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 Carla 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?
