Mitsubishi Toppo

Last updated
Mitsubishi Toppo
1998-1999 Mitsubishi Toppo BJ.jpg
Overview
Manufacturer Mitsubishi Motors
Also calledMitsubishi Minica Toppo
Mitsubishi Minica Toppo Town Bee
Mitsubishi Toppo BJ
Production1990–2004, 2008–2013
Assembly Mizushima plant, Kurashiki, Okayama, Japan
Body and chassis
Class Kei car
Layout Front-engine, front-/four-wheel drive
Related Mitsubishi Minica
Powertrain
Engine 3G83 657 cc I3
4A30 659 cc I4
Dimensions
Wheelbase 2,260–2,340 mm (89.0–92.1 in)
Length3,255–3,395 mm (128.1–133.7 in)
Width1,395–1,475 mm (54.9–58.1 in)
Height1,695–1,790 mm (66.7–70.5 in)
Curb weight 620–860 kg (1,367–1,896 lb)
Chronology
Successor Mitsubishi eK Space

The Mitsubishi Toppo is a light recreational vehicle (RV) produced by Mitsubishi Motors from 1990 until 2004 and then from 2008 until 2013. The original version was derived from their Minica kei car. The name is a portmanteau of the English "top" (roof) and the Japanese "noppo" (lanky). [1]

Contents

Originally named the Mitsubishi Minica Toppo, a retro-styled variant was introduced in 1996 called the Mitsubishi Minica Toppo Town Bee. In 1998 a new generation was launched; now referred to as the Mitsubishi Toppo BJ ("Big Joy"). A larger derivative, the Mitsubishi Toppo BJ Wide was introduced in 1999. The model was replaced by the new eK in 2001, although it was sold alongside the eK until being discontinued in 2004. The Toppo was reintroduced in 2008; now referred to simply as the Mitsubishi Toppo. [2] In Japan, it was sold at a specific retail chain called Galant Shop .

Minica Toppo (first generation)

Mitsubishi Minica Toppo
Mitsubishi Minica Toppo 1990.JPG
Overview
Production1990–1993
Body and chassis
Related Mitsubishi Minica
Powertrain
Engine
Transmission
Dimensions
Wheelbase 2,260 mm (89.0 in)
Length
  • 3,255 mm (128.1 in) (1990-1992)
  • 3,295 mm (129.7 in) (1992-1993)
Width1,395 mm (54.9 in)
Height1,695–1,745 mm (66.7–68.7 in)
Curb weight 620–760 kg (1,370–1,680 lb)
Rear view of the facelift Minica Toppo (1992-1993). Note protrusion in rear bumper. 1st Mitsubishi Minicatoppo 2.JPG
Rear view of the facelift Minica Toppo (1992-1993). Note protrusion in rear bumper.

Based on the Minica, the tall three-door MPV model was introduced in February 1990. While Kei car standards had been altered for 1990, allowing for a 10 cm (3.9 in) increase in length and an increase in displacement to 660 cc, the Toppo, being developed before the new regulations were finalized, was unable to take full advantage of these and ended up 4 cm (1.6 in) shorter than other kei cars. This was rectified along with a minor facelift in January 1992. [3] The Minica Toppo only ever received the new 657 cc 3G83 engine, with optional four-wheel drive. The Minica Toppo was available both as a commercial vehicle and as a better equipped passenger model. The car's body is asymmetric, with the left (offside) door being longer than the driver's side door to provide better entry to the rear seat from the safer side of the car. [4]

The most basic "Toppo C" was a strict two-seater with blanked out rear side windows, equipped with a four-speed manual and a minimum of equipment. [5] In the original commercial vehicle lineup, the C was accompanied by the U, U2, and the four-wheel drive U2-4 models. The introductory passenger version lineup started with the lowest priced B, followed by the Q, the Q2, and the four-wheel drive Q2-4. [4]

Model codes are H22A/H27A for the passenger models, H22V/H27V for van models. H22 is front-wheel drive, H27 is four-wheel drive. Commercial use models and the lower-end passenger versions received a carburetted SOHC engine with 40 PS (29 kW) at 6000 rpm. [6] Van models were uncatalyzed until May 1991. Passenger versions were also offered with a carburetted DOHC 15-valve engine (5 valves per cylinder) with 46 PS (34 kW) at 7000 rpm or a fuel injected variant with 52 PS (38 kW) at 7500 rpm. [7] After the January 1992 facelift, the turbocharged Minica Toppo Qt Canvas Top was added, with 64 PS (47 kW) at 7000 rpm from the same engine used in the sporty Minica Dangan ZZ. [8]

In late October 1990, the Minica Toppo Q坊 (Q-Bo) special edition based on the Toppo Q2 was released; 2,000 units went on sale. [9] Aside from various special equipment such as power steering, power windows, a rooftop spoiler, fog lamps, and special interior fabrics, the Q坊 received two-tone paint in two different combinations: San Marino Yellow with Sophia White roof, or Ivy Green with a Pearl White roof. [9] The Q坊 became a recurring special edition, being re-released with minor alterations in August 1991 (now based on the better equipped Q3 and with a 6-disc CD changer), August 1992, and ultimately in May 1993. The last edition Q坊 was also available with four-wheel drive. Another special edition was the Minica Toppo Flower Express of March 1991, a two-seater van with blanked rear side windows especially aimed at florists.

In January 1992, the Toppo (as well as the Minica) was modified, mainly to meet new safety regulations. The passenger car models benefitted from side impact protection in the doors, steering wheel locks, seat belt reminders, non-asbestos gaskets, and more. [3] Some models received 3-point belts in the rear seats as well, not a standard item in kei cars until the end of the decade. The grille, bumpers, headlights, and seat fabrics were new. The Toppo also received an opening rear gate window and a protrusion on the rear bumper which served as a step. [3] The new Canvas Top was available on the turbocharged Qt as well as on the naturally aspirated Qc.

Production of the Minica Toppo ended in September 1993 as a new version was introduced; however, the new model continued to use the rear bodywork of the first Minica Toppo coupled with the new front and underpinnings of the new seventh generation Minica, effectively making it a thorough facelift.

Minica Toppo (second generation)

The second generation Toppo was sold from 1993 to 1998. Being essentially as extensive facelift of the first generation model. [10]

Mitsubishi Toppo (third generation)

The third generation Toppo was sold from 1998 to 2004. [11] A version with larger bumpers and fenders and a 1.1-litre engine, the Toppo BJ Wide, was also built from January 1999 until March 2001. The BJ Wide was too large and had too big of an engine to qualify as a kei car.

Mitsubishi Toppo (fourth generation)

The fourth generation Toppo was sold from 2008 to 2013. [12]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mazda Bongo</span> Light commercial vehicle manufactured by Mazda

The Mazda Bongo, also known as Mazda E-Series, Eunos Cargo, and the Ford Econovan, is a cabover van and pickup truck manufactured by the Japanese automobile manufacturer Mazda since 1966. The Bongo name was also used for the Bongo Friendee, which is not a cabover design.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Subaru Rex</span> Motor vehicle

The Subaru Rex, also known as Ace, Viki, Sherpa, 500/600/700, Mini Jumbo, Mini Subaru or M60/M70/M80 in various export markets, is a kei class automobile produced from 1972 to 1992 mainly for sale in Japan by Subaru, although it was also sold in Europe, South America, Australia and the Caribbean. The Rex superseded the R-2 as Subaru's kei car, and has been available in commercial use versions as well as in a passenger car version. It underwent major changes in 1976, in fall 1981, and again in late 1986. The second generation Rex (1981–1986) also formed the basis for the larger Subaru Justy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Suzuki Alto</span> Kei car manufactured by Suzuki

The Suzuki Alto is a kei car produced by Suzuki since 1979. The model, currently in its ninth generation, was first introduced in 1979 and has been built in many countries worldwide. The Alto originated as a commercial vehicle derivative of the Fronte, but over time the Alto nameplate gained in popularity and by 1988 it replaced the Fronte name completely. The Alto badge has often been used on different cars in Japan and in export markets, where it is considered a city car.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mitsubishi Colt</span> Motor vehicle

The Mitsubishi Colt is a nameplate from Mitsubishi Motors that has been applied to a number of automobiles since 1962. It was first introduced with a series of kei and subcompact cars in the 1960s, and then for the export version of the subcompact Mirage between 1978 and 2002. Chrysler, Mitsubishi's longtime partner, also used the name when applying its long-running practice of rebadging Mitsubishi vehicles as the Dodge and Plymouth Colt captive imports for the North American market between 1970 and 1994.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mitsubishi Pajero Mini</span> Motor vehicle

The Mitsubishi Pajero Mini is a kei car produced by Mitsubishi Motors from December 1994 until June 2012.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mitsubishi Minica</span> Motor vehicle

The Mitsubishi Minica is a model series of kei cars, produced by Mitsubishi Motors Corp. (MMC) over five generations, from 1962 to 2011, mainly for the Japanese domestic market.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Honda Today</span> Motor vehicle

