Photo: Toyota
In a place called Japan, the kei car is king because it’s cheaper to buy, cheaper to run, and cheaper to tax than conventional automobiles. Be that as it may, regular cars are also sold in the Land of the Rising Sun. One of those vehicles is the Toyota Passo.
The half-brother of the Daihatsu Sirion has been refreshed for the 2016 model year and the big news is that this cutesy hatchback drinks less fuel than most other cars do. According to the JC08 test cycle, the 2016 Toyota Passo with the 1.0-liter 1KR-FE engine, front-wheel-drive, and CVT gearbox returns up to 3.57 liters per 100 kilometers. That’s the equivalent to 65.9 US mpg or 79.12 miles/gallon for the British audience.
This powertrain combination makes the 2016 Toyota Passo the most fuel-efficient car on sale in Japan these days. Opt for the available AWD system and the subcompact-sized Passo will drink 4.1 liters of gasoline every 100 kilometers. 57.3 US mpg or 68.9 UK mpg is not bad at all by Western world standards.
Compared to the previous model, the Passo is also a roomier car. The tell-tale sign of that is the legroom in the rear, which has increased by 2.95 inches (75 mm). On the safety front, there’s a plethora of airbags coming as standard and something called the Smart Assist II. In plain English, that is a suite of safety bits and bobs such as lane departure warning and brake assist. The latter measures the speed and force with which the brake pedal is pushed to determine whether the driver is attempting an emergency stop.
The regular model starts at 1,150,200 yen ($10,595) and the Passo Moda (the pink-painted car in the photo gallery below) starts at 1,431,000 yen ($13,185). The easiest way to tell the two apart is the location of the badge. Whereas the regular Passo wears its Toyota badge on the hood, the Passo Moda wears it on its grille.
This powertrain combination makes the 2016 Toyota Passo the most fuel-efficient car on sale in Japan these days. Opt for the available AWD system and the subcompact-sized Passo will drink 4.1 liters of gasoline every 100 kilometers. 57.3 US mpg or 68.9 UK mpg is not bad at all by Western world standards.
Compared to the previous model, the Passo is also a roomier car. The tell-tale sign of that is the legroom in the rear, which has increased by 2.95 inches (75 mm). On the safety front, there’s a plethora of airbags coming as standard and something called the Smart Assist II. In plain English, that is a suite of safety bits and bobs such as lane departure warning and brake assist. The latter measures the speed and force with which the brake pedal is pushed to determine whether the driver is attempting an emergency stop.
The regular model starts at 1,150,200 yen ($10,595) and the Passo Moda (the pink-painted car in the photo gallery below) starts at 1,431,000 yen ($13,185). The easiest way to tell the two apart is the location of the badge. Whereas the regular Passo wears its Toyota badge on the hood, the Passo Moda wears it on its grille.
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