Car: Daihatsu Materia
Prices: £10,775 – on the road
Insurance Group: 8
Emissions: 169g/km
Performance: 0-60mph 10.8s / Max Speed 106mph
Fuel Consumption: (combined) 39.2mpg
Safety: Twin front, side airbags, ABS, EBD WILL IT FIT IN YOUR GARAGE ?: Length/Width/Heightmm 3800/1690/1635
MATERIA WITNESS
Our Rating: 7.1 / 10
Taking design inspiration from the package your new dishwasher came in is always a risk but the people behind Daihatsu’s Materia might be on to something. Steve Walker thinks inside the box…
The Daihatsu Materia uses its square styling to the max in offering a spacious interior with plenty of practicality. There’s some nice detailing as well and although you’re in no danger of being blown away by the performance or the economy, it’s a fun and highly individual choice.
For some time now, the people who design our small cars have been embroiled in an ongoing quest for the most space-efficient shape possible. Of course, we already know what that shape is. Nothing maximises roominess on the inside while keeping dimensions manageable on the outside quite like our old friend the box. The only snag is that nobody really wants to drive around in one. Over recent years, we’ve seen overhangs shrink and rooflines rise as citycars and small MPVs gradually evolve in boxy directions but with its Materia, Daihatsu may have gone further towards the inevitable than any marque before it. Is it really hip to be square?
The Materia arrives on these shores with some history behind it. It’s the second generation of a vehicle that had been on sale in Japan badged as a Toyota and in the United States under Toyota’s youth-orientated Scion brand. Daihatsu is a Toyota-owned company these days and the Japanese also have a Daihatsu-badged version but where we know ours as the Materia, they call theirs the Coo. Whatever you want to call it, there’s no doubt that the Materia is an unusual sight for UK eyes with nothing looking quite like it having made it over here through official channels as yet. Nissan threatened to import their aptly-named Cube which follows similar visual themes and if the Materia strikes a chord with buyers, who knows? They certainly fit neatly into the shipping containers.
Daihatsu’s links to Toyota loom large yet again in the Materia’s engine bay where you’ll find the 1.5-litre variable valve timing petrol engine that’s also seen service in the Toyota Yaris as well as Daihatsu’s own Terios. The unit develops its maximum 102bhp at 6,000rpm and peak torque of 131Nm at 4,400rpm. It all means that, in common with most variable valve timing petrol engines, the Materia’s installation gives its best in the upper reaches of the rev-range. At lower engine speeds, expect good refinement and a smooth delivery of what power there is but no fireworks. The 0-60mph sprint will take 10.8s in the five-speed manual car or 13.7s if you opt for the four-speed automatic. There’s also a 106mph top speed.
The Materia’s handling characteristics have been tweaked for European tastes with the addition of a front anti-roll bar that the Japanese market manages without and firmer suspension. At the rear, there’s a semi-independent torsion beam set-up and the steering is through a rack and pinion system with hydraulic assistance. The stubby nose helps deliver a tight 9.8m turning circle.
Daihatsu claims that the vehicle has established a cult–following in the markets where it’s offered for sale and it’s easy to see how it might. The squared-off lines and dramatically flared wheelarches are extremely distinctive with the car maintaining a low, ground-hugging stance despite being taller than supermini MPV rivals like Vauxhall’s Meriva and Renault’s Modus. The squat look is further enhanced by the narrow glasshouse and the high window line that rises up towards the rear of the car.
Recent Daihatsu products have ditched the traditional wafer thin plastics and cheap detailing of a budget Asian brand in favour of Toyota-sourced switchgear and sturdy build quality. The Materia continues the theme with a classy look and feel to its cabin which, incidentally, is as spacious as the boxy exterior would suggest. The rear bench slides fore or aft adjusting the ratio of re
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