On paper, the Terios LWB appears to be a lot of car. Air conditioning, electric this and that, seats for seven, and SUV styling. In reality, though, it battles to deliver in anything but a mom’s taxi role.
It is certainly big enough, but the extra size counts against the Terios as the 1500 engine isn’t quite up to the task, which pretty much rules out using it as a distance driver. The Terios’ gearing – maybe deliberately short to provide some oomph if the seven seats are all full? – means the engine is howling at freeway speeds, and even around town the box feels like it needs another cog.
The high ride, while good from a visibility point of view, counts against the Terios, as it feels skittish in crosswinds, especially when empty, and there is very little in the way of steering feedback.
It also seems with that extra size, and the small engine, compromises have to be made, and the quest for lightness means the bodywork has a very tinny feel, and a lot of noise intrudes into the cabin due to insufficient sound deadening. Again, not what you want on a long trip.
The cabin itself is sparsely finished, yet despite the lack of gadgetry, the stuff which was there felt decidedly low rent, and poorly finished – some of the controls seemed to have been added as an afterthought.
A prime example was the rear-window heater switch, which is mounted to the right of, and easily obscured by, the steering wheel, so it is very easy to overlook that the switch has been left on.
The radio/CD combination also leaves a lot to be decided – in this day and age, one would have expected RDS to be standard – and struggles to be heard above the previously-mentioned noise. Steering-wheel controls for the sound system also feel cheap and flimsy.
But the Terios is, after all, about space, and while the rearmost seats can best be described as ‘occasional’, the centre row of three is generous both in legroom and width, and because of the longer wheel base, doesn’t give that horrible wallowing feel one gets when one sits over the rear axle.
A nice touch is the separate air conditioner feed behind the front seats, with controls adjustable from the central row of seats.
Luggage space, with a full complement of passengers, is limited, but the rear seats fold down for a completely flat loading area which, in our tests, swallowed quite a lot of bulky items.
For the school run, or as a shopping car, it make sense. As a ‘lifestyle’ vehicle, to justify its rugged looks, it doesn’t.
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"Daihatsu announced on 13 January 2011 that sales of Daihatsu motor cars will cease across Europe on 31 January 2013."
Says it all really!
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Well, what d'ya expect - it's a blimming Diahatsu m8y!
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All part of the job, dog!
Fortunately I get something new every week, so don't have to put up with the hounds for too long - normally put 500kms on them, over a variety of roads.
Had fun last week - i10 and a Micra, for comparative tests.
Micra goes back today, and I'm in a Captiva for a week.
Yeehah!
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>>All part of the job, dog!<<
Nice work! - if ya can get it, reminds me of my mobile tuning days, I luved it AND they paid me to do it :)
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>>"Daihatsu announced on 13 January 2011 that sales of Daihatsu motor cars will cease across Europe on 31 January 2013." <<
So presumably no-one in their right mind has bought one since that announcement.
What sort of business acumen was that?
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>>So presumably no-one in their right mind has bought one since that announcement.<<
'There is no stock of new Daihatsu cars in the UK, and we do not expect to import any new cars in this interim period'
Not sure how someone will manage to purchase a car if it doesnt exist. Would be a neat trick.
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Daihatsu Terios - OMG! What a hound! - lancara
