Mitsubishi Motors introduced the eK Wagon in 2001 to the Japanese market as their new bestseller minicar. The meaning of eK being “excellent K-car”, with the K-car referring to the kei-car segment in Japan. Limited exterior dimensions, power restrictions and an engine up to 660cc. Based on the eK Wagon, three other variants were released. Firstly a more sporty, turbocharged model called the eK Sports. In 2003 a more stylish version followed, called the eK Classy. An a more adventurous version called the eK Active was launched in 2004.
Based on the eK Wagon, the platform and body were carried over but a lot of effort was spent to make this version look more rugged. Mitsubishi actually marketed this car as a SUV (Sports Utility Vehicle). The front and rear bumper design was changed drastically and came in colors contrasting the chosen body color (similar to the second generation RVR Sportsgear).
- Black body color / silver bumpers
- White body color / silver bumpers
- Red body color / silver bumpers
- Orange body color / greenish gray bumpers
- Light Blue body color / greenish gray bumpers
- Light Green body color / greenish gray bumpers
- Light Yellow body color / blueish gray bumpers
- Silver body color / blueish gray bumpers
From December 2004, the greenish gray and blueish gray have been combined in a single color named medium gray.
Other changes on the exterior included new door garnish, changed headlights and rear lights, new wheel design and the addition of roof rails. As a dealer option, an aerodynamic designed roof carrier was available.
The interior has a two tone theme with blue accents for the door panels and seat fabrics. In order to give the SUV feeling high sitting position, the seat was raised 45 mm compared to the regular eK Wagon. This also helped getting in and out the vehicle more easy. Furthermore in the interior a new design meter was used and for the rear seats there was a middle armrest with cupholder for the VT grade.
The VT grade was the high grade always coming with turbo charged engine. The base grade was the V grade, which got a normally aspirated engine which was carried over from the regular eK Wagon and produced 50 horsepower, while the turbocharged engine was carried over from the eK Sports and gave a maximum output of 63 horsepower. Both engines could only be had with a 4-speed automatic transmission.
Matching the adventurous appearance, the eK Active could be had with four wheel drive. It was an option extra though, costing 119700 Yen. As standard the car came with front wheel drive. Mitsubishi also ensured 10 mm more ground clearance (155 mm ➡ 165 mm) than the eK Wagon to improve offroad driving. Special care was give to the suspension tuning during development of the vehicle. It was tuned such that the driving performance was similar to that of the more sporty eK Sports, yet the ride quality was on par with that of the eK Classy.
Manufacturing of the eK Wagon and its variants (which also included the Nissan Otti, a rebadged eK Wagon), was done in Okayama prefecture in the Mizushima factory. Sales target for the eK Active was around 3000 units per month. Production ended in August 2006 when the second generation of the eK Wagon was introduced. There was no direct successor for both the eK Active as well as the eK Classy.
Click on the picture below to see all eK Active versions per year and detailed specifications such as weight, new price and equipment for each version in the Goo-net.com catalog.
