Minivans are designed to be family friendly, cheap and efficient vehicles which are also not heavy on the pocket. The minivan trend is very popular in countries like Pakistan, India and Japan. So there is a considerable market share for this type of vehicles. While Pakistan hasn’t really seen any major locally assembled minivan from the big 3 aside from the Suzuki Bolan, however, fortunately for us there are a handful of cheap and reliable imported units in the market which we think can be the perfect match for the people who are looking for a car which can easily carry all their stuff or family for mostly small trips. So let’s start off our list and see what kind of vans 10 lakh can get you.
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Daihatsu Hijet
In 2017 the Daihatsu Hijet was the 7th most popular car in Pakistan and it speaks for itself. While it was produced from 2004 to 2014 in Japan but currently a lot of these units rest in Pakistan. People with big families love Hijet since it has enough seats, decent air conditioning and features which you don’t get in locally made Suzuki Bolan. Also, the part that Hijet is a fairly modern looking microvan and has some pretty good road grip at high speeds despite the fact it is designed for carrying stuff and people over rather than high speeds. Hijet comes in Deluxe, Cruise and Turbo Crusie variants. Unlike the Turbo Cruise, both Deluxe and Cruise come with a naturally aspirated 660cc engine while the Turbo Cruise is a turbocharged 660cc which has better performance over the regular version however if you consider the price you might be able to buy the N/A version. But considering the rarity of that unit you are better off with the regular variant. Hiject is front engined, rear-wheel drive van. There are hundreds of Hijets available for sale on PakWheels used car section. A 2010 model will cost you anywhere between 8-9 lakh rupees for the base model. And like I mentioned earlier many units of Hijet were imported to Pakistan, so spare parts also aren’t a problem.
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FAW X-PV Dual A/C
Launched by Al-Haj FAW Group a few years back and available as a brand new vehicle, FAW X-PV is my personal favourite pick of the bunch due to many reasons. The first reason is the price which is very reasonable since the start at 9,19,000 lakh for the base model whereas the top of the line sets you back 9,69,000 lakh. Unlike the other minivans on the list, it also has a bigger more powerful 1000cc engine and can easily carry eight passengers. So more seating capacity with a big engine is a plus. Then there are the preinstalled features in the top-line model such as power steering, disc brakes, tachometer, CD player, front fog lights and the most noticeable dual A/C vents which makes air-conditioning much for effective. Sadly, however, X-PV misses out on a significant safety feature, and that is the ABS which all other cars on the list have. But aside that it’s a complete package and perfect van for a day to day use and even long road trips especially in summers where the extra airconditioning helps a lot to fight off the heat.
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Nissan Clipper
Nissan Clipper is a mid-engine front wheel drive minivan. It features a 660cc Inline-3 engine that produces around about 60 bhp. Nissan Clipper was introduced back in 2006 in Japan, and it’s relatively a lesser know car in Pakistan. Despite that its a huge value for money since a very decent and well-maintained unit can be bought for less than its competitors. Nissan Clipper with under 40,000km is for around 7-8 lakh which I reckon is a steal. Since the regulations in Japan every car has to be equipped with ABS and airbags, this is another huge advantage this rather cheap Nissan Clipper has unlike most other cars locally assembled in Pakistan. Keep in mind that Nissan Clipper usually comes in base grade which lacks some upmarket features you can find in Hijet or Mazda Scrum but once again at a lower price than most micro-vans that won’t be a big deal for many.
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Honda Acty
Honda Acty is another option in the micro-van category which is hugely ignored and underrated. This 660cc carriage van from Honda houses features like power steering, power windows, dual airbags, back camera, and navigation system. Another great thing about this minivan is the fact that it comes in rear wheel drive configuration. Which in return makes it drive very different from rest of the lot. Despite all that the low market demand forces the low availability of parts so this can be a turn-off but if parts aren’t an issue for you and you adore a car with a reasonable amount of features then simply go ahead, act smart and buy the Acty. A mint condition Honda Acty holds a value of 8-8.5 lakh on average.
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Mazda Scrum
Mazda Scrum is a rebadged Suzuki Every. In fact, Suzuki Every is being sold in so many different markets under different names. While the names might differ but what remains the same is the quality and reliability of this minivan. Mazda Scrum shares all its components with Suzuki Every so despite the fact you buy this van with a Mazda badge, but all Suzuki parts and accessories work with it which is a huge plus point since Every is seen everywhere. So parts availability isn’t really an issue for this imported car. Mazda Scrum holds five seats with a big loading bay area in the back, and also comes in a unique beige interior which looks more attractive as compared to that of other carriage vans. Scrum comes with a 660cc engine since it is a Kei car and is rear-wheel drive. It comes in PX and PZ variants and a 2013-2015 model Mazda Scrum can end up costing you around Rs. 875,000-1,000,000.
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Mitsubishi Minicab Bravo
Although Minicab is a rebadged Nissan Clipper. But it enjoys a much more market availability than the Clipper in Pakistan. Feature and safety equipment remains the same across both cars so once again the parts are interchangeable. There are no particular variants of Mitsubishi Minicab in Pakistan. You just have one option named Bravo which comes with everything you need including power steering, ABS, airbags and navigation. Mitsubishi also has given the exterior a little bit of life by adding chrome accents throughout the body of this cab making it appear very upmarket as compared to most mini’s in this price segment. A decent and well-maintained Minicab costs just around 8.5 lakh and more feature-packed units with less mileage on the oddo eventually touches ten lakhs.
