std cab diesel. Similar folding sides bed but payload bumped up to 2204lb. Still under $20k.
I see it being no different than a SXS, in TN you can tag a Polaris Ranger for limited road use so what’s the difference?
I’ve drove these while stationed in Okinawa, they are a hoot.
Been driving Kei cars,trucks,and vans in the UK for over forty years.The Honda Acty used to be quite a regular site,when Honda sold them,here.
I have a '98 Subaru Sambar van road registered in the U.S.. I use it as essentially a road legal UTV and daily driver. It's 4wd, it's got a manual transmission, it's fuel injected, it's got air conditioning, and that's about it. It isn't quite as capable offroad as a UTV but it does just fine. The main thing that sold me on a kei van was 4wd in a small van platform. None of the small vans available in the U.S. are 4wd or AWD. Only the Transit and the Sprinter have that option and I didn't want something that big and they don't get 30+mpg. After owning the Sambar about a year I wish I would've bought something slightly more powerful but that's my only real complaint. (58 second 0-60 time). Maybe something EU import instead of JDM so I could get left hand drive but I'm used to RHD now.
These trucks are all over Japan. They keep Japan’s economy rolling.
These are great for use on an acreage or a small farm.
I want one of those trucks ❤
In Southeast Asia they are sold with the 1.5 L engine version.
.
I drove one of these in Japan & it was great for local hauling & non-highway driving.
It's only unsafe for the people who choose to ride in them but its their choice. Big trucks are unsafe for other people, people who didn't choose to buy one. You should be able to put your own life at risk but not other people's. If i were King I'd legalize Kei vehicles and require a special license for any vehicle over 6000lbs.
Yes, it's ironic that huge pickups and SUVs pose a real safety threat to most smaller vehicles on the road, yet those big vehicles are legal.
I've been riding around in my town for 25 years in a golf cart and no issues so these vehicles will propose no issues if you stay on roads no more than 45 miles an hour. Maybe on certain rural highways at 55 miles an hour, but definitely no interstate.
Been thinking of one of these fire the farm. I can get a good one for the price a cab alone on my Polaris ranger 1000 costs.
Safety on a typical US road against a F250 is probably not good. However, if it was a nation of lightweight vehicles with 600cc engines it probably is pretty safe.
If you hit an F250 with this truck there is not much weight/energy & speed so you would probably be fine.
If you get rear ended by a F250 you would probably be fine too because of the bed.
Only a frontal collision with an F250 would be catastrophic.
@@buddy1155 yikes
@@buddy1155that’s…insane. You’d absolutely get splattered. Your body doesn’t slow down just because your vehicle is light weight.
As long as motorcycles are legal, there’s no excuse for banning any other vehicle for “safety reasons”.
@-Jethro- and yes motorcycle is legal
Thats a much better deal than a UTV in the US that costs 20K and dont have half of the features. Nice little ranch truck.
I have a 1993 Acty Attack for 3 years now and use it off road only. I love it. I'm in Ohio and I can get it registered and use in on the road but that is not why I have this.
Kei trucks are ideal for tasks like construction site errands, farm work, warehouse operations, and small business deliveries. They are well-suited for short trips, covering 50 to 70 miles daily. However, they are not designed for long-distance travel across the country. While some argue about safety concerns, this is inconsistent since motorcycles, which are less safe, are legal.
These trucks are affordable and fuel-efficient, which may explain resistance from American oil companies and car dealers who prefer selling more expensive, less efficient vehicles. With slight modifications, such as larger cabs for taller American drivers, Kei trucks could be a practical solution for many industries.
The dump bed version of these are very cool! So much better than a side by side for farm work and for way less than half the price.
Legal to register now in Texas, but the 25 year import law still exists.
I own a 1996 one and love it.
Safety is still better than all motorcycles and three wheelers on the roads. This is the size of truck is all that most of us need.
If you want a bigger cab check out the Suzuki super carry X.