Originally launched in 1989 the Aurora was considered a great value for money option even if a bit on the boring side. Three years later new competition form its European counterparts forced the company to refresh and modernise the model to in order to keep it competitive. This wasn’t enough tho and sales slowed down to a crawl so one last effort was put in and the s variant was introduced, a hot-ish, red trimmed - so it’s gotta be fast, halo car.
12 Likes
I’m not sold on the overall design, but the details and interior are really nice 
2 Likes
I just realized, I based my car’s pricing off of how I sold it in my campaign, rather than the sandbox “approximate cost.” I sold it for $12,800 in my playthrough, but the sandbox prices it at 23,000.
Is this allowed? I’m not trying to game the system or anything (and it’s not like I expect much from that car anyway), but I could see this used to get away with some real cheese. And if it isn’t allowed, I’m sorry about this.
Unfortunately I have to say no. I have over 30 cars now and if I allow you to resubmit I have to allow everyone. That can quickly become too much.
3 Likes
1993 Legion Wimbrel 1.4 BX Liftback
Background
The venerable Homura/Legion QDC platform, first introduced in 1982 and by this point technically replaced, continued sales through the early 1990s alongside it’s replacement as a more affordable alternative for those still in need of a larger family vehicle. In the late 1980s, when it was re-named from the Gull to the Wimbrel, it was given a more upright, formal front end treatment, raising the hood line and allowing for the use of a wider variety of engine options than the Homura boxer engine options previously offered. This 1.4 BX Liftback takes advantage of that, using a brand new corporate “Iro” 1.4 liter I4 with MPEFI, still paired with the longitudinal Homura 4 speed manual transmission.
13 Likes
Well, that’s a bit disappointing, but it is what it is. It’s my first contest anyway, so I was bound to make some mistake like that.
Good luck to everyone else! :D
2 Likes
You learn from your mistakes, they say. Also, there will be more instabins than I expected, so you are not alone.
3 Likes
And…No more entries from now on! 
4 Likes
REPRINT OF PAMPHLET INCLUDED IN TRAFIKJOURNALEN #4 1993
30 CARS FOR $14000 AMU OR UNDER - WHICH ONE IS THE BEST?
(Guest star: @S_U_C_C_U_L_E_N_T and his Hinode Lucent, I hope that it was OK to use it for the shot.)
THE GOOD, THE BAD, THE UGLY
Are large, luxurious cars on their way out, and are we all going to drive around in small, economical cars in a not so distant future? Maybe that’s not the whole truth, but there is no doubt in which direction the market is heading at the moment.
Yes, we know, you hear the bad news about our economy everywhere, and the last thing you want to do is to read the same depressing stuff in Trafikjournalen too. But let’s face it, not many buyers will put their money into large luxo barges for the coming years. The market for new cars overall is not only shrinking, but rather sinking.
On the other hand, there are still lots of new cars available for under $14000 AMU. But it is really a hard task to go through all the cars. And in this price class, there is many traps to fall into. Some of the cars are actually quite good, others are, to say it harsh, notoriously bad. It may be tempting with a low purchase price, but if that is made possible with a thirsty, primitive engine, maybe you will pay the price at the pump instead? And maybe it seems like getting a car as large as possible for the money is the bargain, but if subpar engineering means that neither space, comfort or safety is any better than in a smaller car, what’s the reason to have lots of metal then?
This is why we included a pamphlet in this issue with a review of 30 (!) cars. We still had to leave out some interesting models that you readers may miss. For example the Masca Kite, with its unusually small back seat. It may be interesting as a pure commuter car for one or two people, but since we guess that most of our readers wants something that can do some family duties, we decided to leave it out. The Rossi XI is a seriously interesting car that gives you great value for your money, but unfortunately a strike at the Rossi engine manufacturing plant means that they have a really hard time to keep up with the demand now, we simply couldn’t get our hands on an example to test, and probably you will not be able to buy one now, either.
