Daihatsu Applause

Daihatsu Applause
Overview
Manufacturer	Daihatsu (Toyota)
Production	1989–2000
Body and chassis
Class	Compact car (C-segment)
Body style	5-door hatchback (notchback)
Layout	Transverse front-engine, front-wheel drive Transverse front-engine, four-wheel drive
Powertrain
Engine	1.6 L HD-F/HD-E I4 (petrol)
Transmission	5-speed manual 4-speed automatic
Dimensions
Length	4,267 mm (168.0 in)
Width	1,651 mm (65.0 in)
Height	1,385 mm (54.5 in)
Chronology
Predecessor	Daihatsu Charmant
Successor	Daihatsu Altis

The Daihatsu Applause was a compact car (C-segment) manufactured by the Japanese automaker Daihatsu from 1989 to 2000. It is most notable for its unusual body style, which, despite appearing to be a 4-door notchback sedan, is in fact a 5-door hatchback with a notchback-shaped 412-litre trunk and a tailgate.

History

As Daihatsu firmly established itself as Toyota's compact car specialist brand, compact cars were the biggest vehicles marketed by the company. When replacing the long-running Charmant, the company decided to try a unique approach at the segment, with the intention to capitalize on the preferences for sedans, while at the same time offering the flexibility and convenience of a 5-door hatchback body. Resulting from such concept, the Applause was presented at the 1989 Geneva Motor Show.

In the first year in the market, Applause's reputation was tarnished by widely publicized incidents of gasoline spurting under excessive air pressure while refuelling, which could lead to very hazardous accidents. Daihatsu fixed the problem in the 1990 model, named Applause Theta, to highlight the improvement.

Facelift 1992

1992 Daihatsu Applause L

In 1992, the Applause was mildly facelifted, with a subtle alteration of the front and rear fascias and slight increase in length. The "Theta" designation was dropped. The carburetor engine was not available anymore.

The 1994 saw the cancellation of the AWD version, with a rear fascia upgrade and slight grille alteration given to the rest of the range.

Facelift 1997

Post-facelift Daihatsu Applause

Although the Daihatsu Applause can be said to have looked very modern and be at least on par with competition in terms of size back in 1989, after seven years in the market it began to appear quite dated and smaller than newer compact cars. Daihatsu found it economically unjustifiable to replace the car with an all-new model, but rather gave the car an extensive facelift in hope of reviving weakening sales.

The refreshed Applause debuted at the 57th Frankfurt Motor Show in September 1997. Totally new front and rear fascias provided for a much more "formal" appearance, along with a small increase in length. However, the car remained the same with regard to all other measurements, including cargo capacity.

The facelift did not help sales result much, so the model was discontinued altogether in May 2000, without a direct replacement for export markets. In Japan, the Daihatsu Altis, which was in essence a rebadged Toyota Camry, took over its role as Daihatsu's largest sedan.

Drivetrain

The Applause was a FF layout car with transversely-mounted engine. A full-time AWD version was sold from 1989 to 1994.

Engine

All models were powered by various versions of the Daihatsu HD 1589 cc straight four 16-valve SOHC engine.

• HD-F carburetor, 91 PS (67 kW; 90 hp) - 1989-1992 (Europe market)
• HD-F carburetor, 97 PS (71 kW; 96 hp) - 1989-1992 (domestic market)
• HD-E EFI, 105 PS (77 kW), 134 N⋅m (99 lb⋅ft) of torque - 1989-1997 (export markets, FWD or AWD)
• HD-E EFI, 120 PS (89 kW), 140 N⋅m (103 lb⋅ft) of torque - 1989-2000 (domestic market, compression ratio increased in 1997)
• HD-E EFI, 90 PS (66 kW), 123 N⋅m (91 lb⋅ft) of torque - 1992-1997 (export markets)
• HD-E EFI, 99 PS (73 kW), 138 N⋅m (102 lb⋅ft) of torque - 1997-2000 (export markets - replaced both former engines, increased compression ratio)

Transmissions

• 5-speed manual (not available with 120 PS (88 kW; 118 hp) after 1997)
• 3-speed automatic (105 hp (78 kW) engine, FWD setup)
• 4-speed automatic (97 hp (72 kW), 120 hp (89 kW) engine, FWD setup)