The Honda Today is a kei car produced by Japanese automaker Honda beginning in 1985. It was replaced by the Honda Life in 1998.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mitsubishi Chariot</span> Motor vehicle

The Mitsubishi Chariot is an automobile manufactured and marketed by Mitsubishi from 1983 to 2003. It is a small multi-purpose vehicle (MPV). Based on the SSW concept car first exhibited at the 23rd Tokyo Motor Show in 1979, the MPV derives its nameplate from chariots used by the ancient Greek and Roman empires.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Toyota Tercel</span> Japanese subcompact car

The Toyota Tercel is a subcompact car manufactured by Toyota from 1978 until 1999 across five generations, in five body configurations sized between the Corolla and the Starlet. Manufactured at the Takaoka plant in Toyota City, Japan, and sharing its platform with the Cynos and the Starlet, the Tercel was marketed variously as the Toyota Corolla II—sold at Toyota Japanese dealerships called Toyota Corolla Stores—and was replaced by the Platz in 1999. It was also known as the Toyota Corsa and sold at Toyopet Store locations. Starting with the second generation, the Tercel dealership network was changed to Vista Store, as its badge engineered sibling, the Corolla II, was exclusive to Corolla Store locations.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Daihatsu Hijet</span> Kei truck/microvan produced by Daihatsu

The Daihatsu Hijet is a cab over microvan and kei truck produced and sold by the Japanese automaker Daihatsu since 1960. Despite the similarities between the Hijet name and Toyota's naming scheme for its trucks and vans, the name "Hijet" has been in use for Daihatsu's kei trucks and microvans since 1960, over two decades before Toyota took control. "Hijet", when transliterated into Japanese, is very similar to "Midget", one of Daihatsu's other mini-trucks. According to Daihatsu, the name "Hijet" was created to imply that the vehicle offers higher performance than the Midget. The Hijet competes in Japan with the Honda Acty, Mitsubishi Minicab, Nissan Clipper, Subaru Sambar and Suzuki Carry.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Honda Acty</span> Motor vehicle

The Honda Acty is a series of cabover microvans and kei trucks produced by the Japanese automaker Honda from 1977 to 2021, designed for the Japanese domestic market (JDM). "Acty" is short for "Activity".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mitsubishi Galant VR-4</span> Motor vehicle

The Mitsubishi Galant VR-4 was the range-topping version of Mitsubishi Motors' Galant model, available in the sixth (1987–1992), seventh (1992–1996) and eighth (1996–2002) generations of the vehicle. Originally introduced to comply with the new Group A regulations of the World Rally Championship, it was soon superseded as Mitsubishi's competition vehicle by the Lancer Evolution, and subsequently developed into a high-performance showcase of the company's technology.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mitsubishi Delica</span> Range of vans and pickup trucks

The Mitsubishi Delica is a range of vans and pickup trucks designed and built by the Japanese automaker Mitsubishi Motors since 1968. It was originally based on a cabover van and pickup truck introduced the previous year, also called the Delica, its name a contraction of the English language phrase Delivery car. This pickup truck, and a commercial van derived from it has received many names in export markets, being sold as the L300 in Europe, Jamaica and New Zealand, Express and Starwagon in Australia, and plain Mitsubishi Van and Wagon in the United States. The passenger car versions were known as Delica Star Wagon from 1979 until the 1994 introduction of the Delica Space Gear, which became simply Space Gear in Europe at least. The most recent version is called the Delica D:5. With the exception of the first, versions of all generations are still being sold in various international markets.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mitsubishi eK</span> Motor vehicle

The Mitsubishi eK is a kei car series from Mitsubishi Motors, based on the long-running Minica, and first introduced on October 11, 2001. The "eK" name is an abbreviation for "excellent keijidōsha" and is meant to be pronounced "ee kay", a pun which sounds like the Japanese いい軽, meaning "good kei [car]".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mitsubishi 4A3 engine</span> Reciprocating internal combustion engine

The Mitsubishi 4A3 engine is a range of alloy-headed inline four-cylinder engines from Mitsubishi Motors, introduced in 1993 in the sixth generation of their Mitsubishi Minica kei car. It shares a 72 mm (2.8 in) bore pitch with the 3G8-series three-cylinder engines, but has a considerably shorter stroke so as to stay beneath the 660 cc limit imposed by the Kei class.

