Exceptional Looking Daihatsu Materia

December 13, 2016

It looks exceptional; however the way it drives is disappointing

Daihatsu Materia Engines

The Daihatsu Materia’s 1.5-litre engine is lacking in personality, though it delivers strong performance. 103bhp helps it dash to 60mph in 10.8 seconds, and it feels responsive in gear. This is partly due to a short top gear though, which makes it sit higher in the revs on the motorway. The suspension has a similarly sporty bias, too; firm damping gives a hard edge to the ride. This helps contain body roll, dispute the Materia’s tall stance, although under hard cornering the anti-roll bar can’t stop the body heaving and unloading the opposite suspension enough for the tyre to lose traction. Add in steering that suffers kickback over bumpy surfaces, and the Materia isn’t as composed or as comfortable as it could be. However, it never feels unstable, and the brakes are good.

It’s Market

With its peculiar mix of miniaturized scale car boxiness, suggestive bodykit and tinted windows, there's no mixing up the Materia. However, look past the one of a kind styling, and the Daihatsu is pretty firmly coordinated to rivals including the Nissan Note, Renault Modus and Mitsubishi Colt five-door. It isn't especially long; however, it is very wide and extremely tall. It's really all around prepared, which is great as there's only one trim, and the main  engine is the 1.5-litre petrol. Clearly, the Materia is a major hit on the neon-lit lanes of Tokyo, however it faces firm rivalry in the supermini-MPV division here – models, for example, the Nissan Note, Vauxhall Meriva and Renault Modus.

 Owning the Materia

On account of the tall roofline, there's a sentiment genuine space inside, especially in the back. Legroom is amazing (the back seat slides), however limit windows, tinted glass and a fundamentally dark inside mean it's excessively dim for a family auto. Practicality is confined as well; the boot isn't that huge. Besides, general outline is confused. What’s more, the overall design is mismatched. You get heater controls from a Toyota Yaris, combined with a range of other seemingly unrelated switchgear, while the dash shape is dominated by odd-looking pods at either end, which contain a speaker and an air vent. There are also blue rings around the door speakers, a green radio display and orange illumination on the centre screen! As for the driving position, it’s high, but the wheel only adjusts for rake and the gearlever is located too low and far away. As with other Daihatsu models, there’s lots of vibration through the lever and the action feels rather fragile. Our average economy was poor, too – we saw 28.6mpg, compared to an official average of nearly 40mpg, while it churns out a lot of CO2 for a small car as well.