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Daihatsu Esse : forbidden for men
By Yoann Besnard on 20 December 2005 | 
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Unveiled at the Tokyo Motor Show, the new Esse from Daihatsu is being sold in Japan from today. Its name, an acronym for Economic, Simple, Smart and Easy summarizes the characteristics of this new kei-car. In Japan, kei-car is a particular segment which allows the owner to get some tax and insurance relief and most importantly an exemption from the usual requirement for a parking space certification.
So, the Esse is 3.39 m long, 1.48 m wide and offers enough space for four tiny Japanese girls and their bags in the small boot. Daihatsu engineers have been very clever in designing a car with poor features which doesn’t feel like it, thanks to fresh colours as Renault did with the Twingo in 1992. The plastics and seats share the same colour as the exterior painting. Like the Twingo, the instrument panel is central but the dashboard is less nifty and closer to the layout we can find in any Japanese car.
In order to meet the regulations, the Esse is powered with a small 600 cc 3-cylinder engine with an output of 58 bhp at 7,200 rpm. Coupled with a CVT automatic gearbox, it is set to become the perfect choice for girls who don’t want to spend a lot on a car.
