Daihatsu Pyzar

Generations: what actually changed in 1998

Buy a restyled car if the 45 L tank matters. Buy the restyled 1.6 AT AWD specifically if you want the lightest AWD automatic in the line (1110 kg versus 1130 kg) and 150 mm clearance instead of 140 mm. Do not assume every restyle is “higher”: restyled 1.6 MT AWD sits at 140 mm, 10 mm lower than the 1996–1998 1.6 MT AWD.

1 generation (August 1996–June 1998) is a Compact Van with six versions: 1.5 AT, 1.5 MT, 1.6 MT (AWD, 1090 kg), 1.6 MT (FWD, 1040 kg), 1.6 AT (FWD, 1070 kg) and 1.6 AT (AWD, 1130 kg). Fuel tank: 40 L on all six.

1 generation, restyling (July 1998–August 2002) is the same Compact Van with the same six nameplates, not a second generation. Fuel tank: 45 L on all six — 5 L more, 12.5% larger. Engine outputs do not change: the 1498 cm³ unit stays 100 hp / 74 kW at 6400 rpm and 127 Nm at 3600 rpm; the 1589 cm³ unit stays 115 hp / 85 kW at 6300 rpm and 140 Nm at 3600 rpm. What does move is mass and ground clearance on the AWD cars.

Buy a restyled car if the 45 L tank matters. Buy the restyled 1.6 AT AWD specifically if you want the lightest AWD automatic in the line (1110 kg versus 1130 kg) and 150 mm clearance instead of 140 mm. Do not assume every restyle is “higher”: restyled 1.6 MT AWD sits at 140 mm, 10 mm lower than the 1996–1998 1.6 MT AWD.

Searches for Daihatsu Pyzar 1997 point at 1 generation; Daihatsu Pyzar 1998, 1999 and later sit in 1 generation, restyling (from 1 July 1998).

Engines and specs

Both engines are Gasoline, 4 Inline cylinders, 4 valves per cylinder, boost No, Front, transverse, Distributed injection (multi-point), compression 9.5, fuel 92.

Bore × stroke: 1.5 is 76 × 82.6 mm; 1.6 is 76 × 87.6 mm (same bore, +5.0 mm stroke, +91 cm³). Suspension on every version: Independent, spring front and rear. Brakes: Ventilated disc front, Drum rear. Wheel sizes: not measured.

1.5 versus 1.6: what 15 hp buys

The 1.6 is not a different fuel or layout. It is 91 cm³ more, 15 hp more (115 versus 100, +15%) and 13 Nm more (140 versus 127, +10.2%). Specific output: 100 hp / 1.498 L = 66.8 hp/L on the 1.5; 115 hp / 1.589 L = 72.4 hp/L on the 1.6. Peak power arrives 100 rpm earlier on the 1.6 (6300 versus 6400). Peak torque is at the same 3600 rpm on both.

Weight per horsepower (restyling, FWD manuals — the lightest pairing in each engine):

• 1.5 MT FWD: 1030 kg / 100 hp = 10.30 kg/hp
• 1.6 MT FWD: 1040 kg / 115 hp = 9.04 kg/hp

That is 1.26 kg/hp less on the 1.6, even though the 1.6 FWD manual is 10 kg heavier than the 1.5 FWD manual. The extra 10 kg is more than offset by the extra 15 hp.

Heaviest 1.6 versus lightest 1.5 (restyling): 1.6 AT AWD at 1110 kg is 80 kg above 1.5 MT at 1030 kg, but still 1110 / 115 = 9.65 kg/hp, better than 10.30 kg/hp on the 1.5. Even the heaviest car in the whole catalogue — 1996–1998 1.6 AT AWD at 1130 kg — is 1130 / 115 = 9.83 kg/hp, still below every 1.5.

Ground clearance is the 1.5’s remaining advantage: 155 mm on both 1.5 MT and 1.5 AT in both generations. Every 1.6 sits lower: 145 mm on FWD, 140 or 150 mm on AWD depending on gearbox and year. If you want the highest Compact Van in this table, the 1.5 is the answer; if you want the best kg/hp, the 1.6 FWD manual is the answer.

Manual versus Automatic: the mass you pay for four gears

Gearboxes are Manual 5 or Automatic 4. There is no 1.5 AWD and no 1.6 with a different ratio count.

Restyling mass of Automatic versus Manual on the same engine and drive:

• 1.5 AT 1040 kg versus 1.5 MT 1030 kg: +10 kg
• 1.6 AT FWD 1070 kg versus 1.6 MT FWD 1040 kg: +30 kg
• 1.6 AT AWD 1110 kg versus 1.6 MT AWD 1100 kg: +10 kg

Pre-restyle: 1.5 AT still +10 kg over 1.5 MT; 1.6 AT FWD still +30 kg over 1.6 MT FWD; 1.6 AT AWD 1130 kg versus 1.6 MT AWD 1090 kg: +40 kg.

