Daihatsu Mira Fights Toyota Yaris In City Cars Track Duel

City cars are known for their practicality and fuel efficiency, and are marketed as a reliable form of transportation to take you from point A to point B in relative comfort. They're usually a step up above taking the bus, and aren't really anything to write home about. JDM city cars, however, have their own unique charm. Especially when you consider that ones of the cars in this track battle has pedigree as a classic rally car. No, obviously not the Toyota Yaris.

In the video below, the guys from Might Car Mods are back, and they've decided to put their six-year project car, a 1992 Daihatsu Mira, against a relatively modern second generation Toyota Yaris hatchback. The classic Mira has been carefully restored, plus it sports a number of small upgrades. It runs a 660cc three-cylinder engine, but being the TR-XX X4 version, gets four-wheel drive and a turbocharger. It pushes just 67 horsepower at the wheels, and has wider wheels and coilovers for better grip and handling. It's a Kei car, but on steroids. Oh, and it happens to be light, too, tipping the scales at just under 1,480 pounds. The mid-2000 Toyota Yaris, on the other hand, well, it was bought for cheap at just a little over $2,000, and comes with a 1.3-liter four-cylinder that makes around 86 horsepower, and the rest is all stock. It comes with a lightbar, though, for extra aerodynamics and to blind oncoming traffic.

The race will consist of three laps around a local racetrack, a standing start, and a whole lot of entertainment in the form of understeer, trash talking, and redlining these manually equipped city cars. Will the weight savings, grip, and turbocharged power of the Daihatsu Mira be enough to outdo the more modern Toyota Yaris that was bought sight unseen? Watch the video to find out, and have a few laughs in the process.