Skip advert
Advertisement

Daihatsu Materia

First report: Wherever we go, our new baby seems to turn heads – and we’re lapping up all the attention!

Downsizing is all the rage these days, but I’ve never been one for following trends. Having spent the past year racking up miles in our Subaru Justy, I’m making a step up in size this time round.

Auto Express has just taken delivery of a Daihatsu Materia, and as the big brother of the firm’s Sirion city car – which is essentially the same model as my Justy – I was the perfect candidate to take the keys. I actually like the oddball supermini-MPV shape, but my enthusiasm isn’t shared by all my colleagues. The boxy styling and flat panels could be straight from the Wacky Races cartoons, and I can just picture the Anthill Mob squeezing inside. As you can imagine, it has attracted more attention in a few days than the Justy managed in a year – so the Materia is not for anyone who wants to blend in. As junior staff photographer, I have an eye for design – but I also have practical needs, as I cover hundreds of miles a week with loads of camera gear.

Advertisement - Article continues below

To say I’ve been looking forward to the extra power of the Materia’s 102bhp 1.5-litre engine would be an understatement. It has 34bhp more than the Justy, which is welcome – especially at motorway speeds, where the Daihatsu feels more at home. Sadly, it doesn’t have the distinctive thrum of the three-cylinder Subaru, and it feels as if it needs a sixth gear at high speeds. Ordinarily, I would just turn up the stereo to mask the engine noise – but I’m put off by the radio’s irritating habit of hunting between frequencies. Plus, there’s no auxiliary input, so I can’t plug in my MP3 player as I could in the Justy.

Skip advert
Advertisement
Skip advert
Advertisement - Article continues below

Used - available now

Countryman

2022 MINI

Countryman

37,459 milesAutomaticPetrol1.5L

Cash £17,197
View Countryman
Compass

2023 Jeep

Compass

45,605 milesAutomaticPetrol1.3L

Cash £16,997
View Compass
Tarraco

2020 SEAT

Tarraco

80,451 milesAutomaticDiesel2.0L

Cash £16,597
View Tarraco
Q2

2024 Audi

Q2

38,074 milesManualPetrol1.0L

Cash £16,497
View Q2

The stereo does have one trick up its sleeve, though – illuminated front speakers. They’re ringed with blue lights that even have their own button on the dashboard. The glitzy feature serves no purpose whatsoever, but is perfectly in keeping with the car’s quirky exterior, and I really like it. The Materia certainly feels bigger than the Justy inside, yet it took surprisingly little time for me to fill its boot with my camera gear. A quick look at the specs reveals the problem – even though the body is 190mm longer than that of the Subaru, the Daihatsu doesn’t have much extra luggage space.

A sliding bench allows you to vary the size of the boot at the expense of rear legroom, but with the seats moved as far forward as possible, there isn’t enough legroom for adults to sit comfortably in the back. Worse still, the load space available ranges from 181 to 294 litres; the Justy managed an impressive 225 litres, so the extra storage I was expecting hasn’t really materialised! This is a car you buy for its style, though, and on that score I’m sold. In fact, I’m beginning to enjoy all the attention…

Second Opinion

The first thing to strike me was how wide the Materia looks – due to the vertical side windows and boxy proportions. As a result, the cabin feels really spacious, so it’s a shame that everything is finished in grey or black. The shallow side windows make the interior feel dark , even with the blue-lit speaker surrounds, which are a real gimmick. Plus, the finish inside is poor. I was also a bit disappointed in the Materia’s fuel economy – I was expecting slightly better than 36.5mpg.

Graeme Lambert
Assistant consumer editor
 

Skip advert
Advertisement

New & used car deals

Audi A3

Audi A3

RRP £26,295Avg. savings £2,513 off RRP*Used from £5,500
Renault Clio

Renault Clio

RRP £16,160Avg. savings £2,721 off RRP*Used from £8,761
Nissan Qashqai

Nissan Qashqai

RRP £27,415Avg. savings £5,568 off RRP*Used from £12,295
Dacia Spring

Dacia Spring

RRP £14,995Avg. savings £1,676 off RRP*
* Average savings are calculated daily based on the best dealer prices on Auto Express vs manufacturer RRP
Skip advert
Advertisement

Most Popular

Chinese cars can’t match their European rivals when it comes to engineering
Opinion - Shanghai Auto Show

Chinese cars can’t match their European rivals when it comes to engineering

This new brand of cars might have battery tech on their side, but European buyers want much more than that
Opinion
25 Apr 2025
New electric car MoT tests could be coming to the UK
Tesla Model X on two-post inspection ramp

New electric car MoT tests could be coming to the UK

New technology and driver assistance systems require changes to annual testing, says EC
News
25 Apr 2025
Car Deal of the Day: the one and only Nissan Juke for less than £150 per month
Nissan Juke - left cornering

Car Deal of the Day: the one and only Nissan Juke for less than £150 per month

Nissan’s best-selling small SUV just got a little bit cheaper and is our Deal of the Day for 26 April
News
26 Apr 2025