Santa Rosa Filbert
Car of the Day #297: 2025 Santa Rosa Filbert – ’Bert and yearning
One of my biggest self-criticisms, here, is that I rarely talk about newer weird cars.
This leaves discussion to other websites with a certain type of look, a certain type of headline, and a certain type of relationship with its readers.
Here, at my humble weird car specialty site, should I not be doing more to shine a light on the very real weird cars you’re able to BUY NOW as a 2025?
(Lest nobody ever hear about them, and Santa Rosa dies like many of the cars I write about.)
What are the odds here?
Better than Canoo amirite?
2025 Santa Rosa Filbert set up at a camp. • santarosa.jp
Enter Japan’s Santa Rosa van conversions. All the cutesy looks of popular retro-look body kits and down-to-tatami humbleness that makes Japanese van life so compelling, now with an entire range of models and options.
Here, the Filbert.
From smallest to largest, Santa Rosa offers the Honda N-Van -based Malibu, Denali, and Alamo; the Suzuki Every-based Windsor; Toyota Town Ace -based Monologue, Filbert, and Filmore; and the lux Toyota Hiace-based Catalina, Sedona, and Sonoma.
At a base price of 2,140,000 Jpy (~$14,000 Usd. at current exchange rates) plus options for the 2WD, manual transmission, stripped-out van version to 2,668,000 Jpy (~$17,570), I thought the Filbert would be a refreshing look at what will qualify as a good but weird car in a decade or two.
I woudn’t be writing about Santa Rosa if it wasn’t for the combination of modern van, retro styling, and a compelling, old school approach to the many modifications possible for RVs and ‘lifestyle’ vans. • santarosa.jp
All Santa Rosa models have an extensive options list that seems to prioritize handcrafted solutions to style and function problems. You pay for the body kit and standard van, and many of the interior bits and social media-worthy upgrades are extra.
Really, if you’re planning on spending that much time in a commercial van…it’s likely money well spent.
The top-tier vans have a choice of wood flooring, and beautifully-staged marketing materials, OK? Need I say more?
Santa Rosa’s slogan: Life is want you make it.
Perfect, no notes.
A guy can dream, and so can you.
READ NEXT: Santa Rosa’s website, or (if you must) Instagram.
Note: Due to the high degree of customization, extensive specifications, and models based on standard production vehicles, I’m intentionally leaving this story a little light to force the more devoted among you to wade into Japanese-to-English translations of Santa Rosa’s ever-changing content.
Let us know how you get on!
