It's perhaps significant that almost the first line of the press pack accompanying the Daihatsu Sirion 1.3 SE to my door last week rammed home the message that this all-new model is a joint development with Toyota. Why significant? Because Daihatsu need to convince everyone that they are not just some funny little Japanese company who used to make rather agricultural 4x4s, but a fully fledged and integrated part of the giant Toyota empire, with all that implies in terms of build quality and reliability.It's also quite amusing to see that here in the UK, International Motors - which also holds the Subaru and Isuzu franchises - pushes the Toyota alliance hard, yet at the same time contrasts the Sirion favourably against the rival Toyota Yaris.This Sirion is wider and higher than the previous model, and while it's a smidgen shorter overall it has a longer wheelbase and wider track. Shoving the wheels right up to the extremities of the chassis means more space in the middle - much more. In fact that's one of the major planks of the marketing for the Sirion - that and the price. Daihatsu the car to be perceived as a direct Ford Fiesta competitor, with external dimensions similar to a Nissan Micra, but with more room than either inside.And as to price - well, there's a raft of standard equipment, nothing so common as a base model for £6995. That figure includes air-conditioning, multiple driver, passenger and side airbags, four electric windows, central locking and electric power steering. Anti-lock and electronic brakeforce distribution are also standard.First impressions are that its just another of those tall little cars that the older generation find it so easy to get in and out of. There certainly seems to be acres of leg, head and elbow space inside. I offered a wheelchair-bound neighbour a lift to the local hospital and have to admit it was far easier getting him in the front and his wheelchair in the back than it would have been in my BMW. Wide opening doors both front and rear help too.As you might expect, it's very easy to drive. All the controls are light, positive and neat, the turning circle is tight, and on the 1.3 SE we tried you even get a rear parking sensor, though you don't really need it since the back of the car stops just below the rear window.Huge windows mean great visibility and a feeling of airy spaciousness. Ride a little harsh and crashy over potholes, but it has got little wheels after all. Anti-roll bars both front and rear mean it sits flat to the ground and you have to throw it around in a distinctly un-geriatric fashion to get the tyres to chirrup.Our 1.3 SE carried a price tag of £8395 on the road, £1400 more than the 1.0 S. And despite the added performance an extra 18bhp gives you, I wasn't entirely sure the expensive version was worth it, especially if you were going to use the Sirion primarily as a town car. After all, the 1.0 gives you a top speed of 94mph and a 0-60 time of 13.5 seconds, allied to an impressive fuel consumption on the extra urban cycle of some 64.2mpg.The 1.3 is 12mph quicker at its maximum, two and a half seconds quicker to 60 and does less to the gallon. But you do get a revcounter with the 1.3 - even if it is in a strange little pod all on its own.It's a strangely likeable little beast, though it took me quite a long time and a lot of swearing before I discovered how to fold the rear seats. Why? Because all three passengers get a three-point lap-and-diagonal belt. Oh, and I thought the rear shelf was a bit flimsy and difficult to relocate positively in its slots.Apart from that, pretty good marks all round. Lots of storage space, and a nice feature where the rear seat cushions rise, hinge forward and then drop to fill the gap between the front seats, so your shopping doesn't cascade off the back seats into the rear footwells when you brake hard.In short, it does what it says on the tin, and does it relatively well. Incidentally, Daihatsu claims a world first for the 1.3: a self-regenerating catalyst. I don't pretend to understand how it works - the press handout warbles on about nanotechnology and metallic ions of palladium - but the end result is that it apparently lasts longer. Presumably this will eventually befitted to all catalytic systems? Engine 1298 cc, 4 cylinders Power 85.8 bhp @6000 rpm Torque 88.5 ib/ft @3200 rpm Transmission 5 speed manual Fuel/CO2 48.7 mpg / 137 g/km Acceleration 0-62mph: 10.9sec Top speed 106 mph Price From £8553.00 approx Release date 10/02/2005
