By EWAN KENNEDY
30 January 2006

It’s hard to imagine looking at it today, but Daihatsu's Pyzar was a vehicle ahead of its time. Mini people movers, usually with a tall body to make for improved interior space are all the rage at present, particularly in Europe and Japan. These compact little machines are as much tall hatchbacks as small people movers and are distinguished from their larger people-moving brothers by having their seating in two rows, for five people, rather than in three rows for seven or eight occupants.

Their smaller size makes the mini people movers more car-like to drive, and particularly to park. They are frequently the same length and width as a mid-size sedan or hatch, only their height is different and that hardly matters when parking.

Where Daihatsu Pyzar got it wrong was in the styling department. It seems the stylists figured that as it was a practical vehicle it should have a sensible, functional shape. Big mistake. Pyzar is about as lacking in car charisma as it’s possible to be.

Other makers took a different tack. Realising that no-one wants to be seen in a purely functional vehicle they gave their mini people movers plenty of pizzazz. Thus we have a whole raft of vehicles, like the Honda Jazz, Hyundai Getz, Mazda2, Renault Scenic, the Mercedes A-Class, in fact even the new Mercedes B-Class.

The eminently sensible Pyzar wasn’t a success on the new-car market in Australia and today sells for a pretty modest price on the used-car scene. Making it an exceptional buy for those who can live with its shape.

Pyzar is immensely practical and can carry four adults in stretch out comfort, or can accommodate three children across the back seat with space to spare. Yes, adults in the back seat - Pyzar has more legroom in the rear seat than a Falcon.

The high seats make Pyzar exceptionally easy to get in and out of so it’s great vehicle for those who don't move as well as they used to.

To make it even more versatile, Pyzar’s rear seat slides backwards and forwards on runners in much the same way as do front seats in all cars. So you can juggle between having voluminous boot space, lots of rear-seat legroom - or somewhere in between.

The rear-seat backrest can be folded down in one or two sections to further increase passenger/luggage combinations. If you can't make the Pyzar fit your needs in this respect you are looking at entirely the wrong sort of car.

Pyzar is at its best in the suburbs, after all its principal aim in life is to survive Japanese city life. However, many Aussie users are finding them fine for open road use if used sensibly. Rough dirt roads tend to tax the suspension, though.

On normal bitumen roads the ride is comfortable if a little on the firm side at times. Handling is safe if uninspiring, Pyzar is reasonably neutral at moderate speeds than understeer comes in fairly strongly. Not a car to excite the enthusiastic driver…

Power was initially by a 1.5-litre four-cylinder engine, upgraded to a 1.6-litre unit in October 1998. Neither engine gives any more than adequate performance but the bigger engine is definitely an advance on the smaller. Not only does the 1.6 hold on better on hills, it gives the Pyzar a more refined feel.

Four-speed automatic transmission makes life easier if you do a lot of suburban running but it takes the edge off performance. The five-speed manual is the better if you are going to be carrying decent loads and/or driving in hilly terrain.

At the same time as the 1.6 engine was fitted in 1998 the Pyzar was given a facelift, using an old style chromed grille. At the same time remote control was added to the central locking and the cloth trim was uprated.

Daihatsu no longer sells new cars in Australia, but the dealer network still operates quite well and we’ve heard of no troubles with spare parts at this stage.

Pyzar's underbonnet area is better than average for a small car and a good home mechanic can do most repairs without too much of a risk to the knuckles. Leave the safety items to the professionals, though.

Insurance is almost invariably towards the bottom end of the scale as this isn't the sort of vehicle to attract crazy drivers.

WHAT TO LOOK FOR
Start by checking for body damage or signs of panel repairs. Ripples in the finish and colours that don't match up from panel to panel are relatively easy to spot.

Look over the interior for signs of damage caused by rough children. In particular for tears and broken stitching in the seats and trim pulled out at corners.

Check the rear seat slides and folds properly in all its functions. It can be a little stiff even when it’s OK, but if it’s too bad get it looked at.

The engine should start pretty well straight away and idle smoothly even when it’s stone cold. There should be no smoke at the exhaust or from the oil filler hole when the engine is revved hard.

A manual gearbox should change smoothly and quietly even when you do fast changes down through the gears.

The automatic should usually be in the right gear for all occasions and should not hunt up and down overmuch when climbing hills.

Make sure the brakes work effectively and don't pull the Pyzar to one side under normal application on a good road. If one wheel locks before the others there may be problems.

CAR BUYING TIP
Insurance charges can vary a lot, especially on cars that don’t sell in large numbers, so it pays to shop around.

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