Daihatsu MAX

Daihatsu MAX: generations: what actually changed when you buy later

Both windows use Mini 5-doors. Restyling is not a second generation; it is the same 1 generation after 2003-08-01.

Both windows use Mini 5-doors. Restyling is not a second generation; it is the same 1 generation after 2003-08-01.

1 generation (2001-10-01–2003-07-31), 8 versions. Front brakes are labelled Disc; rear brakes are Drum. Independent, spring suspension front and rear. Turbo cars are both 0.7 AT 64 hp, both Inline 4, both Turbo, both fuel 95, both with a measured gross weight. There is no Turbo Manual in this window.

1 generation, restyling (2003-08-01–2005-11-30), 9 versions. Front brakes become Ventilated disc on every listed car; rear stays Drum. Turbo fuel is 92, not 95. A new combination appears: 0.7 MT 64 hp AWD with Turbo, Inline 3, 107 Nm. The restyling also keeps the naturally aspirated 58 hp trio (Manual, Automatic, Variable) in both FWD and AWD.

What the later window buys in the numbers: ventilated front discs instead of Disc; Turbo that runs on 92 instead of 95; one extra version (9 versus 8); ground clearance on the Turbo AWD 0.7 AT 64 hp rises from 140 mm (1 generation) to 150 mm (restyling) at the same 920 kg kerb weight.

Engine specs: 58 hp naturally aspirated versus 64 hp Turbo

Displacement is 659 cm³ on every Daihatsu MAX here. Specific output is therefore 88.0 hp per litre at 58 hp and 97.1 hp per litre at 64 hp (+9.1 hp/L, +10.3%).

Compression: 10.5 on every 58 hp car (bore × stroke 68 × 60.5). Turbo 4-cylinder cars use 8.2 and 61 × 56.4. Turbo 3-cylinder restyling 0.7 MT 64 hp AWD uses 8.5 and 68 × 60.5. Engine location is Front, transverse except the 1 generation 0.7 AT 64 hp FWD, where it is not measured.

Do not mix this MAX with Gran Max or Fellow Max search results: this catalogue line is Mini 5-doors, 659 cm³, 58–64 hp.

Weight per horsepower: what AWD and Automatic actually cost in mass

Arithmetic on kerb weight and power (kg per hp, lower is lighter per unit of output):

• 0.7 MT 58 hp FWD (both windows): 800 / 58 = 13.79 kg/hp. Lightest kerb in the whole model. Clearance 160 mm — the highest figure in the data.
• 0.7 CVT 58 hp FWD: 820 / 58 = 14.14 kg/hp. Variable gearbox adds 20 kg versus the FWD Manual at the same 160 mm clearance.
• 0.7 AT 58 hp FWD: 830 / 58 = 14.31 kg/hp. Automatic 4 adds 30 kg versus FWD Manual and drops clearance to 140 mm (−20 mm).
• 0.7 MT 58 hp AWD and 0.7 CVT 58 hp AWD: 860 / 58 = 14.83 kg/hp. AWD on Manual or Variable is +60 kg versus FWD Manual; clearance 150 mm.
• 0.7 AT 58 hp AWD: 870 / 58 = 15.00 kg/hp. Heaviest ratio among 58 hp cars. AWD Automatic is +70 kg versus FWD Manual and sits at 140 mm.
• 0.7 AT 64 hp FWD (both windows, 870 kg): 870 / 64 = 13.59 kg/hp. Best power-to-weight in the catalogue. Versus FWD Manual 58 hp you pay +70 kg for +6 hp and +36 Nm (1 generation: 107 Nm) or +36 Nm at a lower 3200 rpm (restyling: 100 Nm).
• 0.7 MT 64 hp AWD restyling: 890 / 64 = 13.91 kg/hp. Only Turbo Manual. Versus AWD Manual 58 hp: +30 kg, +6 hp, +43 Nm (107 versus 64).
• 0.7 AT 64 hp AWD (920 kg both windows): 920 / 64 = 14.38 kg/hp. Heaviest kerb. Versus FWD Manual 58 hp: +120 kg for +6 hp.

AWD versus FWD at the same 58 hp Automatic: 870 − 830 = +40 kg, clearance stays 140 mm. AWD versus FWD at Turbo Automatic: 920 − 870 = +50 kg.

Gross weight is not measured except on two 1 generation Turbo cars: 0.7 AT 64 hp AWD 1140 kg (payload 1140 − 920 = 220 kg) and 0.7 AT 64 hp FWD 1090 kg (payload 1090 − 870 = 220 kg). Same payload; the AWD car simply starts 50 kg heavier.

