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I wanted to add some blog entries to this forum for a long time as it had helped me a lot to make informed decisions. To start things with, I thought of writing about a small car which exceeded my expectations. That is the humble "Daihatsu Mira". It was in the mid 2018 when I started to look for a second (small) car to use for urban commuting with a budget around 2.8 million. Back then, I had a Vezel RS hybrid as the main car. So the unregistered options were clear. It was either the Japan Alto mild-hydrid, WagonR FX or Daihtasu Mira. Test drove the Alto and felt that it was not comfortable and the interior quality was not good. WagonR seemed to be more comfortable but the "battery-risk-factor" drove me off of it. Therefore, I was left with the Daihatsu Mira LA350 and LA300 models. I didn't have a big issue with the brand Daihatsu since the loyal Toyota DNA was on-board with it. The decision between picking the LA350 and LA300 model was simple. LA350 was the latest, had superior acceleration and higher efficiency. However, the back door and front side panels were made of Resin (instead of metal). I was worried about the safety of the new model and decided to compromise efficiency and power to resort into the old model. After a hunt of nearly 1 month, I found a dealer (ironically the same guy who imported my Vezel) who had an imported X grade 2017, LA300 with all documents. This had the following options added compared to the base model. Full two-tone dashboard. Retractable mirrors. Rear head-rests. Factory fitted alloys. Multi-color meter display (base model has an orange display) It had 5000 km on the clock with very minor scratches on the body. Negotiated with him and bought for a fair price. Since then I've been using it for more than 1 and half years and had run more than 20k kms (the total is around 26k km). There had been no issues with the car up-to now. Since it came with Kobe warranty, I had to service it with A*to Miraj. Generally, they did a good job with the car. External appearance The car has a very cute (non-aggressive) appearance. To me, the front-end and side looks okay but the back-end looks a bit odd. If you want to make a statement, this is not the car for you. The 155/65/R14 tyres looks skinny and doesn't add well to the appearance (most common with small 660 cc cars). Overall, I guess it's alright for the price you pay. The silver body paint looks good on the car and needs little maintenance to keep it shiny. Interior appearance Diahatsu Mira has a lot of leg space available for both front and rear passengers. For me, its identical to the Vezel RS. The seats are made of fabric (forgot to take a picture) and feels comfortable opposed to the Japan Alto. The dashboard looks okay with very basic controls. This minimalist feel extends to the steering wheel as well. I had it wrapped for better grip and protection. The gear leaver in the middle looks a bit odd and would have preferred it to be between the seats. Unfortunately, Mira doesn't have a lot of rear boot space. Sometimes the weekly groceries alone completely consumes the entire boot space. Therefore, you cannot use this car for outings with friends. The rear headrests comes in handy and IMHO, its the best thing (apart from the factory alloys) about buying a X grade car. The drive This is the best thing about the Mira. It feels surprisingly comfortable for a car of this category. This is due to the perfect suspension balance setting. Even the steering feel is acceptable compared to typical Toyota cars with numb feeling. This is perfect for daily city commuting. However, taking bends with a bit of soul and moderate speed seems to unsettle the car. Moreover, it feels unstable after 90+ kmph. Therefore, be extra careful and responsible when using the car. The 660cc power-house is alright for driving leisurely in the city. It feels nippy and feels excellent for driving in traffic. However, things starts to go south when you are in a hurry or a sudden need to accelerate arises. Overtaking at speeds over 50 kmph needs to be done with a bit of planning. IMHO the engine feels a bit more powerful and refined than a WagonR of the same year. The Mira also managed to pull effortlessly on a steep hill upwards (even I had second thoughts before attempting the climb). The car is at its best in the 30 to 50 kmph range. I have accelerated till 110 kmph and progress after 90 kmph is very minimal. The idle-stop is alright but you feel the car while starting (not refined compared to hybrids). I usually turn it off during traffic. The brakes seems very progressive and linear. They do a good job to stop the car up-to moderate speeds. Braking during high speeds makes the car a bit unstable (maybe because I'm used to driving the Vezel which had way bigger tyres and all disk brakes) . Fuel efficiency The guy who sold me the car claimed 20 kmpl which I was hilarious about. However, to my surprise the car did 16 kmpl on the very first run. Unsure about the results I topped it again and found out that it did the above amount continuously. After getting familiar with the car, I'm currently getting 17.5 to 18.5 (even though the car says 19.5+) kmpl during ordinary work days. This went up-to 23 kmpl during morning school holidays (and when I regularly came home during night with no traffic). To give a bit of context, during most days I drive 60+ kms daily via the Galle road with little traffic on mornings and moderate traffic (except the notorious Wellawatta block) on evenings. To compare with please find my previous vehicle's calculated efficiency below. 1997 Toyota Corolla 110 Diesel 2.0 Auto - 8.5 kmpl (had 200+ kms on the clock) 2003 Toyota Vios 1.5 Auto - 9 kmpl 2007 Toyota Belta 1.3 CVT - 10 ~ 10.5 kmpl 2002 Suzuki Alto Japan 0.66 Auto - 11 ~ 12 kmpl 2016 Vezel RS hybrid DCT - 13 - 14 kmpl Therefore, the car was very easy on the wallet for me. One thing I must say that, I'm not a very aggressive driver. I try to stick to the indicators and drive (most of the time). Maybe its the reason I'm getting good efficiency. Maintenance This car had required only the routine maintenance up-to now. Since the car came with free services, I had to pay about 12 000 rupees per service (average). Please refer the image below (yes, I maintain all records of the car). Tyres and brake pads are still in good condition after 26k kms of driving. The insurance is a bit expensive. I guess its common for all the new cars. With C*linco V*P, I parted 80 000 rupees for a valuation of 2.9 million with all covers and 2 years of no claim bonus. Guess it's worth their service. Overall verdict Buy the car if... You need to buy your first car/ needs a second small car. You need a comfortable A-to-B car. You need a car with less repairs. You need a car with good fuel efficiency, You need a car with plenty of interior space. You need a car to tackle the daily traffic. You enjoy the low engine vibration during idle (Opposed to cars such as 3-pot Vitz) Do not buy the car if... You drive aggressively (My friend does this and he claims his LA350 does 13 kmpl). You need to make a statement with the car. You need ground clearance. You regularly drive up-hill. You need a big boot. You expect all fancy tech. There you go! My honest review regarding the Diahatsu Mira LA300. Hope this will help people for making informed decisions. Cheers!!! ?