For a short while in 1992 the bargain was the Centara Tormenta, that was sold at a stunning $12995 as some last attempt to crank them out, before the old importer went belly up. The new importer is going to raise the price completely out of reach, so forget the Centara if you’re in the market for a cheap car. Another price fighter has been the Saaoda Prince, you have probably seen the advertising that asks how you can get an AWD turbo wagon for only $14000. Well, because there was just a temporary offer at the Saaoda dealers. The official price is $14400, still not overly expensive for what you get, but out of the range for this test.
We were promised an example of the Winthorpe Red to test, but that model is delayed. The prototype we saw a while ago was not very promising though, but rumours says that it was based on the underpinnings of a small van, which may explain a lot.
This leaves us with the current 30 cars:
The Dafeng NI7141, cheapest of the bunch at $11 000. The Hakumai Spot, for the price of $12 100. The Proletariat Piersic for $12 900. The $13 100 Tiffosi Nuova Citta 60 and the $13 300 Mara Zvezda.
(@mart1n2005, @interior, @HighOctaneLove, @fasmukji, @AndiD)
The Kinden Cub for $13 400 and the FM Street for $13500. The IP Urbana, Gujarat Master and Sunnet ISI, for $13 600 each.
(@bilobilo, @Jaimz, @Knugcab, @BannedByAndroid, @Just4)
Sanfrecce Giardino, Hyensu Harmony, LCE LQ1, Hirochi Exatima and Akira Sparrow, all of them for $13 800 each.
(@piglet916, @Maverick74, @abg7, @nicholasrams774, @Serperior98)
Hart Jupiter, Akane Aurora and Legion Wimbrel for $13 900 each. Wells i5 and Orion Sentinel for $14 000.
(@Fletchyboy100, @OME, @donutsnail, @DuceTheTruth100, @Hshan)
The Barusu Ochinchin, Régal Junior, Shidley Bruv, Impulso BT and GSI Egesta for $14 000 each.
(@ImKaeR, @karhgath, @missionsystem, @chichicoofisial, @oppositelock)
The Baltic Motors Liesma GS, Decarlis D20, Ibishu Pessima, Armor Cricket and Python Mini, all for $14 000.
(@TheYugo45GV, @Arn38fr, @EngineEmu, @GassTiresandOil, @Aruna/@Ryan93)
In the pages that will follow, we will help you to make the right decision. Keep in mind that a high score is not everything. If you aren’t going to drive a lot, maybe you can sacrifice some fuel economy for other positive aspects. If you have a large family, you may simply have to go for a roomy car and accept some other shortcomings. However, generally a vehicle scoring 30 is a better buy than one scoring 20.
TURN THE PAGE FOR FURTHER READING!
OOC: The reasons for instabinning.
@Frostquake, the Masca Kite had 2+2 seating, while the rules said a minimum of 4 full seats.
@Stryder237, the Rossi XI had its engine variant year set to 1994.
@A_Harmless_Fly, the Saaoda Prince breaks the budget at $14400.
@Edsel, the Centara Tormenta breaks the budget by…eh, as you already know, very much. 
@pcmoreno, sometimes it is debatable what realistic engineering is. But not this time. I hope that I don’t even have to explain why a small hatchback like the Winthorpe Red shouldn’t use light truck monocoque?
22 Likes
I am terribly shocked by instabin 
HOW I couldn’t see “FULL” before seats?!?!?!?
It was probably the worst way to get binned but it’s alright. Good luck to other competitors!
P.S. I always treated small seats as just seats without headrest. This might be the reason too.
1 Like
Fuck how didn’t I see that, I thought I’d do well too
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Yes, you would probably have been one of the better performers so I felt that it was kind of sad myself when I noticed it.
I just love how my car dwarfs the rest of the contenders in its round. Big moment.
1 Like
Even the people who didn’t qualify got in-universe explanations as to why their car was scrapped!
You’re putting a lot of work into this mate, and it’s paying off. Thank you.
1 Like
Looks beautifully, really appreciate the work you put into the pictures!
1 Like
I think that it makes forum challenges more personal, thanks.
2 Likes
ROUND 1: DRIVING CHARACTERISTICS
Well balanced and secure: The Régal Junior
Is it possible to get a car in this class that is both secure and stable when you need it, yet fun to drive when you want to? That is easy to drive in the city without being terrible on the highway? With great cornering and braking? Well, the answer is that you probably can, but we must say that we found some huge differences between the cars, and already in this round it seems to be quite obvious that not all of the cars we tested are good - and also, that paying more does not always equal getting a better car.
