Daihatsu Sirion

11:35am Friday 11th April 2008

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THERE are cars that will waft you from A to Z with astonishing performance figures.

At the other end of the scale are the ones that are best suited to take you from A to B. You know, a trip across town, a visit to the supermarket etc.

These are the "runarounds", usually a bit short on space and lacking some refinement, but they are cheap to buy and tax and will not leave you gasping at the petrol pumps.

It is in this territory that we find the Daihatsu Sirion, a supermini that looks like its been punched in the nose and pressed against a wall at the back.

The result is a fairly tall and squat model with character and a surprisingly decent amount of space.

Launched in 2005, the five-door Sirion quickly became Daihatsu's best-seller. Plaudits were plentiful, and sales were up 47 per cent last year.

But the bargain basement is keenly fought over by manufacturers. This is the territory inhabited by the Peugeot 107, Citroen C1, Toyota Aygo, Ford Ka and new Suzuki Splash. You really have to be on top of your game to survive.

Superminis seem likely to attract more and more interest as petrol prices increase relentlessly and the Chancellor hits harder and harder at bigger cars, and the Sirion is well worth comparing with the aforementioned big sellers.

It might be a bit of a Plain Jane inside, but at least everything is neat and orderly.

There are now three engine sizes available - 1.0, 1.3 and a 1.5-litre which has become available for the top-of-the range SX model.

I opted for the 1.3-litre SE for a week-long test, but I suspect it will be the 1.0, with its low tax banding (£35 a year) and excellent fuel economy figure (averaging 56.5mpg) that will woo most customers hunting for a car in this price bracket.

The 1.3-litre unit offers surprisingly sprightly performance and is actually good fun away from the motorway. It's a little raw and raucous when pushed hard but revs freely and with a firm chassis and responsive steering the Sirion handles itself well.

The 1.0 S comes in at £7,495, whereas my test car had a price tag of £8,495.

The big plus points of the Sirion are its economy, interior space and headroom and abilty to give a decent and fairly quiet ride at speeds of 70mpg-plus - at least with the 1.3-litre engine.

The 2008 model has new bumpers and wheels to improve the aesthetics, more supportive seats and revised rear suspension.

Standard equipment on the 1.0 S includes air-conditioning, four electric windows, a radio/CD player and remote central locking - all very useful and negating the need to look higher up the range if you are willing to forego the alloy wheels, extra speakers for the audio and cosmetic interior touches .

All Sirions feature MP3 connectivity, a pointless rev counter perched above the instrumentation in its own pod and, a rather out-of-place LCD panel in the speedometer showing current and average fuel consumption. There's a touch of the Good, The Bad and the Ugly about these three features.

If you want an automatic, your choice is restricted to the 1.5 SX. Otherwise, it's a five-speed manual, with the spindly gear stick requiring a degree of firmness.

For a six-footer like me, the taller-than-average build was welcome. With extremely short front and rear overhangs, a gently tapering roofline and higher seating position, the Sirion masks its height.

It also looks bigger than it actually is, and a tape measure will confirm that it is in fact 20mm shorter than the Ford Ka.

Underneath the bonnet is a revised four-cylinder engine that provides stronger low-speed torque. It is tried and tested, and supplied to Toyota by Daihatsu for use in its Yaris supermini. That should tell you that this is a serious contender in this sector.

At a glance

Model: Daihatsu Sirion 1.3 SE
Price: £8,495
Performance: 0-60mph in 11 seconds; maximum speed, 106mph
Economy: 48.7mpg combined
CO2 emissions: 137g/km
Transmission: Five-speed manual driving front wheels
Power: 91.1bhp at 6,000rpm