The Mitsubishi Town Box is a kei car and minivan produced for the Japanese domestic market (JDM) by the Japanese automaker Mitsubishi Motors. It was initially available with the alloy-headed 4A30 657 cc inline-four engine, but switched to the 3G83 659 cc straight-three engine in 2002. From June 1999 until August 2001, a slightly larger version of the same vehicle powered by a 4A31 1.1 L straight-four, the Mitsubishi Town Box Wide, was also available. The first generation Town Box was discontinued in November 2011, ending the twelve-year production run. The nameplate returned in February 2014 on a rebadged version of the Suzuki Every Wagon.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mitsubishi Minicab</span> Motor vehicle

The Mitsubishi Minicab is a kei truck and microvan, built and sold in Japan by Japanese automaker Mitsubishi Motors since 1966. In Japan, it was sold at a specific retail chain called Galant Shop. It was also sold by China Motor Corporation (CMC) in Taiwan as the CMC Veryca, starting in 1985. A battery electric model of the Minicab, called the Minicab MiEV, is sold in the Japanese market since December 2011.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Suzuki Carry</span> Kei truck produced by the Japanese automaker Suzuki

The Suzuki Carry is a kei truck produced by the Japanese automaker Suzuki. The microvan version was originally called the Carry van until 1982 when the passenger van versions were renamed as the Suzuki Every. In Japan, the Carry and Every are kei cars but the Suzuki Every Plus, the bigger version of Every, had a longer bonnet for safety purposes and a larger engine; export market versions and derivatives have been fitted with engines of up to 1.6 liters displacement. They have been sold under myriad different names in several countries, and is the only car to have been offered with Chevrolet as well as Ford badges.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Subaru R-2</span> Motor vehicle

The Subaru R-2 is a kei car manufactured by Subaru from 1969 to 1972. The R-2 was a full model change of the popular Subaru 360, but with an updated appearance and increased interior space. The R-2 appeared approximately one year before the Honda Life, Daihatsu Fellow Max and Suzuki Fronte kei cars, however, it continued to use the powertrain setup from the Subaru 360, which was the EK33 air-cooled 2-cylinder engine installed in the back, which is the inspiration for the name of the vehicle. It appeared around the same time as the second generation Mitsubishi Minica.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mitsubishi Lancer (A70)</span> Motor vehicle

The Mitsubishi Lancer (A70) is the first generation version of Mitsubishi's long-running Lancer nameplate. When introduced in 1973, it filled the gap between the Minica kei car and the considerably larger Galant. It was a replacement for the Colt 1200, last sold in 1970. Although sedan production ended in 1979, vans continued on until 1985. This Lancer also formed the basis for the Lancer Celeste sports coupé of 1975 through to 1981. These Lancers were sold under a multitude of names in different markets.

References

  1. Facts & Figures 2000 (PDF), Tokyo: Mitsubishi Motors Corporation, September 2000, p. 17, archived from the original (PDF) on 2006-10-22
  2. Mitsubishi Motors press release Archived 2008-09-20 at the Wayback Machine , September 17, 2008
  3. 1 2 3 自動車ガイドブック[Japanese Motor Vehicles Guide Book 1992~'93] (in Japanese), vol. 39, Japan: Japan Automobile Manufacturers Association, 1992-10-26, p. 157, ISBN   4-915220-39-7
  4. 1 2 三菱 ミニカトッポ (初代 1989-1993):ミニカをベースにした軽トールワゴンモデル [H22/27] [Mitsubishi Minica Toppo (1st generation 1989-1993): tall kei wagon based on the Minica [H22/27]] (in Japanese). B-cles. 2020-06-11. Archived from the original on 2020-12-12.
  5. "ミニカトッポ C FF 4MT(1990年3月) のカタログ情報" [Catalog information for Minica Toppo C FF 4MT (March 1990)]. Goo-net (in Japanese). Proto Corporation. Archived from the original on 2020-12-08.
  6. 自動車ガイドブック[Japanese Motor Vehicles Guide Book 1991~'92] (in Japanese), vol. 38, Japan: Japan Automobile Manufacturers Association, 1991-10-23, pp. 214, 279, ISBN   4-915220-38-9
  7. Automobile Guide Book 1991~'92 , p. 215
  8. Automobile Guide Book 1992~'93 , p. 207
  9. 1 2 Kumakura, Shigeharu, ed. (February 1990). "New Model Digest". Car Graphic (in Japanese). Vol. 30, no. 359. Tokyo: Nigensha. p. 66.
  10. "Mitsubishi Minica Toppo 2nd generation (H30) specifications: versions & types".
  11. "Mitsubishi Minica Toppo 3rd generation (H40) specifications: versions & types".
  12. "Mitsubishi Minica Toppo 4th generation (H82A) specifications: versions & types".