Daihatsu Sirion (1998 Ð 2005) Car Review
Someone needs to have a word with Daihatsu. With the Sirion, they upset the applecart by offering a car priced and marketed as a supermini, but as big as many of the cars in the next class up. That sort of behaviour will not endear them to Seat Arosa, Nissan Micra and Volkswagen Polo owners. Getting more for your money is a used car motto, and on this basis, the Sirion looks like an interesting buy. ItÕs certainly an individualist proposition. With its vaguely retro styling and strong fuel consumption showing, a used Sirion is worth looking at if low budget, stylish urban transport is on your shopping list.
History
The Sirion is one of those cars that probably shouldnÕt exist. Daihatsu has a small car range that includes the Cuore and Charade models, not to mention the Grand Move micro MPV for those who need more room. Finding a gap in this product range is a tricky prospect indeed, but find one they did. The Sirion was introduced in June 1998 as a model more spacious than a Cuore but still offering the benefits of the three cylinder 1.0-litre engine. In fact, with all of the niche models in their range, the Sirion is probably the most mainstream item, competing head on with its supermini rivals, at least on price.
Upon launch, the range consisted of a base model and a Sirion+, with added equipment. The range then remained to all intents and purposes unchanged until October 2000 when a revised E and EL trim structure was introduced for the 1.0-litre version and a new 1.3SL version added at the top of the range. This had the option of clever F1-style gearchange controls. In mid-2002, the line-up was facelifted and smartened up inside. A 4-wheel drive Ô4trakÕ model was added to the range, as were hot hatch ÔRally2Õ and ÔRally4Õ variants. A new Sirion arrived in 2005.
Opinion
The Sirion is so stylish itÕs debatable as to whether the effect was intended or accidental. There are 1950s industrial Japan design cues all around the car, with so much that is noteworthy and interesting. The stretched headlamps give the car an appearance of its hair being pulled back, and sit over a trim chromed bumper. This tapers off to a point along the SirionÕs flank, guiding the eye back to the kicked-up bustle tail. Not even the Ford Ka could rival the Sirion for cafŽ society cool. All it needs to complete the look are some stylish wheels and a funky old-school colour scheme, like orange or lime.
Equipment-wise, the Sirion makes a good case for itself. Both models have power steering, twin airbags, electric mirrors, an engine immobiliser and headlamp levelling, itself a rare feature in cars of this class. The Sirion+ adds side airbags, air conditioning, central locking and electric rear windows. Anti lock brakes, a four-speaker stereo, 14" wheels and tyres and a roof spoiler also mark the Sirion+ from its more humble sibling.
Despite offering more space inside than many of its rivals, the Sirion is still quite a tight squeeze for five passengers. Four is a more realistic prospect, and even then, taller passengers will have to sit splay-kneed. Front seat comfort is aided by the standard fitment of adjustable seat belt anchors. This also helps prevent ÔsubmariningÕ Ð the action of slipping under the belt in the case of an accident.
Safety is a big feature of the Sirion range, especially so with the Sirion+. As well as its ABS, twin front and side airbags and seatbelt pre-tensioners, the Sirion+ is also fitted with side impact beams, a door release system which unlocks the doors in an accident and also brake assist. This is a system which was pioneered by Mercedes, helping to apply maximum and prolonged pressure to the braking system if it detects a panic-braking manoeuvre.
By ANDY ENRIGHT.
Visit the Blog about address daihatsu showroom singaporeDaihatsu Cuore (1997-2003) Car Review
Small is certainly beautiful when it comes to city cars. Daihatsu have heartily embraced the Ôless is moreÕ concept with the Cuore. While it may be the height of vogue in downtown Shinjuku, does the little Daihatsu cut it as a used buy here on the UKÕs pockmarked roads? If new sales are anything to go by, the answer is a resounding yes. The Citycar class is taking off, and with offerings like the Daewoo Matiz, Fiat Seicento and Vauxhall Agila to compete against, the Cuore has its work cut out. The Japanese have been, are, and probably always will be, the experts on miniaturisation. From personal stereos to cameras, the Japanese inability to be satisfied with a product until a minuscule version was available was bound to come round to cars. HereÕs how to track down a used Cuore.
