I figure since there is almost no road test info on these cars id give a quick update on how my dad is getting on with his oddball choice.
Well, ive been lucky enough to drive it about 400 miles in the last few weeks as he doesnt like driving so almost always contracts it out to me or my mum these days, which means ive had plenty of wheel time!
In short, some of it is expected and some of it isnt.
Interior space is fantastic, theres no doubt about that and the sliding rear seat means you can adjust the characteristics of the space nicely although the bench moves as a whole, not split like say a Yaris. Opportunity missed there. Its alot bigger than the Yaris inside though. It just feels huge inside, moreso than a car shorter than a Fiesta has any right to.
The dashboard is easy to use, everything is where you expect it and as is common with jap cars of old, its childplay to get used to the way the car drives. It is utterly conventional, smooth autobox, chunky controls and I must say, very well screwed together. It does have the feeling of longevity about it. the steering is light but its quick enough that you never feel like your wheel twirling down the lanes. The turning circle, in common with most modern Daihatsus is excellent, something my dad is very pleased with as it makes parking very easy.
The ride is firm as suggested by the few reports out there, but it isnt crashy and it really does translate into snappy handling for a car that you expect anything but good handling from. I found myself throwing it around bends that the Sirion would need far less speed to go round in the same manner of calm, controlled progress. It feels quite effortless on switchback corners and the limitations of the seats side support are reached long before you induce any tyre squeal.
The seats are firmer than our Sirion, but they are comfortable on a long journey.
Performance is adequate rather than sprightly, maybe the manual would feel more peppy, but given a reasonable amount of room it can overtake without much fuss although at the higher end of the rev range it is quite vocal.
Everything still works of course and it attracts quite alot of attention as we know of only one other in our area. Its sort of like a small PT Cruiser except it isnt anywhere near as common and is a little bit squarer.
My dad is extremely pleased with it as it is performing its role perfectly and you cant ask for more than that really. The price is the sweetener really though as he simply couldnt get anything with a proper gearbox, the space and warranty for anything close to the £11,800 this car went for ( course he had his £2k scrappage off that ).
Its actually quite tempting as a small family car.
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