The Company car - Issue 03/1965 - F.S.A. Aetna 1600 vs CMT Familia 2000 SX
The 90-horsepower midsize sport sedan class is definitely a wise choice for young entrepreneurs - these cars are representative enough, but they show you’re a modest man wisley spending the money your customers pay you. You started a succesful business, but you keep your feet on the ground. Many cars to choose from, the latest comes from Southern Frunia - the FSA Aetna. Its rugged design tells your customers you’re a higly individual personality, and you put emphasis on what you drive and how you drive.
Next to it we have one of the most solid choices, the CMT Familia, that recieved a new 2.0 liter engine last year, allowing for 90 horsepower - the former entry level SL trim had 75 coming from 1600ccm.
The Familia looks a lot simpler and smoother than the Aetna, but you might consider it dated, as the car is from 1959 and had no design change since its debut. It is the conservative choice among sport sedans - and so is it’s engine. The 2,0 liter OHC is made of cast iron, has cast iron internals and 8 valves. Fuel comes from two single-barrel eco carburetors- boring usual stuff, the tubular manifold and performance intake seem like a desperate try to conceal that CMTs latest four-cylinder engine lacks real innovations and hardly differs from the old one.
FIRST IMPRESSIONS AND INTERIOR
The CMT Familia might be an entry-level car engine wise, but the interior is fully premium. The materials are excellent, the stereo has a clear sound and brilliant reception even in rural areas, and power steering is also standard as well as progressive springs. The safety standard is as high as possible, soft materials on the dashboard, a breakable steering column, reinforced door locks that even work when dented and a laminated windscreen are more than just state of the art.
The five-seat interior is quite spacious, fitting four adults well on long trips, and it is fully usable as family car if not in duty to get you to your customers.
The Aetna has a much tighter interior with only four seats. The low load capacity also disqualifies it as serious family car. The materials are on the same quality level than in the CMT, but workmanship is not as refined, but this is actually belonging to the DNA of Southern Frunian cars. The stereo is not as good as in the CMT, but not bad either. You don’t need it very often, as the CMT sounds like a vacuum cleaner, but the FSA engine yells for flooring it with a sporty noise. A car that wants to be driven hard would need a good safety as the CMT, but sadly there is nothing standing out. The glass will break into sharp pieces, the steering column will crush your torso, at least the door locks seem quite stable even after an accident. We don’t want to try it out. CMT wins here.
DRIVING
The Aetna keeps the promise the look makes and offers latest innovative technology. It comes with all-independent wheels, front and rear double wishbone suspension - miles better than the CMT with front McPherson struts and rear coil spring solid axle. The engine is also derived from race technology. Aluminium head, forged internals, two overhead camshafts - this is a lot more sophisticated than almost all competitors in this class. We miss a little the four-valve-per-cylinder layout from the race engines as this would have been the ultimate addition. A two-barrel carburetor and a race intake help performance even more, so that the car has the same power (92 hp, so even two more) as the CMT with only 1600ccm displacement.
In terms of smoothness and response the Aetna clearly sets apart from the CMT - as well as in handling. The CMTs front wheels struggle with harsh and quick steering maneuvers, and the rear axle lacks tackiness on a twisty and bouncy country road. Countersteering is quite easy on the CMT due to the firm suspension and you do not need to be Jim Clark to conquer back control, but the competitor is just miles better. The F.S.A. stays mostly neutral and does not know neither stubborn understeer nor a suddenly breaking out rear. Braking is another advantage for the F.S.A, as it has four disc brakes, needing a shorter distance to standstill and having less locking on the brakes.
If you thought it would be a harsh ride, we might surprise you. The CMT setup is stiffer, as the engineers tried to allow engaged driving with the simple suspension layout. The F.S.A. that is even a lot more comfortable on bad roads might be the new benchmark here and is highly addictive, especially when driving in its home area.
On a straight line, the CMT does not catch up, as the acceleration is 12,8 seconds to 100 compared to 12,1. The top speed is identical with 158 kph. Not that the CMT is bad, it is acutally quite good, but it does not set the benchmark here. Not at all.
COST
A fun fact is that both cars are offered for the same price of $15.200. So which one is the better purchase?
The consumption is almost identical, 13,6 liter for the CMT and 13,7 for the F.S.A. so if you’re driving a lot this does not count for a descision. The mainteance cost might be more interesting, but definitely not deciding. The F.S.A. that is a lot more technologically advanced requires a hefty $ 840,60. The CMT 769,30 which is also not cheap.
The CMT is by far more reliable, especially the complex engine causes the F.S.A trouble. But this might not surprise you as it’s a car confirming all stereotypes of Southern Frunian cars. Except one. While the CMT is a steel-only car, the F.S.A. seems to be far more rust resistant with galvanized chassis and panels. Which does not score as it could if the car dies early from engine failure… But neither does the reliability help the CMT when rusted to pieces.
VERDICT
The F.S.A. wins for us… It is by far more fun, has a lot more individuality and all that for similar costs. The CMT might be the better choice if you’re up to use your company car as family car and you do need to trust on a good reliability, maybe because there is no train station near you and/or your customers. The much better safety might also be a reason for the CMT, but the better handling of the F.S.A. might avoid the one or other crash.