Daihatsus Charade may not be the most visually arresting citycar youve ever clapped eyes upon, but beneath those unassuming lines is one of the most entertaining small cars money can buy. The 1.0-litre engine that resides beneath the Charades stubby bonnet is more than enough to entertain and serves up a big portion of fun at a very small price.THE CAR
The car to look at is completely differ ent from any other car on the market. The front end is a bit like a XR3i Ford Escort, with indicators built into the colour coded bumper and twin headlights, though not separate. You have a nice little grill in the centre with the letters 16v sitting proudly! The back however is a completely different ball game and one which seems to disagree with me! It’s a bit curved, and I’m sure I’ll get used to it, it just looks a bit weird. This is helped though by the rear top spoiler which helps the look of the back! The alloys set the car off quite well and along with the mud flaps, gives the car that bit of ‘growl’ appeal…whatever that is!
Inside it’s a bit on the basic side, or it gives that impression while not being basic at all. Most of the ‘auxiliary’ buttons are behind the steering wheel, which sounds cumbersome, but actually works quite well, which leaves just the fan and heater controls aswell as the stereo in the centre console. This is quite good though as it has a nifty little space under the stereo which works great for mobiles and then under the cigarette lighter and ashtray you have a huge space for anything, along with extra spaces for your little bits and pieces behind the gear stick and also behind the handbrake. On the floor by the drivers seat there are 2 small levers, one opens the boot and the other opens the fuel cap, which is extremely useful.
Controls for the electric windows are on the door handles, with the driver door having controls for both front windows and also a control to lock the windows in position, making it impossible to control the windows until you turn the switch off…what this is good for I really don’t know…I have only found one use so far and I can’t say what that is on here!! The passenger door holds just the passenger window controls. On top of the dash you have your digital clock and nothing else, but the dash is quite big, giving y ou plenty of space for your mcdonalds!
One of the things that really got me about this car was the fact that it is Japanese. Ok, I have nothing against Japan, but the controls are the wrong way around! Your indicators are on your right and your wipers on your left, which really does confuse you to start with! After the first hundred miles or so it seems natural for them to be on that side, and personally, I prefer it that way round now and I never thought I would get used to it after driving fords all my driving life!
Refinement
The engine’s distinctive three-cylinder thrum is loud when you put your foot down, but it settles to a reasonable level at motorway speed. There’s a fair amount of wind noise as pace increases, although no more than you would expect of a car in this class. On poor surface road noise and suspension thuds are decently suppressed.
Ride & handling
The Charade’s soft suspension provides a comfortable, forgiving ride around town, but there’s plenty of lean through bends. A face-lift in summer 2006 included revisions to the suspension which improved turn-in and reduced wallow, but the front wheels run out of grip far too easily. A tight turning circle means parking’s a doddle.
Performance
The 58bhp 1.0-litre three-cylinder engine has a distinctly gruff edge when worked hard, but it has plenty of pep and a top speed of almost 100mph. The gearchange is light and slick – a boon in city traffic. Tall gearing allows the car to hold its own on faster roads, too.
Space & practicality
Considering its diminutive size, the Charade is impressively spacious. Even six-footers will be impressed by the amount of head-, leg- and elbow-room available in the back , while accessing the rear of the three-door is easy thanks to wide opening doors and front seats that tilt and slide forward. The boot isn’t huge, but will comfortably hold the weekly shopping. The rear seats split and fold for carrying long loads, too.