Daihatsu’s All New Terios

You can erase the old images of the Terios from your mind after you see the Daihatsu All New Terios.

After 11 years without changing its model, a modern version of the Daihatsu Terios has finally arrived with various new features to offer a fresh driving experience.

At the front, it now comes fitted with LED headlights, although ordinary halogen fog lamps are still used. Its grille has been chrome plated, with a thinner black accent on the fender. Despite its sturdy appearance, this SUV exudes modern design, especially as it is enhanced by two-tone 17” wheel rims and 215/60 tires.

You won’t see a spare tire at the rear of the car anymore. It has moved into a tray in the lower part, with tray wheels to make it easier to pull out. The upper back part is equipped with a fairly broad spoiler for its dashing and sporty appearance, but sadly the rear windshield only has a wiper and no heater.

In the interior, the seat backs can be folded for more luggage space and all seats have safety belts. For the dashboard and door trim, soft non-leather materials have been used that are as neat as those in premium-class vehicles. This car also comes with a 360-degree parking camera and 2 Din Touchscreen Audio facilities.

Sitting in the driver’s seat puts you in a high position, offering a broad view with all panels within easy reach. You can raise and lower the steering wheel, but it is not telescopic, meaning it is not possible to adjust the wheel’s distance from the driver. It takes some getting used to the high position for a comfortable grip of the steering wheel and easier maneuvers when turning fast. But this car is quite stable and it controls well, with no wobbling on road bends.

The car has a keyless entry system, you start the engine just by pushing a button. A test drive on the Jagorawi toll road showed that the car went from 0 to 100 kilometers per hour in around 14 seconds, not bad for a low SUV not intended for racing. The sound of the running engine was quite audible from the cabin, although thanks to the sound-proofing, external noises posed no disturbance.

The car’s ECO indicator displays not only fuel consumption, but also how economically you are driving, with a leaf logo that turns greener as you drive more efficiently. Its Digital Auto AC system increases passenger comfort by digitally regulating the temperature instead of using a lever or panel. But even when the regulator was at the lowest setting, passengers in the seats furthest back only felt a breeze rather than coolness.

The car’s Anti-Lock-Break System (ABS) and Electronic Brake-force Distribution (EDB) as well as Vehicle Stability Control (VSC) further augmented the feeling of confidence and driving safety.

The winding and ascending roads of Gunung Pancar in Bogor, West Java, were the perfect place to test the Hill Start Assist Control (HAC), used to prevent the car from rolling backward when starting on a hill. With this feature, the car was able to stay still for around three to fiveseconds, giving us enough time to calmly press down the gas pedal to get going.

Despite the rough semi off-road conditions, it was a comfortable ride thanks to the McPherson Strut front suspension with coil springs and 5-link, rigid axle rear suspension with coil springs. With stabilizers on both front and rear suspension, you could not feel much rocking as the car drove on uneven terrain.

Its ground clearance is now 220 milimeters, the equivalent of a real SUV. Unsurprisingly, you could not hear anything hitting the lower part of the car while going across rough terrain. Interestingly, the car’s increased dimensions (4,435 x 1,695 x 1,705 mm) have significantly improved the cabin space, yet maneuvering through narrow and winding roads is not a problem.

Backseat passengers can ride in comfort: there is plenty of storage space, electric plugs for charging gadgets and speakers for all rows. The only downside is that despite having all the nice features, this car only has dual SRS airbags.

It is worth noting that the car retains its rear-wheel-drive layout, and is powered by a rugged and more efficient engine identical to the one used by the Avanza Veloz, which is a 2NR VE — DOHC Dual VVTi, 4-cylinder, 16-valve engine with higher efficiency and sufficient power. Its endurance capacity is undoubted, as proven by the Avanza generation. This engine turns out 104 HP at 6,000 RPM with a torque of 13.9 kg-m at 4,200 RPM.

The Daihatsu All New Terios comes in four variants — X, X Deluxe, R and R Deluxe. For those who are fond of a little bit of adventure and still wish to enjoy comfort, the car is priced at between Rp 195.2 million (US$14,663) for the Terios 1.5 X M/T to Rp 247.9 million for the Terios 1.5 R A/T.

— Photos by JP/R. Berto Wedhatama

Popular

Prabowo begins third year with tighter grip as public support slips

Power for the people

How worried should we be about the global economy?