- 376
- GTP_Reikro
This test was conducted using a DFP wheel. Please note that all cars were equipped with N2 tires and all driver assist systems turned off. Straight line times are the best time of three runs and lap times is the best time of five laps at the chosen circuit.
The Basics:
Price (Cr.), Power (PS) and Torque (Kgm)
Nissan Micra 12c
Price: 10,950
Power: 90
Torque: 12.30
Honda Jazz 1.4
Price: 12,600
Power: 86
Torque: 12.10
Mazda 2
Price: 14,500
Power: 113
Torque: 14.30
Toyota ist 1.5S
Price: 16,000
Power: 109
Torque: 14.40
In my previous reviews, I drove some very fast supercars and indecently sexy coupes. Well now Im back with a bang, or to be more to the point, back to the real world with a bang. Some might wonder if cheap really can be cheerful. Can one buy a cheap little car that is fun to drive. To answer that question I chose four contenders from four different companies, all of them from the same country, the people who do the small car the best. The Japanese. Cheapest of the lot is the Nissan Micra. For Cr.10,950 you get a 90ps 1.2-litre engine and 12.30kgm of torque. Spend a bit more and you can have a Honda Jazz 1.4: 86ps and 12.10kgm of torque. Our test car was fitted with a CVT gearbox. Cr.14,500 buys you a Mazda 2, with a healthy 113ps and 14.30kgm torque its the most powerful car here. But at 1080kg its also the heaviest. The Nissan and Honda weigh in at 900kg and 990kg. The most expensive car here at Cr. 16,000 is the Toyota ist 1.5S. It doesnt have quite as much power as the Mazda, 109ps, but has a fraction more torque, 14.40kgm and is slightly lighter at 1020kg. Because these cars arent performance orientated and we are mainly concentrating on fun here, we decided to restrict our testing to just a 0 400m sprint and some track time.
Since its the cheapest, we begin with the Micra. Because of the relative lack of power, traction isnt a big problem. It crosses the line at 19.10 seconds, which to be honest, shouldnt be hard to beat. As in the Micra, the Honda doesnt need delicate throttle modulation to get a good start, and it soon settles into a hum at a constant 5500rpm. It crosses the line more than a second quicker than the Micra. The Jazzs time of 17.94sec is almost as surprising as the Mazdas. You would think that it would thrash the rest, but the actual surprise is that its slower (18.68sec) than the Jazz and is pipped by the Toyota that set a time of 18.65 seconds which is also slower than the Jazz. That CVT gearbox is clearly doing its job, keeping the revs at the optimum powerband without falling off like the others when changing gear. Acceleration times arent really that important with these cars, and neither are the lap times we are going to record but its still interesting how they compare.
Having recorded the slowest acceleration times, we take the Micra out first for a couple of laps at Tsukuba. Its not exactly a ball of fire on the straights but its peppy little engine is really eager to rev. The little frog really comes alive in the corners though. Turn-in is reasonably sharp and body control stays tight. The front wheels eventually start to lose their grip but a lift off the throttle will get the nose tucked back in line and a whiff of oversteer is available on demand. The only real gripe is when accelerating out of corners. Unlike the straight-line traction, you might have to wait a fraction longer than usual before planting the pedal to the floor otherwise the front washes wide.
Next up is the Mazda. Turn-in is adequate but not as sharp as the Micras, it does resist understeer relatively well and traction out of corners is quite good, but the chassis lacks adjustability. The 2s biggest problem though is its engine. Like the chassis, it simply doesnt involve the driver. It sounds dull and doesnt feel that willing to rev. Despite being as interesting as watching grey skies, it goes down the straight with enough speed to chop almost 1.5 seconds off the Micras time.
I had high hopes for the Toyota, but oh dear oh dear it didnt deliver, not by a long way. The engine doesnt want to rev blunting acceleration out of corners. The chassis however is the real let-down. Turn-in is blunt, and all you are rewarded with during cornering is five miles of understeer. I was not surprised therefore to hear it put in the slowest laptime. This, in scientific terms, is a disaster.
At least the sub-par performance of the Toyota gives the Honda one less thing to worry about. What I had to worry about though was my ears. That constant drone at 5500rpm is really annoying. More annoying though is that the gearbox actually works rather well. Pick-up at corner exits is very good, so good in fact that it sends the front wheels spinning very easily under hard acceleration. Body control despite moderate body roll and understeer is easily curable with the throttle. The Jazz sets the second fastest lap time.
This test was full of surprises. I was for instance surprised to find that the Toyota was rubbish. At Cr.16,000 you can do a lot better. The Mazda looks great but sadly it didnt quite deliver on the track. The Honda surprised me. It might look dull, and its CVT gearbox, despite working admirably well, gives you a headache. But it is a very good car. The biggest surprise though is that the Micra, the cheapest car here was the most fun. It might not be the fastest out there, but it shows that cheap can be cheerfull.
