A few days ago all signs were pointing to me picking up a used Daihatsu Mira e:S shortly after earning a Japanese driver's license. There are several thousand of these for sale in the area ranging in price from $2,500 for a 2013-year model up to $23,000 for a fully-loaded, mostly-new vehicle. However, while considering options, I started thinking about a different model of Daihatsu that has long caught my attention: the Copen.
Daihatsu's Copen is not nearly as common as one might expect them to be on the roads of Japan. I tend to keep my eyes open for interesting cars while out and about and see one of these maybe once or twice a week. It's a two-seater, which probably has something to do with its scarcity, but one will see a Mazda Roadster or BMW Z4 more frequently than a Copen despite their much higher price tags. Perhaps it has something to do with its perceived lack of power?
The Copen was introduced in 2002 and I first spotted one while on my first visit to Japan back in 2007. Being a Kei car, its engine is limited to a maximum of 660cc which will give it an effective maximum horsepower of somewhere around 75 horsepower if you're willing to install an aftermarket ECU. What really sets it apart from other modern vehicles, though, is its roundness. The only thing more round would be a VW Beetle yet, unlike Volkswagen's car, the Copen looks happy and ready for a marathon sprint up a mountain road. The newer models are much less round than the ones I first spotted more than a decade ago, but they're just as fun-looking.
How can anyone not want to take one of these for a spin?
That said, there is one little problem: they can be a little cramped for people who are tall by Japanese standards. I stand 183cm barefoot1, which does afford the ability to see over the tops of many heads while riding on trains and walking from one place to another. Would I fit in this car?
Today I decided to pay a visit to a local Daihatsu dealership not too far from the apartment. They claimed to have a few of these for sale ranging from a silver 2016-model driven by a heavy smoker to a blue 2020-model that nobody could find. Given that I will not have a license until the latter-half of August, I figured that it would make sense to sit in the car and see whether it's something that would be comfortable enough without resulting in too many blind spots. If I am too tall, then the Mira e:S remains a viable option.
The dealership was not too busy despite being a Saturday and I was brought to the back lot where a sizeable collection of used cars waits to be claimed. The silver Copen was pulled out from the middle of the pack and I was given an opportunity to sit inside while asking questions about the car's history. While many people might drive these vehicles like a sports car, I am more interested in cruising. The salesman answered all of my questions and asked a few of his own to see whether I might be interested in the car.
My initial impressions from the outside were pretty positive. There were a couple of scratches on the bumper that appeared to be from pebbles bouncing off the car while on the highway as well as a clear scratch that looked to be the result of getting too close to a curb. However, nothing on the outside was so egregious that it could not be fixed with a bit of paint and a buffer. The inside, however …
First I will say that a 183cm-tall person can sit in the driver's seat and reasonably use the pedals when the seat is pushed all the way back. The steering wheel may block the legs from quickly moving, but this can be resolved with an aftermarket replacement. As this is a convertible, the pillars to the left and right of the seating area are thicker than with other cars. This will not result in egregious blindspots so long as a person remembers to move their head every once in a while. The rearview mirror takes up a good bit of the viewable area around the centre of the windshield, though, as does the centre console which contains the bump for a car navigation system. Both of these can be resolved with a minimal amount of effort.
What cannot be easily resolved, however, is the lingering odour of cigarettes. My goodness … there's just no way I could sit in this car on a rainy day because I would need the roof to be open any time I went somewhere.
Fortunately, this wasn't the only Copen available for sale.
Having confirmed that I would fit inside the car, the next question became: "Can you get one in yellow?" As one would expect, the answer was a happy one. Then the impulsive question: "Can I order one today even though I do not have a license yet?" Again, the answer was a happy one. The dealership would be more than happy to bring one in if I sign the paperwork and pay a deposit, but I cannot take it off the lot until after I am properly licensed and insured.
Naturally, and I wouldn't ask them to change either of those requirements.
Two hours later I left the dealership with an envelope full of promises, payment schedules, deadlines … and a big, happy smile. This autumn, the puppy and I will be cruising around the streets of Japan in a bright yellow Daihatsu Copen.
This is about 5'11" for people who prefer the older measurement system.