2007 Daihatsu Sirion SX from UK and Ireland - Comments

Nothing so far as the car is less than a week old, but I'm hoping that Daihatsu's legendary reliability will shine through.

I will keep you updated.

The car is a huge bargain!!! But you don't see many around, and my SX is the only SX model I have seen.

The car is VERY easy to drive with light steering, a light clutch and easy to use secondary controls.

The 1.3 engine feels nippy and can cruise comfortably on motorways without feeling at all strained, although it could do with a touch more torque for steep hills.

Handling is generally good, but body roll is ever present. This makes you feel like you're going a lot faster than it actually is.

Equipment levels are amazing for a small car, mine has: electric windows x4, electric mirrors, CD/radio, remote central locking, rear parking sensors, easily folding rear seats, and rear parking sensors.

The body kit on the SX model makes an already good looking car look outstanding and sporty, without being boy racerish. The huge front fog lamps look great.

Fuel consumption is good so far, and I expect it to get better as the engine has run itself in more.

Build quality is good and everything is screwed together very well, though some of the plastics at the side of the seats feel a bit flimsy.

Rake adjustable steering wheel, driver's seat height adjustment etc. make finding the perfect driving position very easy.

The cabin is extremely spacious and attractive; the centre console is very easy to use.

Boot space is good for a car of this size, and folding the rear seats is a doodle.

I will add comments giving updates of the car as I rack up more miles.

Fell free to ask any questions about the car in the comments section, and I will gladly get back to you.

I am writing from Greece. I intend to buy a Sirion, but I am a bit concerned for the cost of spare parts - especially body parts and headlights. Are these parts in Sirion much more expensive in contrast with the other cars of the same class? Are there any OEM parts for Sirion? Thank you for your time.

Hi there, I haven't had to replace anything so far so I am not sure how expensive parts are. Daihatsu are known for being very reliable so if you do need to replace a part I'm sure it won't be too often. I suggest that you seriously consider this car as it is a bargain and will have you grinning from ear to ear. Sorry I couldn't help out more and thanks for reading my review of this great car.

Good to see the car is going well. What sort of economy are you getting from it?

If you think the Sirion is good value- look at the identical Perodua Myvi. The 1.3 Sirion is identical mechanically to the Toyota Passo and Perodua Myvi-but has some trim and panel differences. They are all produced under the umbrella of Toyota and tailored to specific markets.

My UK main dealer supplied 1.3 SXi Myvi has lots of kit including all electrics, aircon etc and cost only £6799 including metallic paint, flaps, mats, 3 year warranty etc.

It does lose some Sirion kit, eg alloys, sensors, boot shelf strings, but is better in some areas, eg trim quality and a more attractive dash pod.

If you see a Myvi-take a closer look!

Good luck with your Sirion- some of my clients have them and rate them very highly. So far, I really rate my Myvi- see 2006 1.3 SXi report.

I have just bought a 1.3 Sirion and I am very happy with it. I live in Malta, but it appears that its the same everywhere. I was a little preoccupied with the price of parts, but I was also told that very little goes wrong with these cars, and if you have an accident you should be covered by insurance. The price is so good that there is no way you could ever spend the equivalent of the difference in parts. The only weak point that I have noticed so far is that the AC struggles in the heat that we have been having lately.

I just thought I would update on my review (This one) as I have now racked up more than 2000 miles. All is still going well, the car has never missed a beat and performs perfectly. I tried out some aggresive driving too realy see what performance it has to offer and I am happy to say that it is dazzling for a small car with a small engine. Acceleration in 1st and 2nd gear is very good and the engine note above 3000 rpm is delicious. Torque is nice between 3 and 5 thousand rpm. The car is so easy to park that the rear parking sensors aren't needed very often. One thing that has let me down is the paint. Mine is metallic silver which looks excellent, but when washing the roof after stupidly parking under a bird infested tree the paint sctrached in the direction of the spongue (I was using a very soft car sponge with car shampoo) which I will be talking to my deler about. Dealer service is excellent and the car was delivered to the dealer 1 week after orderig it and ready to drive away a few days later. All in all I am still very happy with my car and to answer a question left in an earlier comment I am currently getting around about 45 miles per gallon, but I do have a heavy right foot and this figure could easily increase. Again I am happy to answer any questions for anyone considering buying this car. The earlier question about the cost of parts is something I can't answer as I haven't needed any so far and I don't except to need to replace anything for quite some time yet, but when the time comes I will post a comment with the information.

Sadly, Daihatsu are known for highly scratchable, good looking paint.

This is not a Daihatsu fault-all cars now have to painted in water based paints rather than the old solvent based paints for environmental reasons. The older, solvent based paints are far harder and more scratch resistant.

The best answer is to seal the new paint with a good quality polish after delivery and to repeat every six months.

If you have marked the roof, use a light cutting compound (there are specialist metallic versions available) :- apply with a soft clean cloth, rub in gently in circular motion, buff off with a soft cloth, repeat as necessary. If area goes dull after extensive buffing you have breached the clear lacquer top coat and got down to the silver paint.

If in doubt, ask the dealer or a valeter to do it.

All new cars are badly affected by bird droppings if they are not removed immediately-consult the owner's handbook.

Im a valeter and I would add that the best way to remove bird mess is to use a pressure washer which is a non-contact means of removing it. I would say however that I clean many new cars and I haven't yet scratched one washing it.

Yes - a jet wash works for fairly fresh guano, but once this has eaten into the paint, the only answer is to cut and polish it with T-Cut or similar.

I find a jet wash only useful so far; stubborn marks are best dealt with by wetting a towel in warm water, lying it over the mark and leaving it for an hour or more. This lifts old bird mess, dried on flies etc which the jetwash won't, and does not scratch the paint.

So many comments on this site about the new water based paints chipping or marking easily, also see report in Auto Express about their Civic Type R long termer which is peppered with chips at only 4,000 miles... I'm all for ecology, but surely it is better for the environment to only have to paint the car once, and not every few thousand miles.