The boxy Materia mini-MPV replaced the YRV back in 2007 and, thanks largely to its slab sided design, has become the poster child for promo vehicles and taxis in our country.

Another plus for the Materia is the generous amount of space it offers for passengers, with enough headroom to accommodate a top hat if they were still in fashion. The stubby little car has all the basics covered in terms of interior comfort, decent ride quality and adequate performance, but the Materia’s design and sprightly performance of its YRV predecessor meant the car was aching for a dash of street cred.

Forget “The Fast And The Furious”, Daihatsu South Africa has reworked the Materia to make it worthy of the title “The Fast And The Funky”.

The Materia Turbo is easily distinguishable from the standard car, thanks to a number of exterior enhancements. Starting from the top, the windows are tinted all-round and a spoiler has been added to the rear hatch. On top of the bonnet sits a menacing looking air vent, which, as it turns out, isn’t just for show. The car rides on a set of lightweight 17-inch alloy wheels with red pinstripe ‘bling’, wrapped in 205/40 profile Yokohama rubber, while the whole car rides 30 mm closer to the ground thanks to a set of Eibach springs.

Inside, it’s largely standard Materia. However, the Turbo model does receive a little ‘pimp’n’ with a 3-spoke leather covered Momo steering wheel, a 1 000 Watt amplifier and JBL subwoofer caged in the boot. Coupled with the 6-speaker radio/CD/MP3-player, the Materia Turbo can hang with the loudest and proudest on any Sunday afternoon cruise. Other mod-cons include an air-conditioner, electrically operated windows all-round and central locking.

The biggest noise comes from beneath the bonnet though. The 1,5-litre, 16-valve, VVT equipped, petrol engine is connected to a factory built IHI turbocharger with recirculating dump valve. These bolt-on performance bits, as well as a larger diameter stainless-steel exhaust, have increased power output from 77 kW and 132 Nm of torque to a healthy 110 kW and 190 Nm. As a result the Materia has been transformed into a feisty little performer. The 0 – 100 km/h sprint is completed in 8.9 seconds and top speed has been limited to 200 km/h. Fuel consumption rises to 8.5 l/100km from the standard Materia’s 7.2 l/100km, but to be honest it’s the last thing on anyone’s mind when driving the Materia Turbo.

What you will be focused on when behind the wheel, is finding any opportunity to use the 0.4 bar of boost, which is especially effective from 4 000 r/min and beyond. From a standing start, the Japanese pocket rocket is capable of momentarily frightening more powerful cars and despite knowing you’ll be looking at their tailpipes faster than you can say “sayonara”, you’re guaranteed to be the driver with the biggest smile.

Although the 190 Nm of torque is available from 2 000 r/min, the 1,5-litre engine still enjoys being revved and performs best while doing so. Pointing the rev needle skywards is never difficult thanks to the light drivetrain, however, we would’ve liked a more substantial gear shift action, as the lever is rubbery and a little vague.

Once up to speed there’s often little need to jab the brakes, as the 30 mm lower ride height and fat rubber provide plenty of grip in the turns. Despite its top heavy look the Materia Turbo corners with a surprising lack of body roll and is rather nippy through a set of twisties. Floor the pedal too soon when exiting low speed corners and the Turbo has enough power to induce some controllable understeer. Amazingly, Daihatsu offer a cure for this with the availability of an optional limited-slip differential. When you need the brakes, there’s a set of high performance discs and pads at your disposal and although they scrub off speed well, they’re not so good as you’d notice the extra bite.

So, the Materia Turbo is nippy away from the lights, nimble in the turns and has buckets full of character thanks to the big-mouth turbo and waste-gate combination, not to mention its Japanese hot-rod looks. Why then have you probably not seen one on the road? Because Daihatsu have only produced 40 units, making it rather exclusive. But there’s more though…

It’s clear the Materia Turbo is an appealing little car. However, when you take its R50 000 price premium into consideration, it loses some appeal. Yes, it offers performance and everyday practicality but at R219 900, there are far more ‘sensible’ and premium brand cars available. Grab your nearest passenger car price list and for less than R10 000 more, you could be driving a Golf 1.4 TSI, an Alfa Romeo MiTo 1.4 MultiAir, Honda Civic 1.8 i-VTEC, Fiat Bravo 1.4 T-Jet or even a Renault Mégane 1.6 Coupé.

But are cars about being sensible? The majority are, but then the Materia Turbo is made for the enjoyment of those who know their Michelin’s from their MacPherson’s. With our lives being lived at an ever increasing rate, maybe we need more cars like the Materia Turbo to provide an emotive driving experience – that many modern cars lack – and offer a little bit of escapism, if only for a couple of minutes each day on the otherwise mundane dash to the shops.

We like…

• Junior Japanese gangster look.
• Naughty noises from the turbocharger and waste-gate.

We would like…

• Remote central-locking.
• Front seats with more lateral support to match the cars levels of grip.
• The drivers instrument cluster to positioned behind the steering wheel.