charade that can be trusted

05 August 2009 - 02:00
By Mabuyane Kekana

MY TEENAGE sisters had a better name for my Daihatsu test unit. They called it the "recession" car. On investigation I realised the girls had a point.

MY TEENAGE sisters had a better name for my Daihatsu test unit. They called it the "recession" car. On investigation I realised the girls had a point.

The Daihatsu Charade can weather the storm in these difficult times.

It saves fuel and grounds the driver. You can't have issues with the traffic department because you can only stick to the speed limit when you drive the Charade.

The Charade is not meant to do a lot of things. It is a car that will take you from point A to B. Forget about driving to Eastern Cape with a boot packed with suitcases.

But coming from a brand as well known as Daihatsu, the Charade will be trusted and can treat you well.

Our test model was a 998cc 3-cylinder engine Celeb model.

I had no high expectations from this engine.

The Celeb model is not just a pretty face. It is well equipped with safety and convenience features. It comes with dual airbags, ABS brakes, integrated factory Radio-CD player, central locking, electric windows and electric mirrors.

The Charade can be very useful as a run-about car and teaching the kids how to drive.

This Japanese car is not designed to give you goose bumps or a smile on your face while driving.

The exterior styling is simple without being ugly. The headlamps are clean and simple.

The Charade is useful and cheap to maintain, and retails for R100871.