2000 Daihatsu Terios SX from Costa Rica - Comments

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.

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

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.

Since July I'm an owner of a Terios SX. This car was my dream and now its true! The motor runs perfekt and I'm very satisfied.Many, many people hier in Greece and in Crete where I live have a Terios. No one has such a big problem as you. The only problem I have is the Speakers. I had to buy two extra tweeters because the sound was bad. The front right speaker is making a noise, when the engine is running.That's the only problem until now! I think that the service center is responsible for your problem. Terios is an honest car. It's a big toy, that makes life better. I feel safe and lucky, when I'm driving that car.

The problems you had with your Terios is more of a human error in the service department. I have been driving my Terios SX for two years now, in fact I just came back from a long drive (3 hours) of highway (top speed 130kph) and off-road (max 45 deg. angle) carrying 3 adults and two kids and lots of baggage and came to the conclusion that this vehicle is really reliable and an able SUV. Here in Australia you'll see Terios everywhere and from time to time I had people approached me with interest about getting a Terios for themselves. About 3 months ago a couple of our friends decided to go camping so 3 vehicles went on convoy, a car, my Terios and a Holden Cruze. after an hour and a half of driving highway and off-road mountain, the Cruze owner told me that my Terios has a good acceleration compare to his. Here in Australia a cyclist had used Terios carrying a caravan for his convoy driving around the edges of Australia. That's a long drive and the only major problem thay had is a punctured tire. I came from a big vehicle, you just really need to adjust your driving style with the terios, but once you get the hang of it, the rest are fun (and cheap) ;)

I Regard all Daihatsu cars as very reliable with few if any problems. Terios is certainly one of their preferred models. Pity it does not come in diesel. Here in Malta diesel cars are preferred due to better fuel consumption and lower fuel cost. I would not mention a missing fuel cap or cigar lighter as the car's fault, rather it is the supplier's.

Hi.

I own a Terios manufactured in 1999. Very happy with it in general apart one thing...consumption! Its a very reliable vehilce, easy to manouvre, satisfactory on not-so-good roads, but consumption is too much. Here in Malta Terios seems popular and never heard complains on consumption, maybe mine is defect. Any help please??

Maybe you're car needs some tuning up! basically the car drives on all four wheels so it's like driving 2 cars at the same time, therefore consumes more fuel than a single car. having said that it consumes far less fuel than a midium or a full sized 4x4, even consumes less than a large sedan. I know this 'cause I use to drive a v6.

My Terios is a sweet looking sexy little number in gorgeous blue! I love it. In fact I'm in love with it. It looks after me and comes into its own when it rains and snows (often in the UK) GET A BUCKET.

My terios is the best car ever, I had an Isuzu pup diesel 1982, a Suzuki samurai 1987, and a Toyota Hilux 2wd four doors 1995, and my terios is a better car. I now don't go more than 120Km, but in my country is 90Km max speed. The 4wd is better than the Suzuki, the interior space is better than the Hilux.The people who knows about cars love the Terios.

Hey My Girlfriend has a terios and its great we took it off road and its great. I should know I drive a TD5 Land Rover Discovery Plenty of power great two park we love it. No trouble at all with it great car.

U only had a bad luck plus a bad service center

terios is an excellent car with all aspects!!

So, is that means Terios got good performance in general? If I would like to buy one, the range of production year preferred is 97, 98, 99, 00 are they got big different in different year? If so, which year will perform better?

I recently purchased a 2000 Terios, and now trying to do a little maintenance before putting her on the road. However, I'm having all the trouble in the world to fine engine mounts. Does anyone have know of a website/auto parts store in the Florida area that they can direct me to?

We have recently purchased a japan import terios from a respected car dealer in malta. the vehicle worked for one day. only problem was that the car would stop within a few minutes of starting and would need to be started 3 times until it would function properly. the car was taken back to the dealer and we were given a hire car until it was fixed. after six weeks and several mechanics later we are still driving around in the hire car because the source of the problem could not be found. too much technical problems, computers seem to make cars worse. wastes a lot of fuel, little power, not happy at all. don't buy one.

I have had the Terios 98 for ten years now. I love it; it is very reliable, and an extremely fun car. I did too many things with it; over the beach, splash in sea shore, make off road trips, and race with faster cars. It is fun good looking, reliable, and economical as well. The only drawback is the back seat can never fit three adults, and the pedals space is a bit narrow, but is fun, and I love it.

I bought a Brand new Daihatsu Terios SX automatic 4WD 5DR Model J210 1500 CC which was manufactured in November 2007. It is found to consume about 13.5 Litres per 100 Km (i.e. 7.4 Km/L) although it is reported in the Web to give an average of 8.9 Litres per 100 KM (i.e. 11.2 Km/L. I generally drive at a speed of about 60-70 Km/h. Now I have done about 800 Km of travelling since I purchased this in January 2008. Other than the low fuel economy, I have nothing to make any adverse comments.

1. Can I have the experience of the vehicle users of the above model as regards fuel consumption?

2. What should I do to get a better mileage?