11th May 2008, 04:07

I have owned a Sirion 1.3SE since January 08.

I bought a pre-registered (Oct 07) in Shining Red for £6500 which was a great deal, I thought. I have the older-style dash with the separate rev-counter and I must say I have never been as pleased with owning a car as this one.

The car is economical, spacious, comfortable and (very importantly after owning a Smart Forfour) reliable. It looks great in red and attracts attention as it is still quite a rare sight on UK roads. The dealers are good too.

Mine is a manual, but I tried the automatic in the Perodua Myvi (essentially the same car) and liked that too - it was smooth and relatively quiet.

Just to try and help you with the steering issue:

It was interesting that you said you had a puncture. I had a puncture and drove for a mile or so before being able to stop. The suspension set-up is so soft that it was not very noticeable at first.

After having the tyre replaced (with the same type of Yokohama as originally fitted) I noticed the steering wheel was off-centre to the right. I took the car in for tracking correction, but it was found to be fine.

However, a Perodua dealer told me that he has had two Myvis back after front punctures that have needed minor geometry corrections. My Sirion seemed to steer fine and not deviate under braking, so I thought this to be unnecessary, but I asked the dealer to look at it.

After having the car for only a few hours they sorted the geometry problem and now the car is noticeably smoother and it has increased the economy, albeit slightly. The wheel is now straight and does not transmit vibrations like it did from new.

I was told by an independent mechanic that the Sirion has very robust suspension with a relatively long travel, but that it may be susceptible to minor camber variances if the suspension takes a hard knock (eg. after a puncture).

I would certainly recommend a visit to your dealer, as mine was corrected for free under warranty, and I am assured by the independent mechanic that the suspension is actually tougher (and simpler) than most other new modern cars and therefore should not be cause for concern.

I hope this helps and I hope, like me, you enjoy your new car!

Ben Dalrymple.

12th May 2008, 03:36

Interestingly, I had a blow out at 70mph (took a while to notice as suspension so soft as you say) in the Myvi, and the stupid space saver tyre had NO valve fitted in it. As the Perodua breakdown cover was very basic, tyres were not covered and as the tyre places had closed at 6pm, I was stuffed for 12 hours...

BAN SPACE SAVERS!!

Note: Myvi uses rubbish Sime tyres, Sirion uses much better Yokohamas.

A comment on the steering geometry is that the Myvi and Sirion are both nervous in a straight line at 70mph, and need constant correction.

Geoff.

16th May 2008, 03:15

On balance, I would always recommend the Sirion over the Myvi due to the quality difference and the better warranty through Daihatsu; 5 years 100,000 mile warranty and RAC breakdown instead of the Myvi's 3 year 36,000 miles warranty and 2 years very basic breakdown cover.

The Sirion has better resale and more accessible dealer network too.

The Myvi is a good car and secondhand prices are unbelievably low, so a low mileage, year old car at £4500 with 2 years warranty and 1 year breakdown remaining makes a lot of sense.

Geoff.

24th May 2008, 06:40

Original reviewer here again! Another month on and the jury's still out!

One really good point is the economy - it's doing a ridiculous 45mpg on my commute! Still haven't had it on a run, but this is brilliant for an auto and just what you want at current fuel prices.

Still finding it comfortable and airy to sit in (relatives impressed!) but front suspension/steering clattering over rough roads destroys feeling of quality. OK on normal roads though.

Performance is fine, auto gearbox does whine but it's now possible to ignore it, albeit again it doesn't add anything to the general refinement.

I'm also ignoring the offset steering wheel. Re Geoff's and other comments I can say that adjusting the tracking is not the answer. Track rods should be of equal length and screwing one track rod end in a bit, and the other out, alters that geometry. I agree that it will cure the immediate problem and will be OK when driving in a straight line, but the geometry of the steering will be altered on lock, which is not desirable. Moving the s/wheel on its splines is the best solution, although one wonders why it wasn't set correctly at the factory. POSSIBLY, of course, the tracking was out on delivery - I'll be keeping an eye on tyre wear!

Re my puncture - this was on the N/S rear and caused by a clearly-visible screw through the centre of the tread. So could have no effect on tracking.

I agree that tyres can have an odd effect on the 'set' of the s/wheel. I may swap the front wheels over to see if it makes any difference, but I'm not changing the make of the tyres as they're obviously new!

The heater still drives me nuts but there's obviously no cure for what is a design feature.

Apart from the economy - which wasn't an absolute priority but is still nice - I do like lots about the car...

The (extended) load space, the wipers, the visibility, the ride on normal (ie: reasonable!) roads, the interior generally, the way it rolls along at motorway limit, the positive closure of doors and hatch. And more that doesn't immediately spring to mind!

Oh, and I don't actually HAVE to have an auto, Geoff - I just like 'em! Quite happy to pay the extra.

Cheers - Peter.

27th May 2008, 03:13

Hi Peter.

I am still a bit surprised by your choice though, as for the £8-9k you could have bought a high spec, 2008, 5,000 mile Focus or Astra automatic which would have cost £13-15 new. Most petrol autos (particularly volume manufactured models) depreciate horribly in the first few months and make great sense then.

I like the Sirion very much, but feel that at under £7k is where it makes most sense.

Hope you sort your steering out...incidentally, the only fault on my 2008 Sirion is a slight click/crack sound from the steering when turning lock to lock on tight parking.

Geoff.