I am always teased because of my height, or rather the lack of it, so felt great the day the Daihatsu Copen test car arrived ..... I actually towered over it! 

Guaranteed to give you that "must have" feeling!

It is so small that it gives you the impression that you should have a remote control to operate it! - The Copen is just about 3.4m long, 1.4m wide and only 1.2m high! The styling is unique and is guaranteed to give any woman that “I must have one” feeling! 

My ideal company car

I might be in a man’s world when it comes to business, but never, ever do I want to lose my femininity. When I started my own business in 1988 the pink office and stationery was evident from the word go and still is - and a pink Daihatsu Copen as a company car would be the cherry on top!

Damn ..... the only problem is that the Copen is only available in 6 vibrant colours - Solar yellow, Blazing red, Lunar blue, Heritage racing green, Mercury silver and Classic white ....... not pink!

Price: RRP - R189 995 Article Options Email to Friend Print Article Remove from Favorites Add to Favorites Remove from 'Articles to Read' Add to 'Articles to Read'

Sporty and stylish 

The Daihatsu designers used the ‘Cabin Forward’ styling concept, which takes advantage of the front-wheel-drive layout. Although not of real interest to us girls, the Copen has a low centre of gravity, low drag co-efficient teardrop-shaped silhouette, featuring rounded body panels and slim-line boot spoiler with the third brake lamp defining the bold rear-end.

The use of reinforced aluminium body panels results in a kerbside mass of just 850kg which enables the Copen to deliver an amazing power-to-weight ratio of 75.3Kw/ton. The twin exhaust pipes that have been centre-mounted, completes the sporty look. 

A magic disappearing top!

The youthful Solar Yellow test car with leather interior was a real eye-catcher, especially with the top down! - It is an ‘Active Top’ two seater with an electrically powered aluminium fold-away roof - yes, a hard top that folds away into the boot in about 20 seconds! 

My granddaughter, Georgia, claimed it as ‘Granny’s and my car’ as there was no space for any one else. The seven-year-old of course looked for any excuse to go for a ride, as long as we had the top down! Once the roof is down the chrome finish roll-bars and wind deflector behind the headrests really makes it look top drawer.

Although the Copen only has a 1.3-litre engine I thoroughly enjoyed driving it. The sports tuned suspension and 15” alloy wheels with low profile tyres make for firm responsive handling. Yes, at times I felt intimidated when driving next to a big truck and sincerely hoped that the driver wouldn’t miss me in his rear-view mirror. 

A dream to park

Those moments, luckily, were few and far between as I utilised it for what it was designed for - a city commuter - nice and nippy and a dream for a woman to park. (Must say I was tempted to see whether it would fit into our garage sideways!)

The Copen has plenty of safety features .... ABS with EBD, 8” brake booster with brake assist, dual airbags, pre-tensioner seatbelts with force limiters and side impact bars. Comfort features are air-conditioning, radio/CD player, tilt and reach adjustable power steering and electric windows. 

Environment friendly too!

To crown it all this baby sports car is environmentally friendly as well. The Copen uses the world’s first catalytic converter with the capability of self-regenerating precious metals, an invention that Daihatsu calls the ‘Intelligent Catalyst’.

Frugal fuel consumption and this leading emissions technology enables the Copen to minimise the amount of hazardous substances in its exhaust emissions and comfortably meet stringent Euro4 Emissions regulations.

I believe the Copen is the perfect ‘statement’ car for a young, up and coming female ‘exec’ or for that matter any lady who wants to be noticed!

Be bold ladies...

The Copen’s recommended retail price is R189 995 and comes with a 3-year/100 000km warranty and a 3-year/60 000km Service Plan. Service intervals are at 15 000km.
Be bold ladies - go and test drive one, I assure you will be impressed!