Cheap passion waggon
Passenger seat broke, but got new one from scrap yard for a tenner!!
Very sluggish and very economical, I got 420miles on 25 petrol on long drive to scotland!!
Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes
Review Date: 9th January, 2004
A good budget car
Warped discs at 25,000 - replaced with pattern parts which are still OK. Friends AX had same problem with disc warping at similar mileage.
Leaks on all side windows - dealer tried to cure by bending door window frames!!
Leaking hose pipe to radiator - cured by throwing away useless standard clips and replacing with proper jubille clips!
A good car for town use - but I regularly use mine for 800 mile round trips to Europe!
Not much leg room for long folk!
Can go quite quickly if the gearbox is used sensibly.
Excellent mpg - 55mpg at a constant 65mph on European roads (with four people in car & luggage).
Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes
Review Date: 11th July, 2003
A good foreign bargain
I had a slow puncture so had to replace the tyre.
I had to have my immobilizer disconnected because it was faulty.
I have two cracked front headlight casings.
The exhaust pipe fell off the car, I had to have the down-pipe replaced.
Brakes started to wear, the warning light was coming on, but has now disappeared completely.
The engine speed sensor has become faulty, I could only start the car by push starting it, now it won't start at all.
The car is cheap to run, has low tax and is cheap when it comes to insurance.
Although it only has 4 gears it has a good top speed.
The car is light and easy to maneuver if you have to push start it.
It is very comfortable and a nice size.
An ideal first car or for people who only need it occasionally.
Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes
Review Date: 2nd June, 2003
A cheap and cheerful runabout!
Clutch completely collapsed at around 91000 miles, this was replaced and no further problems have arisen.
Slight grinding occurs when attempting to engage second gear at around 20 mph.
Handbrake is poor, and struggles to hold the car on any type of incline.
The 954cc engine is surprisingly nippy and pulls away from the lights rapidly. However the gearing is a little dodgy. 1st gear will take you up to around 20 mph quite comfortably, 2nd to around 30 mph. After this point, the remaining two gears are pretty useless. You are then left with the challenge of experimenting with 3rd and 4th to get the power needed for over-taking etc.
This car is designed for town use, and hence is not suitable for motorway driving. The lack of a 5th gear means the car is "screaming" at around 60 mph, don't expect to venture out of the slow lane!
Fuel economy is excellent, even though I push this car to the limits on a day to day basis, I still get around 55mpg! With a more forgiving right-foot, figures of 65mpg can be achieved regularly.
My only real problem is the body role when turning corners at any more than 15mph! The can dives violently and this makes for an uncomfortable ride for front passengers.
Grip is another issue with the AX. When navigating tight bends, the front end of the car dives and the front wheels fight for grip. The lightweight of the car also means wheel spins are quite regular in wet weather!
Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No
Review Date: 8th April, 2003
Don't know about the small engined petrol models, but I owned an AX diesel for ten years driving 70 miles a day commuting along motorways, and found it excellent and of course very economical (approx 60mpg). Also very firm footed in corners - maybe the diesel engine weighs the car down more than the equivalent petrol engine??
16th Apr 2003, 04:11
I agree about the cornering. My friend has one and the view the passengers on the outside of the bend get is quite unnerving under hard cornering. Never seems to under steer though, even at high speeds on roundabouts. I've driven it a little bit, but the pedals seem to be in the wrong place.