4 Minutes
You know that feeling when pickup prices start sounding like mortgage quotes? Japan’s kei-truck world lives on a different planet—and Mitsubishi is happily staying there with the freshly updated Minicab Truck, a brand-new 4WD workhorse that costs about what some people pay for a used Corolla.
If the Minicab looks familiar, that’s because it is. It’s the fourth face in the same small-truck family that includes the Suzuki Carry, Nissan Clipper Truck, and Mazda Scrum Truck. The sheetmetal story barely changes between them; on the Mitsubishi, the real giveaway is the badge on the nose and steering wheel.
Still, the facelift is more than a logo swap. The Minicab gets new headlights, a split grille, and a revised front bumper intake that gives the tiny cab-over a sharper, more modern expression than the outgoing model. The rest is classic kei-truck: a 3,395 mm (133.7-inch) body, single-cab layout, 12-inch steel wheels, and a detachable dropside bed designed for the kind of jobs that would destroy a fancy lifestyle pickup’s paint in a weekend.
Across the range, dark-tinted LED headlights are standard. Step up to the G trim and Mitsubishi adds fog lights and chrome door handles—small touches, sure, but they make the little truck feel less like bare-bones equipment and more like a proper new vehicle.
The facelift wasn’t about style—it was about rules
The real reason this update exists is compliance. Japan’s latest safety regulations pushed Mitsubishi to modernize the Minicab’s driver-assistance toolkit, and the truck now arrives with an updated Forward Collision Mitigation system that can detect pedestrians. It’s joined by Lane Departure Prevention, High Beam Assist, Sign Recognition, and a False Start Prevention system that helps avoid those awkward (and expensive) moments when a driver hits the accelerator instead of the brake.
Inside, the Minicab keeps its priorities straight. There’s no big infotainment screen trying to cosplay as a luxury car. Instead, the two-seat cabin focuses on practical touches: a digital instrument cluster, manual A/C controls, a sliding driver’s seat, two USB ports, and storage that’s clearly meant for tools, gloves, paperwork, and the everyday clutter of people who actually work out of their trucks. A radio becomes available from the mid-spec trim upward.
For buyers who treat the Minicab like a mobile workshop, Mitsubishi’s accessory list leans into real-world usefulness—LED bed work lights, window visors, a roof rack, and multiple rear-deck configurations depending on how you plan to load it.
Under the seats sits the familiar kei-truck formula: a 658 cc three-cylinder engine. Output is a modest 50 hp (37 kW) and 59 Nm (44 lb-ft) of torque, but in a lightweight cab-over built for short runs and tight streets, it’s enough. Mitsubishi says it can haul up to 350 kg (772 lb) of cargo, and buyers can choose between a five-speed manual or a four-speed automatic.
Rear-wheel drive is standard, but the headline feature is the available proper 4WD system—complete with a high/low-range transfer case and a Mud Escape Assist function. On paper, 50 horsepower doesn’t sound like an off-road party. In practice, the Minicab’s short wheelbase, low mass, and gearing-focused 4WD hardware can make it surprisingly capable on muddy farm tracks, snowy back roads, or job sites where pavement is more of a suggestion.
As for the price, the 2026 Mitsubishi Minicab Truck is now open for orders in Japan. It starts at ¥1,311,200 and climbs to ¥1,677,500 (roughly $8,300 to $10,600 at current exchange rates), depending on trim and configuration. It undercuts the Nissan Clipper Truck at the entry point, though the Mazda and Suzuki equivalents can still start lower.
Either way, the pitch is simple: a brand-new, regulation-compliant, genuinely useful 4WD pickup—at a price that feels like a throwback.
Comments
mechbyte
Is this even real? 1.3M yen for a brand new tiny pickup, but 50hp… how does it pull 350kg uphill? sounds optimistic, curious if buyers get real world mpg numbers
v8rider
Whoa, 50 hp and actual low range 4WD in a kei truck? That's wild. Cute little cab, built like a tool, price feels nostalgic but also unreal... I’d buy one for the farm, no joke
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