The Times:
1 - 400m and Best lap
Nissan Micra
0 - 400m: 19.10
Best lap: 118.42
Honda Jazz
0 - 400m: 17.94
Best lap: 117.19
Mazda 2
0 - 400m: 18.68
Best lap: 116.97
Toyota ist
0 - 400m: 18.65
Best lap: 119.17
The Basics:
Price (Cr.), Power (PS) and Torque (Kgm)
Nissan Micra 12c
Price: 10,950
Power: 90
Torque: 12.30
Honda Jazz 1.4
Price: 12,600
Power: 86
Torque: 12.10
Mazda 2
Price: 14,500
Power: 113
Torque: 14.30
Toyota ist 1.5S
Price: 16,000
Power: 109
Torque: 14.40
In my previous reviews, I drove some very fast supercars and indecently sexy coupes. Well now Im back with a bang, or to be more to the point, back to the real world with a bang. Some might wonder if cheap really can be cheerful. Can one buy a cheap little car that is fun to drive. To answer that question I chose four contenders from four different companies, all of them from the same country, the people who do the small car the best. The Japanese. Cheapest of the lot is the Nissan Micra. For Cr.10,950 you get a 90ps 1.2-litre engine and 12.30kgm of torque. Spend a bit more and you can have a Honda Jazz 1.4: 86ps and 12.10kgm of torque. Our test car was fitted with a CVT gearbox. Cr.14,500 buys you a Mazda 2, with a healthy 113ps and 14.30kgm torque its the most powerful car here. But at 1080kg its also the heaviest. The Nissan and Honda weigh in at 900kg and 990kg. The most expensive car here at Cr. 16,000 is the Toyota ist 1.5S. It doesnt have quite as much power as the Mazda, 109ps, but has a fraction more torque, 14.40kgm and is slightly lighter at 1020kg. Because these cars arent performance orientated and we are mainly concentrating on fun here, we decided to restrict our testing to just a 0 400m sprint and some track time.
Since its the cheapest, we begin with the Micra. Because of the relative lack of power, traction isnt a big problem. It crosses the line at 19.10 seconds, which to be honest, shouldnt be hard to beat. As in the Micra, the Honda doesnt need delicate throttle modulation to get a good start, and it soon settles into a hum at a constant 5500rpm. It crosses the line more than a second quicker than the Micra. The Jazzs time of 17.94sec is almost as surprising as the Mazdas. You would think that it would thrash the rest, but the actual surprise is that its slower (18.68sec) than the Jazz and is pipped by the Toyota that set a time of 18.65 seconds which is also slower than the Jazz. That CVT gearbox is clearly doing its job, keeping the revs at the optimum powerband without falling off like the others when changing gear. Acceleration times arent really that important with these cars, and neither are the lap times we are going to record but its still interesting how they compare.
Having recorded the slowest acceleration times, we take the Micra out first for a couple of laps at Tsukuba. Its not exactly a ball of fire on the straights but its peppy little engine is really eager to rev. The little frog really comes alive in the corners though. Turn-in is reasonably sharp and body control stays tight. The front wheels eventually start to lose their grip but a lift off the throttle will get the nose tucked back in line and a whiff of oversteer is available on demand. The only real gripe is when accelerating out of corners. Unlike the straight-line traction, you might have to wait a fraction longer than usual before planting the pedal to the floor otherwise the front washes wide.
Next up is the Mazda. Turn-in is adequate but not as sharp as the Micras, it does resist understeer relatively well and traction out of corners is quite good, but the chassis lacks adjustability. The 2s biggest problem though is its engine. Like the chassis, it simply doesnt involve the driver. It sounds dull and doesnt feel that willing to rev. Despite being as interesting as watching grey skies, it goes down the straight with enough speed to chop almost 1.5 seconds off the Micras time.
I had high hopes for the Toyota, but oh dear oh dear it didnt deliver, not by a long way. The engine doesnt want to rev blunting acceleration out of corners. The chassis however is the real let-down. Turn-in is blunt, and all you are rewarded with during cornering is five miles of understeer. I was not surprised therefore to hear it put in the slowest laptime. This, in scientific terms, is a disaster.
At least the sub-par performance of the Toyota gives the Honda one less thing to worry about. What I had to worry about though was my ears. That constant drone at 5500rpm is really annoying. More annoying though is that the gearbox actually works rather well. Pick-up at corner exits is very good, so good in fact that it sends the front wheels spinning very easily under hard acceleration. Body control despite moderate body roll and understeer is easily curable with the throttle. The Jazz sets the second fastest lap time.
This test was full of surprises. I was for instance surprised to find that the Toyota was rubbish. At Cr.16,000 you can do a lot better. The Mazda looks great but sadly it didnt quite deliver on the track. The Honda surprised me. It might look dull, and its CVT gearbox, despite working admirably well, gives you a headache. But it is a very good car. The biggest surprise though is that the Micra, the cheapest car here was the most fun. It might not be the fastest out there, but it shows that cheap can be cheerfull.
The Times:
1 - 400m and Best lap
Nissan Micra
0 - 400m: 19.10
Best lap: 118.42
Honda Jazz
0 - 400m: 17.94
Best lap: 117.19
Mazda 2
0 - 400m: 18.68
Best lap: 116.97
Toyota ist
0 - 400m: 18.65
Best lap: 119.17
