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Years Represented: 1995-2002
Class: Kei
Type: MPV
Country of Origin: Japan
Host: GT2, GT4,
& GT5
Price: $7,961 (GT2, used CX)
$5,795
(GT4 used SR-XX 2WD)
$15,720 (GT4, new Custom RS Limited)
$7,732 (GT5, used SR-XX 2WD)
Prize
(GT5, new SR-XX AWD)
Length: 129.7" // Width: 54.9" /// Height: 66.7"
Wheelbase: 92.3"
Overhang: @ 3 feet 2 inches
F.
Track: 52" // R Track: 50.5"
Ground Clearance: 5.9"
Weight: 1,631 lbs (CX), 1,675 lbs (SR-XX 2WD), 1,785 (SR-XX
AWD)
Steering pwr. assist rack & pinion
Turning Circle: 16 feet
Tires: 155/70-13
F. Suspension: MacPherson
strut, coils
R. Suspension: semi-trailing arms, 5-link, torsion bars
Brakes: disc / drum (ABS option)
Layout: Front Engine / Front Drive or Front Engine AWD
Transmission: 5-speed automatic (CX--GT2)
5-speed manual (SR-XX--GT4, and all GT5 models)
The SR-XX AWD of GT5 had its engine partially broken-in (66 hp)
and no maintenance.
'95 CX Engine: 659 cc DOHC inline-3
'97 SR-XX Engine: 659 cc DOHC inline-4
Aspiration:
Turbo
Valves per Cylinder: 4
Tested HP:
CX - (GT2) 54
@ 7,500 rpm
SR-XX 2WD (GT4): 57 @ 6,800 rpm
SR-XX AWD (GT5):
61 @ 7,000
Tstd Torque:
CX - (GT2):
45 @ 4,000 rpm
SR-XX 2WD (GT4): 70 @ 4,000 rpm
SR-XX AWD
(GT5): 75 @ 4,000
Pound 2 Power:
GT2: 30.2
GT4: 29.38
GT5: 29.27
Hp per Liter:
GT2: 81.94
GT4: 86.4
GT5: 92.6
Credit per HP:
GT2: $147.42
GT4: $101.66
GT5: $0.0
GT4 Idle Speed: 750 // Redline: 8,750 // RPM Limit: 9,000
GT5 Idle Speed: 800 // Redline:
8,800 // RPM Limit: 9,000
0-60 mph:
GT2 CX: 24.0 seconds
GT4 SR-XX: 16.983 seconds
GT5 SR-XX: 17.771 "
0-100mph:
GT2: Nil
GT4: Nil
GT5: NA
400 M:
GT2: 24.12 @ 61 mph
GT4: 21.093 @ 66 mph
GT5: 21.368 @ 65 mph
1 Kilom:
GT2: 41.53 @ 76
mph
GT4: 38.864 @ 84 mph
GT5: 39.361 @ 82 mph
Test Track:
GT2: 2:50.xxx
GT4: 4:02.585
GT5:
Top Speed at Redline
1st: 29 mph
2nd: 48 mph
3rd: 73 mph
4th: 95 mph
@ 8,000 rpms (could not make redline in 4th)
5th: 97.xx mph @ 6,600 rpms (GT2)
98.00 mph @ 6,800 rpms (GT4)
GT5 SR-XX AWD Top Speed at Redline
1st: 31.8 mph
2nd: 41.9
3rd: 74.9
4th: 96.6 @ 7,900
5th:
100.0 mph @ 6,750 rpm
|
| '95 Move CX struggles to stay in 1st. |
|
| Daihatsu Move Aerodown cruises Tahiti Road |
---------------EXTERIOR--------------
Some of you might be wondering what I'm doing reviewing this breadbox. I guess it all comes
down to perspective. When we race a slow machine like this, it makes us realize how fast we're usually going. Another
way to look at it: when you're sick, you can truly appreciate what it's like when you're well. And here
we have an asthmatic vehicle that seems perpetually sick.
Slower cars are in a way more challenging
to race than fast ones. When you're slow, you're forced to deal with the traffic around you IF you can keep up with it. For
some, this can become difficult even when racing other keis. By the way, the Daihatsu Move isn't a car I'd recommend for beginners,
but we'll get to that.
