Daihatsu Terios Review
Published: 27th August 2006
Daihatsu Terios
This unit produces 105PS (103.5bhp) at 6,000rpm and just under 140Nm of pulling power at 4,400rpm. Top speed for the S and SX is almost 100mph - 99.4mph to be exact, while the SE has a top speed of just over 93mph. It takes 12.2 seconds to get from 0 to 60mph in the test car and a smidgeon less in the S and 13.2 seconds in the SE.
At first, I thought the Terios was slow and a little boring. The gear change on the test car was stiff and I couldn’t get a clean, smooth change. Then I went for a proper test drive and it changed my mind. I found that to get the best out of the engine, it has to be driven and that from second gear onwards the transmission proves to be very flexible, which newer drivers might find forgiving. It is also very sprightly and the raucous noise from the engine makes it sound like the rally car, it thinks it is.
The stiff suspension makes the ride a bit bumpy and speed humps
are to be avoided. Even at slow speeds, there is a danger of losing
your fillings. Having said that, it is a very stable car that seems
to enjoy swift changes of direction and along with the positive
steering, it makes country lanes fun.
Motorway journey are accomplished with aplomb although I would have
liked another gear. Around town, the good all-round visibility and
higher seating position helps with guessing what the other traffic
is about to do. The Terios also proved to be very manoeuvrable in
tight spots aided by the rear parking sensors, which are standard
across the range. Usually, parking sensors are a little over-cautious
but the system in the Daihatsu is just right.
In terms of specification, even the entry-level S comes with air-conditioning,
four electric windows (not all do), driver, passenger and side airbags
and ABS with EBD. Moving up to the SX, which is expected to be the
most popular, adds alloy wheels with fatter tyres than the other
two trims, two-tone wheel arch extensions, side skirts, roof-rails,
front fogs and a multifunctional display, amongst other things.
The SE is much the same as the SX but has different alloys and colour-keyed
side skirts.
