A 1.0 liter (1,000cc) engine is generally associated with hatchbacks. These engines are practical yet economical, easy to run & maintain, and save you a lot in terms of vehicle registration & taxation. However many won’t believe that in the past, in addition to hatchbacks, the 1.0-liter engine was available with quite a few sedans in our market.
Although you might think that larger sedans with such small engine displacement would be extremely sluggish, some of these vehicles saw a good period of success and were considered very dependable vehicles performing day-to-day tasks quite efficiently.
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Below are the 1.0-liter sedans that were available in our market from the 1980s onwards, which were generously spacious and considered practical family cars.
Nissan Sunny B11, B12
Nissan Sunny was quite a popular car in our market during the 1980s. One of the reasons for its success was the availability of 1.0-liter engine variants alongside the 1.3-liter ones. The 1.0-liter engine was found in both B11 and B12 generations, however, dimension-wise the B12 was quite larger in size and was quite spacious too.
The B12 was the only large body sedan of the 80s with a 1.0 liter E10 4 cylinder petrol engine. The E10 displaces 988cc and produces nearly 50hp (nearly the same as the Pak Suzuki Cultus 2000-2017).
Daihatsu Charade G102
Daihatsu Charade was the craze of the 1980s, although most notably famous as a hatchback. It was available in petrol, diesel, turbocharged, 2-door/ 4-door, high-roof/ low-roof, rear-wipers, sunroofs, and all sorts of different configurations. However, towards the end of the 1980s, a sedan version of the G100 series was also available in our market.
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Although never a popular iteration, it does qualify for our list of 1.0-liter sedans available in Pakistan. It was powered by a CB23 (993cc) three-cylinder engine with 52hp and was enough to move the sedan around with ease.
Suzuki Swift Sedan
Suzuki Margalla is often regarded as the most successful sedan by Pak Suzuki ever. Powered by a 1.3 liter G13B engine the Margalla remained a prime choice in the entry-level sedan segment in our market.
However, not many people might be aware of the fact that this car first appeared in our market as an import in 1989 labeled as Swift Sedan with a 1.0 liter (993cc) 3 cylinder G10 engine producing about 50hp. The only distinguishing characteristic of these imported 1.0 liter Swift Sedans from the locally assembled 1.3 liter Margalla was the upper part of the front & rear bumpers which were body-colored, as opposed to the full black bumpers of the Margalla.
Toyota Platz
During the previous decade when the imported used JDM vehicles started to become a craze in Pakistan, the first generation Toyota Vitz hatchback was one of the most popular cars. It was loved because of its ergonomic & modern design and a rather unique interior with an instrument cluster mounted in a pod at the center of the dashboard.
The sedan version of the same car was called the Platz, and apart from some visual differences, the car was mechanically the same as its hatchback sibling. It has the same interior and even the same 1.0 liter (997cc) 1SZ-FE engine with a power output of 69hp. The Platz however was considered sluggish compared to Vitz primarily because of the automatic gearbox, as the 1.0 liter Platz wasn’t available in manual transmission.
Toyota Belta
Based on the 2nd generation Vitz platform, the Belta is basically a successor to Platz. And is the most recent example of a 1000cc sedan in our market. It is powered by a 1KR-FE three-cylinder petrol engine and comes mated to a CVT gearbox. Although its production period spans between 2006-2012, its production was extended for another 4 years till 2016 and was eventually replaced by the Corolla E160 in Japan.
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The Belta saw some decent success as a used JDM import in our market, however by 2015 its popularity graph saw a sharp decline, as the hybrids started getting attention, and in the current era, the looks of Belta are considered conservative.
Do you have experience owning any of these 1000cc sedans? Let us know with your comments.
A computer animation professional with over 23 years of industry experience having served in leading organizations, TV channels & production facilities in Pakistan. An avid car enthusiast and petrolhead with an affection to deliver quality content to help shape opinions. Formerly written for PakWheels as well as major publications including Dawn. Founder of CarSpiritPK.com
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