There's only one new car among this lot...

To most the mini car is another way identifying mechanical mites suited more for zipping around city sprawls than anything else. Devoid of such refinement as positive feel, performance and good road holding they're not really designed to take on those long distances to far-flung destinations found in South Africa.

A trip from Jo'burg to Cape Town in a mini car or city car should be viewed with the same awe and apprehension as a manned NASA shuttle flight and its impending re-entry. And should the prevailing winds be against you in a device that only manages 135km/h in prime conditions, the undertaking is even more ominous...

With performance and road holding to bring a smile only to Toyland characters, sales in this country with its never-ending paved roads is small. So I viewed the tiny Daihatsu Charade under our office awnings with some trepidation as I unlocked the driver-side door...

To test its abilities we rustled up those amazingly still-breeding Lost World vehicles, the Toyota Tazz 1.3 and VW CitiGolf 1.4. And, yes, we did do our best to get the other two relics, the Fiat Uno Mia and Mazda 323 Sting 130, but we failed. We felt that if the Charade competed favourably with any of the four, it should be viewed with some respect...

To begin with, the Japanese built Daihatsu has been around since 1980 - unlike those Asian Johnny-cum-lately mini cars. With 4.5 million manufactured since then, Charade has quite some heritage - all you need consider is how many Charades of the mid-eighties are still running around SA today.

We won't compare the Charade with either of its stodgy rivals here, but in terms of shape it scores well against its direct rivals and is comparable to the cutest mini car of all - the award-winning Daewoo Matiz. But Charade's futuristic stealth fighter looks make for a purposeful and impressive feel. And when it comes to interior space, it also compares with most cars the next class up - the zone its dinosaur rivals here command in a South African motor industry enigma.

In engine size, Charade gives away some 300 to 400ccs to Tazz and Citi - at 989cc it's a comparatively small engine - in fact it's the second smallest on the South African market. But it is bequeathed with the sort of advanced mechanical technology found in any top sports saloon.

To start with it has a twin cam layout with four valves per cylinder and long inlet ports for high torque outputs - impressive technology not equalled by any of the four Lost World rivals' very much last century technology.

Then, small engines suffer immeasurably with narrow power-bands. To this end the Daihatsu engineers have overcome the problem by adopting an over square bore/stroke ratio that is almost unique in a tiny engine. It's normally the other way around. The result is a high torque output and results in specific torque of 92Nm per litre, much higher than the 82 and 79 respectively of the VW and Tazz.

The results speak for themselves. The bigger, old school engines in the CitiGolf and Tazz with outdated SOHC 2-valve per cylinder layouts were found wanting when it came to performance. The Charade hit the 100km/h mark in 13.5 seconds compared to the 13.9 of the CitiGolf or the 14.2 of the Tazz!

That was the first surprise. The next was the standing quarter mile, which the Charade exited at 117km/h compared to 118 and 115 respectively of the CitiGolf and Tazz. Add to this its top-speed of 155km/h, which is similar to the former two, and bingo, the Charade is well-armed for use on long trips, too...

When compared to other city car rivals such as the Fiat Seicento S, Daewoo Matiz S and Hyundai Atoz the Charade also has a better power to weight ratio figures.

Designed to get around bustling city streets the Charade's steering is light and easy, however there is a downside - turn-in response is slow. Whether this is to do with a lower steering ratio for easier parking I can't readily say, but both the CitiGolf and Tazz were better in that respect.

Road holding is improved over the original version - confusingly known as the Cuore. Not as precise as the Tazz through the fast stuff but as good as the CitiGolf, the Charade is still good enough to suit its performance. Now fitted with a newly developed L-arm front suspension with a longer stroke, ride is smoother than either rival here.

Though comfortable the seating position is high with the top of the windscreen proving a little too low. You don't feel supported in the driver's seat either - you seem to sit on the seat rather than in it - a situation not conducive to much 'feel'. But then this is a city car.

The biggest single factor in favour for the Daihatsu must be its distaste for fuel. At 4.6 litres per 100km for the overall cycle it's a boon to buyers battling their way around any city - its minute 36-litre fuel tank attesting well to this fact.

Priced at more or less the same level as the outgoing Cuore, we reckon the new Daihatsu Charade is a winner in every sense of the word. It's a brand new car featuring brand new technology and betters or matches its dinosaur price rivals in just about every aspect of its performance envelope.

Soon, it will have an NCAP safety rating, too - something its vintage car rivals will never have (if they were tested they'd surely fail and battle to make a single star) and it benefits technology to match both the Tazz and Chico's very latest big brothers. Another and vitally important aspect is if you want to compare a Charade to Tazz and Chico, in reality we'd need to find a 1980s Charade to make it fair.

But we're not being fair here - the new Charade makes mincemeat of its rivals, which you and most other South Africans continue to lap up at an astounding rate.

And as motoring journalists, it's our duty to let you know that cars like Chico and Tazz (and the Uno and Midge) have been off the market overseas for over a decade - in fact you are not allowed to sell old tech like that in many civilised countries.

But the brand new Charade, you can definitely buy anywhere in the world. It's light years ahead of its rivals.

So, if you are in the market for an entry-level new car, buy a new car rather than the dinosaurs certain manufacturers continue to hoodwink you into considering.

Who knows, if it were a Yaris and a Lupo we were comparing the Charade to, the Daihatsu would probably get a hiding. But we are not, so we have a winner here by more than just a knock out - the Caherade is the only car really worth considering out of an otherwise terrible trio...