Mitsubishi's little Super Height K-Wagon concept debuts in Tokyo, makes a big impression
This taller-than-average little van concept is already running rings around our hearts.
Sure, Mitsubishi's Mi-Tech concept SUV is cool and all, but it's the brand's tiny kei wagon that has us super excited, and yes, we're aware that makes us weirdos.
The Mitsubishi Super Height K-Wagon concept, which debuted on Tuesday at the Tokyo Motor Show, is a look forward to how people might want to use Japan's legendary little kei-class vehicles. Unlike many other kei cars, the Super Height is, well, super-tall and benefits from slightly better-than-average ground clearance. That allows the Super Height to go further than most kei cars could dream.
One of the best parts of the Super Height K-Wagon concept is its weirdly chunky styling. It reminds us a bit of the epic little Mitsubishi Delica 4x4 wagon from the late 1980s and early 1990s, and we're guessing that's no coincidence.
The Super Height K-Wagon has typically odd kei car proportions, as outlined by the strict regulations that define the vehicle class. The fact that it's so narrow and tall means we wouldn't necessarily want to take it off-road on anything more aggressive than a fire road, and if someone suggested we try driving it on a banked oval, we'd slap them right in the face.
Inside the Super Height K-Wagon looks… well, like a regular Mitsubishi. It doesn't come off as a concept at all, which is kind of refreshing. We dig the brown fabric on the seats, as well as the brown synthetic leather on the steering wheel, the acres of very functional black plastic and the massive-for-a-kei-car screen in the center of the dash.
Under the Super Height's teensy little hood is a small but conventional internal-combustion engine, and it's mated to a CVT transmission. When it comes to kei cars, efficiency is the name of the game, and while we would love to believe it when Mitsubishi describes its performance as "brisk" in its press release, we ultimately just can't get there.
At the end of the day, this is one of those forbidden fruit concepts especially unique to Japan that we'd love to bring home and experience on US roads, but sadly, that's never meant to be.
