In the 2000s, Japan tried to make their cars look different, from bulky to compact. That’s why Daihatsu Materia comes to life, refreshing those who are fond of small cars that are fun to drive. However, the Materia was compared to its competitors which were the Toyota Scion and Nissan Cube.
Check out its history with pros and cons to consider through the following explanation!
The Materia’s Establishment
It’s understandable if you only hear about this car from Daihatsu since the Materia was established in 2007 but regrettably ceased to exist at the beginning of 2011. In short, this hatchback model’s car could only celebrate its prosperity for four years.
Daihatsu Materia is also considered the second generation of a car sold in Japan, but within the name Toyota, since Daihatsu is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Toyota. While we’re calling this car under the name “Materia”, the Japanese market has a nickname for this supermini MPV car as a Coo.
Unfortunately, Materia saw its end at the beginning of 2011 when Japan suffered exchange rate issues. They couldn’t make a profit even if they tried to sell it for under US$13,816. That’s why Daihatsu then decided to stop all the Materia production in the end.
3 Pros Points of Daihatsu Materia
As mentioned earlier, Materia was compared to its competitors. Meaning, that while the production have been stopped, this car had its own quality. Find the complete description of its pros below!
1. Compact yet Spacious
Materia became everyone’s favorite since it was formed as a compact car. Suzuki and Nissan initially established the trend of ‘mini’ automobiles. However, Daihatsu considered this trend a competition in the car industry.
Daihatsu made the Materia the size of a Nissan Note, and the interior space was ample even though the Materia was labeled a supermini-MPV car. Furthermore, you can sleep soundly in the rear seats since they can fold flat like a bed.
2. Fine Interior
You can also find the other interior impressive, as the radio has been built correctly in the car. As for the other pros, you can drive with 169 km/h as a top speed, and 100 km/h can be done within 10.8 seconds.
Do you need to bring so many properties in the car? Don’t worry, as Daihatsu Materia has already borne this in mind. Use the loading space comfortably, as it could be increased to 619 liters from 294 liters. The emergency property provided is also guaranteed since it has four airbags and ABS with brake assist.
Other attributes such as window regulators, air conditioning, fog lights, colored glazing, and 15-inch alloy wheels are also standard of Materia.
3. Light Controls
Being a small car, Daihatsu had considered creating Materia with light and super-responsive controls. The light controls made the drivers very comfortable driving Materia around the town.
What are the Cons of Daihatsu Materia?
Despite its qualities, the Materia also has some weaknesses, particularly in terms of general performance as explained below.
1. Poor Acceleration and Power Loss
Some users experienced the cons of Materia regarding the poor acceleration and power loss. The cause of power loss and poor acceleration may vary, and you might have to think of multiple probabilities. For instance, the standard answer for this issue is that the air filter got clogged or dirty.
If the air filter gets dirty, the engine won’t get the flow of air, so a deterioration in engine performance may occur. However, if this problem occurs, you can fix it by replacing the air filter or cleaning it before using it again.
The other probability that Daihatsu Materia got poor acceleration and power loss is because of a faulty spark plug. If the spark plugs wear out, it could lead to misfires and decrease engine performance. Therefore, you should replace the spark plugs for anyone facing this issue.
2. Misfiring or Engine Stalling
Sometimes, the drivers feel that Materia would be pretty dangerous. Several users said their Materia experienced a misfiring or engine stalling, which could turn pleasant driving into a horrible one while driving on highways or busy roads.
The misfiring or engine stalling can occur because of a faulty ignition coil which provides the sparks that then ignite the fuel in the engine. If malfunctions, misfiring or engine stalling can occur. Therefore, replace the faulty ignition coil to prevent the engine from stalling regularly.
However, there’s another cause for the Materia’s engine stalling, and that’s a dirty or clogged fuel injector. You can clean or replace the fuel injector to resolve this issue.
3. Too Much Fuel Consumption
While the owners of Daihatsu Materia became happy with its light controls and compact form, sometimes they become frustrated because of its excessive fuel consumption. Fuel problems could lead to expensive fuel bills and dropped fuel efficiency.
Similar to the cause of poor acceleration, the dropped fuel efficiency can result from a clogged or dirty air filter. A clogged air filter can lead the engine to work harder, resulting in added fuel consumption. The same treatment as mentioned earlier will do the work to prevent this kind of issue.
Besides the clogged air filter, the fuel efficiency could drop significantly because of a malfunctioning oxygen sensor. An oxygen sensor is purposed to calculate the amount of oxygen in the exhaust. When it goes wrong, the engine could run too lean or too rich, resulting in dropped fuel efficiency.
However, don’t worry too much; you could replace the faulty oxygen sensor to fix this problem.
Interested in Buying Daihatsu Materia for Better Commute?
Even though Materia’s production had already ceased in 2011, many people are still trying to get the used ones, considering their pros as compact yet spacious interior cars.However, please remember that you’d need to consider its cons. You can’t be too sure with Daihatsu Materia, as you’ll experience too much fuel consumption and may face misfiring or engine stalling while driving on the highways. Thus, prevention should be done in the first place to minimize the risks.