|
Compact-car specialist Daihatsu has also been a long-time innovator of compact vehicle forms.
Prime examples of our work include the upwardly liberated and rearwardly prolonged form that has rewritten the ground rules of compact-car interior design (MOVE, PYZAR) and the compact SUV form with its slanted windscreen and high-mounted rear combination lamps that has done so much to freshen up the previously rustic off-road vehicle image (Terios).
Today, Daihatsu is happy to announce yet another innovative form of compact concept car - the YRV. In essence, it’s a new kind of compact sporty wagon.
Styling
In a word, it’s avant-garde. Take the double-wedge for example. "Double-wedge?" That’s right, double-wedge. If you’ve never heard of it, you’re in good company. There’s never been a shape quite like this before. At least in a compact car. Ordinary cars have a belt line (the line that runs along the bottom edges of the side windows) that runs straight from the front to the rear.
By contrast, in the YRV, the front and rear belt lines are given independent wedge shapes that emphasise the vehicle’s combination of a sporty and stylish compact body styling and a roomy interior.And there’s more. The front glass area extends beyond the windscreen and onto the front section of the roof, creating what we call a "panorama window". The roof continues all the way to the rear end of the body and from there a hexagonal hatch extends downwards almost vertically.
On either side of the rear hatch is a bold triangular rear combination lamp arranged so as to wrap around the corner. Overall, the body consists of a sporty and flowing aeroform, which despite the YRV’s relatively greater height yields a CD (drag coefficient) equivalent to that of the Sirion.
Interior
The overall height of 1550 mm gives the YRV a genuinely spacious interior. The rear seats are positioned higher than the front seats in what we term a "stadium layout".
Together with the panorama window, the YRV’s interior layout assures the occupants a wide-open sensation and a wide field of vision. The rear seats can be slide adjusted by up to 150 mm in the front/rear direction while the rear seat bottoms can be removed to allow the seat backs to be folded down individually to make possible a wide variety of seat configurations. In this respect, the YRV has all the functionality you’d expect of a wagon.
Engine
Passenger comfort notwithstanding, the YRV is far from being just a mover. It’s very much a driver’s car as well. One of the most important elements from the driver’s standpoint is the Type K3-VE - a newly developed 1300 cc, DVVT* twin-cam, 4-cylinder, 16-valve engine that delivers a maximum power of 63 kW at 6000 rpm and a maximum torque of 120 N·m at 3200 rpm. The Type K3-VE packs more than enough dynamism to ensure a really exciting driving experience while running km on only 5.9 litres of petrol, making it one of the most fuel-efficient engines in its class.
*DVVT: Dynamic Variable Valve Timing
Safety
Daihatsu’s new form of compact sporty wagon also comes standard equipped with plenty of state-of-the-art safety features. The body consists of a crash-safety design with a shock-absorbing front sub and a plethora of built-in shock-absorbing structures.
Besides front-mounted dual airbags, the YRV is equipped with side airbags that provide their occupants with ample protection for the chest and abdomen. Meanwhile, the design includes a soft upper interior and inflatable curtains - two features that greatly enhance the car’s passive safety. In the event of a crash, the inflatable curtains are activated instantly from the A-pillars and the roof to protect the heads of the front-seat occupants.
Furthermore, the upper sections of the interior are covered with a hock-absorbing material that helps minimise the shock of impact should head of one of the occupants come into contact with the interior wall or ceiling during a crash. In addition to these passive safety features, the YRV also features ABS with EBD (Electronic Brake-force Distribution), a measure that enhances active safety. EBD is a system that employs electronic control to distribute the brake force appropriately between the front and rear wheels in accordance with the number of occupants onboard. When the car is fully loaded, the brake force on the rear wheels is automatically increased, thereby preventing any significant extension of the required braking distance.
One issue the designers of future cars cannot afford to ignore is that of limiting the risk their vehicles pose to pedestrians. In perfecting the YRV’s innovative form, Daihatsu’s engineers have also gone to great pains to ensure that in the event that this vehicle is involved in a road accident, any harm to the pedestrians involved is minimised.
|