History
The Cuore was borne out of JapanÕs stringent small car tax regulations which demand tiny dimensions in return for revenue rebates. It is this which sparked the manufacture of genuinely tiny cars, although the export success of these cars in foreign markets meant that they probably would have been developed without the existing legal framework. They all have one thing in common, and that is to European eyes, they look faintly odd. European rivals aimed to create more mainstream looks, which the Daihatsu Cuore aimed to replicate.
The Cuore was first offered for sale in the UK in summer 1997, and was launched in base (three-door) and Cuore+ (five-door) guise. The engine available was a tiny 847cc three-cylinder unit shared by the Daihatsu Move. In fact 65% of the Cuore and Move were common, and the Cuore was a more mainstream alternative for those who couldnÕt put up with the pointing, chuckling and general bafflement the Move generated.
In October 1997 limited numbers of the Cuore Avanzato TR-XX R4 were introduced. This was a citycar able to accelerate to 60mph in less time than it took to carefully enunciate its name. The specification of this model was, and remains to this day, almost unbelievable. A microscopic three-cylinder 659cc engine had a turbocharger and intercooler attached to it, with drive going through all four tiny wheels, like a Lilliputian Audi Quattro. An aggressive bodykit and alloy wheels completed the image. Unsurprisingly, the Avanzato was a touch avant-garde for British tastes and few were sold before it was quietly withdrawn in 1999.
April 1998 saw the launch of three limited edition models, the ÔStartÕ, ÔSÕ three-door and ÔSÕ five-door. The Cuore range received a freshening in December 1998 when new 1.0-litre three cylinder engines were introduced along with a slight lengthening of the chassis, changes to grille, lights, bumpers and specification levels. The same Cuore and Cuore+ range designations existed as before. It was early 2003 before the last of the Cuore models exited the dealersÕ showrooms.
Opinion
The Cuore is a city car that doesnÕt have people chuckling in mirth as it drives by, unlike its sibling, the Move. Its shape is tidy, rounded and slightly reminiscent of NissanÕs Micra. The wheelbase is relatively long, which helps with packaging. The packaging of people into its compact dimensions.
It's a little bigger than you might expect; the Japanese bureaucrats now permit their little ÔK-classÕ cars to be slightly longer and wider which has allowed the latest Cuore to grow in every area but height. Don't expect it to be a Fiesta - two big blokes up front will still rub shoulders - but against Eastern opposition and Western rivals like Fiat's Seicento, it feels relatively spacious.
Which is a bonus in a car thatÕs billed as the cheapest Japanese built new car on the market. As a used buy itÕs a good way to get nearly new for next to nothing. Though there's a choice of three or five doors, the dimensions of both body styles are identical - so don't go offering back seat space to any sumo wrestlers. Better to flatten the split-folding rear bench and make use of a decent amount of luggage room.
It's a pity you don't get this on the three-door base model. Still, there is quite a lot else for your cash. Twin front airbags, an engine immobiliser, a decent stereo, colour-keyed bumpers, a rev counter and a rear wash/wipe all come as standard on the 1.0 models, though curiously, there's no clock. The 1.0 Cuore+ does include this, along with electric windows and mirrors, central locking, a centre console with cupholders and a special impact release system which unlocks the doors in a collision.
There are a number of little touches not normally included on a car of this price; the height-adjustable front seatbelt mountings, the remote headlamp levelling, the twin vanity mirrors and the remote levers to open the rear hatch and fuel flap. Interior door bins and that clock are the only real omissions. Still, there's the option of a 3-speed automatic gearbox: you'd be surprised how rare this is in this sector.
By ANDY ENRIGHT.
