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Daihatsu Charade
by adam_d
I've had my Charade 1.0 EL for a while now, and have to say that it is a brilliant, underrated little car.
In terms of practicality, the car seems tiny from the outside, especially when parked alongside other "small" cars. Inside, it is like a Tardis, with plenty of space for 4 adults. As equipment goes, it's no high ... tech machine, but comes well specced, with twin airbags, front electric windows, electric mirrors, power steering, central locking and a CD player.
The boot isn't the biggest around as you'd expect, but is more than enough for a couple of bags of shopping, and the seats are easily dropped. The rear bench literally can just be popped out if needs be. It also has a feature I can't remember seeing before, which is that the doors open at 90 degrees to the car when opened fully, making entering and exiting the car easier.
Reliability wise, there are no faults with the car, it feels solid, and doesn't feel as if there are going to be any faults. Has never had any advisory on any past MOTs either. During the last winter, even though it spent 6 weeks without being started due to me being ill, it started first time with no fuss, and still has the original 5 year old battery.
Running costs are where this car really shines. I frequently manage 55-60mpg, and once managed an average of 75mpg on a trip with a mix of motorway and town driving. Tax is £30 a year, so can't go wrong there. This is my first car, and the insurance is about as low as I could find. Servicing costs are also good, and consumables such as tyres and windscreen wipers are also very cheap.
The way the car drives was the biggest surprise for me. With the tiny little 1.0 liter engine I wasn't expecting much, but as the car is so light, it never feels underpowered, and doesn't even feel stressed by hills. The gearbox is nice and smooth, with a satisfying sort of "squidge" feeling between gears, and the engine itself is very quiet. You can tell it's a 3 cylinder, there is a small vibration at idle, but other than that, it's fantastic, very quiet.
It is also really fun to drive, with it being so small it handles like a go kart. The engine is very rev happy, and the pulls well throughout the rev range. It does tend to understeer when pushed hard, and has a bit of body roll, but that's not really what it was designed to do. When driven normally, it is comfortable and very easy to drive. If you need a cheap reliable runaround and don't want to sacrifice fun, this car should definitely be on your list.
The car also has a 4-star Euro NCAP safety rating, and has features designed to minimise the impact of low speed collisions, such as impact absorbing bonnet hinges. It does however, tend to be knocked about by strong winds on motorways, due to the light weight and flat sides.
All in all, the Charade is a fantastic little car, and I would recommend it to anyone.
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Daihatsu Terios in general
by frenchboy88
My Mum owned both the OLD model of this car and currently has the NEW model as featured on Top Gear so thought it might be useful to give a quick comparison of the two. OK they are not my car, but I have driven both numerous times and feel well placed to give a balanced view of the car as I did not pay for them!
Firstly, the ... old model (the one pictured here!). Well, what can I say, it was an atrocious piece of engineering. The 1.3L engine was far, far too underpowered, making even slight inclines difficult to traverse, 2nd gear was needed even for small hills most of the time as the gear ratios were wholly inadequate. The car was far, far slower than my 2002 1.2L Vauxhall Corsa. I would go as far as saying this car was DANGEROUSLY underpowered. MPG was poor, averaging low 30s to the gallon. Not only this, but at 60mph+ the road and engine noise was unbearable, and the car would sway in even a light breeze. Inside, the interior was extremely cramped due to the cars narrow profile. The interior plastics, although well put together looked like they had been made from melted down McDonalds Toys, and the seat fabric is like something from the 1980s. I was overjoyed to see the back of this car.
The positives? Well, I suppose it does cope alright on mild off road bits, but its lack of torque is a serious hindrance. The ones with the "Sport" pack consisting of big spoiler and alloy wheels do look quite good as well, but BEWARE, the car underneath is awful!
The new model, well, its a world apart. OK its still only a 1.5L petrol engine but its a lot more gutsy than the old one. It doesn't feel underpowered, but is far from being "nippy". The engine does sound quite "noisy" at higher RPMs and could be a bit more refined. The new model handles a lot better than the old one, with a seperate rear anti roll bar and a wider wheel track giving it much more stability even at higher speeds. The only downside is that the off-road suspension feels unsettled on poor roads, but this is the case with most small 4x4s. I can't comment on its off road ability as I have not driven it off road, but it coped well on Top Gear. Inside, the car is well built, with plenty of "soft-touch" plastics which would look more at home in a German SuperMini. The dials and controls are pretty funky, but do look a bit cheap. The CD player is built in so cannot be changed, which is a shame as it does not play copied CDs. Space is excellent both in the front and at the rear, and there is a large boot. The tints and alloys on my mothers version give it a nice sporty look, and the air con is a great touch.
Old Model - Avoid like the plague, even though the Sport pack is good looking.
New Model - An excellent choice if you want a "Mummys" 4x4, and cheaper than a Rav 4.
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