Daihatsu Sirion 2005 Review

What we liked
>> Economy
>> Value pricing
>> Spacious Interior

Not so much
>> Crosswind stability/roadholding
>> Mismatched/hard plastics
>> Wanna buy an orphan?

OVERVIEW
The distinctive beat of its thrummy one-litre, three-cylinder engine gave the Charade and its successor Sirion a unique selling proposition in the light car market.

The advertising at the time said that the Charade was the car the computer created. The cylinder size was said to be ideal for performance and economy. The Charade proved popular and there was even a punchy turbo version for a few years.

The distinctive sound and feel of the little triple became a Daihatsu signature and more than a few people called it half a Porsche. When the Sirion was introduced to the local market in 1998 it featured distinctive styling and the trademark one-litre triple.

It sold pretty well and those who have one (including my partner) just love them. Later in the Sirion's model life a Sirion GTVi was offered with a tuned 75kW 1.3-litre Toyota Echo engine and optional steering wheel-mounted shift button switches for the four-speed auto.

The GTVi was loaded with equipment and was actually a pretty decent thing if you realized it wasn't a Mini Cooper S. The three-cylinder Sirion continued to be popular for its character and economy of operation. The best ever sales period for Sirion was during its launch year, selling 2883.

The only thing that was lacking as the years moved on though, was sales momentum. It was all downhill for the Sirion, with sales steadily declining each year even with the launch of the 1.3-litre GTVi in 2000.

A combination of fierce price competition and a confusing model range saw Sirion sales drop to 2400 in 2004, a long way from the glory days of 1992 when 16,000 Daihatsus in total were sold.

The new for 2005 Sirion was launched late February, up against a revitalized Suzuki Swift and another 20 or so competitors. The pricing looked ok for the equipment offered, and there was even a Sports model to take over from the GTVi. What was missing was the much loved triple: a victim of 'rationalization'.

Just a month later Toyota announced that Daihatsu was dead in Australia (the only market worldwide) following a review that "examined matters including the local sales environment, customer preferences, increased competition, financial outlook and recent volume trends. This review determined that the long-term viability of the Daihatsu business was limited in the Australian market."

The future of the Sirion will be short-lived, Daihatsu itself declaring: "During the next 12 months, Daihatsu owners will be supported through the existing service outlets. From 31 March 2006, parts, service and warranties will be supported through a national network of service centres to be established."

So the killing-off a well-known brand by none other than its super rich parent Toyota was a bit of a shock, not just to the dealers but the tens of thousands of Daihatsu owners out there. You have to wonder why the new Sirion was launched and then dismissed (albeit over twelve months) but apparently the decision was months in the making. Nonetheless the Sirion was launched, the cars ordered and the "ships were on their way and you can't turn them back," to quote a Toyota source.

It seems that 'the car the computer created' is no more. Daihatsu says it wants customers for the new Sirion: but do they really, and should you buy a doomed brand?

FEATURES
Choosing a Sirion is easy with two models and two transmissions to choose from. Inside the $15,490 entry-level Sirion you get height-adjustable power steering and driver's seat, electric front and rear windows, electric mirrors, air conditioning and a reasonable four speaker CD stereo.

There are three passenger assist grips along with driver and passenger airbags. Six storage nooks around the interior and parcel shelf under the dash accommodates storage requirements. The instruments move up and down with the adjustable wheel and the optional tachometer is mounted up in the dash top, just like in a smart car.

The centre stack is well laid-out with large controls for the heating, ventilation and stereo controls. The level of equipment is adequate, but it's the quality of the plastics and the way they are assembled that screams cheap.

The Sirion has never been the class leader in terms of interior quality, but the new model seems to have been the victim of some severe cost cutting in the quality stakes. Our test car had lots of little creaks and groans to go with the mismatched plastics and tinny-sounding doors.

The carpet in the Sirion looks like underlay and it's another example of the 'cheapening' of the car that does it few favors.

The $17,990 Sirion Sport gains a roof spoiler, body kit, alloy wheels, ABS brakes and front fog lights. If you want the added safety and protection of side and curtain airbags you'll have to pay another $1650 in the Sport, or $1980 in the SX, but you also get ABS. The optional four-speed automatic is $1500, but no longer comes with steering wheel-mounted switches.

COMFORT
The Sirion redeems itself with a spacious and light interior with enough headroom to wear a top hat and excellent vision out. The front passengers sit quite high on the flat front seats, and leg and head room is more than sufficient. The seats are fine for short bursts around town but on a two-hour drive they proved uncomfortable and unsupportive.

