Roadtest: Daihatsu Materia (From Community Newsgroup)

Roadtest: Daihatsu Materia

3:03pm Wednesday 2nd July 2008

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Q. What do get if you cross a Chrysler PT Cruiser with an invalid carriage?

A. The Daihatsu Materia.

Quirky looks and a cheeky character have all too often triumphed over style and substance in the car industry down the years - just look how well the Peugeot 206 sold. But can Japanese small car maker, Daihatsu, pull it off with their new mini-people mover?

Robert Downes takes a look at one of the strangest looking you'll ever see!

Performance/engine

Simple can still be good, and with just one 1.5-litre petrol powering the Materia, and one trim level for that matter, buyers won't have too much to ponder in the showroom. It's good for 102 bhp, and will get the Materia from standing to 60mph in 10.8 seconds. It's quite quick if you don't mind revving it hard, but it's far from a cultured performer, sounding thrashy and course under acceleration, and it does it's best work under 3,000rpm where there's quite a good amount of torque, but runs out of steam soon afterwards.

It'll do motorways, but you wouldn't want to be crossing a continent in one.

Handling:

I haven't driven a people carrier yet that puts a smile on the driver's face, and so little surprise that the Materia is a damp squib in this department.

It'll get you from A to B, and on to C, but don't expect much of a laugh a long the way.

In some respects it's small size works in its favour as it doesn't mind being chucked about - so long as the kids aren't in the back - but the car's thin wheels give up their grip on the road far too quickly, and the body control is so poor occupants are regularly jostled.

Drive refinement

It's a bargain basement motor and this is reflected in just about every aspect of the drive, from the notchy gearbox and snappy clutch to the lumpy, unsettled ride. Those who like a lofty perch from which to drive will be pleased by the high-up feel you get in the Materia and the big car feel this introduces, but the noisy cabin will annoy on long motorway hauls.

Quality

Hard, brittle plastics are used extensively in the cabin and the fit and finish is not brilliant. How many rattles and squeaks there'd be after 12 months is anyone's guess, but it's Japanese so the mechanics should last. The dash is a rather brief affair but it's laid simply and is pretty easy to use.

Space and Practicality

If the Materia does one thing well, it's providing acres of space. It's lofty cabin means you'll get even the tallest adults in without a squeak, and the leg room is generous too. It's pretty much at the expense of a boot though, as the rear seats have been pushed far back and storage space is a poor 230-litres - little better than a Smart car - and barely fit for a family of fours weekly shopping.

Group 8 insurance for a 1.5 seems is quite high so premiums won't be exceptionally competative either.

Equipment

Remote central locking, alarm and immobiliser are standard, as is air con, 4x electric windows, a manual sunroof, and rear parking sensors. For entertainment there's a CD player but the acoustics are a bit flimsy.

Safety

Seat belt pretensioners and air bags front and side, but no side impact curtain bags for rear occupants, but it gets a four out of five star NCAP rating so pretty robust for a small car.

Prices

There's only one model and it costs £10,995 OTR, and that's before the dealer has given you a nice discount.

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