Daihatsu Sirion Hatchback 2005 - Present

Daihatsu's second-generation Sirion is a surprisingly spacious supermini. It will appeal to drivers looking for a decent compact city package at a keen price. With more of a European flavour than the previous model, the styling is sharper and the drive improved. It shows good attention to detail inside and represents great value for money; standard equipment is impressive for such a small car. Standard features include air con, a CD player and electric windows across the range, with room to upgrade too.

The Sirion is an easy car to drive. The steering is light and a tight 9.4-metre turning circle, makes it ideal for driving in the city. This also facilitates parking in tight spots. Driving, the Sirion manages to couple nippy acceleration with a relatively low top speed. Tight cornering with too much body roll give a general sense of uncertainty over the stability of the car. The golden rules are not to expect too much post 40 mph and don't expect it to respond well to being thrown about. The ride is reasonable, smoothing out most lumps and bumps and is acceptable over most road surfaces. The gear change could be smoother, you'll need to be forceful when you want to change gear.

The engines come in a choice of a three-cylinder 68bhp 1.0-litre and a four-cylinder 85bhp 1.3-litre. Both units are geared for quick acceleration and are suited best for town use. The 1.0 is smooth, with a willing engine that rarely feels strained, until you want to overtake on the motorway that is. It does also run out of puff climbing steep hills - so in both instances a down change is often required. It gets to 60mph in 13.5 seconds and has a top speed of 99mph. The 1.3 is considerably quicker, getting to 60mph in 10.9 seconds, with a top speed of 106mph, which makes it a better prospect on the motorway although it's still not really in it's element.

While not what you'd call luxurious Sirion's spacious interior ensures that legroom is good throughout - there is room for two adults to sit in the back for short trips without much complaint and there's adequate headroom for all. You wouldn't want to inflict too long a journey though. The front seats are quite hard and are supportive enough to prevent backaches on a long drive, although you'll need coffee breaks to punctuate the journey. The height adjustable driver's seat is helpful for finding a comfortable driving position and a nice touch. Road and wind noise are kept low, but engine noise does tend to intrude at higher speed.

With an impressive boot size the Sirion offers a great value alternative to the current supermini hierarchy. It's unlikely to steal that much of the market share owing to it's somewhat no frills finish but for those that don't mind that will find a lot of car for the money.

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