Adjustable head restraints are fitted to all five seats, however interior plastics look and feel cheap and do nothing to improve cabin ambiance. The colour-matching and textures seem to have been chosen based on price alone and don't bear comparison with the similarly-priced Suzuki Swift. Hyundai's Getz could teach it a few things about interior plastics.

The console between the seats has a couple of cup holders, removable ashtray, a cigarette lighter (a bit of a rarity these days) and some storage space for small items. There's a large parcel shelf that's the full width of the car and that's a good thing because the glove box is nearly useless and won't even hold the owner's manual which resides in a front door pocket.

The rear seat is flat like the front, but there is more room than you would think and two adults can sit comfortably back there. The seat folds and the rake can be adjusted to allow for your choice of luggage or passengers like the Toyota Echo. The rear hatchback reveals a reasonable area and the shelf that covers it has an adjustable sleeve to cover the gap when the seat is raked forward.

The driver gets a height-adjustable steering wheel and both front passengers get vanity mirrors. Child-proof rear door locks and a child safety seat mounting point are provided. There are six cup holders around the interior, but only one seat back pocket for the rear passengers.

SAFETY
The Sirion comes with force limiting front seat belts, adjustable head restraints to all seats but only driver and passenger airbags. If you want ABS brakes with Electronic Brakeforce Distribution then you must option them in as part of the optional airbag package. The asking price is steep though, and they really should be standard these days.

The tyres are skinny 175/65 R14 82T mounted on 5-inch rims on both models. The Sirion Sports gets alloys. The Sirion has not been tested in the Euro NCAP test so a rating is not available.

MECHANICAL
The 1.3-litre four-cylinder offers up 64kW/120Nm which is down 10kW on the superseded Sirion GTVi's output. The new Sirion hasn't just lost power it has put on 140kg and this takes its toll on performance.

The Sirion 1.3 used to be a reasonably rapid little thing, but the new model has lost the feeling of urgency it had. Sure it feels and sounds fast, but that is not actually the case and when it has more than the driver on board it can become sluggish.

It does like to rev though, but the vague gear change soon puts paid to any enthusiastic driving. The standard five-speed manual transmission is light enough to use, but it's notchy, vague and the lever provides the perfect conduit for engine resonance to the driver's hand. The whole mechanical package feels cheap and the lack of engine sound proofing soon proves very tiring when you are trying to extract performance.

COMPETITORS
There are around 20 vehicles in this class and whilst the Sirion has never been a huge seller it did have a niche by virtue of its distinctive styling and distinctive three cylinder-engine.

The three-cylinder has gone and the styling makes the Sirion look like a slightly morphed Echo. The previous Sirion had styling that was distinctive with its bug-eye front and big mouth grille and was often called 'cute' by its owners. You couldn't call the new Sirion cute, perhaps derivative and certainly far from distinctive.

In the equipment stakes the Sirion closely matches the competition but does comes off feeling very cheap and tinny. The fact that there are only two airbags and no ABS brakes warrants a low score here.

In the handling stakes the Sirion is so far behind the Ford Fiesta and Mazda2 that you have to wonder if Daihatsu were really serious about badging a model 'Sport'. The Sirion does have a spacious interior in its favor and the promise of many years of reliable motoring, but then so do many of its competitors.

The reality is that with the withdrawal of the brand from Australia the Sirion is going to be an orphan. Resale values will suffer and servicing and parts will be handled by "a network to be established". It's doubtless there will be a fair bit of room to negotiate on price for a new Sirion and there will need to be taking the above into account.

ON THE ROAD
The Sirion has a harsh ride around town and there was a lot of front suspension noise on the Sport that I drove for just over a week. At low urban speeds the Sirion is capable enough, though you soon notice that directional stability is not its strong point. Out on the open road the ride improves, but the handling and road holding are second rate with minimal grip, strong understeer, lifeless steering and a strong dislike of crosswinds.

The brakes are just up to task, but unless you specify the optional ABS you will have a hard time keeping it pointed in the right direction in an emergency due to the skinny tyres. The engine is eager and will move the Sirion along nicely if you can stand using the substandard gear change. It did average just under 7.0L/100km over 500km's and that's got to be helpful with today's fuel prices.

The Sirion has never been the sharpest tool in the box, but the new model is more than a bit off the pace dynamically, mechanically and quality-wise. Perhaps when Toyota decided to pull the pin on Daihatsu it anticipated an uphill battle selling the new Sirion. I think they were right.

The Sirion is unfortunately a car that promises much but delivers an average driving experience in market segment that offers up more than a few excellent choices.