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It Only Looks The Same
Back in February when IM Group, better known for its Subaru and Isuzu franchises, bought the Daihatsu operation for around £9 million, it was aware that there were new and much improved models of the Sirion and Terios on the way. And, although you might not think so, Daihatsu sells more cars in this country than either of the longer established IM Group marques. It's perhaps even odder that the Terios is the best selling individual model in the range. What was the Terios before? Well, it was a rather curiously proportioned mini 4x4, with nothing special in the way of power unit, and fairly slack handling. What is it now? It's still rather curiously proportioned, but a modified 1.3-litre Yaris engine has transformed the performance. As well as that, Daihatsu has thrown away the original suspension blueprints and re-jigged the whole set-up - spring rates, dampers, bushes and roll-bar specification. The five-door Terios is still high and narrow. In either the front or the rear seats, two people sitting together really have to know each other pretty well, because there's bound to be a certain amount of elbow massage on any kind of winding road. Daihatsu has eased out a tiny amount of extra front cabin width, and there's also more fore-and-aft seat travel, but it's the high roofline which makes the rear accommodation tolerable. Opening the tailgate, you'd expect typical mini 4x4 luggage space, but that's surprise number one. There's much more load space than you might think from the outside. Dynamically Different In getting a grip of the suspension, Daihatsu has sharpened up both the ride quality and the general handling. You can sling the new Terios around with more confidence than was possible with the previous model, although there's a limit to what you can expect from any high-built, lightweight vehicle of this kind. On one of our favourite (from a testing point of view) lumpy moorland roads there was a fair amount of bouncing around. But all small-scale 4x4s have the same problem there. If the handling and general stability are improved, the performance is unrecognisable. Daihatsu has taken the normal 1.3-litre Yaris engine and completely reworked it, to the extent of changing both bore and stroke inside the standard block. That and other modifications mean that there's the same amount of power, and a slightly lower torque peak. This is an improvement? Well, maximum torque comes much lower down the rev range, and that makes a noticeable difference to throttle response. Unusually for this class, the Terios runs in permanent four-wheel drive, without a transfer box but with an electronic centre-lock diff. There's good ground clearance, and this is one of those lightly built 4x4s which can waft its way across some kinds of terrain which might ground one of the more heavily built types. The Terios manages to appeal to several different owner types, which is why it outsells the rest of the range. Older people like the high build and compact dimensions. As the second car in a lively younger family, it can toddle off to beaches, riverbanks and perhaps the start of a hill-walking expedition, as well as do school and shopping trips. Daihatsu has perked up the appearance just enough to make a visual difference, but it's the improved straight-line performance and better "feel" which really count. The range starts with the E model at £9995, a much less ambitious price than before. There's also a better equipped SL at £12,995. But it's the EL as tested which is likely to be the best seller of the three, although it's worth bearing in mind that air conditioning and ABS are extra-cost options on this version. So is automatic transmission, but it does dull the performance. Price: £10,995
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It may seem odd that, in boosting the revised Daihatsu Terios, the importing company is all but rubbishing the version it was selling before. The answer's simple: this importer is not that importer.
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