2nd-gen Subaru Chiffon gets more features, retains its ‘magic’ sliding doors

Subaru Chiffon, a tall Kei car series that came out in 2016, has been upgraded to the second generation. Apparently, Subaru thinks three years on the market is a sufficiently long term to warrant a major update.

On the outside, the 2019 Chiffon is completely identical to the Daihatsu Tanto, except for logos and badges. It comes based on the DNGA platform, which is a revised version of Toyota’s TNGA. The wheelbase now amounts to 2,460 millimeters (8.07 feet), which is 5 mm (0.2”) longer than before, but the rest of the dimensions stay the same.

Powering the series is a naturally aspirated engine rated at 52 hp (39 kW), but you may pay extra for a turbocharged variant with 64 hp (48 kW) and 100 Nm (74 lb-ft) of torque. The D-CVT transmission is new, and you choose between FWD and AWD.

Despite the design similarities between the Tanto and the Chiffon, the latter boasts a better feature list. There are more paint schemes to select your favorite from, lane control and automatic high beam are standard for all trims, and you can opt for the Smart Assist Plus package that includes advanced cruise control, traffic sign recognition, and automatic parking. Of course, the second-gen Subaru Chiffon gets to keep its original sliding door design (when open, the doorframe amounts to an impressive 1.5 meters / 4.9 feet wide).

Sales begin on July 25, with the standard trim priced at the equivalent of U.S. $12,000 and the top trim at $18,000.