Daihatsu Cast Sport

If I may be so bold regarding the recently launched Daihatsu Cast, now it's the ideal time to explain more about the third model in the Cast range which consists of the Style, which is a stylish kei car fit for the fashionistas, and the Activa, which is a kei crossover that means business for the young adventurers who love to go out for their lifestyles.

2016 Daihatsu Cast Sport

2016 Daihatsu Cast Sport interior

Called the Cast Sport, this is known to be Daihatsu's response to Suzuki's Alto Turbo RS in the same way the Style responds on the Honda N ONE and the Activa responds to the Suzuki Hustler. Although this is considered to be a half-decent hot hatch for the masses, one look of the Cast Sport and you'll say that is one heck of a racy hot hatch money can buy and yes this is an affordable hot hatch as it starts at just 1,620,000 Yen, which sounds more affordable to buy than any European hot hatches on the market but it's annoyingly 400,000 Yen more than the Alto Turbo RS.

The Cast Sport features a KF-VET 660cc turbo engine as seen on the Style and Activa variants but because this is a sport-oriented model, even though it comes with a CVT gearbox, there are paddle shifters mounted behind the steering wheel for added control over its simulated gear changes. That sounds like fun but not as fun as its fuel consumption because its 24.8km/L is something what its rival could laugh on because when compared against the Alto Turbo RS, that's 0.8km/L less.

That sounds awkward in terms of performance but just like the Alto Turbo RS, the new Cast Sport still performs very well as a city car and when it comes to driving this small car, this cheeky looking Daihatsu knows that it likes to mess up with the big boys when it comes to a little game of cat and mouse because this little hot kei car likes to be creative enough to outfox the big boys.

Like most Cast models, the Sport comes with Daihatsu's Smart Assist II consisting of Emergency Stop Signal system, Lane Departure Warning, Pedestrian Detection, and many other safety tech offered.

With the Cast lineup well and truly complete, you now have a choice. So, which would you prefer? The Style which is fashionista-friendly that you can take it on your next shopping trip? The Activa which is the ideal adventure partner on your next day off? Or is it the Sport with its clever tricks up to its sleeve? I'll leave the decision up to you but judging by how far first-time buyers been through to buy one, I'm afraid most of them would go for the Activa for numerous reasons I don't really understand.

Photo: Daihatsu Motor Co., Ltd.