[4] The Sumo shared many characteristics with the Sambar, except it had extended front and rear bumpers and a larger engine borrowed from the Subaru Justy.

The Sambar from which the Domingo was derived was developed around a two-cylinder engine; the longer three-cylinder unit requires additional space and actually projects into the rear bumper, which has to be removed for even basic servicing.

Somewhat unusual for a microvan, the 1,200 cc Sumo could be ordered with selectable 4WD, operated via a gear stick mounted button.

Thanks to fuel injection, a catalytic converter was added to the 1.2-liter engine (the only option) while power inched up to 54 PS (40 kW; 53 hp).

In Japanese specifications, claimed power was 61 PS JIS (45 kW; 60 hp) at 5,600 rpm[2] In 1994, Subaru's Full Time 4WD (S-AWD) with viscous coupling was added to the options list, only available together with the ECVT transmission.