Wednesday 7th May 2003

Daihatsu YRV Turbo 130

Hideous shopping car gets turbo and sequential 'box

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The UK’s most powerful and most hideous 1.3 litre car – the Daihatsu YRV Turbo 130 – enters dealer showrooms later this month.  It even boasts a steering wheel-mounted automatic gearchange.

As the name suggests, Maximum power is about 130bhp with 125.4 lb.ft of torque allowing it to scorch to sixty in a lethargic 8.1 seconds.

All YRVs feature a 1,298 cc all-alloy four-cylinder 16-valve twin overhead camshaft petrol engine with DVVT – Dynamic Variable Valve Timing. This optimises power and torque over a wide rev-range. It's then coupled to the lightweight, fast-response turbo with intercooler.

Called ‘Steershift’ the automatic transmission has been specially adapted to suit the characteristics of the turbocharger to mask any lag when accelerating. The ‘Steershift’ system uses steering-wheel-mounted, finger-operated buttons with ‘+’ or ‘-’ to change up or down.

Alternatively, the driver can forget about changing gear altogether by selecting ‘Drive’ on the conventional floor-mounted shift lever.

The YRV – originally launched in March 2001 – already enjoys what Daihatsu laughingly call a "distinctive double wedge style" - which is a euphomism for ugly.

It's called ‘double wedge’ because of the two different sweeping belt lines of the side windows, intended to disguise the depth of the body.

The Turbo 130 also gets a distinctive bonnet air-intake, large fog lamps set in a black panel, high-gloss, 10-spoke alloy wheels with 175/55 R15 tyres and a standard ‘panorama’ fixed glass roof, stretching from the windscreen over the front seats.

Additional exterior features specially developed by the UK importer include twin exhaust tail pipes, special badges, a red background to the front and rear ‘Daihatsu’ logos and striking side stripes.

Inside, the UK model benefits from an aluminium foot-rest and leather-bound steering wheel, gear-lever and gaiter.

Finally, set into the instrument cluster are two ‘change-up’ lights for use in ‘Steershift’ mode. The first in green illuminates at 6,200 rpm to give the driver advanced notice that an upchange is needed. Then, when 6,600 rpm is approached, a red light advises that the ‘+’ should be hit.

Give 'em credit... they're trying!

[v8thunder]

Double-wedge styling? So that's their excuse for having fitted two pairs of front doors by accident, is it? There are some good hot hatches, some reasonable hot hatches, and some which should have never been thought about in the first place - just someone on the Daihatsu board of executives who thought every model in the range should be 'sporty' - despite the fact that it's a baggy, top-heavy mumsymobile.

[v8thunder]

But even Clarkson praised the Starlet. It wasn't a 'bad' hot hatch because it's handling and light weight made it an ideal candidate for improvement - a little zing added to the tedium. This YRV, on the other hand, is just a bad place to start - top-heavy, hideous to behold and, due to probable weight distribution, a dreadful handler.

[v8thunder]

Huh?!?!