Performance and mpg: almost everything is not measured

City, highway, and combined consumption: not measured on all 17 versions. CO2: not measured. Eco class: not measured. Wheel size: not measured.

0–100 km/h and top speed: not measured except 1 generation 0.7 AT 64 hp AWD — 18 s and 140 km/h. That is also the only version with both a measured sprint and AWD Turbo. You cannot rank the rest on acceleration from this dataset.

Torque is the usable differentiator when times are missing. Naturally aspirated engines make 64 Nm at 4000 rpm. Turbo 4-cylinder restyling 0.7 AT 64 hp (FWD and AWD) makes 100 Nm at 3200 rpm — +36 Nm and 800 rpm earlier. 1 generation 0.7 AT 64 hp AWD makes 100 Nm at 3600 rpm. The two 107 Nm cars are 1 generation 0.7 AT 64 hp FWD (107 Nm at 3600, 64 hp at 6400) and restyling 0.7 MT 64 hp AWD (107 Nm at 3600, 64 hp at 6400, Inline 3). Peak torque on those two is +43 Nm versus any 58 hp MAX (+67%).

Dimensions, clearance, tank

Tank is 37 litres on every version. Ground clearance is the chassis choice that does not follow drive in a single line:

• 160 mm: FWD Manual and FWD Variable, 58 hp, both windows.
• 150 mm: AWD Manual and AWD Variable 58 hp (both windows); restyling Turbo 0.7 MT 64 hp AWD; restyling Turbo 0.7 AT 64 hp AWD.
• 140 mm: every 58 hp Automatic (FWD and AWD, both windows); both 1 generation Turbo Automatics; restyling Turbo 0.7 AT 64 hp FWD.

Choosing Automatic 58 hp costs 20 mm versus FWD Manual/Variable. Choosing AWD Turbo Automatic in restyling keeps 150 mm; the same name in 1 generation sits at 140 mm.

Which version to choose

Lightest daily FWD, highest clearance: 0.7 MT 58 hp FWD in either window (800 kg, 160 mm, Manual 5, 58 hp, 64 Nm, fuel 92). Restyling adds Ventilated disc fronts versus Disc. Same recipe with a Variable gearbox: 0.7 CVT 58 hp FWD (820 kg, still 160 mm).

Automatic without Turbo: 0.7 AT 58 hp FWD (830 kg, 140 mm). AWD twin: 0.7 AT 58 hp AWD (870 kg, 140 mm). The Automatic is the 58 hp car with the worst kg/hp (14.31 FWD, 15.00 AWD) and the lowest clearance in the NA group.

AWD without Turbo: 0.7 MT 58 hp AWD or 0.7 CVT 58 hp AWD (860 kg, 150 mm). Versus FWD Manual you add 60 kg and lose 10 mm of the 160 mm FWD figure.

Best kg/hp and the only 107 Nm Automatic: 1 generation 0.7 AT 64 hp FWD — 13.59 kg/hp, 107 Nm, fuel 95, gross 1090 kg, engine location not measured. Restyling counterpart 0.7 AT 64 hp FWD is the same 870 kg and 13.59 kg/hp but 100 Nm at 3200 rpm, fuel 92, Front, transverse, no gross weight measured.

Only Turbo Manual, highest Turbo torque with AWD: restyling 0.7 MT 64 hp AWD — 64 hp, 107 Nm, Inline 3, Turbo, 890 kg, 150 mm, fuel 92. This combination does not exist in 1 generation.

Only version with a measured 0–100 and top speed: 1 generation 0.7 AT 64 hp AWD — 18 s, 140 km/h, 64 hp at 6000, 100 Nm at 3600, 920 kg, 140 mm, fuel 95, gross 1140 kg. Restyling 0.7 AT 64 hp AWD matches 64 hp / 100 Nm / 920 kg / Automatic 4 / AWD / Inline 4 / Turbo but uses fuel 92, 150 mm clearance, 100 Nm at 3200 rpm, and 0–100 / top speed / gross are not measured.

Fuel 92 versus 95: every 58 hp car and every restyling Turbo uses 92. Only the two 1 generation Turbo 0.7 AT 64 hp cars specify 95.

Reliability and problems: not measured in this dataset. There is no fault list, oil capacity, or overheating record here to rank versions.

If the question is one car: take restyling 0.7 MT 58 hp FWD when you want minimum mass and 160 mm; take restyling 0.7 MT 64 hp AWD when you want the Turbo torque step (+43 Nm) with a Manual 5 and 150 mm; take 1 generation 0.7 AT 64 hp AWD only when you need the one measured 18 s / 140 km/h figure and accept 95 fuel, 920 kg, and 140 mm.