Daihatsu Sirion Range : SUITS YOU, SIR

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Cheap to buy and to run, Daihatsu's Sirion is an unusual citrycar choice but it's still one that makes sense. Jonathan Crouch reports

Daihatsu's Sirion is a little car that many UK buyers might quite enjoy - if only they knew about it. For the few that take the plunge, it's an affordable citycar with a supermini outlook and its own rather endearing character.

If we asked you the name of the first Japanese maker to import its cars into Britain, we bet you'd get it wrong. The answer, if you're interested, is Daihatsu, who first appeared here back in 1964. Today, the brand is mainly owned by Toyota and still specialises in the kind of tiny cars it sold here in the Sixties. Cars like this one, the Sirion citycar. The name apparently comes from a river in `Lord of the Rings' and is a lot catchier than the badgework this design must wear in Japan, where it's sold as both the Daihatsu Boon and the Toyota Passo. This second generation Sirion started life back in 2004 pitched into the supermini market, but the importers realised that wasn't going to wash and now more realistically, this model sells against smaller citycars like Vauxhall's Agila, Fiat's Panda and Toyota's own Aygo. Not in very great numbers it has to be said, for this is a car that escapes the attention of most buyers in this sector. But perhaps it shouldn't. If you can operate a payphone, you should have no difficulty with figuring out how to drive this car. No, scrub that. We've been into some payphones that are a whole lot trickier to figure out than a Sirion. All the controls are legibly marked, the steering is light and the ride is surprisingly supple for a small runabout. The manual gearbox probably isn't as direct as it could be and the windscreen pillars can be intrusive when negotiating tight roundabouts but other than that, this is an extremely easy car to drive, though the lack of ultimate grip from the skinny tyres and the slight extra lean in corners from the tall shape means it's not one you'd really want to chuck about. More importantly on the plus side, the power steering is light and easy for town work and the large glass area commands an excellent view out.

"An interesting and beguiling alternative to more commonplace small carsâ€¦"

Performance from the 1.0-litre engine we tried is best described as unhurried, the 68bhp unit getting the Sirion to 60mph in 13.9 seconds and on to a top speed of 99mph, so you'll need to work the gearbox hard to make rapid progress. You'll either see the off-beat three-cylinder thrum as noisy or deep and characterful. If the former, then the alternative 1.3 or 1.5-litre four cylinder petrol models will be preferable and are better suited to open road driving, the 1.3 making sixty in 11.4s on the way to 106mph. These variants also offer the option of a four-speed automatic, but it isn't a very slick unit and unless 90% of your driving is in stop/start city traffic, we'd stick to the manual car. The Sirion's shape is tall and chunky and still looks fresh. It's even quite trendy with its smiley face, pronounced wheelarches, squared-off tail and Smart-like dashboard. Fit and finish is pretty good, even if the quality of the plastics isn't very appealing. The front end of the car has been designed to do well in pedestrian safety tests and laudably, front and side airbags are standard on all models, as are ISOFIX child seat fixings in the outer rear seats and a trio of three-point seat belts in the rear. Anti-lock brakes with electronic brakeforce distribution are also included. There's certainly no shortage of headroom inside the Sirion. Six footers should find no issues in either the back or the front where the speedometer pod moves with the steering column as you adjust your position. Like most modern compact cars, this Daihatsu features a multitude of cup holders, stowage spaces, trays and cubbies and it also includes a split level glovebox, neither compartment yielding much in the way of useable space. Rather surprisingly, the seats are firmer than you'd expect and give good support, even to broad shouldered drivers. In the rear, you can not only wear a top hat but also park your knees without feeling scrunched-up. It's even possible to adjust the angle of the rear backrest to more easily send the kids to sleep on longer trips. Rear luggage space runs to 225 litres with the rear seats in place and 630-litres with them split folded - in other words, not supermini size but quite enough to rival other citycars. List prices suggest that you'll pay between £8,000 and £11,000 for your Sirion which, believe it or not, is the pricing landscape occupied by most mainstream citycars - some indeed cost more. A few have more tempting entry-level prices and it's a pity that Daihatsu doesn't do a stripped-out entry-level 1.0-litre Sirion to compete with cars like Hyundai's i10 or Suzuki's Alto, though these are very slightly smaller. Still, given that most modern Fiesta or Corsa-sized superminis have list prices in the £10,000 to £15,000 bracket (yes really) and this Daihatsu does much of what a supermini will deliver, there's plenty to like about it from a value perspective, though it's worth pointing out that the same design sells here in 1.3-litre form badged as a Perodua Myvi at a model-for-model saving of about £800. There's no diesel but few citycar customers tend to want one anyway. So it's a petrol choice between the 68bhp three cylinder 1.0-litre unit, or a couple of four cylinder engines, the 90bhp 1.3-litre unit shared with older Toyota Yaris superminis and a 102bhp 1.5-litre powerplant. Equipment-wise, you get this nicely integrated stereo CD system, though it can't cope with MP3 recordings. Sadly too, the kind of ESP stability control system that could get you out of trouble if you enter a corner too fast or on slippery surfaces isn't even an option on most models. Still, all do feature air-conditioning, four electric windows, remote central-locking and electric power-steering. No Sirion will cost an arm and a leg to run, though fuel and C02 figures (once class-leading) do betray the age of its design. The 1.0-litre version manages a combined cycle reading of 56.5mpg with CO2 emissions pegged at 118g/km, whilst its 1.3-litre stablemate less laudably delivers 48.7mpg and 137g/km. In terms of ongoing running costs, expect to pay from group 5 to group 6 insurance premiums and costs per mile work out broadly on a par with something like a Ford Fiesta 1.25. One nice touch for those entering long cycles of ownership is that the 1.3-litre version has a catalytic converter able to regenerate itself, reducing the need for an expensive replacement when the miles build up. Perhaps that's one reason why after three years of use, your Sirion will probably still be worth about 40% of what you paid for it. Another is the impressive five year unlimited mileage warranty with five years of roadside assistance. This Sirion has proved to be an acquired taste amongst UK buyers but those who've owned one tend to want to buy another - which must say something. The fact that it can't quite decide whether it wants to be a citycar or a supermini hasn't helped it slot into the UK market - which is a pity for a compact runabout that straddles these two sectors is probably exactly what a lot of buyers actually need. If you think you might be one of the relatively few who'll properly appreciate its individuality, its fresh design and its willing engines, then it's well worth trying one. Get the right price and you'll find this an interesting and beguiling alternative to more commonplace small cars.

Facts At A Glance
CAR: Daihatsu Sirion range
PRICES: £8,320-£10,990 - on the road
INSURANCE GROUPS: 5-6
CO2 EMISSIONS: 118-137g/km
PERFORMANCE: [1.3] Max Speed 106mph / 0-60mph 10.9s
FUEL CONSUMPTION: [1.0](combined) 56.5mpg
STANDARD SAFETY FEATURES: Twin front, side airbags, ABS, EBD WILL IT FIT IN YOUR GARAGE ?: Length 3600mm/Width1665mm/Height1550mm