The Daihatsu Terios has been around since 2006 and has always been, in my eyes, a cute little off-roader for moms to potter around town with a false sense of security (because most people think a 4x4 is safer due to its height) at a fairly affordable price.

 

I'd never driven one though, and that was probably a good thing...

 

Launched back in April this year, the Terios is now available with an extended wheel base, vastly improving interior dimensions and making it even more practical for those parents who were a little too feisty under the sheets. The new 7-seater's launch drive was horribly short and, if I am honest, did very little to impart the Terios' strong points, of which I had hoped there would be many. As it turns out, after a good few hundred kilometres and seven days in my possession, the car that disappointed me in the Cradle of Humankind didn't get any better in my urban jungle.

I'll start with a brief mention on the design – besides the "big booty" that comes with the extended wheelbase, the facelifted model is virtually identical to the old one. Slight changes have occurred on the inside with a refreshed silver-finish dashboard, but a shiny distraction does little to improve the look and feel of what is a dated design, created with budget-friendly materials. That's fine, because not all cars can have squishy dashboards and leather steering wheels and, to be quite honest, the overall feel is cheap but of relative quality. I did chuckle though upon closing the doors. If done with the right combination of open vs. closed doors, the tinny reverberation that emanates from them on closing does very little to make the Terios feel solid. "Tin can" was one term a friend used to describe it at one point in fact. There were a few issues with insulation and rattles too, the spare wheel cover being an annoying source of a buzzy rattle on my test car.

Then there's the drive. It's very weird and the longitudinally-mounted engine has a sort-of ripple effect whereby it rocks the car when revving and lunges when pulling off. It's something to get used to, but something that shouldn't be there in the first place. Suspension is bouncy too, with a van-like feeling imparted by speed bumps and rutted roads. Road noise is also a sore point, with poor insulation and noisy road tyres making it worse. But by far my biggest peeve with the Terios is the steering wheel that's not adjustable for reach, which resulted in me sitting in a very uncomfortable driving position and truly makes the Terios feel like a van.

Practicality is at least one area where Terios LWB has some aces and, after forcing myself to take a trip while sitting in the last row of seats, rearmost passenger space is both relatively comfortable and capacious. Sure, I was a bit squashed, but most children aren't 1.7-metres tall, so should be quite happy. The boot doesn't suffer much with all seven seats in place, which actually gives the 7-seater Terios an edge over many cars with similar carrying capacity. Perhaps best of all was the rear air conditioning setup, which provides a stream of cooling air to the entire rear of the car from roof-mounted vents. The noise problem was definitely at its worst when perched at the back of the car though, as the exhaust noise intrudes horribly and I ended up having to shout at my driver, just to have a conversation. A mom who potentially can't hear her child crying is not going to be a happy lady!

Terios is powered by a modest 1.5-litre 4-cylinder DVVT engine which produces a respectable 80kW and 143Nm, with average fuel consumption of 9.7-litres/100km and carbon emissions of 194g/km. The fuel consumption figure is high for one very good reason – the engine is too small for the car, in my opinion, and you end up putting your foot down more than you should need to. Power delivery is linear and fairly smooth but it's a typically buzzy Japanese motor and so its power is found near the top of the rev range. The gearbox is a 5-speed manual unit and in general it's precise but it just begs to have an extra gear to play with. At 120km/h the needle sits at around 4000r/min, which besides being frustratingly annoying, is partly why the car is so noisy on the road. Service intervals are 15 000km and the car comes standard with a 3-year/75 000km service plan attached.

Being a budget-focused car, the Terios doesn't have too much in the way of luxury or comfort, but the bare necessities are present. You get air con, electric windows all-round, front fog lights, 16-inch alloy wheels, power steering, remote central locking and a very basic trip computer all as standard. A four-speaker sound system with radio, CD and MP3 functionality also features, but is nothing to write home about. Anti-lock brakes (ABS) with EBD and BAS (electronic brake-force distribution and brake assist) are part-and-parcel too, but with only two front airbags on offer, I shudder to think of the outcome of a serious accident in this car. ISOFIX child seat anchors are available and pre-tensioned seat belts are there for all seven seats.

I can really understand the appeal the Terios has with its primary audience. The high stance and chunky looks are lapped up by women and, with seven seats and that extended wheelbase, the practicality is actually brilliant as a school run vehicle. If specified with four-wheel drive, dads would probably also enjoy it on a weekend in a game reserve as Terios comes with a formidable off-road reputation.

Unfortunately though, Terios is out-pricing itself into shark-infested waters and that's where it falls down completely in my eyes. The Terios LWB 7-seater retails for R224 995 including a 3-year/100 000km warranty, which is not too bad considering the space and practicality. But oh boy, when you are at the family dinner table and you find that entry-level models of the Hyundai iX35 and Kia Sportage are but a few thousand rand more, one begs the question of why you would still go for the Terios. Perhaps the biggest threat is the Nissan Qashqai+2 1.6 Visia which, although priced similarly to the iX35 and Sportage at R254 600, provides a similarly practical 7-seat configuration but with much better connotations. Frankly, for what would cost roughly R500 more on a monthly instalment, I would love to meet any husband who, in the car-buying process, would rather see his wife in a Terios instead of something as good-looking as the Hyundai or as reputable as the Nissan.

Sure, there will be people who will disagree based on the price difference and that's fine – I honestly came away from the launch drive reasonably happy. But after thorough investigation and testing, the Terios is too dated and too unrefined to deserve anything more than an unsuccessful test drive. I don't feel compelled to drive one ever again, sadly.

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