I now have a new job, and most importantly "INTERNET ACCESS" a review will appear soon
I now have a new job, and most importantly "INTERNET ACCESS" a review will appear soon
Member since:16.05.2006
Reviews:18
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I purchased my FTO in August 2005, from Awesome Imports in Bristol, i had been looking around on the net for one but when i saw this one i knew i had to have it. Deep Burgundy colour, 96 - facelift model and no mods - perfect.
The model I have is a 2ltr DOHC 24v V6 Mivec .200BHP (so the manual says)
When sitting in the car for the first time and even now it brings a smile to my face, it is relatively low slung with a good driving position, many people moan about the rear view but i have never found visibility a problem and the added bonus of electric (retractable) mirrors also mean they can be adjusted easily to compensate if needs be.
The performance is good and motorway overtaking will never be a problem. The car is not perfect around sharp corners/bends due to a heavy front end but you will never feel unsafe, country A-roads are fun especially when in manual mode. Get the car up to 3500rpm and the engine changes in to the mivec mode, switch to manual shift and the fun begins, this is where the engine develops the recognisable growl that you may hear on occassions, drop a gear and hit the pedal and a surge runs
through the engine developing into a very quick take off...boy racers in their maxed Corsa's/ Puntos cant cope and neither can a lot of other similar coupes... (remember car of the year in Japan and used for racing aswell with very few mods)
The gear box in this model is semi - automatic with mitsubishi technology called INVECS, basically what it means is that when driving the car in manual the car will "remember" when you change gear at a certain RPM and then apply this to the gear change when it is driven in automatic. So, the car will drive in auto like it is being driven manually , and it does a pretty good job at simulating this. Now for the down side of this... if your the sort of driver that likes to redline (not me) the car will remember this and will apply this to auto.....see the problem.... so when you should be gently cruising in the traffic your car will be screaming a lot before changing gear., also before i forget, its a very expensive unit to replace if it goes wrong...some sites say its up in the 4 figures, but i have yet to confirm this., other than this it is a good sturdy practical solution and is pleasant to use, but it will never beat a manual.
Interiors on these cars are typically japanese, lots of black with slight colour on the seats, but all the instruments are laid out well and are clearly marked. The cars were originally supplied with cassette radios but most are sold with CD players due to the radio frequency problem. There are seat-belts all round and if you are fortunate enought to have VERY small friends they may be able to fit in the back seats but myself and my wife bought the car mainly for us and we have no kids.
Boot space is very good considering the size of the car, we can fit in 1 Weeks shopping (about 10 bags ) no problem, although there is no seats that fold down so trips to B & Q and Ikea can be a nightmare, but if you wanted a car that does this easily.....don't buy a coupe! It will fit a buggy if you have kids as i have put my friends in the car before.
A FULL service on these cars will should cost approx £160 and certain parts can be expensive,most components are availabe from mitsubishi as a lot of the car is EVO/GALANT. I recently paid £130 for two front Goodyear F1tyres fitted/balanced etc so its not that bad for these either.
The car has distinguishable looks and always gets second glances, i had been looking at other sport coupes with my wife prior to the FTO, but when she saw a picture she was sold on it.
The car has got character about it that is lacking in a lot of recent vehicle designs and it certainly stands out from the crowd. It is a pleasure to own and drive (hopefully my wife will feel the same when she passes her test and she takes it for a spin) its not got Skyline power but then again who needs it when our roads are clogged anyway, and its a far superior looking car.
Fuel consumption is approx 25mpg to 32mpg not bad but not great, and unlike other reviews that say it runs on normal unleaded IT DOESN'T. Its an import an runs on OPTIMAX for better smoother running and performance, this car was designed and produced for the japanese market NOT the UK. However you will also increase the time inbeween fill-upsif you use optimax.
Now for insurance... a lot of reviews say that the insurance for this type of vehicle is expensive but i disagree, nowadays insurance is not just based on the vehicle, it depends on your age , occupation, where you live, where the car is parked and many other factors. I admit that it would be more than, say.... a 1ltr Ford Fiesta built in 1986, but it is not a case of re-mortgaging the house, but as i said before, it is different for each individual, as a guideline i am paying slightly more than i did on a Peugeot 1.6205 Gti built in 1992. Remember that the FTO is a quick car and an import. My advice would be to check as many insurance companies as you can and get a Thatcham approved alarm system professionally installed and certified, it does drop the insurance with some companies. Web sites such as "Confused.com" say that "Admiral.com" don't insure imports....WRONG...... they do, i should know...thats who i am with.
I hope this review is of some use if you are looking into purchasing an FTO, they are a fantastic car and well worth the money and i hope to have mine for a long while yet.
Oh, by the way ..just take a listen to the exhaust note, it will make you want to get your cheque book out and sign on the line straightaway!!
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Advantages: Excellant handling, very responsive, fast from 0 to 149 all the way, head turner, lots of possible upgrades - modifications, Climate control. Disadvantages: No ABS, No rear wiper, Lack of space for rear passengers, No Airbags.
revol 09.11.2003 ·
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: somewhat helpful
Review of Mitsubishi FTO
May 26th, 2006
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