- Doors and Seats
5 doors, 5 seats
- Engine
1.3i, 4 cyl.
- Engine Power
64kW, 120Nm
- Fuel
Petrol (91) 5.8L/100KM
- Manufacturer
FWD
- Transmission
Manual
- Warranty
3 Yr, 100000 KMs
- Ancap Safety
NA
Daihatsu Sirion
Daihatsu used to be the king of the shopping trolleys, particularly in the 1980s with the cute, cockroach-shaped Charade. Now it's packing up and going home to Japan, because the car maker believes its cars no longer work in this market.
Take the Sirion, for example. The first model, released in 1998, was comfortable, had plenty of gear - including two front airbags, a class first - and didn't cost much.
However, there are two good reasons most people, even those who just want cheap, reliable transport, don't like 1.0-litre engines.
One: They don't go. Two: They are, not to put too fine a point on it, as rough as guts.
The Sirion's 1.0-litre three-cylinder had the aural and textural characteristics of a blender whizzing through a cupful of nuts. And that's when it was idling.
The new Sirion is powered by a 1.3-litre engine, which, while still far from best in class, is at least competitive with other small car powerplants. Launch pricing, however, is optimistic. The base model, the five-door manual SX, costs $15,490 and the four-speed automatic is $16,990.
Air-conditioning, power windows and mirrors, two airbags and a CD are standard. Even so, you don't have to look too far to find rivals such as Toyota's Echo (an in-house competitor; Toyota owns Daihatsu), Holden's Barina and the Hyundai Getz being sold for less.
The Sirion Sport uses the same engine and transmission as the SX but adds ABS brakes, 14-inch alloy wheels (with the same 175/65 tyres) a tacho and a few bits of body bling. Daihatsu wants $17,990 for the manual Sport, or $19,490 for the automatic. They're dreamin'.
The new Sirion is built on the same platform that will carry the next Echo, due here by the end of the year. It's a short, tall box, with a wheel at each corner, a configuration which, done well, maximises interior space. Of which the Sirion has more than most small cars. Four adults, up to about 180cm tall, can fit without feeling too squeezy.
The driver's seat, however, is too small for average-sized adults. Its flat cushion and backrest offer no upper-body or leg support at all. You sit quite high, with great vision around the car but, again, tall drivers will have problems. The steering wheel is not reach adjustable, so long legs are uncomfortably cramped in the footwell. The clutch is also positioned too high.
Hard, shiny grey plastic is the dominant cabin material, relieved by hard, shiny fake metal-trim highlights. That said, the interior styling is simple, fresh and pleasingly outside the mainstream. Fit and finish quality is also fine, though the doors make an awful tinny-sounding clang when you close them.
As usual with small Japanese cars, the control layout is a model of minimalist efficiency and clarity. All the buttons are big and easy to find. There are also lots of places to carry your bits and pieces. The lower section of the dash is a deep, long, open storage bin. Covered storage is also provided in several usefully sized compartments.
The instrument (there's only one) is mounted in a small pod to the top of the steering column, just behind the wheel, like the Mini. It's reasonably easy to read - the fact that it moves up and down when you adjust the wheel means it won't be obscured - and the absence of a tacho is no problem.
When all you're getting from the engine is more noise, change up a gear.
At night, the speedo is clearly and softly lit in orange. The headlights are weak, especially on high beam.
Wide-opening doors provide convenient access to the back seat, which has three lap/sash belts and head restraints. It's wide enough for two adults, who enjoy greater than average legroom, though some will find the steeply angled backrest uncomfortable. Three child-restraint anchors are provided behind the seat.
Boot space is average. The shallow floor is easily extended, without restricting front-seat travel, by lowering either, or both, of the 60/40 split-seat cushions, then folding the backrest forward, to form an almost flat extended load space. A spacesaver spare is under the floor.
The 1.3-litre engine produces average numbers for this capacity: 64kW of power at 6000rpm and 120Nm of torque at 3200rpm.
At the extremes it's a non-event but it does have quite a wide, flexible mid-range, assisted by low gearing.
The Sirion cruises in an acceptably refined manner. You need to shift down to fourth on hills. It also has enough poke to hold its own in town but the test car's engine surged erratically at times when crawling along in first gear.
The Sirion accelerates from rest to 100kmh in 11.1 seconds, a respectable result assisted by its featherweight 956kg. The five-speed manual is awful. It dislikes leaving, or arriving, at any particular gear and gets lost and confused en route. You don't have to drive far in the Sirion to work out that handling was not high on the priority list. Then again, it is a city car.
Around the suburbs it's OK but the suspension (MacPherson strut front/trailing-arm torsion-beam axle rear) is soft, so the slightest hint of enthusiasm produces exaggerated body roll.
Rough roads also give the body a shake and turn an otherwise compliant, comfortable ride into a fussy, slightly harsh one.
The electrically assisted steering is light and vague, with a strange looseness in the straight-ahead position - almost as though the pinion has excessive play in the rack - that causes you to constantly adjust the wheel.
The disc/drum brakes are adequate.
In the crowded small-car field, the Sirion is competitive in most areas that matter, except the one which matters most: price.
However, given Daihatsu's intention to leave the Australian market on March 31 next year, there are likely to be some pretty desperate deals on the Sirion.
What price do you put on a brand and a car that has no future?