Daihatsu Materia

SOMETIMES I can be absorbed writing an email when the telephone rings. I answer it and by the time I return to the email I have completely forgotten what I was going to say. Luckily the consequences of being sidetracked haven’t been as disastrous as those that must have befallen the designer of the new Daihatsu Materia.

My theory is that he must have been interrupted at least twice whilst penning the latest mini MPV. I think he started to design a supermini, got sidetracked, came back to design a van, got side tracked again and decided to design a sports car. On paper it looks like a drawing a three year old makes when asked to draw a car – you need an explanation to tell you what it is!

However it has created a cult following in Japan and America with several manufacturers struggling to keep up with consumer demand. Everyone to their own!

The Materia went on sale in July 2007 and once you get past its styling, it is actually a very practical and capable car. The interior is both funky and interesting with blue illumination of the front door armrests and circular front door speakers. The centrally mounted instrument panel has a three dimensional look but I thought it was unsafe to have to keep looking to the middle of the dash to check the instruments.

The Materia’s specification is exceptionally high and includes power steering, air conditioning, alloy wheels, front fog lamps, radio/CD player with six speakers, MP3 capability and rear privacy glass which with the black metallic exterior paint colour can make it look a little funeralish. All the buttons and dials are large, set into a very nice glossy black finish and they have large easy to read lettering.

It is very spacious, with lots of head room with the van like height. The rear seat can be fully reclined to form a bed, as can the front seats. If you don’t need much boot space you can slide back the rear seat which means you can really stretch out in the back. The seats are comfortable and so is the ride.

For such a tall car the handling is surprisingly controlled with no body roll and the stubby front end makes it easy to park. It is noisy in the cabin at motorway speeds but the engine itself is quiet.

Similar to that fitted to the Terios and the Sirion, the 1.5 litre petrol engine is both lively and frugal. It accelerates quickly and easily at low speeds and the five speed manual gear box has slick changes, or there is a choice of a four speed automatic transmission.

The Materia has all the latest life saving and injury reducing initiatives including ABS with EBD braking systems and driver, passenger and side airbags. EuroNCAP has just awarded the Materia four stars for adult occupant protection.

Although I think it is one of the ugliest cars I have ever seen, by the end of the week’s review, I had grown to like the Daihatsu Materia because it drives well, is very practical and spacious and for £10,995 has lots of standard equipment.

Oops phone’s ringing….. Now where was I!

Facts at a Glance

Model: Daihatsu Materia
Price: From £10,995 (manual) to £11,795 (automatic)
Engines: 1.5 litre petrol
Performance: (Manual) 0-62mph in 10.8 seconds and on to a top speed of 106mph
Combined fuel consumption: 39.2mpg with combined use
CO2 emissions: 169g/km

By Sue Cooke