|
Would welcome any comments on which is the better car - ignoring that they are different in so many ways. I would just like to know in your own opinions which is the better vehicle. I would be looking to buy one year old.
|
In everyday driving the Mazda will be a better drive, faster, more economical, roomier, arguably just all round better. As long as you remember where you parked it, it's probably the most logical choice.
How much does a higher driving position and some off road ability matter to you?
I like 4x4s so faced with the choice you have posed I'd probably choose the Terios in auto form assuming it's a conventional auto. Don't buy the Terios unless you can adapt to a relaxed style of driving - some 4x4s can be hustled along but none is very good or rewarding used that way and the Terios will not be quick either.
My brother's wife has had a Daihatsu Charade from new in 1993. It benefitted from some rustproofing (I would hope that's not necessary now) but it's still more or less perfect.
|
I quite like the higher position. I was sitting in one yesterday and asked the salesman if the handbrake was off because it seemed like it was moving up and down. But he said it was just the suspension, which you feel more at that height. I liked the Terios, I could not find an angle that I did not like, which is unusual for me. The rear of the Mazda 3 for example. I had looked at the saloon.
What worries me about the Terios is carrying that 4X4 unit around and the subsequent low urban mpg. Regarding off road ability , to be honest I would not really need it very much. But with that day in February with all the snow, I did get stuck with the ice and had to get a Lithuanian friend , who had more experience of these conditions to get me out. So, in that case ,the 4x4 would have helped.
I work at a local college and move from centre to centre and so my present car, Renault Megane saloon R reg - never gets much of run out. However, I do have a colleague with a Vitara and he says he gets 32 to the galllon urban. The relaxed driving style is no prblem; it's what I appreciate about the Renault. But I want Japanese reliability. Sorry to ramble. Would you say the Mazda was a better made car than the Terios?
|
|
Unless you have a dire need to be mobile in the once in a blue moon snow that we get, I wouldn't bother with a 4x4. Even then buy a pair of skinny steel wheels with snow tyres on them or a set of wheel chains.
|
|
|
I don't know which would be the better built as I am not closely acquainted with either. For me reliability is the much the same as build quality.
Aren't Mazdas middling to good, barring some the odd epidemic fault (search for 626 diesel I think)?
The Terios engine is said to be the same as fitted to the Toyota Yaris.
Other things being equal, you would expect a car with 4WD to be less reliable - but that's not always the case (vide Honda CRV).
Edited by Manatee on 05/04/2009 at 16:03
|
|
|
|
|
|
I am something of a Daihatsu fan and I have driven and like the Terios automatic but it doesn't necessarily seem to be what you want unless you like the style. It is not over quick (the engine is a 1.5 litre from Toyota but not the Yaris) and it is a little bit choppy in the back seats like a lot of small 4WDs. Having said that one of the French car mags compared the Terios auto with a Vitara manual this month and gives better marks easily to the Terios as a general car with some green laning ability. Did you look at the Materia in the Daihatsu showroom? Like the Terios it is being heavily reduced as pre-reg and would both be cheaper and more of a fashion statement in the car park; it was one of the first of the 'cube'-type cars to come on the market. Reliability from our Daihatsus (YRV and Sirion) has always been excellent. Can't comment on the Mazda other than to say it looks good.
|
Harmattan: Don't get me wrong. I do like it very much. Just don't know as yet whether something like a Mazda 3 would be better for the short journeys that I do. I can imagine what you are saying about it being a bit choppy in the back . It was springy just sitting in it. I thought the handbrake was off. Is it bad enough to cause my 14 yr old daughter problems with car sickness - she is not the best of back seat drivers at the best of times.
My main concern was quality and whether the weight of the 4x4 would reduce urban consumption dramatically considering that I do such short journeys to and from work. Can I justify in these terms having a 4x4 for what I do? Yes, I saw the Materia but I much prefer the Terios. It's nice being high up, although having said that , I did not have any problem getting out of the Mazda 3- unlike the present Megane I have.
The staff at Daihatsu were very nice , not pushy at all. My colleague has a Vitara and has commented on the rattles. I have seen a few You tube reviews, one in French, all higly praising the Terios. Which engine is the one in the Terios? In the US, they have a different model and in some markets a 2 wheel drive version. Would certainly value your comments on the above.
|
>>Which engine is the one in the Terios?<<
The same 1.5 petrol as found in the Materia and Sirion 1.5 along with some Toyotas, albeit not ones sold here.
|
|
Do you think it is enough for the Terios. I quizzed the saleman at Daihatsu saying that there was criticism of noise at high speed. His reply was that at 70 mph , it was quiet.
|
As Im sure I said last time you asked, Im told by a customer that at 70 it is quiet enough, but approaching 80 plus, it gets a bit boomy, so it depends how fast you drive.
You have to drive it to decide if it has enough poke.
|
|
Stu. sorry. Yes, I remember you saying this. I think you ought to write your own guide to cars. I am sure you see things that others might miss.
|
>>Stu. sorry. Yes, I remember you saying this. I think you ought to write your own guide to cars. I am sure you see things that others might miss. <<
Not at all, I think you will find HJ has a fairly comprehensive guide to cars already!
I do try to champion lateral thinking and exploring more unusual options as just because just because journos say one car is best in the class, thats only judged by their personal views. Sometimes owning is different to just test driving.
|
|
|
|
|
The ride feels quite firm sat in the back of a Terios - exactly like our Daihatsu YRV 4x4 and Suzuki Jimny - so it depends whether it is soft springing or joggling that sets your daughter off. I would expect fuel consumption to be not much different to that from the auto Jimny which does 32 mpg on an average of short and medium runs and around 38 mpg on a long (and slow) motorway run. The 1.3 Suzuki engine has to work quite hard. If the Jimny wasn't so reliable it would have been replaced by the Terios because I prefer the permanent 4WD as in the YRV. It is a shame that Daihatsu don't sell the Sirion 4WD in the UK as they do in mainland Europe. We have had the 2002 model YRV in the family for getting on five years and nothing has every been faulty. Replacement YRV 4WD exhaust sections are a bit pricey because not many of these cars were sold and the original takes time to wear out but the Terios is a standard vehicle.
|
|
|
|
|
I have had a Mazda 3 since last September. It is based on the Focus chassis so the ride and handling are excellent. It is comfortable and has a classy interior. The brakes and headlights are also excellent. The gearbox has a very short travel and is a delight to use. It has been trouble-free and does about 50 mpg. I have the 1.6 diesel but it is quiet and reasonably lively. You either like the appearance or not, but I do. Taken all round it is the best car I have owned in nearly 50 years of driving.
Drive one - you will not be disappointed.
|
|
I think in the end both are good vehicles even if they are different. The mags were talking about a diesel in the near future for the Terios; I wonder if the 2 WD would make it over here. Decisions decisions!
|
|
|
|