There seems to be a whole flock of cars overseas which are made for extreme fuel-economy,
since gas prices in other countries are typically way higher than we're paying here in America. These cars are good for fuel-economy,
but racing? Despite the oversized look of the Move, it's really a small, subcompact multi-purpose vehicle. Multi-purpose? I
can't even imagine what its actual purpose is. Lol. It's rated to carry four humans, can
it really do so???
I'm joking. <:-x Some of you may not know that 100 years ago, cars regularly had much
less than these keis of today. It was common to find 6-horsepower cars. 8-horsepower cars. 12-horsepower. The 1914
Stutz Bearcat (one of the first true sports autos, solely for the rich of course) possessed an incredible 50 horsepower, later on
upgraded to 80 just before World War I. With numbers like these, a bit of perspective is cast on Japan's
Kei generation.
The Move's length & width multiplied and then divided by 144 = just 49.65 square
feet, which is about 2/3rd the size of the average sports coupe. The reason Moves look so big in replays is because they
are about 5½ feet tall, which is a foot and a half more than average. It's the van's height and high center of gravity
(as well as its total lack of power) that make it hard to drive in GT2.
As it appears in GT4 and 5, the Move displays an opposite story. In this game, it is
now very easy to drive. Its bulky 1-box design keeps those tires planted at all times, making wheelspin
and understeer (the two most common negatives for front-drives in this game) rare. All-wheel drives suffer from a bit of understeer
only. Just a bit, nothing too drastic.
The Move can be bought either as a front-drive or 4-wheel drive in GT2, GT4,
and 5. There are an incredible FIVE versions of the Move in GT2 ('95 CX, '97 SR-XX with either
FWD or AWD, '98 Aerodown Custom, and the '98 SR-XX AWD),
and three in GT4 (SR-XXs again in both FWD and AWD from the used lot and the '02 Custom RS Limited
from the new lot). These three also appear in GT5, but now they're all used, none can be found in Premium lots (awwwww).
The SR-XX AWD can be won, as well.
With GT2's front-drive Moves, there is understeer, of course. I
mean REALLY learn to brake early or you'll lose your place (and probably all five of the other places too) easily, as
understeer ruins everything. It is possible to win races with the Move, but the amount of skill necessary to control it makes it
prone to losing a lot more than it wins. You may find yourself spending all your time trying to get ahead of the pack, only
to boff the lead if the simplest of mistakes is made.
In GT4 since the Move accepts a lot less power, there aren't as
many issues like there were in GT2. Like other Keis, these silly MPVs wind up being very grippy, understeering
at the limit. But it truely takes some bad driving to find this limit. Since the Move is equipped with medium-grade
radials in GT5 (and GT4 starts with medium sports) the GT5 van's understeer can be located more easily. More on this later...
....And when this car oversteers (GT2 only), it doesn't do so in a gentle way. No, it SLAMS thru the turns
full-force! This can happen at fairly low speeds, too. During situations like this, all we can do is be patient
and pray that it'll be over soon. Those tenths of seconds can start to feel like hours as the Move happily
disobeys.
---------------------ENGINE / DRIVETRAIN-------------------
It's sad to witness someone putting a lot of work into a vehicle just to get
it to win a single race; with the Move, this is exactly what might need to be done, unless the driver is simply concentrating
on Kei Car stuff. The Move's 659cc DOHC inline 4 engine may be fuel-efficient, but since there's no fuel in the world
of Gran Turismo, this benefit is lost till we get to GT4; and in this game, I can't imagine any situation in which
you'll need to use all the fuel in the Move's tank. :lol:
Of interest here is an incredibly high redline.
And amazingly a lot of the revs before redline are useful, too! Power starts as low as 4,000 rpms on that tach, and
there are at least 3,000 rpms of useful horsepower while the engine is stock (or nearly so). Some turbo kits can distort this
wide powerband though, so that's it's spikier.
Since all Moves are turbo-charged, they actually rev with some
vigor...problem is: all this activity is matched with some really tall gearing. Witness the
track tests above, in which neither Move from the two earlier games (GT2 or GT4) could make it past 100 mph. In
4th gear, the '97 Move SR-XX from GT4 couldn't even push to redline! Which forces a shift up to 5th early so the miniscule
powerplant could get back to its proper peak area. Let's discuss the Move as it appears in either game.
