Daihatsu Charmant

Charmant specs at a glance: what actually differs

Across all nine versions the chassis recipe does not change: Inline 4, boost No, front suspension Independent, spring, rear Dependent, leaf spring, front brakes Disc, rear Drum, drive RWD, clearance 170 mm. That means a “better generation” argument does not apply. The buyer question is: do you take the 1.3 MT, or which of the eight 1.6 pairings.

Across all nine versions the chassis recipe does not change: Inline 4, boost No, front suspension Independent, spring, rear Dependent, leaf spring, front brakes Disc, rear Drum, drive RWD, clearance 170 mm. That means a “better generation” argument does not apply. The buyer question is: do you take the 1.3 MT, or which of the eight 1.6 pairings.

Power per litre (hp ÷ displacement in litres) from the given figures:

The 1.3 MT is not the weakest specific engine: 50.4 hp/L beats the 75 hp 1.6s (47.2 hp/L) and the 78 hp 1.6s (49.1 hp/L). Absolute power still favours every 1.6: +10 hp from 65 to 75 (+15.4%) for +298 cm³ (+23.1%). The 1.6 therefore buys displacement more than it buys specific output, until you reach the 82 and 83 hp tunes.

Generations: there is only one, so “which generation” is settled

1 generation ran 1981-01-01 to 1987-12-31, body Sedan, 9 modifications. All nine share those dates. You are not choosing between Charmant generations; you are choosing a tune and a gearbox inside the same sedan.

Engines and specs: nine versions, four power steps, three gearbox types

Use the names exactly as in the catalogue. Two (actually four) versions share 1.6 MT and four share 1.6 AT — distinguish them by horsepower.

1.3 MT (65 hp / 48 kW at 5500 rpm): 1290 cm³ Gasoline, Inline 4, boost No, Manual 4, RWD. Torque not measured. The only 1.3 and the only engine whose peak is quoted at 5500 rpm rather than 5600.

1.6 MT (75 hp / 55 kW): 1588 cm³ Gasoline, Inline 4, boost No, Manual 4, RWD. Peak rpm not measured. +10 hp versus 1.3 MT, same 4-speed Manual count.

1.6 AT (75 hp / 55 kW): same engine figures as the 75 hp 1.6 MT, but Automatic 3. Rpm not measured. This is the lowest-power automatic.

1.6 MT (78 hp / 57 kW): 1588 cm³, Manual 4, RWD. +3 hp versus the 75 hp 1.6 MT (+4.0%), still four gears. Rpm not measured.

1.6 AT (78 hp / 57 kW): same 78 / 57 as that manual, Automatic 3. Rpm not measured.

1.6 MT (82 hp / 60 kW at 5600 rpm): 1588 cm³, Manual 5, RWD. This is the first 5-speed in the set: +7 hp versus 75 hp (+9.3%), +4 hp versus 78 hp (+5.1%), and +1 extra gear versus every other Charmant Manual.

1.6 AT (82 hp / 60 kW at 5600 rpm): same 82 / 60 at 5600, Automatic 3. You get the stronger 1.6 without the fifth gear.

1.6 MT (83 hp / 61 kW at 5600 rpm): 1588 cm³, Manual 5, RWD. Peak is +1 hp versus the 82 hp 1.6 MT (+1.2%), same 5 gears, same 5600 rpm.

1.6 AT (83 hp / 61 kW at 5600 rpm): same 83 / 61 at 5600, Automatic 3. The strongest automatic on paper, +1 hp over the 82 hp 1.6 AT.

Full comparison table (Nm is not measured for every row):

Performance and economy: 0–100, top speed, mpg — not measured

For every Charmant version, 0–100, maximum speed, city / highway / combined consumption, tank volume, and CO₂ are not measured. Eco class is not measured. You cannot rank these nine by claimed sprint or by mpg. The only performance-adjacent numbers you have are power, displacement, gear count, and (where given) the rpm of peak power.

What you can say from arithmetic:

• Floor to ceiling power: 65 hp (1.3 MT) to 83 hp (1.6 MT / 1.6 AT 83 hp) is +18 hp, +27.7%.
• Mid-pack 1.6 (75 hp) to top 1.6 (83 hp) is +8 hp, +10.7%.
• 78 hp to 83 hp is +5 hp, +6.4%.
• 82 hp to 83 hp is +1 hp, +1.2% — the smallest step in the catalogue.
• kW tracks the same steps: 48 → 55 → 57 → 60 → 61.
• Peak rpm, where measured, moves only 100 rpm: 5500 on 1.3 MT, 5600 on the 82 and 83 hp 1.6s. For 75 and 78 hp, rpm is not measured, so you cannot claim they peak lower or higher.