The Wells i5 is one of the largest cars in this test, meaning that it is not the best one for city driving. However, at least it features power steering, which works reasonably well.
When it comes to highway speeds, though, the car feels a little bit nervous. It has a decent skidpad rating at 0.92 G, but it is more tail happy than we would like. It never broke out in an uncontrollable skid during our testing, but the feeling of not being able to trust the car was annoying and a bit scary in the long run.
What’s even worse is the notoriously bad brakes, and we mean bad, a 63.9 metre distance to stop from 100 is simply unacceptable in a modern car, and they do show fading when driven hard. To their defense, it could be said that they feature standard ABS. However, we doubt that there is a huge risk of locking up the brakes at all in this car.
A light tail in this RWD car with no limited slip (a feature hardly seen in this price class though, so nothing we expected either) may also make winter driving kind of challenging, even though the wheelspin felt like it was under control most of the time.
(@DuceTheTruth100)
The Baltic Motors Liesma is another big car, with the same big car drawbacks. Again, it also has power steering, but the feel was a bit more sloppy than in the Wells. Handling wise, it shows that the Liesma is an ancient and simple construction. The skidpad rating is mediocre at 0.74 G. RWD with a heavy, leaf sprung solid axle meant that the tail sometimes seemed to live its own life. At higher speeds, however, the amount of understeering is huge. Trying to corner this thing is like trying to wrestle a bear sometimes.
The brakes are fair, actually 4 wheel discs, but no ABS. During hard braking, they seemed to pull straight and a stopping distance of 47.6 metres from 100 is not brilliant, but still acceptable. They do show some fading when driving with heavy loads though.
(@TheYugo45GV)
The Hakumai Spot has a crazy amount of understeering already at low speeds and only manages 0.78 G on the skidpad. Also, the brakes are a chapter on their own. 45.3 metres of stopping distance is no disaster, but the large amount of brake fade is. They do pull straight, however, and we found no tendency for premature lockup of the rear wheels.
To say something positive, there is a decent power steering system. It should be said that by the looks it is easy to be fooled into that the Hakumai is a small and nimble car, but with a 264 cm wheelbase and a length of 4.36 metres, it is not as nimble as some of the other hatchbacks. Also, there is no spinning wheels, torque steer, jerking of the steering wheel, so that’s something they managed to leave out from this front wheel drive car.
(@interior)
The Gujarat Master has been around for almost 40 years now, and one would think that it would be a relic to drive, however, that is not the whole truth. Instead of the primitive solid rear axles most manufacturers used in the 50s, Gujarat used a semi trailing arm IRS, a construction that still has some life left in itself. Also, the car now is equipped with power steering, not bad for such an oldtimer, and it works well. Being smaller and more nimble than it seems like at a first glance, city driving is now almost a joy.
Cornering at high speeds is less of a joy, though. Like the Liesma, it feels tail happy at low speeds, but switches to heavy amounts of understeering when driven faster. The skidpad rating is a mediocre 0.78 G.
The brakes, solid discs up front and drums in the rear, are a pleasant surprise, though. 43.2 metres from 100 and very small amounts of fading.
The Gujarat have never been known for being a joy in the wintertime, though, and that also applies for the 1993 model. Without adding an expensive LSD there is probably not much that could be done about the lack of grip. We recommend a good set of snow tyres!
(@BannedByAndroid)
There is no power steering in the Dafeng, however, with a weight of 879 kg, it is hardly missing, and the tiny size means that it is a capable city car. But at higher speeds, as so very often for torsion beam FWD cars, there is a large amount of understeering. It starts plowing forward in the corners very early, however, a 0.81 G skidpad rating could be seen as acceptable in this class.
The brakes are a pleasant surprise even in the Dafeng. It stops from 100 in 42.3 metres, and even if there is some fading, it is by no means alarming.
