The review was exactly how I thought it would be. Primus buyers don´t look for fancy extras (at least not when going for the base model) or the most horsepower but for a car that feels refined and well-oiled to the last bolt, giving the experience of a harmonic symphony of all components.
Still, this is neither exciting nor standing out in any way. So, I can see why others might be a better choice, but the review has pleased me overall with exactly getting what´s the character of this model and that by providing a balanced writing.
I can absolutely see where I went wrong. I went for one category lower, and chose to simulate having a really old, just updated over the years engine. Guess I won’t win this, so good luck to everyone else.
While it doesn’t look especially “eco”, the Sorolla is definitely one of the most “looks like an actual normal car” in this test. The design is understated but everything fits together very nicely. The alloy wheels in body colour are a nice touch.
Looking under the bonnet is a pretty huge two litre engine, with a turbo as well it is the largest and most powerful engine in the test. Massive power isn’t really what Sarah needs in a car however so lets hope it’s at least tuned for good fuel economy.
Stepping inside the Axxus and sadly things aren’t as good as they are on the outside, the interior is a sea of bare metal and rubber floor. Even the head unit can’t help as it’s just a basic cd player without even Bluetooth streaming.
Never the less Sarah is going to drive all the cars so she settles into the hard cloth drivers seat and starts up the engine, it is extremely smooth and the exhaust note is basically silent. Out on the road and the CVT keeps the engine right in the powerband at all times, the only downside of this is the transmission is tuned to be it’s most efficient above 70mph which would have been fine if the engine wasn’t so big. Losing the speed is hard on the Sorolla to as it has the worst braking of the cars on test, by at least three metres to the next car too.
Next is the CC160 and from the outside this appears a thoroughly modern and futuristic car, it at least from looks could be mistaken for an ev. The colour is a bit eye searing but at least no one could ever say it was boring. The side design is a bit slab sided and could do with some body lines to break it up a bit.
Inside, like the Sorolla before it is very sparse and not nearly as nice and futuristic as the exterior design would lead you to believe. For a car maxing out the budget it would be nice to have a more upmarket place to spend time in than bare hard plastics and uncarpeted floor.
The engine is on the fancier side however with direct injection and variable geometry turbo charging. It is quite rough running for a four cylinder though with a noticeable shake at idle. The exhaust is quiet but the engine can be felt when accelerating. The CC160 is the fastest car to 100km/h and also the car with the best braking performance too with large high grip tyres and big brakes.
The choice of a big (1.6) turbo charged engine does mean the fuel economy is on the higher side in this group of cars, it is actually better than some cars with smaller engines but here there are some very fuel efficient cars.
Final car of the day is a cute little egg from Yangwoo, one of the shortest cars on test but still packing in five proper seats. The Tigo manages to be airy in the cabin with the massive side windows and tall body design, the wheels pushed out to the corners design also maximises interior space and comfort.
The theme of the outside is definitely eggs when it comes to the shape of all of the lights, the door handles and even the mirrors. The front end is bordering on the cutesy with a cheery smile.
Interior wise the Tigo is very strong. The seats and trim are nicely designed and comfortable with use of cloth on the doors and dashboard to appear less plastic. When it comes to in car entertainment Yangwoo have gone all out with a large central touch screen display and driver information projected onto the windscreen.
The engine is small lightweight with three cylinders and a very modest power output. It’s not the smoothest engine around, balance shafts could have made it less noticeable in the cabin. What power there is delivers in a linear fashion but the torque is very high in the rev range so even with the quiet exhaust note the cvt has to work the engine hard making the fuel economy really on the high side for the size of car and engine.
The Yangwoo is 2100 below the price ceiling with a very competitive service cost, which is good considering it uses such a high end entertainment system and good quality tyres.
Thanks for the review thus far, I really do wish I wouldve submitted the Sorolla with a smaller powerplant. I’ve gotten better with engine tuning and I got carried away, sorry. I’m assuming my tires are the main reason for the horrendous braking distance? I would like to ask about the transmission being most efficient above 70mph. How do you see that information and how does one go about tuning that? I’m guessing it involves messing around with the spacing sliders in the transmission tab?
The Lutin manages to make even the Yangwoo and the Mess look like massive cars due to it’s truly tiny 3.39m total length. Due to the very flat front and rear design however it manages to have a reasonable large wheelbase and actually quite impressive interior space.
The design follows the trend of most new small Japanese cars and looks extremely angry with sharp edges and vents. The tail lights in particular have the appearance of two very menacing eyes glaring at anyone daring to drive behind the Lutin.
For such a small car the engine in this particular model is a 1.5l four cylinder making it something of a “warm hatch”. The engine is extremely quiet and smooth while running so the use of an engine that could be conceived as too large does have quite a few benefits over a coarser three cylinder engine.
This is used, like many cars here with a variable transmission tuned to give quite exceptional fuel economy for the engine size. The car itself being heavier than you might think baring in mind the size and the use of fully aluminium panels.
After taking in the exterior Sarah decides that it is now time to drive the Lutin, and settling into the seats is where it all starts to unravel. Like quite a few cars Sarah has been looking at and will look at, the Lutin 1.5L uses very sparse and hard interior materials. The actual build quality on show is good with no rattles or sharp edges, but there is no getting away from the rubber coated floor, all plastic door cards and rough seat fabrics. Now taking the car out on the road and the suspension is actually nicely tuned and hides more road bumps than Sarah expected for such a tiny car, the suspension control buttons on the dashboard seem at odds with the otherwise basic interior controls. Due to it’s tiny size there is no doubt this is a very easy to drive and park car with good braking performance.
The Damilia seems huge after driving the Lutin, and it is over half a metre longer in overall length but most of that is at either end so the actual passenger area ends up smaller and more cramped feeling. The outer design of the car makes it look larger and more mpv like than it actually is with the tiny wheels and tall greenhouse.
Inside the car however and the entry from Uanoi feels better with actual honest to goodness carpets, soft touch plastics on the dash and fully adjustable seats. Looking out over the front of the car from the drivers seat and it is exceptionally low, making this somewhat of a pain in traffic and trying to park close to another car.
Fire up the 1.2l three cylinder engine and it is a rumbly little thing that you can definitely tell is on at idle, exhaust and intake noise is low but the engine does send some movement into the cabin.
Out on the road is where you really notice how peculiar this engine is, it makes basically no power at all until 3000rpm, then 600rpm later and everything is over. There is an exceptional 20psi running through this turbo ruining any kind of low rpm drivability. With the use of a cvt at least it can keep the engine in its powerband and then with the rev limiter being lower than a diesel it isn’t exactly screaming away at road speeds. Actually driving the car and you don’t notice the engine tuning too much assuming you don’t try and drive quickly. A benefit of never being able to use the turbo is the fact this car has the best fuel economy of any car in the test
Straight away and the Flores has the looks of an urban ev concept with it’s smooth front end with small low air intakes, roomy mpv style body shape and the aero roof spoiler to extend the roofline.
The Rusa is the only car to use leather seats so along with the electric adjustment and fabric covered dash this is a very pleasant space to sit in. The squared off shape of the car also means there is ample shoulder room and large airy windows.
The Flores like quite a few cars here uses a three cylinder engine, in here it is a 1.4l unit with a quick boosting turbo meaning torque comes in very early. The major negative of the engine is it’s almost agricultural feel at idle with a noticeable vibration coming through into the car and the steering wheel when sitting at idle. This is a real shame as it’s otherwise a decent and quiet engine with overall good fuel economy coupled with the variable transmission making this an easy car to drive around town.
The brakes are also a double edged sword here, the overall performance is strong with good pedal feel and competitive braking distance. The all round solid discs however mean sustained braking at higher speeds will lead to very hot brakes with fade noticeable if there isn’t enough space between harsh braking.
