Subaru Chiffon, a tall Kei car series that came out
in 2016, has been upgraded to the second generation. Apparently, Subaru thinks
three years on the market is a sufficiently long term to warrant a major
update.
On the outside, the 2019 Chiffon is completely
identical to the Daihatsu Tanto, except for logos and badges. It comes based on
the DNGA platform, which is a revised version of Toyota’s TNGA. The wheelbase
now amounts to 2,460 mm , which is 5 mm longer than
before, but the rest of the dimensions stay the same.
Powering the series is a naturally aspirated engine
rated at 52 hp, but you may pay extra for a turbocharged variant with
64 hp and 100 Nm of torque. The D-CVT transmission is new,
and you choose between FWD and AWD.
Despite the design similarities between the Tanto
and the Chiffon, the latter boasts a better feature list. There are more paint
schemes to select your favorite from, lane control and automatic high beam are
standard for all trims, and you can opt for the Smart Assist Plus package that
includes advanced cruise control, traffic sign recognition, and automatic
parking. Of course, the second-gen Subaru Chiffon gets to keep its original sliding
door design (when open, the doorframe amounts to an impressive 1.5 meters).
Sales begin on July 25, with the standard trim
priced at US$ 12,000 and the top trim at US$ 18,000.