(@mart1n2005)
The Mara Zvezda is another FWD torsion beam car, that shows the same understeering characteristics. What we did appreciate, though, was the quick and tight power steering rack, almost like a little go-kart. But with a 0.74 G skidpad rating and a heavily plowing front end, the handling is hardly kart-like. Also, there was a little more torque steer and wheel spin than we would have liked, especially during slippery conditions.
The brakes will do their job. 44.4 metres from 100 is a decent number and even if there is some fading, it is nothing we would call alarming. They seem to work securely and pull straight.
(@AndiD)
In crowded traffic the Orion Sentinel will be very big and clumsy, but there is at least power steering. It actually feels a bit more neutral at slower speeds than many other of the FWD cars tested, maybe due to its independent rear suspension. The 0.8 G skidpad rating could be seen as acceptable, but of course high speed cornering means that the front end will be plowing. The car is not really set up for sporty driving.
The bite in the brakes are good but it does not last forever. They do show fading when driven hard. But we saw stopping distances of 42.8 metres from 100 and that could be seen as quite good results.
(@Hshan)
Calling the handling of the Legion Wimbrel “inspiring” would be to take things too far, but the chassis setup is at least somewhat thought out, on the other hand, even the Wimbrel has independent rear suspension. The heavy understeering characteristics found in some other front wheel drive cars aren’t fully as present here, even if you do feel them. But a 0.76 G skidpad rating is of course far from impressive. What was somewhat impressive, however, was the feeling in the steering rack, tight and responsive, but still with light going power steering.
Stopping distances of 44.6 metres is adequate, even if not very impressive, but the brakes do hold up in the long run. There was no obvious fading present.
(@donutsnail)
The handling in the Ibishu Pessima could be described as “bland, but secure”. It starts plowing on the front end quite early, but it is well balanced and steady until that. With a 0.76 G skidpad rating, don’t expect it to handle as a sports car, though. There is power steering, and it works decent, both in city driving and at higher speeds.
The brakes are adequate with a 44.7 metre stopping distance from 100, and we noticed no fading. However, we found the brake balance to be set up with a little too heavy bias against the rear. Locking up the rear wheels in an emergency situation could cause trouble.
We did not find any alarming amounts of wheelspin and torque steer in this front wheel drive vehicle.
(@EngineEmu)
The Akira Sparrow manages a 0.77 G rating on the skidpad and is very much biased towards understeering, more than we would like. There is some wheelspin present too, not annoyingly much, but some. Power steering is standard, and works well. Brakes are fair, it stops in 44.4 metres from 100 and there is no fading problems. ABS is a standard feature, something we appreciated.
(@Serperior98)
The IP Urbana has no power steering, but with a weight of 902 kg it is hardly needed, and the small size makes the car nimble in city driving. It uses a simple solid axle rear suspension but it works well, and for a front wheel drive car we found it well balanced and neutral, there is far less understeering than in many of the tested vehicles. 0.84 G on the skidpad is a decent value in this class.
There was a bit more wheelspin than we would have liked, though, and the brakes do have some room for improvement. It stops in 44.8 metres from 100, but there is some fading problems. Not alarming, but still present.
(@Knugcab)
Neither do the LCE LQ1 feature power steering, but once again, it’s a light car (930 kg), with a nimble size for crowded city traffic. The handling is very similar to the IP, neutral for a front wheel drive car and with a 0.83 G skidpad rating. For most people with average driving skills, however, it is a positive thing that the LCE starts warning you a bit earlier, not losing the grip on the front end as rapidly as the IP but a bit more gradually.
The brakes are good. Braking balance has a sane setup, it stops in 42.1 metres from 100 and there is almost no fading at all. Also, you hardly feel in the steering wheel that this is a front wheel drive car. Overall, the LCE is a pleasant car to drive.
(@abg7)
The Shidley Bruv is another very well balanced front wheel drive car, featuring an independent rear suspension. It is as good as neutral and has a quite good 0.86 G skidpad rating. A drawback is maybe that the non power assisted steering is a bit heavy at slow speeds. The brakes do bite well with a 40.5 metre stopping distance from 100, and while there might be some fading when driving with heavy loads, we would not call it a problem. Also, wheelspin problems are as good as nonexistent.
