As already noted, the Dalriada have long subscribed to a different technological base than the Federation.  They have used hyperspace drives for faster-than-light propulsion systems for at least a century.  These close cousins of dimensional warp drive do not allow faster travel than their Federation equivalents, but they are significantly safer to use and create less of a power drain.  They also have more advanced and efficient shielding against the radiation of hyperspace.

Their standard sublight drives are gravitic drives known as impellers. This allows much more efficient source correction maneuvers including the ability to direct acceleration in any direction with equal efficiently. Where an aft- facing ion drive, like an impulse engine, needs to use thrust reversing systems which sap available drive power to create accelerations opposite the direction of motion without reversing the ship's heading, gravity-based drive systems are capable of accelerating in any direction with equal efficiency.

Moreover, the gravity drive system employed by the Dalriadan Navy has an added benefit.  The system produces tightly grouped bands of gravity waves above and below the plane of the ship which are virtually impenetrable by any known weapons system.  This means that an opponent cannot easily attack the ship from above or below.  It has also created a tactic commonly employed by the Dalriada of rolling the ship after firing to impose the "roof" or "floor" of the gravity impeller wedge between the ship and incoming fire while the ship's weapons recycle.