GT2
These vans
are impressively slow even when an after-market turbo is installed. And we won't be able to squeeze out any extra
HP with inter-coolers, either. 0 to 60 mph during the track test was 24 seconds, and since it has an unmodified
top speed of 97 mph around the test track, zero to 100 mph never got recorded. It took almost three
minutes to circle the test track in GT2! I'm almost afraid to find out how long the GT4 test track (which is larger)
will take.
Depending which Move is bought in GT2, you'll either be stuck doing Kei Cup races forever, or you'll
find yourself awkwardly able to take on stronger races. Worst of all is the '95 Move CX, which can take a Stage
2 turbo, but really what's the point? The CX's poor torque won't improve at all, and horsepower can only be raised
to 88 hp at best. Once this van is reaching the higher speeds the best turbo generates, its handling
will suffer even more, forcing us to spend money on better tires and suspension!
Any other Move in GT2 can take
on a lot more power: about 190 horses, which is just ridiculous, but it makes these Moves able to take on
races in which they should have no business taking on!
GT4
Unlike the four Moves of
GT2, the three in this game (SR-XX 2WD, SR-XX 4WD, and RS Limited) remain in super-slug terrain at all times. There are 3
intercooled turbos to buy. At best, they can take on about 116 bhp.
As I said, these
cars have super-high 8,750 rpm redlines. The actual redline area is just 250 rpms, but it doesn't matter. There are so many
revs to play with, and peak power is at 6,800 rpms in an SR-XX, which means the tach can be taken
far past peak and still have plenty of revs to plunder. Only when it gets to 4th gear in a near-stock Move will
aerodynamic drag finally prevent speed to redline.
Close gearing can be used for these MPVs, but I found
myself able to get around the super-slow Kei Cup races with stock gears, even tho they're very tall.
GT5
At this writing I
own several Moves in this game, front and all-wheel drive. Since one of them had 0.0 miles on its odometer,
I am assuming I won it as a prize. Now the thing is, Polyphony Digital has (for the last few years) really been dissin' the
Kei cars. They've been getting a lot less power than they did in GT2, hovering around 130 hp instead of 190. And I've noticed
this trend in GT5, as well. I almost passed the Move by without checking on its upgrades, and boy that would have been a mistake.
We
will get to upgrades later, though. The Move (any Move) can get a LOT of attention in this game early on, and we can fawn
over it in a few Professional level races too, with all the power that's available from DRS! This is good news. The
bad news (kinda) is that there are three turbo kits, and they all make power extremely spikey. The low and mid turbo kits
really do aim this MPV's miniscule power towards the low and mid ranges! Which might be okay for manual
transmission users, as long as they keep shifting gears so that the tach keeps landing in the 4 to 5,000 rpm zone, but those
who drive with automatic gearing are screwed.
But if power is not enhanced with a turbo in this game, it often does
not matter when the gearbox is shifted. As long as you don't go above 8,000 or so, the tiny engine will have plenty of useful
area to exploit! Power is never socked out with torquey jerks, instead it lays out across the tarmac, smooth as butter. Oh, the power. Heh heh, check this out. With
full engine upgrades (all three stages) and all the best power, I honestly felt a little disappointed with the 96 horsepower
@ 5,400 (99 ft-lbs.@ 4,900) under the Move's egg carton-sized hood. This particular Move was being prepared for GT5's B-spec
version of the World Compact Car Cup, and I was hoping to get at least 120 horses instead of 96. On a whim, I added the first
turbo stage, expecting another 5 horses or so, but WOW it jumped all the way to 173. HP
Torque Stage 1: 173 @ 5,000
98 @ 4,600 Stage 2: 186 @ 5,900
172 @ 5,400 Stage 3: 181 @ 7,900
141 @ 5,400 Yeah, check that ****
out, yo. Look at those numbers, do some car-crunching during A-spec, and then tell me with a straight face if
Kei cars haven't got a place in Gran Turismo 5.
----------------------CHASSIS / HANDLING----------------
Really what do we expect here? It's a mini-van! Of course the handling sucks! So
this portion of the review is fairly simple: spend more money in an attempt to make it handle better.
