© JAMES TAYLOR
Editor: Land Rover Enthusiast Magazine

BACKGROUND

The original Daihatsu Fourtrak was introduced to Britain three years after its 1974 launch in Japan, but made very little impact on the market. Known to its makers as the Fl0 Taft, it was sold primarily as a commercial vehicle in Britain. However, the second-generation Fourtrak (known as a Daihatsu Rocky in many markets outside Britain) made much more of an impact after it was introduced in June 1984. For a start, it was a far better and more versatile vehicle than the rather diminutive original; and by 1984 the boom in four-wheel drive estates had begun. Nevertheless, the British importers did not lose sight of the commercial market, and the Fourtrak was also made available in van and long-wheelbase pick-up forms.

As a passenger-carrier, the Fourtrak was available in two wheelbase lengths. The longer of these proved the more popular, carrying the Estate body with its kicked-up rear roofline to provide headroom in the back. The short-wheelbase chassis was used for the Sport models (as well as for the van variants), which always had a flat roofline and were eventually dropped in favour of the Sportrak. Both petrol and diesel derivatives were available, but the most popular was the 2.8-litre turbodiesel, an excellent engine which made the Fourtrak Estate into a viable alternative to a conventional family estate car. The Fourtrak always had a traditional ladder-frame chassis, beam axles with leaf springs and an all-steel body. It was replaced in 1993 by the Fourtrak Independent, which was essentially the same vehicle fitted with wider-track axles and independent front suspension.

CHARACTER SUMMARY

The long-wheelbase Fourtrak Estate has always been viewed as a very good family vehicle, with plenty of interior space despite its relatively compact dimensions and the tall and narrow cabin. However, it actually feels rather more spacious than it is, thanks to clever design and the large glass area. Five people and their luggage can be accommodated in reasonable comfort, but the Fourtrak Estate only takes a full complement of seven passengers if the two sitting in the rearmost seats are children. On space, the vehicle simply cannot compete with big off-roaders like the Mitsubishi Shogun or Toyota Land Cruiser. With only three doors, access to the rear seats can also be awkward for the elderly or infirm and less than ideal for very small children. The Fourtrak has an excellent reputation as a tow vehicle, especially in turbodiesel Estate form. It is easy to live with as an everyday 4x4 and feels well built and sturdy. The angular styling and strictly functional facia - neither is very imaginative - both contribute to this impression. The early Sport models on the short wheelbase are rather less versatile than the Estate models. They offer less interior space and are a little too utilitarian to appeal to the recreational 4x4 market. Daihatsu recognised this and replaced them with the Sportrak, which was designed specifically for that market. A Fourtrak Estate represents a good combination of family hack and weekend fun machine for buyers who have to combine the two in one vehicle.

PERFORMANCE SUMMARY

One reason for the Fourtrak's success was that it offered no surprises to the driver used to a conventional car, and that remains the case today. Acceleration is more sluggish, of course, and the ride considerably rougher with the semi-elliptic leafspring suspension, but road holding is good and the handling nicely neutral. Worth knowing is that early models had stiffer road springs and give a harsher ride than later examples. The adjustable dampers on Estate models are also more of a gimmick than a real benefit. Noise can be intrusive, with wind roar from the windscreen pillars on all models at speed and engine noise from the turbodiesel and 2.2-litre petrol variants. The post-1987 diesels with their belt- driven camshafts did improve on noise levels over the earlier types, but diesel drone is still present at cruising speeds. Both intercooled and non-intercooled versions of the turbodiesel engine give good low and mid-range acceleration. In fact, performance with the turbodiesels is in most respects better than with the petrol engines. The gearbox is slick, although it can be rather notchy when cold. Off the road, the Fourtrak performs very well indeed for a leaf- sprung vehicle, and here the short-wheelbase Sport models do rather better than the long-wheelbase Estates. However, the stiff springs can make the ride rather bouncy, and they also limit the axle travel.

RELIABILITY, WEKNESSES & SPARES

The basic engineering of the Fourtrak is simple, which is no doubt one reason why very little seems to go wrong with the vehicle. Despite the all-steel construction, rust is not a problem. Fourtraks were sold with an eight-year warranty against rust when new, which indicates that Daihatsu had a lot of faith in their galvanized body panels and in the effectiveness of their annual anti-rust inspection. The most vulnerable area is the interior: after high mileages, the vinyl side panels on the seats tend to split, and the dashboard starts to creak and rattle. Post-1991 models also had lights mounted in the bumper instead of at waist height in the bodywork, and these are quite easily damaged. Daihatsu dealers offer a conversion kit to enable a second set of lights to be fitted in the original positions at waist height. Everyday spares can sometimes be surprisingly costly, but everything is readily available from a well-organised chain of Daihatsu dealers in the UK.

RESALE VALUES

Fourtraks do keep their value well, although the availability of the newer Fourtrak Independent and sheer age means that values of the earliest models have begun to drop more sharpl Generally speaking, however, there is a simple rule of thumb to follow: turbodiesels keep their value better than petrol models and Estates keep their value better than Sports.

TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS