2000 Daihatsu Terios DX 1.3 from Iceland

Summary:

Reliable and cheap, but uncomfortable

Faults:

The radio front seem to have connection problems. Nothing big though.

Nothing else.

General Comments:

Daihatsu Terios bought in April 2000, has gone 90,000 km since.

Very good in snow and winter driving, thanks to the 4WD. Also good in the city, especially when parking.

It is a cheap car, and uncomfortable when driving long distances at high speed. It is narrow sitting in the driver's seat (my knee always seems to rub on to the electric window opener, and open the window, which is annoying).

Steering wheel reflexes are too much, and can be hard/risky in strong winds. It also feels like it can tumble easily when turning quickly.

Overall I am happy with this cheap car with no garage repair costs. It's reliable and cheap, but uncomfortable, I think the car uses 14L per 100km.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 23rd January, 2006

2000 Daihatsu Terios SX 1.3 liter gasoline from Costa Rica

Summary:

Don't buy it

Faults:

Ever since I bought it I have had all types of problems.

The automobile was supplied without a cigarette lighter, without a cover (cap) for the gasoline tank, on the following day a tire was deflated, the air conditioned unloaded, and the battery (in the motor) was loose.

Until today the motor is out of tune. At minimum speeds the motor shakes almost until it turns off. It has already gone through two checks (1000 km and 10000 km) and the salesman has not been able to solve this problem.

After the first check of 1000 km the car was given back without the cover (cap) of the oil of the motor.

The car vibrated too much at 100 km/h since the bar of the front transmission was out of balance. It was changed at the second check.

The motor is very weak, it lacks power and consumes much gasoline, approximately 8 km to a liter.

It is very unstable at more than 100 km per hour.

General Comments:

It looks nice, but I am very disappointed and very unhappy. I am going to change it for another brand of car.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No

Review Date: 24th August, 2001

11th Feb 2003, 07:00

You've apparently been to a very "dodgy" (unreliable) service center / dealer. I have a Terios DVVT with wheel spacers and as long the steering and wheels have been aligned and balanced there are no vibrations until around 130-140kms/h on the freeway (this is the spedometer readout, not real-speed which would be around 10% less). I have done long stretches at high speeds without any fuss (apart from the engine noise). Namely I have run it up to a little past 175km/h on the speedometer on a flat run, around a corner, with A/T tyres. Again, handling was pretty tight and this is the very limit of the car (but be aware that the current model has revised torsional rigidity and suspension setup).

In regards to consumption, initially, when it was brand new, it did 2 tanks averaging 10 litres per 100kms and ever since it's been consuming 8.0-8.5lt per 100kms. One way to reduce your consumption (although I haven't done this yet) would be to relocate your air-induction tube to a place receiving more air (in that case, watch the river crossings!). This is particularly useful if you do a lot of highway cruising. In terms of power, there's a lot you can do there... a RAM-Pod setup, extractors, free-flow muffler... but personally, off-roading I complain more about the clutch than the lack of power itself! You just have to adjust your driving style to the car, once you adapt it's heaps of fun to drive anywhere... on-road, off-road, highway or city. I have found myself in an Opel Corsa 1.4 16v trying to drive through winding country roads at the speed I would do in the Terios. Fact was I couldn't do it. The Corsa never felt as safe around corners preferring to slide around sections the Terios could handle easily without losing its line.

So far, my Terios has been a great buy... I'm just sorry you didn't have the same experience, but I'd just like to add that the Daihatsu people in Australia and Japan are very understanding... you should've gone straight to the importer with your issue and they would absolutely make sure that you'd be another satisfied customer!

Cheers.

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2000 Daihatsu Terios dvvt 1.3 from Costa Rica

Summary:

Great economy all terrain option

Faults:

One of the bushings on the sway bar endlinks fell out or was never there.

General Comments:

I rented this car for a week and it is great for what it was made for, an economical option for rural areas where you have to cross terrible roads. It is peppy enough at low speeds because it is light, the suspension is very adept at being comfortable on incredibly rough roads yet still controllable. Full time 4x4 with optionally locking center differential gets out of any conditions and the high clearance fords rivers easily. But it can't go more than 100kph comfortably.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 18th January, 2001