Two significantly similar cars, no doubt about that. Still, each one has something different to offer. Having both cars powered by petrol engines and utilizing the 5-door suv body style within the same 'SUV' segment, the only major difference here really is their wheel drive configuration (front for the Daihatsu and 4 x 4 in the case of the Mitsubishi). The first one has a Daihatsu-engineered powertrain under the hood, a 4-cylinder, 16-valves 87hp unit, while the other one gets its power and torque from a 4-cylinder, 16-valves 112hp engine designed by Mitsubishi.

The fact that the Mitsubishi got tested by the European New Car Assessment Programme (Euro NCAP), while the other contender didn't, isn't really an advantage, taken the poor 3-star rating it received. Still, apart from the official crash test results there are other things we need to be aware of. Both vehicles belong to the suv segment, which is generally a very good thing safety-wise, still it doesn't help us solve our dilemma, does it? On the other hand, when it comes to weight, a factor that most people underestimate, Pajero Pinin offers a potentially life-saving difference of 36% more metal.

Reliability is not the best thing to consider on the make level, but it is worth mentioning that Daihatsu as a brand displays somewhat better results, when all the models are taken into account. These are the official statistics, while our visitors describe reliability of Daihatsu with an average rating of 4.1, and models under the Mitsubishi badge with 4.6 out of 5. The same official information place Terios as average reliability-wise, and Pajero Pinin is more or less at the same level.That apart, owners of different cars powered by the same engine as Terios rank it on average as 4.5, while the one under the competitor's bonnet gets 4.0 out of 5.

Mitsubishi is way more agile, reaching 100km/h in 3.5 seconds less than its competitor. In addition to that it accelerates all the way to 155 kilometers per hour, 10km/h more than the other car. When it comes to fuel economy an obvious choice would be Terios, averaging around 7.2 liters of fuel per 100 kilometers (39 mpg), in combined cycle. That's 29% difference compared to Pajero Pinin!

Daihatsu appears just a bit more reliable, although the difference is truly marginal. The most important thing when deciding between any two vehicles should always be safety, both passive and active. In my opinion, everything taken into account, Pajero Pinin beats the other contender by far, making it the best choice without even considering other things. It all continues in the same direction, with Mitsubishi outracing its opponent in any situation possible, making it better choice for boy racers. It does come at a cost though, and that's the fuel consumption... No mistake, whatever you decide here, but I'd still go for the Mitsubishi. Anyway, that's the most objective conclusion I could've came up with and it's based solely on the information found on this website. Aspects such as design, practicality, brand value and driving experience are there for you to measure them out. In case you have two minutes to spare I invite you to define your needs, desires and budget and see which car would be chosen by the virtual adviser™, among more than 12.000 different ones in our database.