@sathyajithj99 your surprise is fair but this i will concede - the Mazda 2 feels a little floaty over 90 in that it doesn't feel as planted as a Euro car would on the highway nor as well insulated as a big Japanese sedan might. It doesn't like crosswinds either but these are minor considering that neither are major issues when driven at/under the speed limit. @zebra speed is often relative so when you say slow to get up to speed are we talking 100 kmph or beyond?

I swear I was checking out some FD4s on the adsites when I heard the notification bell. I'd love a Euro Sedan any day (406, Jetta MK5, E46, W124, you name it). It's just that maintaining one from our area is a bit of an exercise. For now, we have to stick to japs, not like that's a bad thing. Also, I'd say any econobox is in vain for us Kanda uda guys. 1.15 hours and that too without a fine? I'm seriously impressed. FD1s seem like a bargain now, maybe because of the 1.8 that disappoints the Thel worshippers. For now I'll stick to jangis. Easier to get away trouble-free & complaint free. Not like I can attract lankets in a honda anyway.

Bro anything other than a BMW is in vain for us kandu uda guys. Maybe even a honda if you want reliable. Wbt a tasty honda FD1? Mmmm nice...I used to have one fully loaded, did kandy col run in 1.15 hours at night. No jokes(not reccomended anymore) PS. The Red FD1 got the jangis down or lankets,if ur into that too. Im not judging ?

Nice review, this was one of my wifes first cars, bought one in 2017 after the kei boom Few suggestions, get some dust trap carpeting done, including the rear exposed metal areas, And mudflaps! Very rare but useful. Also installing fog lamps is a diy job, u can get em off ebay, Ours was a less blingy one but I'm sure it did 19 to 20kmpl given that we ran it inclines and slopes, Also the pulling power was decent for its size, manage about 2 100kg persons plug luggage when needed. Its size and economy made it very useful, so much we used it quite often, One such time we were badly harassed by a c*nt in a European suv, given the fact I owned and have owned a plethora of large suvs that was a moral turning point and we gave it away thereafter. And buy a spare wheel, dunlop enasaves have sidewall issues

Geneva Baya means something to do with fear of Geneva? Is this being sold by the UNHRC ?

