The original pint-sized Terios always looked a little precarious on the road. The skinny little thing was tall, and you don't have to be a rocket scientist to realise that that is not the ideal combination for stability on the road. It looked like it would blow over if a pedestrian sneezed at it.
The all-new five-seat Japanese SUV from the Toyota-controlled company has beefed up a bit, and now has an exterior that looks very chunky. The car is still tall and narrow but the proportions are now much more appealing. With prices starting in the low 20s, Terios continues to provide access to the fashionable soft road sector. Unfortunately, the market demands an entry level two-wheel drive only version (€22,495), but another grand will get you a four-wheel drive Terios with a 50/50 power split. The automatic four-wheel drive is €24,495. Unusually, it's the rear wheels that are driven as opposed to the conventional front-wheel drive set up of most two-wheel drive SUVs. Optional extras include €850 for side airbags and air con; if you want metallic paint it will cost an additional €350.
The exterior features plenty of metal and curves, making the new Terios look a good bit bigger than it is. The spare wheel is mounted on the rear door and adds off-road street cred. Inside, the cabin has been freshened up. Despite the abundance of metal-look dash plastics it's not a bad place to be for the money. The driving position is commanding and, while the steering only adjusts for tilt, it is easy enough to find a decent driving position, although I wouldn't want to spend more than an hour or so in the seat, which is comfortable for short journeys.
The cabin is spacious and flexible. The rear seat backs even offer limited tilt. My entry-level car had no air conditioning but did have four electric windows. Terios is a five-door car as the rear door is just that, swinging open from the nearside. The boot is big (380 litres) and on one trip to the beach swallowed a children's inflatable boat and oars! On another occasion the boot took a large folded up lawnmower without having to resort to lowering the rear seats. The rear seats split and fold/tumble forward, making the cargo area pretty useful.
On the road the 105bhp car is reassuringly well planted, although the ride can be a little choppy on rural roads. All the controls, including the tight five-speed manual gearbox, are light and easy to operate. My test car's two-wheel drive only chassis didn't draw too much attention to itself, although my test week provided only dry road conditions. I really would want to try cornering on a greasy road to see how compromised the setup really is. If you are getting an SUV make sure it can do what it says on the tin and power all four wheels; otherwise you should get a car that will have a lower centre of gravity.
The Terios is a very well packaged budget SUV that boxes above its weight.
Michael Sheridan