GT2
Like the engine and
drivetrain parts, tires and suspension will both need to be upgraded. It's actually a toss-up where to start with this lemon...it
all kind of needs work! One thing we can skip is brakes, though. The Move will rarely generate the speed necessary to warrant
spending the full $15,000 or so on brake work. There are some events in GT2 (for the brave) that one might want to spend such
money for, and we'll get to them in a minute, but generally, put as little into this one as possible.
It doesn't
take a brain surgeon to figure out that by now we're gonna need to spend serious bucks on the Move, even
to get it entered into some lesser events. By my calculations, we're now up to $30,000 in upgrades, which
doesn't include the initial cost of the van! Nor does it include any transmission upgrades (depending which model is
bought, it might not need any of them, though).
After all this work, the Move still won't be guaranteed
to win the few races it has a mere chance of competing in unless the driver is GOOD. If you happen to be good, buy any
Move but the CX. With any other model, we can tackle the Sunday Cup, Compact Car Series, and Kei Cup races.
The 30 laps of the Trail Mountain Enduro is possible, and the Apricot Hill Endurance as well if you're really
skilled (assuming the GT40 doesn't show up). To follow this path, however, means spending serious credits to get power
up near 190 or so.
Now in GT4,
the Sunday Cup, Kei Cup, Japanese Compact Cup, and Pro-league Compact races can be finished. These Moves haven't
got as many possible arenas to tackle, meaning a sports suspension is all that's truly needed, if that. In some
cases, even the car's stock tires are overkill!
The Moves of GT5 have longer careers, basically. Like I alluded in an earlier chapter, the
Move (FWD or AWD) can be pushed to the brink of understeer on cheap medium or soft tires, while the rear sometimes gets a
bit doofy with body sway. The Move is now a bit more fun to drive than it was in GT4, something I'm amazed about. All-wheel
drive models can get a little pushy mid-turn, but if the gas is laid off for a moment or two, the Move features a very tight
turning circle, meaning hairpins and loops can often be tackled in a very predictably tight fashion.
And like I said,
the Move (with all the power it can be equipped with) really can move in GT5. Something I did not expect at all.
Summary
To sum it up, most gamers around the world can simply avoid the Move at all costs. It's not
like they're missing a great party or anything. But for those that buy one, it is possible find some good battles which
can be won. And have a laugh or two.
---------------PROS---------------
1). Good
looking style for a van. Gotta admit. It's interesting seeing the styling differences from model to model.
2).
Racing bodywork can be had in GT2 for any Move, amazingly.
3). Watching a Daihatsu Move replay inspires laughter or
genuine sympathy.
4). The slow pace of these 1-boxes forces one to appreciate some of the beautiful, pixellated scenery
in GT2, or the somewhat fabricated look of GT4.
5). Inexpensive initial cost.
6). GT2: Any move other
than the CX can accept up to 190 horsepower. Quite a few races can be won if you're persistent and skillful at keeping these
1,800 pound shopping carts under control.
7). GT4/5: great vehicle for a beginner. And more experienced
players will be able to take down many races in some GT5's ultra-easy Beginner's and Professional races.
8). GT4/5:
sips fuel like an anorexic.
9). GT5: Mirrors are large and therefore useful. Interior view gives us lots of glass
to be able to see out of.
10). Maneuverability. Yes these Moves are tall and goofy, but they can boast some decent
moves in certain turns, especially tighter ones.
-----------------CONS----------------
1). The joke is in its name "MOVE", which is one thing you're guaranteed not to be doing much of, especially
in GT4.
2). High center of gravity, lots of body roll ... leaning.
3). @(*$#(ING SLOW!!!!
3). Narrow
tires, no grip in certain games. FWD and 4WD both have bad maneuverability in GT2. In GT4, Moves remain too slow to face
serious handling issues, and in GT5 understeer and body sway start to become serious problems for inexperienced drivers.
4). Bad acceleration, abominable top speed! 100 mph not possible while the Move is still stock, even at the
Test Course.
5). The after-market parts needed to make this van competitive will cost about the same as a new Corvette,
and it'll still possibly lose after all this cash is spent!
6). Short career syndrome with some models. Careful
which Move you buy in GT2.
7). Arguably, there are way too many versions
of these vehicles, which many gamers simply ignore.
Published: May 18, 2004
Edited: December 26, 2008
GT5
Info: January 14, 2013
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