Any car enthusiasts here?

Post Reply New Topic

On longer distances I get around 50 to 55mpg with these tyres.

Wow, that's amazing. Diesel engines are very efficient, aren't they! 55 per gallon is incredible.

I was getting a few more mpg but I changed to all weather tyres.
The things that impressed me is that it has a bit of go to it. A perfect example is if I am on a hill where we have a dual carriageway and I am allowed to do 70mph other cars are dropping back due to the gradient but this keeps on going at 70, so even though I usually take a boot full of tools etc. as I tend to take everything I think I may need with me just incase, the cars power to weight ratio is favourable.
The official top fuel figures are 75mpg, and the closest I have come is on one long trip where I touched 73.

Well, I hope these little cars come available in the United States, because I would love to have one. They seem like the ideal modern car.

have you ever seen the mitsubishi mirage? they sell them here with the 1.2L 3 banger, in either hatchback or sedan form.

They are an old model here today. Mine was one of the last to be built of this model and it was registered here in 2005. The next diesel model onwards did not have the Mercades engine.

Cool. I haven't paid much attention to Mitsubishi automobiles. Guess I need to.

Brother also has a 2005 Mitsubishi Colt, and it is a 3 cylinder petrol version (1100cc. The 1.2 engines were classed as 1300cc here in those days). It is a revvy little engine. It needs to be revved, but it likes it. It has a raspy exhaust note. It zooms along with 4 adults in it. Brother recently took it on a trip from South Wales to North Wales and back which was about 250 to 300 miles approx all in, and he said it only took £25 to £30 worth of fuel (Petrol). Wales has some mountainous and twisty roads, so it was pretty good. Actually similar to what I would spend out in diesel as though mine may have the edge on economy, petrol is cheaper so we spend about the same.
His little car has steel wheels with narrower tyres. I think the rest is about the same except his has had a bit of a harder life in regards to its bodywork. The reviews said for the petrol engines that the 1.1 was gutless and go for the 1.3, but to be honest, the 1.1 seems fine. It certainly goes well. The manifold on those little 3 cylinder engines is made from a hard plastic. It has not given any problems.

they seem similar in philosophy and execution to the one that MG drives. they are not hotrods, and their handling is not sports-car-ish, their ride quality is on the soft and absorbent side. if you drive them with the stick they have enough power. the CVT is on the slow and noisy side as it keeps the revs high on any kind of load other than medium-speed cruising.

If you can drive a manual, get the manual as you can keep the revs up. If it is a older one and has a merc diesel engine it is worth looking at.
Mine and my brothers has odd suspension in that it feels odd compared to other cars. It is softish and it seems to feel like the back speings different to the front, but when pushed it holds the road really well which is rather surprizing. The suspension takes a little getting used to as does the electric power steering, which has full on power even at low revs so if one is used to ordinary hydraulic power steering one will often find oneself over turning and needing to correct it in this car until one gets used to it.
But handling... Well. I once had a little Audi A1 S line right behind me driving too close at 60mph up a steep hill. After a few difficult switchback sudden twists in the road where the gradient also made a sudden change, I disn't let off soeed and my Mitsi took it wonderfully. I could feel the rear wheels dropping with the suspwnsion to keep to the road. I looked in the mirror and the Audi with its stiff suspension had struggled and had to let off the pace. I have had Audis before and the sports ones handle excellently.
I will say that at the moment, my car has a little clunk sound going over bumps so it is a worn ball joint by the sound of it. I am waiting for things here to quieten down so I can take a look. At the moment things are busy. I am needing to use the car so I am nursing it. There is no sign of unusual tyre wear so it is not that bad yet.
With a previous car I had, the garage I sometimes use to do the things that I can't as he has a lift and tools etc... I had a wheelbearing sound from the back of the car on the one side. Uhmm. Time for new bearings. He changed the bearing foe me and all was fine. No noise. But he said "How could you hear that? We went out in the car and we struggled to hear it!"
I am like that with my bicycles. It is not often I ride a bicycle where I am not thinking to myself "This needs adjusting or that needs changing as its worn"... I am one that does not change things if they don't need changing, but I do have a mechanical feel to me if that makes sense?

sounds a lot like the american mirage, though yours prolly handles better and is tuned stiffer.

I won't say it is stiffer. It feels different. The castor angle feels steeper but somehow it all works well. The rear of the cars suspension feels like it is in more of an arc somehow, and it does not feel like it will work on the twisty Welsh roads, but it all comes together really nicely and seems to come into its element when pushed. It is all a rather interesting experience which somehow reminds me of the uniqueness of the Saab 96, which as far as it came to rallying them, it should not have worked (Especially as the key man who won all those rallies in them was a 25 stone genius who didn't take a navigator with him, and the car was an upright car with a tiny little 2 stroke 850cc engine which hardly developed any power below eight and a half thousand revs) but often that little car not only won these rallies, but totally thrashed the competition. Second place was often a whole hour behind on the leaderboards.
My brothers car feels similar but his car does not feel so relaxed as mine does on motorways. His feels a little twitchy at speed. It could be that his suspension may have taken a battering with a previous owner. His car has a few dents and scrapes.
They are odd little cars as they are upright things. But though they don't have the best quality interiors so I advise carpets etc.. But the design itself just works and is practical. There feels more legroom in the back then in the front!
One small criticism is that the front seat adjustment does not really suit me. I guess the Japanese people are a different size? I want to sit ever so slightly more upright with the back of the seat. My brother, who is taller then I am finds the same.

the american models recently introduced adjustable seats, previously they'd only go back and forth and recline, but now you can adjust the front and back seat bottom height/angle.

omg gawd car enthusiasts talking in engine displacements of less than 6 - 7 litres motors.
shame... shame...... ( written tongue in cheek) my oh my times have changed . And now its power to weight ratio. torquey little diesel motors chugging along .and a little turbo charger and you got a real workhorse. Now the conversation has turned to miles per gallon ( or litres). Times have changed but , the little VW beetle that got down the road just fine ..higher maintenence , but
have in earlier days owned a few of original mini coopers , good gas mileage. And always seems to stumble into various versions of a Cooper 'S' . My gosh those were great fun . and if the right factory suspension kinda fun to tour in . And lord knows how it was done but the car appeared bigger inside than outside the car . That car responded quite well from power to weight mofifications .( secretly would miss my old 1951 buick roadmaster, big old clunky thing. Rode like a dream.)

They are adjustable in back and fore, and the back is adjustable, and the height is adjustable and so is the steering height and its angle etc. Is just the adjustment does not quite reach the position I would like.

I guess we have to talk miles per gallon here as the explosive oily liquid is soo expensive. I have seen it £1.37 and £1.39 a letre for diesel. Is normally £1.35 or less. That is around £7 a gallon. What is that in dollars?