Clitheroe Advertiser & Times, August 17th, 2000 34
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f / l i ■638: By JONATHAN CROUCH____________________
HE search for an engine which combines true petrol performance with real diesel
economy has been going on for over 100 C Z i S l l ^ Agila is a r©al Iittl© star 3y JON A TH AN CROUCH
IN the Far East, they think European I city cars are silly. Why buy some thing that seats only two adults when for the same price, the same space could be occupied by something which
seats four? Here, the city car concept is small
and boxy, the result resembling some thing like a carton on wheels. There is room for the family, yet dimensions to
fit the smallest parking space. All right, so the engine does little more than match the traffic flow, but there is frugality to make petrol stops unusual. It all makes so much sense that it is a wonder Euro-makers have not cottoned on and produced cars like we already see from Suzuki, Hyundai and Daihatsu. Only Vauxhall tiave taken the plunge, entering into a joint deal with Suzuki which has pro duced the Agila featured here.
This little car, just 138in. in length, slots into the company's line-up just
below the Corsa and costs frorn^ £6,995. There is a choice of engines: a 57 b.h.p. 1.0-lifre and a 74 b.h.p. 1.2, both borrowed from the larger Corsa. As already suggested, the upright,
boxy stance creates far more interior space than you would find in a con ventional European city car. So much in fact that you could even see your Agila as a kind of tiny MPV people carrier. This, of course, assumes you are not travelling four-up (in which case there is only a paltry 8.7cu.ft - or 248 litres - of luggage space). With the rear bench unoccupied, however, and the 50/50 split back seats folded flat, that area can be increased five fold to 1250
litres.In summary, the
Agila may not be the car you have always dreamed about, but in the real world it could be the car you real
ly need.
years. Frustratingly, the solution - Rudolph Diesel’s direct injection petrol engine - has been around throughout that time; it was simply a case of perfecting the concept for production. Now one manufacturer - it all works? No, I thought
Mitsubishi - has done just that, introducing GDI technology to its family sized Carisma saloon and five-door models at a start ing price of £14,295. The same 1.8-litre 125 b.h.p. engine has also been sold to Volvo for use in the S40 and V40 models which roll down the same Dutch pro duction line as the Mit subishi.
But what is GDI, does it
really deliver and bow much does it cost? Well, first things first. The GDI badge does not designate a diesel engine (confusing isn’t it?). Gasoline direct injection power plants are petrol-driven and really represent two engines in one, capable (depending on the way you drive) of either exceptional economy or above-average perfor mance. Want to know how
image change with Vida
Toyota’s Corolla. This may be the world's best selling car, but that does not stop it being forgotten in the UK by family hatchback buy ers conditioned to consider more familiar alternatives from the mar ket leaders. Hence the special edi tion Vida models: for Toyota, the change in image it hopes to create
By JO N A TH AN CROUCH IK ever a car needed a dash of
Latin sparkle, it is probably will be as important as the extra
sales generated. Essentially, what we are looking
at here is an entry-level S model with electric front windows, power steering, air conditioning and a CD stereo - all for no more money: prices still start from £9,995. Three versions - all petrol-pow ered - are on offer. There is a 1.4- litre version in three or five-door body styles or a 1.6 automatic-only variant as a five-door.
Otherwise, it is the normal
Corolla recipe, a mixture that received substantial revisions earli er this year. These included new light clusters, a resculpted bonnet and a revised front bumper, the idea being to complement Toyota’s new family look. More significant ly, the 1.4 and 1.6-litre power plants featured by these Vida mod els got more advanced VVT-i vari able valve timing for greater effi
ciency. A GDI engine injects a
precisely controlled spray of petrol directly into each cylinder. Then a carefully designed curve in the pis ton crown directs the fuel to surround the spark plug, creating what Mitsubishi calls a stratified charge to create combustion. As a result, the air/fuel ratio is very different - around 40:1. And so, eureka! Less fuel used? Yes - up to 20% less. Lower emissions? Cer tainly - again, 20% less. Better performance? Well, not necessarily.
You see, should you
decide to plant your right foot on the loud pedal, the character of the engine changes. Sensing your need for speed, it switches to superior output mode,
s f i f g l
Mitsubishi comes T
;t
not. Skip the next few para graphs and I will meet you at the interesting bit.
enriching the ratio to the more usual 15:1 - at the expense, of course, of econ omy. Still, you are no worse off than you would be with a conventional petrol unit and you should be enjoying at least 10% more power.
According to Mitsubishi,
the servicing costs make sense too. Over 54,000 miles (during which time,
you will have saved a pack et at the pumps), it should cost just £26 more than the old petrol model and around £368 less than the turbodiesel. And you will have done your bit for the environment, reducing C02 output by 20% and nitrous oxide output by up to 60%. On the road, it is virtual
1 ' w M - 'S ’ I V ' / X , <!
ly impossible to detect which mode the engine is operating in. It sounds a bit gruffer than the average 1.8-litre petrol motor, but that is about it. Not that this means the GDI Caris ma to be noisy; on the con trary, EC noise tests con firm it to be quieter than its ordinary petrol-powered rivals.
, sK . ' j ' ' ’ '[n
The GDI concept is cer
tainly the way forward in engine design - of that there is little doubt. But Mitsubishi is still hedging its bets. Despite trumpet ing the engine as a better solution than a convention al turbo diesel, it still con tinues to offer a Carisma TD model. Work that out if you can...
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Senior citizen. .. 3 ,
C ’. X ' \ { :<KM 3 , , / 3 /
ill • a t a r i v ' V I \ \ f* 'Si ’ i " a hi/
your servicing, m o t & 1
, EVERY WEDNESDAY
You can now book your car in for a service, MOT test, or even buy your parts on any Wednesday and receive a discount of 25%. All you need to do is present this advert on the Wednesday chosen - what could be simpler.
That's how important you are to Walker Farrimond Nissan in Nelson
Tel: 01282 606606
Lomeshaye Motor Park Nelson, Jet 12 M65
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