Daihatsu Sirion 2004 Review
Test Drive

Daihatsu Sirion 2004 Review

No one really cared about snail speed or the sound of a lawnmower engine.

Then the price went up and people started looking for other places.

Sirion has been a bit like the Invisible Man ever since, even after the introduction of the sporty GTVi model.

But the diminutive Daihatsu should appeal to some buyers, mostly city dwellers and those not interested in performance or handling.

The Sirion we drove last week was a four-speed car, and while it could handle the freeway and willingly hit the legal limits, it's a much better fit for an urban subcompact.

The really good thing is that it has five doors, so there's no need to put up with a three-door econobox if you're buying at this end of the market.

Somewhere in the last couple of years, the Sirion has undergone a facelift and heart transplant, giving it a more modern look and a bit more noise under the hood.

It still looks like a rice bubble on wheels, a style that was pioneered years ago by the Mazda 121 bubble and copied by many.

It has received some crash protection benefits such as dual front airbags, and the chassis is designed with the necessary crash protection structures.

The engine is a 1.0-liter three-cylinder, 12-valve unit with two camshafts and an output of 40 kW / 88 Nm. While it doesn't look like much on paper, Sirion actually works quite well. Weighs 800kg.

Good equipment offers almost everything you need for a comfortable ride, including front windows and power mirrors, as well as several front seat adjustments. The seats are flat, providing minimal lateral support that you don't need anyway.

The interior is spacious but has too much hard gray plastic.

Air conditioning is optional, which will raise the price of this little pup to over $17,000 on the road – a big price to pay for a small car with air and no tachometer.

But on the plus side, it's easy to live with and drive, super economical (around 6.0L/100km) and easy to park thanks to the power steering and compact size.

Daihatsu is renowned for its durable engines and transmissions, no matter how powerful they are.

The interior is spacious, there is plenty of headroom, and the trunk is a decent size.

The lack of a central lock of any kind is a problem as it can be seen as a security feature rather than a luxury.

The sound system is working, and the cabin is comfortable on a trip, although the engine wheezes, and the gear shifts are barely smooth. Fits in a garage with a bunch of spares at both ends.

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