Second-hand sense: In the days when the Daihatsu Terios was launched we did not have the extensive, and often quite smart, range of small four-wheel-drive vehicles that we have today but you still have to wonder a bit about the Terios and its function in life.
Daihatsu, a member of the Toyota family, has always been a source of slightly wacky concepts and a maker of wonderful small cars, but the original Terios had a particular novelty value.
Anyone who has been to Japan will understand where the Terios came from. In a country vastly overcrowded and choked with traffic in the main, every little difference can become a way to stand out. So why not a mini 4X4 along the lines of the Suzuki SJ ?
The fact that this is a suburban car that looks like a little jeep made it appealing in a cute way, but it was never as cute or as popular as the Suzuki SJ. Here even the name had people a little confused and the concept was a limited one indeed. Mind you, the same cannot be said of the latest generation Terios, which seems to have been designed to fit the times more appropriately.
The previous Terios is not well-built for Irish roads and proves a bumpy ride indeed. Its off-road abilities are also very limited, and you would not venture far down a muddy track with great confidence. When cornering you can feel a certain imbalance of weight and you realise what a slightly high centre of gravity can do to a car's behaviour when it is this small. It is quite a dinky drive otherwise. Take it easy and you will cruise nicely but it is not a car to be pushed - mind you, with a 1.3-litre engine there really is no justification for requiring a great deal from the car.
The tall driver will not feel a sense of liberation inside the car, but room up front is adequate enough. The rear is more limited and people in the back will feel quite restricted. Boot space is about the same as any small car with the obvious advantage of a bit more height. This, in short, is not a family car. Also, twin airbags are not always standard. Perhaps the best thing to be said about the original Terios is that it was a very reliable car indeed. The 1.3-litre engine came from the Toyota benches, and was extremely dependable. The car has absolutely no history of being recalled, which is not surprising, and owners report virtually faultless motoring. The Terios does not feature in the EuroNCAP crash test ratings because it has never been tested.
A 2002 model with 38,000 miles on the clock and with one air bag, child locks, power steering and a few other limited pieces of standard kit is on offer at €11,995. A newer 2004 version with 50,000km on the clock is on offer at €12,950. - DONAL BYRNE
FOR: Dinky 4X4 style motoring. Great reliability.
AGAINST: Not actually capable of real off-road performance. Cramped interior and the design appeal is very limited.