Mitsubishi Delica Space Gear 4WD vans imported from Japan. Every Delica here is either in Houston now or on its way from Japan and available to reserve.
The Delica Space Gear is a one-box 4WD passenger van built on the running gear of the second-generation Pajero, the truck Americans know as the Montero. Mitsubishi launched it in May 1994 as a "new-concept RV" that combined minivan space with off-road durability, and together with the Pajero and RVR it led Japan's 1990s RV boom. "Delica" is short for "delivery car," and "Space Gear" refers to the interior room. It was never sold in North America (the Delica the U.S. briefly got, as the 1987–1990 "Mitsubishi Wagon," was the earlier cab-over generation), and nothing else that fits under the 25-year rule gives you a van with a high roof, seven or eight seats, a walk-through floor and a real low range. The Space Gear was sold in Japan until early 2007; the ones old enough to import today are the May 1994 to December 2001 builds.
What makes the Delica different
Super Select 4WD from the Pajero. Rear-wheel drive, full-time 4WD you can use on pavement, a locked center differential and low range, from one lever (details below).
Pajero bones under a van body. A ladder frame welded into the monocoque, torsion-bar double-wishbone front suspension and a five-link coil-sprung live rear axle, with about 190–210 mm (7.5–8.3 in) of ground clearance and a 75-liter (20 gal) tank.
Standing room. The High Roof is 2,060 mm (6 ft 9 in) tall with 1,300 mm (51 in) of interior height; the Aero Roof is 1,965 mm (6 ft 5 in). Seven seats with second-row captain's chairs or eight in a 2-3-3 layout, and a flat floor from the front seats to the cargo area.
Montero engines. The 3.0-liter 6G72 V6 and 2.4-liter 4G64 were used in U.S. Mitsubishis, so engine parts are familiar; the 2.8-liter 4M40 turbo-diesel was never sold here.
Which Delicas can be imported
U.S. rules let a vehicle that was never sold here be imported once it's at least 25 years old, counted from its month and year of manufacture. In 2026 that means Space Gears built between May 1994 and December 2001:
Code
Body / drivetrain
Engine
Transmissions
PD6W
4WD, standard body, Aero Roof or High Roof, 7–8 seats
Column-shift 4-speed automatic (INVECS-II from June 1997)
PD8W / PE8W
4WD, standard body (PE8W = High Roof)
2.8-liter 4M40 intercooled turbo-diesel, 125 PS; 140 PS and 314 N·m with electronic injection from June 1997
4-speed automatic; 5-speed manual until June 1998
PD4W
4WD, standard body (to June 1997)
2.4-liter 4G64 4-cylinder, 145 PS, regular fuel
4-speed automatic; 5-speed manual on some
PF6W / PF8W
4WD, long body (+200 mm wheelbase, +400 mm length), 7 seats
3.0 V6 / 2.8 turbo-diesel
4-speed automatic
PA4W, PA5W, PB-, PC-
2WD (rear-wheel drive), standard or long body; the PC "G Long" seats 10
2.4 gasoline or 2.5-liter 4D56 turbo-diesel, 105 PS
4-speed automatic; column-shift 5-speed manual on the G Long
Reading the code: PD, PE and PF are 4WD and PA, PB and PC are rear-wheel drive; the digit names the engine (4 = 2.4, 5 = 2.5 diesel, 6 = 3.0 V6, 8 = 2.8 diesel), and the prefixes before the hyphen (E-, GF-, GH-, KD-, KH-) are emissions codes. The January 2002 20th Anniversary Limited and the August 2002 facelift onward aren't eligible until 2027 or later. The earlier Delica Star Wagon (1986–1999) is also old enough to import; this guide covers the Space Gear, the one we usually stock.
2WD or 4x4?
Buy the 4WD. Super Select gives you four positions on one lever: 2H (rear-wheel drive, for dry pavement and economy), 4H (full-time 4WD through a viscous-limited center differential, safe on pavement and the setting for rain, gravel and ranch roads), 4HLc (center differential locked, for mud, sand and snow) and 4LLc (locked, low range, for steep ground and crawling). You can shift between 2H and 4H on the move; low range needs a stop. The 2WD Delicas are rear-wheel drive with leaf springs on the 10-seat G Long, a 66-liter tank and less ground clearance, and they were mostly bought as people-movers in Japan. Transmissions on 4WD cars are a column-shift 4-speed automatic (the adaptive INVECS-II from June 1997), with a 5-speed manual available on the diesel until June 1998.
Versions you'll see
XG and XR: the base and mid grades; the XR often came with the Twin Sunroof on the Aero Roof.
Exceed and Super Exceed: the upper grades, the Super Exceed with the Crystal Lite Roof (a High Roof with large glass panels).
Chamonix: named after the French Alpine resort, sold as a winter-themed special edition from October 1995 and then as a regular catalog grade from June 1999, when it replaced the Exceed and XR. Aero Roof or High Roof, seven or eight seats, V6 or diesel.
Jasper (1995–1998): the outdoor-themed special named after Jasper National Park in the Canadian Rockies; Greenfield (1995) and Venus (1999) were further specials.
Aero (2WD from 1998, 4WD from 1999): a body-kit version. XE (from June 1999): the budget "5-door" with sliding doors on both sides, which became standard across the range that month.
Long body: a 5,085 mm (200 in), seven-seat version on a 3,000 mm wheelbase that sold in small numbers.
Any Delica that's in Houston can be inspected and test driven at our lot.
Questions buyers ask
Can I title and register a Delica in Texas? Yes. Imported vehicles 25 years or older are titled with their import paperwork, a law enforcement VIN inspection (Form VTR-68-A) and Form 130-U at your county tax office. Our Texas title and registration guide walks through the steps, and your county office can confirm what it needs. Other states have their own rules, so check with yours before you buy.
Is it the same as a Montero underneath? Largely. The Space Gear shares its engines, transmissions and Super Select transfer case with the second-generation Pajero, the U.S. Montero, so driveline parts cross over. The body, interior and glass are unique to the van, and the diesels were never U.S. engines.
What fuel does it use, and what mileage should I expect? Regular unleaded for the V6 and 2.4; diesel for the 2.8 and 2.5. Mitsubishi's Japanese test-cycle figures were about 7.7 km/L (18 mpg) for the V6 automatic and 8.2 km/L (19 mpg) for the 2.8 diesel automatic, and real-world driving will be lower. A 4WD Space Gear weighs 1,970–2,030 kg (4,340–4,480 lb).
Will it keep up on the highway? Yes. The 185 PS V6 with the overdrive automatic cruises at U.S. highway speeds, and Mitsubishi credited the 4H full-time mode with the van's on-road stability. It's a tall van, so expect crosswind sensitivity like any high-roof vehicle.
Will it fit in my garage? Check the door height. A High Roof is 2,060 mm (6 ft 9 in) tall, an Aero Roof 1,965 mm (6 ft 5 in). Length is 4,685 mm (184 in) on the standard body, and width 1,695 mm (67 in), narrower than a U.S. minivan.
Is the odometer in miles? No. Japanese vehicles read in kilometers, and our listings show the odometer in km. 1 km is about 0.62 miles.
Is it right-hand drive? Yes, like every Japanese-market vehicle.
Can I buy one that's still on its way from Japan? Yes. Reserve an In Transit Delica with a $1,000 deposit. See how buying works.
Written by Farhad Musazada, Skyline Kei Trucks. Published October 19, 2026.