The CalendulaX is the only suv on test, it is however only a small (2.42m) wheelbase so not quite as large as it looks from pictures. The extra ride and body height manage to give the car a commanding view over the road and the grey plastic cladding will certainly be a help if a rogue shopping trolley were to come into contact with the body.
The interior of the CalendulaX is your standard interior of cloth seats and a screen based entertainment unit, the seats themselves are a bit hard and even with the tall body there is no hiding the fact this car is still under 4.0m long so interior space could be a bit better, and the three rear seats are definitely only for close friends.
The engine like half of the cars is a three cylinder, this time with a 1300cc size. Even though the engine is just a triple it manages to be the smoothest of the lot whilst running, exhaust noise isn’t the quietest however no one could call it loud. Power is the second highest at 155 horsepower due to some very fancy tech like a variable turbo with smart boost and individual throttle bodies for each cylinder making this quite an expensive engine.
Along with high power this is within half a second of the fast car too 100km/h and is the quickest for the 80-120 sprint at 3.7 seconds. Fuel economy is actually pretty good for the power created but knocking some power and tech off the engine could have made the economy figure more enticing and no doubt helped with the high service costs.
The Avant from Van Zandt is next up, While the Arimas was the only crossover this is the only four door sedan here. It is also one of the largest cars and one of only four to go over four metres in length. The body shape is reminiscent of new hybrid cars with a high rear line and a heavily sloping front end for aerodynamic efficiency. The rounded body is at odds with some of the design choices with sharp triangle lights and vents everywhere and a bit of a handlebar moustache on the front.
Inside the seats and trim is reasonable enough with quite a roomy interior, this could probably have used five seats instead of four bearing in mind the cars size. The infotainment is on the bare bones side for the price of the Avant with tinny speakers and no music streaming capability.
The engine on the Avant is a 1.4, but this time a four cylinder with no turbo for extra power or torque. It does however use VVT and VVL to help with fuel economy, which for the size of the car is competitive. This is one of the smoothest and quietest engines on test.
Like the Accurate CC160 the Avant uses an unusual glued aluminium floorpan construction which no doubt helps with weight and combatting rust over time. This would also no doubt affect the likelihood of the car being written off in an accident due to cost of repairs and components.
Cost is a double edged sword here, the car uses the full purchase price which would be no problem if it was packed to the gills with gadgets and gizmos. It does have an amazingly low service cost too, because of the lack of forced induction and more “spartan” interior setup.
The final car of the challenge is the Cordelia Horizon CS
Like the very first car looked at was the only manual on test, the Horizon is the only car to use a conventional torque converter automatic. It also has a series of one offs concerning its construction too. It is the only car to use corrosion resistant steel for the chassis which seems quite expensive for use on a standard road car. The panels also use specially treated steel which means this car should in theory last forever, but again these unusual construction techniques mean repair costs may be more than a more “standard” type.
The body itself seems very much towards a sporty coupe, but one from the 90’s and not 2015 as this should be. The design also doesn’t really flow together with modern lights and vents put onto a body that again looks about 20 years out of place. for some reason this car also has positive downforce, however it is a tiny amount but still very odd for a supposed economy car.
Engine wise this uses a 1.6 four cylinder turbo which has been tuned massively for low down torque and fuel economy. So while the outright power isn’t amazing the flat torque curve is quite something. If the Horizon had used a CVT like most other cars it would probably one of the best suited engines to it. Smoothness is in the middle of the pack, with exhaust noise the third quietest and barely perceptible
The interior of the Horizon is one of the best of any of the cars, with leather everywhere and an extremely fancy touchscreen powered head unit and climate control system. This fancy interior and turbo tech using everything available does have the detriment of an eye watering service cost of 50% most than second place, and full use of the purchase price too. Even if this car lead the pack on most priorities the fuel economy, purchase price and service cost would be a hard pill to swallow.
The top three cars and some interesting submission notes to come next.
