The Materia is the biggest and least fuel thrifty vehicle of the group, and it still has a smaller engine than the tiniest car sold in the USA (except Smart). It's remarkably fast for a car in this class, but it's also quite pricey and to my eyes, not the most beautiful car in the world. It looks like a Ford Flex that's been washed in hot water and shrunk. It looks remarkably like a Scion, but it's actually a quite different vehicle. The Materia is at the high end of this class and it's almost crossing over into the next larger class, so given the price and disappointing economy, it's best passed on.

 

The Daihatsu Materia Hatchback 1.5 5 Door is estimated to carry a North American net sale price of $16,291.89, given the prevailing market pricing of similar automobiles. Its 1495 cc engine powers the car to a top speed of 106 MPH and an acceleration shown by a zero to sixty MPH time of 10.8 seconds. The performance factor of 14.1 is well above average for its class. The Daihatsu Materia Hatchback 1.5 5 Door returns 46.3 MPG in highway driving, 31.7 MPG in the city, and a combined loop mileage of 39.2. With a fuel tank capacity of 8.8 gallons, the car can travel 407 miles on a full tank of unleaded regular fuel, but when it's filled right up to the top of the fuel filler neck, the total range should be approximately 491 miles. When all these price, performance and mileage factors are taken into consideration, the Daihatsu Materia Hatchback 1.5 5 Door scores a combined Practicality Index of 60, with 100 representing the best, most practical car available and 1 representing a Hummer H3.

 

Daihatsu Materia Hatchback 1.5 5 Door •

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ACTUAL AVERAGE EUROPEAN PRICE • $20,342.60

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MANUFACTURER'S EUROPEAN PRICE • $26,210.80

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ESTIMATED NORTH AMERICAN PRICE • $16,291.89

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SPECIFICATIONS & OUTPUT •

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Body Style • Hatchback

Doors • Number of • 5

Seats • Number of • 5

Engine Displacement (cc) & Cylinders • 1495 / 4

Valves • Number of • 16

Type of Fuel • Unleaded

Maximum Power (bhp @ rpm) • 102 / 6000

Torque (lb / ft) • 97

Engine Layout • F

Wheel Drive • Front

Overall Length (mm) • 3800

Overall Width (mm) • 1690

Overall Height (mm) • 1635

Front Seat Head Room (mm) • 1080

Front Seat Leg Room (mm) • 1050

Rear Seat Head Room (mm) • 1030

Rear Seat Knee Room (mm) • 1020

Trunk Capacity Seats Up (litres) • 619

Trunk Capacity Seats Down (litres) • 230

Turning Radius (m) • 9.8

Towing Capacity (kg) • 1000

Curb Weight (kg) • 1035

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PERFORMANCE •

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0 to 60 MPH (secs) • 10.8

Top speed (MPH) • 106

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EQUIPMENT AVAILABILITY & PRICING •

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EXTERIOR •

Alloy Rims / Wheels • Standard Equipment

Metallic Exterior Paint • $325.00

SECURITY & SAFETY FEATURES •

Automatic Transmission • $800.00

Remote Locking System • Standard Equipment

Power Assisted Steering • Standard Equipment

Driver Side Air Bag • Standard Equipment

Passenger Side Air Bag • Standard Equipment

Side Mounted Air Bag • Standard Equipment

Center Mounted Three Point Seat Belt • Standard Equipment

Anti Lock (ABS) Brakes • Standard Equipment

CONVENIENCE & COMFORT FEATURES •

Adjustable Steering Height • Standard Equipment

Adjustable Seat Height • Standard Equipment

Air Conditioning • Standard Equipment

Split Folding Rear Seats • Standard Equipment

Power Front Windows • Standard Equipment

SOUND, NAVIGATION & COMMUNICATION SYSTEMS •

Radio • Option Not Available

Radio With RDS • Option Not Available

iPod / MP3 Connector • Standard Equipment

DVD Player Enabled • Option Not Available

MP3 CD Player Enabled • Standard Equipment

CD With RDS • Standard Equipment

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OPERATING COSTS •

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City MPG • 31.7

Highway MPG • 46.3

Combined MPG • 39.2

Fuel Tank Capacity (gallons) • 8.8

Carbon Dioxide Rating (g / km) • 169

Carbon Footprint Offset Cost • $25.00

Eco Rating • E

Insurability Grouping • 8

Estimated Average Insurance • $410.00

Percentage Value Retained (3 Years / 36,000 mi) • 32.00%

Estimated Average Monthly Lease Cost • $334.00

Maintenance Factor • 42

Estimated Maintenance Cost Over 3 Years • $886.00

Maintenance Intervals • 6,000 mi

Manufacturer's Warranty Term • 5 Year / Unlimited Mileage