Used Daihatsu Fourtrak 4x4 1993 - 2000 review

Scan through original road tests of the Fourtrak and one phrase appears more than any other: Ôfarmers' favourite'. With good reason.

In spirit at least, the Fourtrak is closest to cars like the Land Rover Defender and Jeep Wrangler, a dedicated and extremely capable off-road workhorse. If you need a car that can head off into the wilds, this should be near the top of your shopping list. If, on the other hand, you're looking for a dash of 4x4 style, but don't need any real off-road ability, the Foutrak will strike you as positively agricultural - in all the wrong ways. None of the models are well equipped - some are particularly spartan - and they all suffer from a jarring ride, sloppy steering and a general lack of comfort and refinement. Performance, too, is very limited, as is practicality; it's best to treat it as a two-seater.

The limited supply and keen demand in certain parts of the country mean that prices for the Fourtrak are surprisingly high, especially when you consider how little standard equipment it has. It actually works out as more expensive than a Jeep Wrangler.

The Fourtrak's running costs don't look too bad, though. Its insurance groups match the Land Rover Defender's, and are comfortably better than an Isuzu Trooper's, while the 30mpg fuel economy is also pretty impressive. Likewise, servicing a Fourtrak is dear compared to a standard hatchback, but it's no worse than any other genuine off-roader. If you need to have work done on a Fourtrak, the bills shouldn't be too dear. Warranty Direct tells us that average labour rates are among the very lowest and that repair costs are no worse than average.

Choosing an engine is easy: every Fourtrak comes with a 2.8-litre turbodiesel engine, and, very good it is, too. True, it's not the quickest, but its strong, low-down pull and excellent flexibility are ideally suited to towing and off-roading. There's also no choice of gearbox - it's manual or nothing.

What's more, from mid-2001 to the end of the car's life, there was just one model available, the 2.8 TDX. All you might want to do is track down a model with the optional air-con fitted. Before that there was also an SE version. You should avoid the entry-level TDL version, as it is simply too basic, with no central locking, electric windows or even a stereo.