(@missionsystem)
Hyensu has a more understeering setup in their torsion beam equipped Harmony model, the handling is secure but maybe not very inspiring. The skidpad rating is a fair 0.82 G. There is a power assisted steering rack and it works well, but some torque steering and wheel spin was to be found. The brakes works well. It stops in 42.4 metres from 100 and there is virtually no fading at all, they pull straight with a well thought out braking balance.
(@Maverick74)
The Impulso BT is quite similar in its behaviour to the Hyensu Harmony, even though it is using a more sophisticated IRS. Understeering, but predictable, some wheelspin, 0.82 G on the skidpad. There is a variable ratio steering rack, a nice detail even if we have tried better ones. Braking shows almost no fade, stops straight and secure in 43.2 metres from 100.
(@chichicoofisial)
The front wheel drive Proletariat Piersic shows why the elders should be respected. It does not feel like a car originally released in the 60s when you drive it. The small size makes it both fun to toss around and easy to drive in city traffic. Recently, a variable ratio steering rack was added, improving driving dynamics even more. Sure, there is a little bit more understeer than we would have liked, but a 0.83 G skidpad rating is a decent value in this class, after all.
Braking is generally good. It stops in a short 41.6 metres from 100, and the balance is sane. There is some fading but we would not call it alarming. Another good thing is the nonexistent wheel spin.
(@HighOctaneLove)
The Sanfrecce Giardino is an agile city car with an effective power steering unit. When it comes to high speed cornering it should not be ashamed either. A 0.81 G skidpad rating is no bad result even if it tends to be plowing with the front end when entering a corner too fast. Some wheelspin is present but not annoying amounts.
Braking is done in 42.3 metres and they do have ABS which is far more than you can say about its competitors. There was a little amount of fading but nothing we weren’t able to cope with.
(@piglet916)
The Régal Junior is another FWD car with 4 wheel independent suspension and we would call the handling good. On the skidpad it manages 0.84 G and it is neutral with no obvious understeering problems. The steering is not a power assisted unit, but in a car this light it doesn’t matter that much. However, in the steering wheel you will be reminded of the front wheel drive every now and then.
Braking is done from 100 km/h in a decent 42 metre distance, though there is some fading but at acceptable levels. An important safety feature that you rarely find in this class is the standard ABS - good!
(@karhgath)
The Kinden Cub is somewhat of an oddity among small cars today with its rear wheel drive, and we think that the setup is a little bit on the tail happy side. It does not show any dangerous behaviour when pushed hard, but on the other hand it feels a bit nervous on the road which is a bit tiresome. There is variable ratio power steering, unusual for this class, that works well. Another unusual feature is ABS brakes, stopping the car in 41.6 metres from 100, good results. Some fading is present though. A light RWD car can feel like something that would struggle during winter conditions, but the Kinden seems to work reasonably well even on loose surfaces.
(@bilobilo)
At 0.88 G the Hart Jupiter corners well, but the front wheel drive vehicle is a bit too biased towards understeering. There is power steering, but it has a bit sloppier feeling than we would have liked. There is only a slight amount of wheelspin that in our opinion is nothing to complain about.
Brakes are fair but there is some room for improvement, since we could feel some fading, and noticed some rear wheel lockup. However, a 42.6 metre stopping distance is absolutely a good value.
(@Fletchyboy100)
Similar handling to the Hart Jupiter is found in the Armor Cricket. A good 0.86 G skidpad rating but a little too much understeering for our taste. The power steering works better than in the Jupiter, though, but there is on the other hand more wheelspin problems. The brakes are very good - 40.3 metre stopping distance from 100 is an excellent value and there is no fading. One thing that could improve them would maybe have been ABS, but that’s still kind of a rarity in this price class.
(@GassTiresandOil)
The Akane Aurora is of course an agile car in city driving, being small and featuring power steering. But it is not ashamed of itself regarding high speed cornering either. 0.88 G skidpad rating, stable and secure handling with some amounts of understeering, far from the worst in its class though. Brakes do show some fading, but they stop the car in a short distance of 41.1 metres from 100, and they do have ABS too.