Curfew and work at home showed that the honda maintenance minder counts not only down, but also up. Mine went from 170 to 200 days.

Strange. I wouldn't rule out other things like service stations using harsh chemicals (like kerosene) to wash the undercarriage and wheel wells. Or if you or your regular car wash place use a chemical that degrades rubber.

A very comprehensive and descriptive review. Really explained ups and downs of the vehicle. Also I found the fuel economy comparison really informative. Plus this review changed my view on this vehicle completely. Thanks for this. Hope that ppl may find this informative.

Suzuki's and heat love each other it seems. We had an every at one point and can confirm. Maybe that's why the drug dealers prefer them, cause they get hot and keep you warm when you are chilling high on some ice. Wonder how the new Suzuki K-series engines deal with heat. The buyer bought it as an upgrade from a 2016 Alto and he praised the car to the point I realize it's in good hands. Atleast they don't fall apart like an Alfa ?

Congrats! Black looks good on that stormtrooperish design If you don't mind me asking what's the YOM or mileage? If you managed to get it for your initial budget then great!

Congratulations bro!

Congrats on the ride. You won't regret buying the AWD, believe me.

Update: Bought the C-HR. Thank you everyone for helping with your advises and opinions. Attached some pics while he is waiting for his number plates to be fixed

Updates: Thank you all for your valuable responses. Those were really useful. During past few weeks I took time, observed the market and had some test drives too. Below are the findings as of now Hyundai Venue: OUT. Since it's made in India and Not met my preferences. MG ZS: OUT. Visited their showroom and had a test drive. Car and ride was nice. Interior quality and comfort / space batter than I expected (except for few areas). But considering the future uncertainty on resale and reliability had to exclude this nice car even I was so attached to it. Toyota Raize: OUT. Couldn’t manage a test drive, but visited a car sale and took a look. When considering the price tag (Z grade is going around 6.5 mil) it’s overpriced. Many car sales said they don’t have stock but can order for the next shipment. When looking at the interior quality it’s below the expectations and looks & feels cheap. KIA Stonic: Possible buy as of now. Went there and took a test drive (Ex grade with luxury package, which has leather interior). Satisfied about the features, comfort and the look and feel for the price they offer (5.5 mil). There might be some pros (5 year agent warranty) and cons (DCT/ GDI). Still this may be a good buy. BUT, as the Raize is out from the picture, for the same budget (6 mil, max 6.2) Toyota C-HR is coming into the picture to evaluate against the Stonic. This is mainly due to the C-HR got safety features such as radar brake, adaptive cruise control etc. KIA does not bring the Stonic safety edition to SL market, so we will get only normal cruise control and reverse sensors. Now the comparison is between a brand new 2019/ 2020 KIA Stonic Ex vs unregistered (reconditioned) Toyota C-HR 2017 GT (with safety package). (As main context of this thread is diverting, I will open a new thread for this).

Members, I post this I got from Email. Many experts in the field claim that diesel engines have longer life spans due to the fact that they work on compression type ignition with the compression ratio also being high compared to petrol engines, they tend to have lower maximum RPM ranges than gasoline engines and their exhaust does not become as hot as the petrol engine. Because of this people tended to run diesel cars in a more “calm and controlled manner”. According to automotive engineers, if well-maintained, a diesel car can run up to 300,000 kilometres. In fact, in my country, taxis are all diesel, and many reach 900.000 km without opening the engine. But, today, with the advances in technology cars with diesel engines are becoming very fast and it all boils down to the way you drive the car and how you take care of it. In my country you have plenty of petrol cars that reach well over 300.000 km. They will lose about “10 HP a year” (this is just a way of saying after they reach a certain millage they will start loosing, and they lost much of their original power) but they will still work. And you have plenty of diesel cars that fail before they reach this 300K limit. I think the main problem with cars today is the use of turbos and electronics. Turbos run very hot and electronics and electrical systems tend to cause some of the main “issues” with engines, both diesel and petrol. As an example, you have the The Bugatti Type 41 built from 1927 to 1933 they are petrol and they all still work fine from all the 7 that were built (6 still exist, 1 destroyed in wreck). Bottom line engines will last longer petrol or diesel if you take care of them and you drive the car with care. Not sure I have posted above to the correct page. Sylvester Wijesinghe. Sylvi.