1995 Mitsubishi FTO GR review from UK and Ireland

The only fault I have had is the ignition key could not be removed. The garage sent a mechanic out at 7pm (one hour after I had reported the fault) and removed a locking pin that apparently locks the key. It seems to be quite a common fault, or so I am told. It only took the mechanic thirty minutes to complete and this was on my driveway.

The car has gorgeous looks from the front, but is either love it or hate it as far as the rear view is concerned.

The interior ergonomics are excellent with everything coming easily to hand.

The seats are very supportive with a good, sensible choice of adjustments. This is very useful as I am over six feet tall.

There are some very quirky but enjoyable gadgets such as "FTO" lit up in blue on the door sills, the beeper when you are reversing and the automatic collapsing door mirrors when space is tight.

My FTO has 17 inch diameter wheels fitted with very low profile tyres. These fill the arches out much better than the standard ones that look too narrow for the car. The ride is harsher, but the handling is excellent with superb feedback from the road.

The previous owner has fitted a Japanese racing air filter that looks similar to the British K&N type product.

I am not sure how much power this gives, but the intake roar is something else.

The tiptronic gearbox is excellent and is well worth considering if you are looking at buying a FTO. It is very slick and gives good control when driving.

I heard that the FTO needs under sealing to prevent corrosion. I have inspected mine and it looks well protected underneath. I have been told that it will only cost me 30 British pounds to get the car under sealed so I will get this done anyway as a precaution.