Toyota’s
New Pixis Mega
//Daihatsu
Wake’s brother
There’s
something fascinating about kei cars, don’t you think? Just check out the
Toyota Pixis Mega, a new model that looks just like a toy car.
The
Mega is the latest member of the Pixis family supplied by Daihatsu under an OEM
agreement, following the Pixis Space, Van/Truck and Epoch.
You
may not believe it looking at the photos, but the Pixis Mega can seat four
adults “comfortably” - provided that they don’t exceed the average height of
Japanese males of 170 cm (5 ft 7 in) by too much.
Coincidentally,
that’s the exact height of the lateral doors, which feature a one-touch
electric sliding mechanism for rear passengers, improving access to the cabin.
Cabin
height is a class-leading 1,455mm (57.3in), of a total vehicle height of
1,835mm (72.2in). Despite being much taller than wide, Toyota says the Pixis
Mega offers stable handling, thanks to overhauled suspension and body
structure.
Because
it’s so tall, the Pixis Mega offers visibility similar to a minivan, with the
eye-point set at 1,387mm (54.6in). Driver visibility is also enhanced by an
extra passenger-side mirror (located below the side mirror), which offers a
view of left-hand side of the vehicle. Mirrors have also been placed in the
upper interior sections of the rear doors, improving visibility behind the
vehicle.
Toyota
says the new kei car also offers “substantial storage space.” There’s a
dedicated storage space beneath the trunk floor with a capacity of
approximately 90 liters (reduced to 16 liters on 4WD models). This extends the
total trunk height to a maximum of 1,485mm (58.4in), which means large objects
can be loaded upright without folding down the rear seats.
As
all kei cars, the Toyota Pixis Mega is powered by a 0.66-liter petrol engine,
offered in two versions: naturally aspirated with 52PS (51hp) or turbocharged
with 64PS (63hp). Prices for base two-wheel drive models, which average as
little as 25.4 km/L (3.9 l/100 km or 59.7 mpg US), start from 1,350,000 yen ($10,930).
Here’s
his brother
