Does anyone have experience of the Daihatsu Terios 2006 onwards and is it a better car than the Suzuki SX 4? I noted the combined petrol consumption was just 39 mpg. However, according to Andy Enright , motoring journalist, it has the insides of the previous RAV 4. What I don't know is whether the Terios has a Toyota or Daihatsu engine. By the way does anyone know if Andy Enright has his own website. Very much like his reviews.
Thread title amended to be less obscure. Therefore modified the start of the post also. Rob
Edited by rtj70 on 20/03/2009 at 22:04
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I have a customer with a 2008 Terios who is extremely delighted with it and having been a ten year veteran of Fiestas, she stated she will never buy another Fiesta having sampled the Terios. I had the job of cleaning it this week which was my first good look at one!
The interior is not the same as a Rav 4 of any generation that ive cleaned. Whoever said that has no clue what they are on about - it is a pretty generic japanese interior altho the centre console is a glitzy silvered affair - not unattractive though.
The boot is a reasonable size and very practical shape, legroom is decent and im told it is steady and quiet on the motorway. Its not especially fast unless you extend it.
My customer got the 5 year warranty, 5 years roadside assistance and 5 years servicing in the package.
Now ive driven and had on loan a Suzuki SX4 and it is a smaller car interiorwise, but like the Terios, it is competant to drive but doesnt set your world on fire. Driving position is lower than the Terios and boot significantly smaller.
Both in normal driving wouldnt do more than 35 mpg what with the four wheel drive systems etc, so if it does do closer to 40 mpg, thats a bonus.
Edited by rtj70 on 20/03/2009 at 22:03
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By "insides" I think Brianthebubble means the oily bits.
Edited by rtj70 on 20/03/2009 at 22:03
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Ok fair do's - anyone ever hear of the launch of the Toyota Rav 4 with a 1.5 engine?
I havent, although I would guess it is the same 1.5 engine that is used in Toyotas such as the Yaris, given that Toyota donates much to Daihatsu products, such as the 1.3 engine in our Sirion.
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I think I read somewhere, that the Rav4 connection was the floorpan.
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Terios is sold as a Toyota in many world markets and uses the Toyota 1.5 engine. It is also one of the few Japanese cars sold in the UK that is still built in Japan!
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>>It is also one of the few Japanese cars sold in the UK that is still built in Japan!<<
And all the better for it :-)
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This was what I was thinking re quality. I lived there for three years during the 80s when things Japanese were king. What does concern me is whether doing the short journeys that I do, you can justify having a 4x4, however small, in terms of the extra weight and so reduced mpg. The mpg for urban driving is 29, but this must naturally be a lot less -I was told you could lose up to half your official urban mpg by doing short journeys - which would mean nearer 20 or even less. That was why I was looking at the SX4 with the option to switch off the 4x4. But like you, I prefer the looks of the Terios. Saw one on the road yesterday for the first time, and it looked good. Daihatsu seem to compare it with the Golf, saying it is shorter than the Golf. Is it also narrower? Seeing it yesterday made me think it was a narrow car, but that may have been an optical illusion simply because of its height.
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Funny you mention the width - my customer was told that it is the same width as a Golf.
Up close is doesnt seem all that long, but it does seem substantial. I can also tell you, it doesnt as tall as some 4x4 that I clean but is nothing like as low as say a Forester.
Ive found Daihatsu to be quite accurate with economy figures and sometimes a bit hard on themselves. I often get within a couple of mpg of my Combined figures for our Charade and now the Sirion auto we have has just posted almost bang on the Combined figure which is through using atleast half a tank going round town, so quite impressive really.
We have found with both our cars that gentle driving and using as high a gear as possible does seem to help economy alot on their engines.
I would say, unless your doing big miles, low mileage and economy are a minor consideration. I do 18k a year in my Charade so the 58-62 mpg makes a big difference!
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Could I justify having a Terios mainly for short journeys to and from work ? I know Stu you say not to wory about economy under these conditions. Would I be defeating the object of having a 4X4 ? Also how do you rate the Terios against the Mazda 3 (current). I know they are different but would the Terios hold its own in terms of quality of car.
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You can justify just about any car for short journeys so long as you can afford it. Its increasing the miles that makes cost with fuel vary far more.
Whether or not you need a 4x4 is something you have to answer to yourself - if not there are many more options. Personally if I needed four wheel drive but not so much to go off-road, id look at a Subaru Impreza 1.5.
I think the Terios has a workman-like quality in much the same vein as Subarus do - ie the trim might not be plush but the bits underneath are well engineered, hence long warranties.
Mazda 3 is replaced for this year but the old model, which I clean an example of, is a nice enough car, very decent boot, but like you say, a different type of motor altogether - it does nothing for me personally and interior trim is easily scratched awful thing to clean up when dirty too!
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