A Daihatsu disguised as a Yaris and two more decent used cars that you can buy for €6,500

Why? Simple: the standard models are popular used cars, so they are expensive. The same applies to the more sporty boys. But anyone looking for a Rio will often find a more powerful, more luxurious, younger and/or less experienced used car for the same price, while such a wallflower is often even more reliable. So we take that and we include group member Hyundai i20. We didn’t find a Baleno of the current generation for 6.5 grand, but we did find a Toyota Yaris disguised as a Daihatsu Charade!

Daihatsu Charade 1.3 City – 2011 – 119,647 kilometers – €6,499

You can easily mislead this used car: the license plate X-738-JG suggests a brand new four-wheeler, but it is a 12-year-old import. And neither is it a second-generation Toyota Yaris, but a… Daihatsu Charade! In our country it was sold only 137 times between May 2011 and October 2012, so this inconspicuous cart in all respects (model, paint color) is a real exotic.

Inside it is a dull gray, with the exception of the centrally located dashboard that is equipped with digital gauges. Due to their relief, the plastics look soft, but when you touch them you know better: the material is quite hard and scratch-sensitive. No, it is not cozy inside this used car, which has almost 120,000 kilometers of experience – the lowest mileage of these three. However, it is the oldest, both in year of construction and conception. This is reflected, for example, in the absence of safety items such as curtain airbags, accessories that you find in the South Korean duo, as well as traction control. The Hyundai also has a brake assistant, while the Charade has a knee airbag. Engine-wise, it is more up to date: the naturally aspirated 1.3 has a smooth 99 hp on board. To curb fuel thirst (and ensure peace and quiet on the highway), a six-speed gearbox is present that shifts smoothly. You sit in the front, rear passengers have less space, just like the luggage.

What else do you want: the Charade is 26 centimeters shorter than the Rio. Handy: the rear seat is not only foldable in parts, but also sliding. More plus points: balanced suspension and damping, pleasant steering, small turning circle. Disadvantages: no depth-adjustable steering wheel, no USB input and a sparse instrumentation. A down-to-earth, reliable used car with some nice finds here and there, that’s what this Groningen boy is.

Signaling

Brand Daihatsu
Type Charade 1.3 City
Construction year May 2011
Mileage 119,647
Asking price €6,499
Where to buy? Car Oldeman, Groningen

Technical data
Engine 4 cyl. in-line, 1,329 cc
Max. assets 73 kW/99 hp at 6,000 rpm
Max. couple 128 Nm at 3,800 rpm
Luggage compartment 275 l/1,183 l
Max. trailer braked 900 kilos
Avg. consumption 1:18.5
0-100 km/h 11.9 sec
Top speed 175 km/h
All data according to factory specifications

Hyundai i20 1.2 i-Motion – 2012 – 127,134 kilometers – €6,375

Strange: with the i10, Hyundai has a real winner, while the larger i20 is much less pronounced. For a portrait we chose this Hyundai i20: younger than the Charade, but with a little more experience. Slightly cheaper, but with a weaker engine. The 33-ZBH-4 (three ex-owners) produces 85 hp from the 1.2. This makes it the slowest of the bunch, but also the most economical. Moreover, this i20 is considerably lighter than its opponents (945 kilos compared to 1,025 kilos for the Charade and 1,041 for the Rio), so we would not be surprised if this used car has the lowest operating costs. Yet you don’t have to bite the bullet – perhaps except for the engine, here linked to a five-speed gearbox.

The fact that accessories such as alarm, LED daytime running lights, heated exterior mirrors and steering wheel controls for the audio are present is a bonus, but above all it is very nice that the interior feels much more modern and richer than that of the Charade. More black than gray here, but the aluminum accents and blue information screens on the more attractively designed dashboard lift the whole thing to a clearly higher level. The operation is intuitive, there are sufficient storage options… In short: little to complain about. This also applies to sufficiently sturdy furniture. At most, the front seats could be a little lower, also because of the feeling of what is happening below you. Because despite its only 85 horses, this i20 is quite a playmate: the steering wheel responds smoothly, and the operation of the gearbox and clutch are also nice and smooth. The driving characteristics (light carriage) make it a playful car, where the – albeit relative – fun would be increased if the seats could be lowered. Anyway. The legroom in the back is not excessive, the headroom is generous for this segment. All in all, more personality than the Charade, but you simply won’t see it next to a Clio, for example. The fate of many a wallflower…

Signaling
Brand Hyundai
Type i20 1.2 i-Motion
Construction year September 2012
Mileage 127,134
Asking price €6,375
Where to buy? Auto-Net, Apeldoorn

Technical data
Engine 4 cyl. in-line, 1,248 cc
Max. assets 63 kW/85 hp at 6,000 rpm
Max. couple 121 Nm at 4,000 rpm
Luggage compartment 295 l/1,060 l
Max. trailer braked 850 kilos
Avg. consumption 1:21.3
0-100 km/h 12.7 sec
Top speed 168 km/h

All data according to factory specifications

Kia Rio 1.4 CVVT Comfort Pack – 2013 – 159,734 kilometers – €6,495

Hyundai’s i20 and Kia’s Rio are blood brothers. That is why we did not look for one with the same 1.2 for the latter, but a bit spicier. This Kia Rio stood out: the youngest of the trio, the highest mileage (perhaps many highway kilometers – favorable, because little wear) and, given the illustrated instruction and maintenance booklets, it comes from a German-speaking country (do we hear ‘autobahn’ there? ).

Ah, the Rio. Once he started out as a price breaker in the C-segment, he has transformed into perhaps the nicest boy in the B-segment class. Pictured the third generation – an uninspiring appearance. This continues inside: a solid-looking and functional dashboard with everything in the right place, but the i20 is more sparkling. Also when it comes to driving. The light steering, the chassis that provides little feedback… Everything has been done to transport you from A to B as unnoticed as possible. In a relatively spacious cabin, that is, where rear passengers are not at all deprived when it comes to space. However, the seat upholstery did not withstand 160,000 kilometers flawlessly: it is starting to feel a bit loose here and there. We don’t find any in terms of comfort goodies that the other two do not have. All in all, the i20 is the most luxurious of this trio, the Charade the least. The Rio is the heaviest, and therefore probably feels the most mature, but we wouldn’t be surprised if it also makes it the most expensive guest. Actually quite a serious character, that Rio, and so it has nothing to do with the bustling metropolis in Brazil of the same name. What we wrote above about the i20 also applies to its compatriot: put the Rio next to a 208 and no one looks at the South Korean. While a used Rio may be a wiser purchase than a second-hand 208.

Signaling

Brand Kia
Type Rio 1.4 CVVT Comfort Pack
Construction year April 2013
Mileage 159,734
Asking price €6,495
Where to buy? Garage Bakker, Zeist

Technical data
Engine 4 cyl. in-line, 1,396 cc
Max. assets 80 kW/109 hp at 6,300 rpm
Max. couple 137 Nm at 4,200 rpm
Luggage compartment 288 l/923 l
Max. trailer braked 1,050 kilos
Avg. consumption 1:19.6
0-100 km/h 11.5 sec
Top speed 183 km/h
All data according to factory specifications

Which of these down-to-earth compacts will win you over despite the tough competition?

In summary: the Daihatsu Charade benefits from Toyota’s reliable image and is a true exotic, but one that looks outdated on several fronts. Much more modern – and also more playful – is Hyundai’s i20. Competitor Kia Rio is also more modern than the Japanese, but has a more serious approach. Although these used cars are in the shadow of toppers such as the Corsa, 208, Clio, Yaris and Polo, they are perhaps much more sensible to purchase. What would your choice be?