|
By
EWAN KENNEDY
24 April 2006
And now for something completely different. The
fascinating little Daihatsu Copen (it stands for Concept Open) is a tiny
Japanese roadster that can give you open-air motoring at a modest cost.
Styling is attractive in an unusual
sort of a fashion, though the way the tail drops away takes too
much strength out of its visual appearance. The stubby nose is
dominated by a large, deep grille, alongside it are interesting
headlights complemented by big foglights.
Copen apes the strikingly
successful Audi TT in some ways, but doesn’t do so all that
successfully. The word Noddy’s Car seems to come up in just
about every conversation about the Copen, something that can put
off the blokes unless they're really confident in themselves.
But forget the appearance of the
Copen for a moment and consider the fact that this is a genuinely
serious sports machine. One that’s great fun to drive in the old
fashioned way once enjoyed by owners of cars such as the MG Midget
and Austin Healey Sprite.
Under the Daihatsu’s diminutive
bonnet is a little jewel of a four-cylinder engine. Displacing
only 660cc it is fitted with a turbocharger to give it a lot more
punch than you might expect. And in the manner of all ‘real’
engines it just loves to rev to the heavens at every opportunity.
Having praised the engine, it has
to be said that it doesn’t have a huge amount of straight-line
performance. Take on a Commodore or Falcon away from the lights
and you will be mightily embarrassed.
Best of all, you can have fun in a
Copen without upsetting the law. At speeds of only 50 to 60 km/h
you are already starting to enjoy the rush of air and the
uproarious scream of the tiny turbocharged engine as it nears its
8000 rpm redline. Get it up to 110 km/h on the open road and you
feel as though you’re doing 200+ km/h.
Copen is also sporting in that it
has to be driven with a great deal of driver attention. Handling
features too much oversteer and the lightweight car gets knocked
around by bumps that you barely even notice in most other cars.
All this is accompanied by a cacophony of squeaks and rattles.
True sports car drivers like that sort of thing, saying it adds
character to their driving day.
This mini roadster has the
convenience of a powered folding hardtop of the type you normally
only see in much more expensive machines. Copen also comes with
air conditioning, a CD stereo of reasonable quality and power
windows and mirrors so is far from the stripped down little sports
machines of the past.
On the open road the Daihatsu Copen
is great fun to drive hard and fast, or simply to wander along in
a gentle manner. But you can feel very vulnerable when driving in
traffic; staring at the wheels of big trucks seemingly only inches
from your face isn’t a pleasant experience.
The Daihatsu convertible is
strictly a two-seater, but there’s a decent amount of space
inside and in-cabin stowage areas are better than average for a
small convertible. The boot is of a reasonable size with the roof
up, but all but vanishes when it’s full of the folded roof.
Daihatsu no longer imports new cars
to Australia, but warranty, spare parts and servicing are
available through a distribution network set up by Toyota. That
company was controlling Daihatsu at the time of its demise here in
March 2006.
Copen isn’t overly expensive to
insure for what it is. You’ll certainly be asked to pay more
than for something like a mundane Daihatsu Charade or the like,
but the cost of covering Copen isn’t exorbitant. Shop around for
the best price as there is quite a difference of opinion amongst
insurance companies as to just what this car is all about. As
always, be sure to compare apples with apples when considering the
cost of insurance.
WHAT TO LOOK FOR
Check for body damage as these
low-slung cars can be driven hard and may have suffered the
consequences. Look for panels with a ripply surface, for paint
that doesn’t quite match and for cost cutting in areas that are
normally out of sight.
Listen for a noisy turbo and feel
for excessive lag during your test drive. At the same time check
for normal operation of the engine, being aware that there's not a
lot of grunt until you get to big revs.
Be sure the gearbox changes cleanly
and quietly, even when you make rapid changes.
Check the condition of the tyres,
particularly those at the front, for signs of uneven wear.
Make sure the roof mechanism
operates cleanly without sticking during its operation. Check the
condition of the folding panels for any signs of scratching or
other damage.
Look closely at the condition of
the interior in case the car has been caught with its top down
during a rain storm.
CAR BUYING TIP
When looking at a car that’s on
the rare side it’s worth spending extra time to try and track
down its specific history. This can make a big difference to
eventual ease of resale.
© Copyright
Marque Publishing Company
|
