Daihatsu Mira e:S Partial Upgrade Adds New Engine, Smart Assist Safety Tech
Daihatsu's upgraded Mira e:S mini car goes on sale nationwide Aug. 27 with a new engine that improves fuel economy by up to 8% and adds preventive safety features.
- approximately 8%
- approximately 5%
- 60 km/h to 80 km/h
- 2011
What Happened
The Mira e:S, launched in 2011, pioneered a new 'third eco-car' category in the mini vehicle market with a focus on excellent fuel economy, affordability, and resource efficiency. It remains Daihatsu's most basic mini passenger car and is widely used for everyday transportation as well as business use. With this partial upgrade, the car gets a newly developed engine and ECU, increasing maximum output and torque while improving fuel economy by approximately 8% for 2WD models and approximately 5% for 4WD models compared with the previous model.
Mira e:S launches, creating a new 'third eco-car' category in the mini vehicle market.
Partially upgraded Mira e:S goes on sale nationwide in Japan.
- Roadside Departure Warning and Sway Warning are newly added.
- Collision Warning and Collision-Avoidance Braking improve: detection of bicycles crossing the vehicle's path, of oncoming vehicles when turning right at intersections, and of crossing pedestrians when
- Maximum operating-speed condition for pedestrian detection increases from 60 km/h to 80 km/h, and nighttime pedestrian detection is added.
- Erroneous Start Suppression with Brake Control now includes brake control for both front and rear.
The grade lineup has been streamlined and simplified, and a new X 'Limited' grade adds push-button start, seat heaters, a driver's seat lifter, tilt steering, automatic air conditioning, a key-free system with immobilizer and request switches, and automatic retractable mirrors. Two new colors — Ceramic Green Metallic and Grace Brown Crystal Mica — join the range. A Smart Drive Recorder Upgrade Package that uses the Smart Assist stereo camera to record driving footage is available as a manufacturer option on all grades; using it also requires installation of a genuine drive recorder (dealer option) sold separately.
Why this matters
The Mira e:S is Daihatsu's most basic mini passenger car, used for daily transportation and business. A modest partial upgrade now makes the car more efficient and safer: fuel economy rises by roughly 8% on 2WD models while Smart Assist adds features like bicycle detection and a higher-speed pedestrian warning. Buyers get a more capable, budget-friendly small car, and the new X 'Limited' grade adds comfort equipment.
Terms in This Story
- ECU
- Electronic Control Unit — a computer in a vehicle that controls engine and other systems.
- Smart Assist
- Daihatsu's suite of driver-assistance and preventive safety technologies.
- WLTC
- Worldwide harmonized Light vehicles Test Cycle — an international driving cycle used to measure fuel economy and emissions.
- Mini vehicle
- A Japanese category of small, low-power passenger cars, often called kei cars, with special tax and insurance treatment.
Summarised from the linked release; details can be imperfect — always verify against the original source.