Nissan Dayz / Mitsubishi eK Wagon

	Nissan Dayz / Mitsubishi eK Wagon
	Debut: 2019 Maker: Nissan / Mitsubishi Predecessor: eK Wagon / Dayz (2013)

Published on 7 Oct 2021

Nissan took over the development lead in the second generation.

Even before acquiring a controlling stake in Mitsubishi, Nissan formed a 50:50 joint venture with the latter to build K-cars for its domestic market. The resultant Dayz and eK Wagon sold a combined 612,000 units in 6 years. In 2019, the joint venture entered the second generation. This time Nissan took over the development job, although production still takes place at Mitsubishi’s Mizushima plant.

The new Dayz and eK Wagon are practically the same car – same chassis, same body, same powertrain, same interior. They differ in only front-end styling and interior trims. The standard Dayz and eK Wagon look very similar to each other. If you conceal their front grille and badges, you will be hard pressed to distinguish them. Fortunately, like many rivalling K-cars, you can opt for more expressive styling. The “Highway Star” version of Dayz (white and red car pictured above) uses a deeper V-motion grille, extra foglamp clusters and 2-tone paint scheme to appear smarter. Mitsubishi is even more dramatic, copying the front-end design of its trucks to the eK X. The SUV-lookalike appears to be taller and higher riding, but in fact it is just the same as the standard car, except the additional roof rails.

eK X pretends to be an SUV.

Remarkably, Nissan managed to squeeze out 65mm from the engine compartment to spend on the all-important wheelbase. As a result, rear legroom is up by 70mm. If you slide the rear bench to the rearmost position, you will find its rear legroom even more generous than Nissan’s largest car, Fuga. In addition to a super-tall roof, no one can complain for lack of space. Luggage utility is excellent, too, as you can fold or slide the rear seat from the tailgate. Build quality of the interior is decent, accompanied with a lot of storage spaces and an intuitive touchpad climate control. Nissan’s zero-gravity seats are comfortable.

The RB06DE and DET engines are new development. They are derived from the 3-cylinder family of Renault-Nissan group, featuring modern designs such as integrated exhaust manifolds, cooled EGR, DLC-coated valve lifters, mirror-finished bores and dual-fuel injectors, although there is neither direct injection nor VVT on exhaust cam. The engine is especially compact, so to allow a shorter engine bay hence the increased cabin space. Naturally aspirated version produces 52 horsepower. It is predictably very slow, but bearable if you don’t drive too often to highway or load it fully. The CVT it partners is also a new design dedicated to K-car applications. It is said to be smarter, avoiding rubberband effect under heavy acceleration. However, since you need to keep the engine boiling at over 4000 rpm to keep up with traffic, it inevitably produces more noise. Cruising lightly on highway, engine and tires are the key sources of annoyance. Wind and suspension noise are relatively low, thanks to sufficient sound deadening materials.

Spacious and versatile interior.

Turbocharged version produces 64hp and 74 lbft of torque. Predictably, it is quieter, since its thicker torque allows the engine to work under less stress. It feels a lot more energetic in acceleration, especially when the weight penalty is only 20kg. No matter which engine, you may opt for a mild-hybrid system, whose 2.7 horsepower motor – no, it’s not a typo here – works so mildly that you won’t notice its intervention. A small lithium battery is placed under the driver seat to save space.

As it is a K-car, you know it is strictly for urban use. Although the chassis is reasonably rigid, the combination of high center of gravity, narrow tracks and soft suspension means it rolls quite a lot in corner. The steering is very light, and it has no feel to speak of. Like most K-cars, it is designed for female and new drivers primarily. Ride quality is decent for a K-car, though no comparison to superminis.

One benefit for Nissan to take the lead of development is the adoption of its advanced driving assistance system. ProPilot offers adaptive cruise control for speeds up to 100km/h. It can keep the car in lane and follow the car in front to slow down until stop.

Verdict: