DAIHATSU SIRION

The Daihatsu Sirion is not actually half as bad as you might think, and leaps ahead of its ropey predecessor. It’s well packaged and bravely styled, but it’s also fairly pricey for this segment, and prone to hefty depreciation, so go secondhand if you go there at all.

• Comfort

  Ride is reasonable in the softy sprung Sirion. It soaks up the bumps surprisingly well for a car with such a short wheelbase, but the kick-back is that compromised handling.

• Performance

  Strictly speaking there isn't any. The 1.0-litre car gets tailgated by glaciers, while even the range-topping 1.5-litre takes over 10 seconds to hit 60mph. Economy, however, is what the Sirion is all about, with 54.3mpg achievable on a combined cycle.

• Cool

  The Sirion's restyling, good as it may be, makes it look like you're trying a bit too hard. A Fiat Panda, by way of example, isn't trying at all, and is therefore exceedingly cool.

• Quality

  You can be confident the Sirion is well built and reliable. This is a shoo-in for almost any modern Japanese car, but there's no real perception of quality in the cabin. Cheap plastics abound.

• Handling

  That tall body makes for lots of body roll, discouraging any urban heroics. There isn't a huge amount of grip either, so maybe that's not such a bad thing.

• Practicality

  The Sirion is one of few cars in this size and price bracket with five doors, and there's a decent amount of space in the back for a couple of actual people. The drawback is a small boot. The rear seats do fold, but it's one or the other.

• Running costs

  Both engine sizes are cheap to run, the larger one actually offering slightly better all-round mpg. Insurance is low too, but watch out for that hefty hit of initial depreciation.