Driving at night is a nightmare enough for most people, let alone piloting a turbo car on a race track. That’s exactly what we got up to last week at the Zwartkops Raceway near Pretoria, South Africa. One might wonder if we were practising for the 2010 Singapore Formula One race but sadly not. The occasion was the media introduction of the new Daihatsu Materia Turbo, a small car packing enough dynamite to blow higher than its own paperweight.
Packing a 1.5-litre petrol turbo engine the wasabi roll puts out 110kW at 5750rpm and maximum torque of 190Nm at 4800rpm. About 170Nm of the torque comes in at 2000rpm. Had you been driving past the track you would not only see headlights in fours (we switched on the fogs as well) but the boost could be heard for miles, especially when changing down to second gear at the hairpin. The 5-speed manual gearbox makes sure gears are accessible at any engine speed, giving it silly drivability.
Daihatsu says the 0 – 100km/h sprint is achieved in 8.9 seconds at Gauteng’s 1500m-plus altitude. Top speed is limited to 200km/h.
Numbers are of course impressive but it’s not just that. The car’s suspension is rigid and has been lowered by some 30mm for a more centred and sporty driving experience. Around the dark track you could throw it on a curve quite confidently knowing it wouldn’t lose its focus easily. If I did the understeer tendency would help bring it back. The limited slip differential (LSD) boosts take-off sessions and also improves handling.
One thing I’ve always liked about this butch Daihatsu is its “pimp” factor. It screams “gangsta” from a distance and begs to be accessorised for a more aggressive image. Things like tinted windows, a bonnet air intake, red walls on the tyres, a rear boot spoiler and a chrome-plated tailpipe all point to something ready to eat up tarmac. And rivals, which include the Toyota Yaris TS, the Opel Corsa 1.6 Turbo Sport and the Fiat Grande Punto 1.4 T-Jet.
The interior boasts a piano black finish, a CD player, air conditioning, power steering, electric windows and side mirrors, and a 3-spoke MOMO steering wheel. Safety is courtesy of ABS brakes with EBD and brake assist, driver, side and passenger airbags. Thankfully none of these were truly tested even when yours truly was going for gold in the night race. Daihatsu executives are planning on making the event an annual thing so perhaps in 2010 I may improve on my 5th (out of 18) overall final standing.
The car comes with a 3-year/100 000km warranty and a 3-year Anti-Corrosion Warranty.
Daihatsu Materia Pricing
Daihatsu Materia Turbo (R219 900)
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