Daihatsu Tanto


Debut: 2019
Maker: Daihatsu
Predecessor:
Tanto (2013)


 Published on 11 Oct 2021
All rights reserved. 


DNGA architecture gives Tanto a new lease of life.


Super-tall K-cars have become the mainstream of Japanese mini car market for some years. Daihatsu pioneered the idea in 2003 with the first generation Tanto. Somehow, it was Honda N-Box that made this kind popular. Although the last generation Tanto chased closely, it failed to overtake the Honda in sales chart. It had many innovative features, such as twin-sliding rear doors, B-pillarless structure and a sliding front passenger seat that allowed the driver to get on board at the kerb side, but the mechanical package was quite outdated, which hampered its driving dynamics.

The new generation Tanto tries harder than ever to break the domination of Honda. It has adopted an all-new chassis, new engine and new transmission as well as added the latest adaptive cruise control, collision prevention system and semi-automatic parking features. It is built on the new modular platform called DNGA (Daihatsu New Global Architecture, similar in concept but unrelated to Toyota’s TNGA), which will form the basis for all the K-cars, A and B-segment small cars produced by Daihatsu, including those designed for developing countries and those to be rebadged as Toyota. With a projected annual volume of 2.5 million units and a parts sharing rate of 75-80 percent, production costs and development time will be slashed considerably.



Interior design lacks imagination.


The new chassis utilizes high-strength steel to cut 40kg while lifting rigidity by 30 percent. Center of gravity is lowered by 15mm, which helps handling. The long-serving 3-cylinder engines have finally been replaced with all-new units, which keep bore, stroke and bore spacing dimensions but everything else is claimed to be new. It features multi-spark ignition which cleans up emission. Sadly, power and torque figures of the normally aspirated engine remain unchanged, which is still lower than its Honda and Suzuki counterparts. Turbo is better, as larger turbo and intercooler lift peak torque from 68 to 74 lbft. The turbo motor is also given a new dual-mode CVT, which combines a conventional belt-type CVT (for low speed use) and a planetary gearset (for higher speeds), increasing its ratio spread from 5.3 to 7.3 to enhance fuel economy.

On the road, the driving dynamics is much improved. Faster (in case of turbo), more linear acceleration (in case of D-CVT), higher refinement at cruising, less body roll, heavier steering, sharper braking response… the result is night and day difference from the old car. Having said that, it is still an extremely tall K-car, not something you can push hard in corner. It lacks power to do so, too.



Automatic sliding door, lack of B-pillar and sliding seats, no other cabins could be as easy to access.


However, the greatest assets remain to be cabin space and features. The super-high roof allows children to stand straight in the cabin. The dual-sliding doors and B-pillarless structure at the kerb side allow easy entry and exit, especially as the floor is now 16mm lower. The power sliding door can now sense your smartkey and slide open when you approach, then close automatically when you leave, very convenient if you are carrying children or bulky luggage. The driver seat and front passenger seat can slide longitudinally for 540mm and 380mm, respectively, so getting from the roadside straight to the driver seat becomes even easier. The rear seat is an improvement, too. Now it can split and slide for 240mm to alter luggage space, and it takes one instead of two actions to drop onto the floor and fold flat. As before, by detaching the front seat headrests and reclining all seats, the cabin can be converted into a double bed. All these features make the Tanto extremely practical for families with small children.

Plastics in K-car cabins are usually cheap. The Tanto is no exception. Its dashboard architecture places function above style, low cost against character. While the air vent bezels look like customizable, they are actually part of the dashboard molding. While the high-mounted digital instrument keeps your vision close to the road ahead, it leaves a large piece of shinny plastic at where used to be placing instrument pod. Some more imagination won't go amiss.
Verdict: 
Specifications





Year
Layout
Chassis
Body
Length / width / height
Wheelbase
Engine
Capacity
Valve gears
Induction
Other engine features
Max power
Max torque
Transmission
Suspension layout
Suspension features
Tires
Kerb weight
Top speed
0-60 mph (sec)
0-100 mph (sec)
Tanto
2019
Front-engined, FWD
Steel monocoque
Mainly steel
3395 / 1475 / 1755 mm
2460 mm
Inline-3
658 cc
DOHC 12 valves, DVVT
-
-
52 hp
44 lbft
CVT
F: strut; R: torsion-beam
-
155/65SR14
900 kg
-
-
-
Tanto Custom RS
2019
Front-engined, FWD
Steel monocoque
Mainly steel
3395 / 1475 / 1755 mm
2460 mm
Inline-3
658 cc
DOHC 12 valves, DVVT
Turbo
-
64 hp
74 lbft
Dual-mode CVT
F: strut; R: torsion-beam
-
165/55VR15
920 kg
-
-
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