Weight per horsepower cannot be calculated: kerb mass is not measured on all nine.

Dimensions and weight: clearance is known, the rest is not measured

Ground clearance is 170 mm on 1.3 MT, on every 1.6 MT, and on every 1.6 AT. That figure does not help you pick a version.

Kerb weight: not measured. Gross weight: not measured. Fuel tank: not measured. Wheel sizes: not measured. You cannot choose a Charmant by payload, range, or tyre package from this data. Suspension and brakes also do not split the range: Independent, spring front, Dependent, leaf spring rear, Disc front, Drum rear on all nine.

Which version to choose: what the extra power and extra gears buy

Default pick if you want the most of what is measured: 1.6 MT 83 hp. It is the joint peak at 83 hp / 61 kW at 5600 rpm, 1588 cm³, and the only pairing of that peak with Manual 5. Versus 1.3 MT that is +18 hp and +1 gear. Versus the 75 hp 1.6 MT it is +8 hp and +1 gear. Versus the 78 hp 1.6 MT it is +5 hp and +1 gear. Versus the 82 hp 1.6 MT it is +1 hp and the same 5 speeds — so if those two sit at the same price in the real world, the 83 hp 1.6 MT wins on the only remaining number; if the 82 hp 1.6 MT is clearly cheaper, 1 hp is a 1.2% gap and is not a strong reason to stretch.

Almost the same car: 1.6 MT 82 hp. Same 5-speed Manual, same 1588 cm³, same 5600 rpm, 82 hp / 60 kW. Treat 82 and 83 hp manuals as one buyer class unless condition or price splits them.

If you will not shift: 1.6 AT 83 hp, then 1.6 AT 82 hp. Both are Automatic 3, RWD, 1588 cm³. 83 versus 82 is again +1 hp. 83 versus 78 hp 1.6 AT is +5 hp; versus 75 hp 1.6 AT is +8 hp. No Charmant automatic has more than 3 gears in this data, so you are not buying a “later” auto with extra ratios — only more horsepower on the same 3-speed Automatic**.

Skip unless you specifically want four gears and a milder 1.6: 1.6 MT 75 hp and 1.6 MT 78 hp. Both are Manual 4, like the 1.3 MT. The 75 hp 1.6 is +10 hp over the 1.3 but −3.2 hp/L on specific output (47.2 vs 50.4). The 78 hp 1.6 closes that: 49.1 hp/L, still 1.3 hp/L below the 1.3, with +13 hp absolute. Neither 4-speed 1.6 has a measured peak rpm. If a 5-speed 1.6 MT (82 or 83 hp) is available, the extra gear is the only gearbox upgrade in the whole model line; the 75/78 manuals do not offer it.

Same logic on the automatics: 1.6 AT 75 hp and 1.6 AT 78 hp are the same 3-speed Automatic as the 82/83 autos, with 8 or 5 fewer horsepower. There is no economy figure to argue they “save fuel.” Unless price or condition is dramatically better, the 82 or 83 hp 1.6 AT is the automatic that matches the top of the measured power range.

When the 1.3 MT is the rational buy. It is the smallest engine (1290 cm³), lowest power (65 hp / 48 kW), Manual 4, RWD. It is also the most specific of the weaker tunes (50.4 hp/L), and the only version that is not a 1.6. Choose it when you want the smallest Charmant engine on paper, not when you want the strongest sedan. It does not lose on clearance (170 mm), drive (RWD), boost (No), or brakes/suspension labels — those are shared. It loses 18 hp to the top 1.6s and one gear to the 5-speed 1.6 MT versions.

Decision shortcuts (still only the given numbers)

• Strongest Manual: 1.6 MT 83 hp, then 1.6 MT 82 hp (tie on gears, −1 hp).
• Strongest Automatic: 1.6 AT 83 hp, then 1.6 AT 82 hp.
• Only 5-speed cars: 1.6 MT 82 hp and 1.6 MT 83 hp. No Automatic has 5 gears.
• Only 1.3: 1.3 MT.
• Same chassis story on all: Sedan, RWD, 170 mm, Disc / Drum, Independent, spring / Dependent, leaf spring.
• Do not pick by 0–100, top speed, mpg, tank, wheels, or weight: all not measured.
• Do not pick by generation: 1 generation, 1981–1987, 9 versions.

There is no price in this dataset, so “what the extra money buys” can only mean what the extra horsepower and extra gear buy: from 1.3 MT to a 5-speed 1.6 MT you gain 17–18 hp and one ratio; from a 4-speed 1.6 MT (75 or 78 hp) to a 5-speed 1.6 MT (82 or 83 hp) you gain 4–8 hp plus the fifth gear; from 82 to 83 you gain 1 hp and nothing else that was measured.