Daihatsu has never really been a big player in Europe, but since it became a subsidiary of Toyota in 1998 the maker of compact cars has flourished, and in Frankfurt Daihatsu displayed a confident wealth of new metal and near-future concepts, one of which was the D-Compact 4x4 pictured here.

Daihatsu already sell a mini-SUV in Britain, called the Terios, and it is safe to assume that the D-Compact 'concept' car will be its replacement within the next year. The show cars in Frankfurt looked and worked just like a current production model, with nothing outlandish or futuristic about them. The styling is funky, and a lot less awkward than the Terios itself, with a strong resemblance to Toyota's outgoing RAV4 and to Suzuki's new Grand Vitara. There were two versions on display at the show, both in five-door format.

The mechanicals on the new D-Compact follow a similar pattern to that employed on the Terios, with full-time four-wheel drive and a driver-selectable centre differential lock should you venture off-road or into a particularly slippery puddle. As is the case with most SUVs, the D-Compact is destined to live in the city driven by fashion conscious buyers, so of more interest to them will be the new 1.5-litre petrol engine. Though it puts out only a smidge over 100bhp, the D-Compact should be quite light, so nippy progress around town is likely, aided by the car's compact dimensions. Indeed, despite being substantially wider and longer than the Terios, the D-Compact is claimed to be as much as 300kg lighter. This dramatic weight reduction should ensure decent fuel economy as well as sprightly performance. It remains to be seen if the production model lives up to these expectations. Hopefully we'll see the production version at next month's Tokyo Motor Show.

Shane O' Donoghue - 26 Sep 2005