Daihatsu Materia 1.5 Road Test Report

Performance

The 1.5 petrol engine is eager enough with over 100 hp but can sound a little strained higher in the rev range. Things get noisy especially on the motorway and noise seems to penetrate in most driving conditions. Overall the Materia goes well enough in day to day driving situations and the 0.62 dash in 10.8 seconds isn’t bad for a car in this class. However shifting through the gearbox is cumbersome with a lack of precision. The awkward gear position is really frustrating too especially in stop start conditions where it should shine.

Ride & Handling

The Materia is actually quite sporty with its wide stance and the ride is firm that feels planted and responsive on the smooth stuff. It’s only when things get bumpy that the Materia loses composure and on faster, sweeping bends the tall body starts to sway but never steps out too far to be of concern although a bigger anti roll bar would help. It’s no GT but many owners fit larger wheels to fill the arches and lower the suspension which will help the handling in lieu of sparse existing comfort. A car like this is not designed for hairpin handling so it’s more than adequate.

Build Quality & Reliability

Being Japanese Daihatsu has a strong reputation for reliability and given its Toyota credentials, the Materia should give no problems in terms of reliability. Build quality is good too and despite the expanse of interior plastics, it feels well put together and sturdy both inside and out with good panel fit and paint finish. The metallic purple model I tested was particularly eye catching. Daihatsu provide a free 5 year warranty too just in case.

Safety & Security

Given its chunky stance and large front end the Materia looks like it would fare well in a frontal collision. NCAP give the Materia 4 stars for adult occupation and 3 stars for children, whilst being far from bad it is still far behind the market leaders but with 4 airbags, ABS, EBD and ISOFIX mounts the Materia comes well equipped for a car in this class. Let’s hope potential owners avoid pedestrians with only 2 stars, ouch!

Space & Practicality

This is where the Materia scores well as the high roofline offers lots of headroom and the cabin is spacious and airy despite small tinted windows. The boot is quite small but the sliding rear seats can increase this. The Materia really is a multi faceted gem and allows it to be used in a variety of ways. The cabin is a nice place to be even if you do need to be at a standstill to escape the road noise! All in all the Daihatsu Materia is one very practical motor car.

Ownership & Value

At £10,775 the Materia is astounding value and comes with an array of standard equipment from all round electric windows, air con to ABS. Even the cd player is great with 6 speakers and who’s not going to love the speaker illumination!? This is worth 5 stars alone however there is a fly in the ointment, fuel economy is not great and on my test route I didn’t touch the 40 mpg quoted by Daihatsu and with emissions away off the mark Tax is still £175 per year. Overall though this would be my choice as it offers so much charm and chic that simply is void in this market segment. A diesel option would boost the cars appeal.