Kg/hp on restyled FWD cars: 1.6 MT 9.04; 1.6 AT 1070/115 = 9.30; 1.5 MT 10.30; 1.5 AT 10.40. The Automatic costs 0.26 kg/hp on the 1.6 FWD and 0.10 kg/hp on the 1.5. Consumption is not measured, so the Automatic cannot be scored on mpg here.

FWD versus AWD: kilograms and millimetres

AWD exists only on the 1.6. FWD exists on both engines.

Restyling AWD penalty:

• 1.6 MT AWD 1100 kg versus 1.6 MT FWD 1040 kg: +60 kg
• 1.6 AT AWD 1110 kg versus 1.6 AT FWD 1070 kg: +40 kg

Pre-restyle AWD penalty:

• 1.6 MT AWD 1090 versus FWD 1040: +50 kg
• 1.6 AT AWD 1130 versus FWD 1070: +60 kg

So the restyle made the AWD automatic 20 kg lighter and the AWD manual 10 kg heavier than their 1996–1998 twins.

Clearance on AWD is not one number. Restyled 1.6 AT AWD: 150 mm. Restyled 1.6 MT AWD: 140 mm — the lowest in the restyle table, 15 mm below the 1.5. Pre-restyle it is the other way around: 1.6 MT AWD 150 mm, 1.6 AT AWD 140 mm. If AWD is the reason to buy, match gearbox to generation: Automatic after July 1998 (150 mm, 1110 kg) or Manual before June 1998 (150 mm, 1090 kg).

Kg/hp restyled AWD: 1.6 MT 1100/115 = 9.57; 1.6 AT 1110/115 = 9.65. Both still beat every 1.5.

Performance, economy, mpg

0–100 km/h: not measured on all 12 versions. Top speed: not measured. City, highway and mixed consumption: not measured. CO2: not measured. Eco class: not measured.

A Daihatsu Pyzar review that quotes acceleration or mpg is using a source this catalogue does not have. The only performance proxy in the data is kg/hp, which ranks restyled cars as: 1.6 MT FWD 9.04 → 1.6 AT FWD 9.30 → 1.6 MT AWD 9.57 → 1.6 AT AWD 9.65 → 1.5 MT 10.30 → 1.5 AT 10.40. Pre-restyle 1.6 AT AWD is last among 1.6s at 9.83 kg/hp.

Dimensions and weight

Kerb weight range for the model: 1030 kg (both generations’ 1.5 MT) to 1130 kg (1996–1998 1.6 AT AWD). Spread: 100 kg. Gross weight: not measured on any version. Ground clearance: 140–155 mm. Tank: 40 L then 45 L. Wheels: not measured.

Lightest car: 1.5 MT, 1030 kg, 155 mm, FWD. Heaviest useful restyle: 1.6 AT AWD, 1110 kg. Heaviest in the whole run: pre-restyle 1.6 AT AWD, 1130 kg.

Problems, reliability, parts, price

Problems, reliability, parts life, Daihatsu Pyzar aero custom equipment, Daihatsu Pyzar for sale, Daihatsu Pyzar price in Sri Lanka and Daihatsu Pyzar Australia asking prices are not measured in this dataset. They cannot rank versions.

Chassis hardware that is measured does not split the range: Independent, spring both ends, Ventilated disc / Drum, fuel 92, boost No — identical on all 12.

Which version to choose

Want the lightest Pyzar and the most ground clearance. 1.5 MT in either generation: 100 hp, 127 Nm, 1498 cm³, Manual 5, FWD, 1030 kg, 155 mm. Restyling adds only the 45 L tank. 1.5 AT is the same engine with Automatic 4 and 10 kg more (1040 kg).

Want the best kg/hp without AWD. Restyled (or pre-restyle — same masses) 1.6 MT FWD: 115 hp, 140 Nm, 1589 cm³, Manual 5, 1040 kg, 9.04 kg/hp, 145 mm. That is 15 hp more than 1.5 MT for 10 kg more mass.

Want Automatic and still a 1.6. 1.6 AT FWD: 1070 kg, 9.30 kg/hp, 145 mm, Automatic 4. Same in both generations. Do not confuse it with 1.6 AT AWD.

Want AWD after the restyle. 1.6 AT AWD, restyling: 115 hp, 1110 kg, 150 mm, 45 L. Lighter than the 1996–1998 1.6 AT AWD (1130 kg, 140 mm, 40 L) by 20 kg and 10 mm higher.

Want AWD and a Manual. Compare generations: 1996–1998 1.6 MT AWD is 1090 kg and 150 mm with a 40 L tank; restyled 1.6 MT AWD is 1100 kg and 140 mm with 45 L. The earlier manual AWD is 10 kg lighter and 10 mm higher; the later one carries 5 L more fuel.

Do not buy on 0–100, mpg or wheel size. Those figures are not measured. Do not treat two 1.6 AT or two 1.6 MT badges as the same car: the AWD/FWD split is 40–60 kg and up to 15 mm of clearance.

Across 1996–2002 the mechanical menu is small: two Gasoline displacements, two gearboxes, FWD or AWD on the 1.6 only, and a 5 L tank increase at restyling. The version to buy is the row in the table whose kg, mm and drive match the job — not a different model year story.