The Mira is the latest successor to the line of cars begun with the Daihatsu Fellow of 1966, and was originally introduced as the commercial version of the Cuore.

[3] They both featured twin balancing shafts, producing a smoothness and silent operations on par with a traditional four-cylinder engine.

In tests, the 617-cc version of the car received plaudits for its refinement and its "lively" character and "enthusiastic" performance when compared to European competitors such as the Fiat Panda 30 and the Citroën Visa Club, both also with two-cylinder engines.

The car was also commended by Quattroruote for its agile city driving characteristics, although it could hardly be considered fully fit for the autostrada.

[6] The Cuore sold well in both Argentina and Chile in 1980 (4,300 cars shipped), but economic hardship there led to a cancellation of exports by 1982.

A "Walk-through Van" version, using the regular bonnet combined with near square rear bodywork, appeared two months later.

In August 1987, the Mira/Cuore received a minor facelift with a new grille and bonnet, as well as some other detail changes, all making for a smoother appearance overall.

[12] After having undergone another minor change in October 1988, a 50-PS turbocharged Cuore TR/CR series for passenger use was also made available, in a five-door version as well.

Japanese production of the L70 series ended when the new 660-cc L200 version was introduced in March 1990 in response to new regulations for the kei class.

Later, an extended-cab 2+2-seater ute ("Daihatsu Miracab") and a hatchback with an enlarged rear end, called the "Mint", were offered.

Production ended in February 1998, and by March 1998, Daihatsu no longer offered cars in the Thai market.

[16] In 2004, Norkis, a Philippine company (known as the former assembler and distributor of Yamaha motorcycles in the country), revived the Mira Pickup, locally reconditioned from used imports and sold as the Legacy.

The Cuore name was dropped in the Japanese domestic market, as the differences between passenger and commercial versions were narrowed.

As with most kei cars, the 200-series was built in two primary variants: The "V" Series is a windowed van style intended for light commercial use.

These characteristics are due to Japanese tax preferences for commercial vehicles, which only allow for temporary accommodation in the rear and demand a flat loading floor.

The top-of-the-line, turbocharged TR-XX model was available both as a passenger car version and as a van, with slightly higher equipment levels for the passenger version, which was fitted with a fuel-injected, 12-valve, turbocharged, and intercooled engine (EF-JL) producing 64 PS (47 kW).

This version, with its crossover pretensions, latched onto the wave of so-called "RVs" (recreational vehicles) that became popular in Japan in the early 1990s.

[20] The RV-4 received distinct cladding, somewhat raised suspension, a roof rack and bullbar, as well as a protective plate for the engine.

This had the same 64 PS (47 kW) fuel-injected, turbocharged engine as the front-wheel drive-only TR-XX, and shared much of that car's equipment.

[23] The TR-XX's electronically fuel-injected, SOHC, 12-valve (four per cylinder) turbo was the range topper, whereas the normally aspirated base versions made do with a single-barrel carburetor.

The three- or five-door L201 retained the larger-displacement engine of 847 cc (ED10K) and a choice of four- or five-speed manual transmissions, or a three-speed automatic option.

When sold in the United Kingdom (where Japan-specification Miras were also available), they had a rear fog lamp mounted on the right side.

The 200 series Mira ceased sales in Japan, but continued in some other markets, where it received the same engine updates as did the export L500.

One change was that the export versions received fuel injection as standard, which brought the output of the 847 cc engine up by one, to 42 PS (31 kW).

Base models received an SOHC 6-valve engine with 45 PS (33 kW), upscale models had a 12-valve DOHC variant with DVVT and 58 PS (43 kW), and the sporty TR version received a turbocharged and intercooled derivative with double overhead cams and four valves per cylinder.

In December 1998, the fuel-economy oriented TV model was introduced, fitted with CVT and a high compression version of the EF-VE engine producing 52 PS (38 kW) and allowing a fuel mileage of 27.0 km/L (3.7 L/100 km; 64 mpg‑US) in the standard Japanese test cycle.

A car based on the succeeding, second-generation Gino (which was a stand-alone lineup with its own model code of L650/L660) with a 1.0-L engine was sold as the Daihatsu Trevis in export markets.

This car could be driven directly from a special self-powered wheelchair (the Mira Self-Matic), with a driver's door that could open at 90° and a fully automated entry and exit system.

[32] Export models (L276) first appeared in September 2007 and receive the very light Toyota KR engine, an inline-three of 1.0-litre displacement.

For cars with the "Smart Drive package", which come with a new idle start-stop system, fuel economy increases to 27 km/L (76 mpg‑imp; 64 mpg‑US).