(@OME)
The Decarlis D20 has a kind of typical behaviour for a front wheel drive car. Predictable, secure but understeering. Now it should be said that there is not by far as much understeering as in some of the FWD cars we tested, but there is better balanced ones too. At 0,85 G the skidpad rating is good for the class, and we really liked the power steering that was light going and yet offered a good feel of the road. Because the road is what you feel and not the front wheels fighting to pull the steering wheel out of your hands, like in some less well engineered FWD cars.
The brakes are excellent, 40.4 metre stopping distance from 100 km/h and virtually no fading. The brake balance is well set up and never caused premature rear wheel lockup during our testing.
(@Arn38fr)
The Sunnet ISI has sharp and predictable handling, with a 0.87 G skidpad rating. It has power steering, that works well, does not suffer from wheelspin, and it stops in a short 40.3 metres from 100. ABS is standard but there is some brake fade present. Still not at an alarming rate though.
(@Just4)
The Python Mini is of course an excellent city car. With a weight of 680 kg, you don’t need power steering, and with a length of only 342 cm you can almost park it anywhere. Yet, it is by no means “small” on handling. 0.86 G on the skidpad is good and despite being a FWD car with a torsion beam rear suspension and most of the weight up front, it is very neutral. There is no wheelspin and the brakes are excellent when it comes to the stopping power, only 40 metres from 100. Fading does exist but at an acceptable level and the brake bias has a safe and sane setup where rear wheel lockup is not bound to happen.
(@Aruna / @Ryan93)
Another great city car is the little Tiffosi Nuova Citta 60. It shows even better handling than the Python with a 0.91 G skidpad rating, it stops even quicker at 38 metres, again, with some fading but no alarming amounts. There is no wheelspin present and the power steering works well.
(@fasmukji)
One would think that a car like the Barusu Ochinchin, with its front heavy longitudinal FWD setup and somewhat weak structure due to being a convertible would struggle when it comes to cornering, but nothing could be further from the truth. It is as good as neutral and has a 0.95 G skidpad rating. Stopping from 100 is done in 38.9 metres, some fading is present when driven hard. Wheelspin do exist but not in huge quantities.
(@ImKaeR)
The Hirochi Exatima has an advanced double wishbone suspension all around which shows in a superb behaviour on the road. With a 0.94 G skidpad rating you can toss it around almost however you want, it is well balanced and there is no wheelspin problems. Also, braking capacity is superb too, it stops in only 38.2 metres from 100, almost sports car numbers. They do suffer somewhat from fading, though.
Maybe power steering would have been a nice addition in a vehicle this size, if we are allowed to complain about something.
(@nicholasrams774)
The GSI Egesta features simpler chassis technology than the Hirochi Exatima, with struts up front and torsion beam in the rear, but you won’t notice. Handling is as sharp and neutral as the Exatima, you may feel a little more wheelspin but not much, and it has the exact same numbers at the skidpad. Being a somewhat lighter and smaller car, and featuring power steering, it’s better suited for city driving than the Exatima, and braking is slightly better, with almost no fading and a 38 metre stopping distance from 100.
(@oppositelock)
The FM Street is only 324 cm long and has power steering, an ideal car for crowded city traffic. It is also very fun to toss around with its fairly neutral handling and 0.93 G skidpad rating. Brakes will stop the car in only 38.1 metres from 100, with almost no fading at all. One thing, though, during acceleration you are reminded by the steering wheel that this IS a front wheel drive car.
(@Jaimz)
So, the best cars in this round are the FM and the GSI, no question about it. But even more interesting is maybe the fact that most of our tested cars, with a few exceptions, actually has decent and acceptable behaviour on the road. If we had tested budget cars just 10 years ago, that would not necessarily have been the case.
22 Likes
Beautifully written 
. Thanks for the honesty, I like how you put the good bad and ugly. Kinda felt like I was reading a Car&Driver comparison test. I just wish there was at least one picture to go along with everyone’s review. Other than that, this is awesome 
!!
3 Likes
I was afraid that it will be kind of picture spam then, since there is 30 cars x 9 rounds + final verdicts…
6 Likes