For the first time, Subaru, Toyota, and Daihatsu launched their 1LD-CAR compact minivans, serving as a replacement to the aging Toyota bB-Daihatsu Coo-Subaru Dex trio of compacts. With "living" and "driving" comes to their minds, these new compact minivans, sold exclusively to the Japanese market, fit not just for city gimmicks but for making the most of its recreational purposes.
 |
| 2017 Toyota Roomy |
 |
| 2017 Toyota Tank |
 |
| 2017 Daihatsu Thor |
 |
| 2017 Subaru Justy |
These 1LD-CARs had names. From Toyota, there's the Tank and the Roomy. From Daihatsu, there's the Thor (ahem, not what it seems). And from Subaru, there's the Justy. They recycled that model name from an old hatchback of the 80's. Although the badging is different on these models, these minivans features different kinds of styles suited for their tastes. While their styles look different, their sizing are in Suzuki Solio territory, making them well-fit for city driving and leisure trips.
 |
| 2017 Toyota Roomy interior |
 |
| 2017 Toyota Tank interior |
 |
| 2017 Daihatsu Thor interior |
 |
| 2017 Subaru Justy interior |
Inside, the Toyo-Baru-Hatsu compact minivans are just your basic five-seaters but despite its compact sizing, its tall height reminiscent of Daihatsu's Wake means even people in their Abraham Lincoln costume can fit themselves inside. The dashboard is like a reminiscent of the previous-generation Subaru Impreza, meaning there's that top screen to display the time and what's going right now and the middle is where the sat-nav rests before the driver fiddles with it. At the back, the 1LD-CARs are spacious for some grocery shopping and thrift shop stuff despite its sizing. Okay, it maybe good enough for your daily stuff but with the rear seats down, there's enough room for some recreational stuff. There are many ways to do with their seating arrangement and how you do it is up to you.
These compact minivans are powered with a 1.0L petrol engine, in naturally aspirated and turbo variants. The NA variant of the engine promises 24.6kmpl of fuel consumption based on JC08 Mode standards while the turbocharged variant produces a nippy 98PS of power and 140Nm of torque. It even comes with a Sport Mode switch for reasons we really don't understand how it works, even for a fact that they're mated with a CVT. Performance aside, the compact sizing allows these minivans to have a turning radius of 4.6m, which sounds slippy but nice to squeeze the tight stuff.
Emergency Stop Signal system, Lane Departure Warning, Pedestrian Detection, and many other safety tech are offered via the Smart Assist II on these minivans and they're optional extra.
If you can count the pricing and make the pricing count; Toyota's Tank and Roomy will set you around 1,463,400 Yen while the Daihatsu Thor starts at 1,463,400 Yen and the Subaru Justy starts at 1,528,200 Yen.
Photo: Toyota/Daihatsu/Subaru
