| Year of manufacture | 1991 |
| First year of ownership | 2002 |
| Most recent year of ownership | 2002 |
| Engine and transmission | 2.0 RWD 24v Flat6 EFI Automatic |
| Performance marks | 7 / 10 |
| Reliability marks | 10 / 10 |
| Comfort marks | 7 / 10 |
| Dealer Service marks | 10 / 10 |
| Running Costs (higher is cheaper) | 5 / 10 |
| Overall marks (average of all marks) |
7.8 / 10
|
| Distance when acquired | 90000 kilometres |
| Most recent distance | 150000 kilometres |
| Previous car | Mitsubishi Galant |
Summary:
Average
Faults:
It is an 'oil' boozer!
Even when that problem is rectified, it still has to empty the oil in 1 month!
Can be very useless in slippery conditions.
A bit of a fuel guzzler! (1lt/8kms!)
Steering wheel very big.
General Comments:
Rather reliable.
Handles terrain well.
Quiet engine.
Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes
Review Date: 8th August, 2003
| Year of manufacture | 1993 |
| First year of ownership | 1997 |
| Most recent year of ownership | 2002 |
| Engine and transmission | 2.5 turbo petrol Automatic |
| Performance marks | 10 / 10 |
| Reliability marks | 9 / 10 |
| Comfort marks | 7 / 10 |
| Running Costs (higher is cheaper) | 5 / 10 |
| Overall marks (average of all marks) |
7.8 / 10
|
| Distance when acquired | 50000 kilometres |
| Most recent distance | 80000 kilometres |
| Previous car | Toyota Supra |
Summary:
Best choice for sedan speed freaks
Faults:
Normal replacements only - brake pads etc.
General Comments:
In my humble opinion, this is the best value hi-performance mid-sized sedan in the world. It's only drawback is it's extremely rare outside of Japan.
The engine is a 280hp stock 1JZ-GTE 2500cc twin turbo unit, identical to the unit in the current Toyota Supra (my other car), except with a shorter stroke giving 500cc less total displacement. It's an easily upgradeable motor too - a few simple tweaks have taken my car up to the 350hp range.
Stepping on the gas pedal at any speed causes the car to leap forward with frightening turbo thrust. This can be a problem in the wet however; even the traction control can't stop 300+hp to the rear wheels from kicking the tail out wildly.
In stop-light battles, it's virtually unbeatable. German sports sedans (even BMW M-series cars) rarely present any problems, and Honda Accord Type-R's, Nissan Maxima's etc just aren't in the same league with this turbo monster.
The interior is comfortable, although not hugely interesting or impressive design-wise. The cars worst feature is evident here, that being the plastic-wood finish on the center console. It looks very close to the real thing, but it's still just a plastic copy...
The exterior is attractive and smooth, but perhaps a little understated. It looks a bit like a more up-market version of a Camry, giving little hint of it's serious performance. However, this is an advantage for "sleeper" fans - you'll get challenged a lot in this car, and virtually never lose (I will admit a Lancer EVO got the best of me once, but it was close).
My advice - if you can find one near you, buy it. If you can't, do what I did: go to Japan and bring one back with you!
Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes
Review Date: 27th January, 2002
The latest edition of Hot Imports available here in Australia has an article on this car. Can you please let me know how you obtained yours? Please email rdemaid@excite.com.
I just bought a Toyota Mark II Tourer S. I should have known about the V series.
There are companies here in Japan that specialize in looking for the car you want, upgrading it to US standards if necessary and shipping it to any destination.
About conforming to US standards for importation to US, The US customs have those informations.
Rmilano@hotmail.com.