- 376
- GTP_Reikro
If you were asked to make a list of new cars available for about Cr.15,000 you will probably end up with a list shorter than an American Diner’s menu. Try and find something even remotely sporty in that list and the chances are of you finding one is about the same as finding foie gras with quails’ eggs dipped in celery salt on the diner menu. However, scour the second-hand ads and suddenly you have a huge choice of cars on option. I was asked to find three sporty coupes costing around Cr.15,000 each. With such a huge choice it wasn’t easy, but in the end I settled for a Mitsubishi FTO, a Honda Integra Type R and a Toyota Corolla Levin. They share a number of qualities. They are all Japanese, all have big rear spoilers, all three are white, though that’s not relevant, and they all are front-wheel-drive.
Cr.12,284 buys you a ‘98 Toyota Corolla Levin with 23840 miles on the clock. It’s the top spec BZ-R with the 174bhp engine and a six-speed gearbox. The Levin name might sound familiar to some. The early 80’s AE86 Levin/Trueno was a car for the true enthusiast. Light, rear-wheel-drive and with a highly tuneable 130bhp 1.6 engine it was a dream to drive. The now legendary “Hachiroku” became the car of choice for the so called drifters and many became upset when Toyota made the switch to front-wheel-drive, but Toyota made sure that the latest Levin and Trueno is still very much a sporty car for the enthusiast.
Take a standard Honda Integra, strip it out, make it lighter, and make substantial engine and suspension improvements and you get the Integra Type R, the second Honda badged with the now famous “Type R” moniker after the first NSX-R appeared back in 1992. For Cr.15,326 we got a 22819 miler from 1998. You can spend less and get a ’95 model should you choose. For your money you get a high-revving 1.8-litre, 197bhp engine and a very well balanced chassis, all in a car that weighs just 1080kg, the same as the Toyota.
Cheapest of the three is the Cr.10.800 Mitsubishi FTO. The FTO (Fresh Touring Origination) name harks back to the days of the old Galant Coupe FTO of the early seventies. Ours is a ‘97 with 33764 miles. It’s the top-spec GP Version R, so you get a bigger rear spoiler, sports suspension and a Helical limited slip differential. Both the Toyota and the Honda also comes equipped with LSD’s.
The Mitsubishi is the odd one out when it comes to engines. While the others have Inline fours, the FTO has a 2-litre V6 pumping out 197bhp with the help of Mitsubishi’s MIVEC variable valve timing. It is also worth noting that with 147lb ft of torque the FTO has more torque than both the Toyota (118) and the Honda (137) but at 1150 kilos it’s the heaviest of the lot.
Looking at the cars parked side by side your attention is immediately drawn to the Honda and Mitsubishi. The Honda makes do with red badges, a Championship White body colour –just like the old Honda F1 racing cars from the 60’s- accompanied by white 16 inch rims and of course, that huge rear spoiler. It certainly looks like it means business. The FTO is unashamedly pretty by comparison. It has an even more outrageous spoiler than the Honda’s but you can’t help but notice things like the deep front bumper with an almost splitter-like bottom lip and prominent bulging front wheelarches that protrudes into the bonnet line. Overall it’s a very pleasing shape that manages to look sexy yet aggressive at the same time. The Toyota fades into the background here. It’s by no means an ugly car, but with it’s round nose, blunt back and sedan-like profile it is much less shapely than the other two cars. Things are lifted slightly by the fog lights and big front air dam, the side skirts and the rear spoiler. It just feels like it’s not trying hard enough when compared with the Integra and FTO. On the other hand, the understated styling works well if you are the sort of person who wants something fast but doesn’t want to attract too much attention. That’s enough looking for now, let’s get out there and drive.
0 – 400m – 1000m
The Toytota might be the lightest of the three but it has a 23bhp disadvantage and it has the least amount of torque, although its six-speed gearbox might just help it out. 400m Arrives in 17.113 seconds after some easily controlled wheelspin and it picks up pace nicely, it crosses the 1000m line in 30.028 seconds. On the other end of the scale we have the FTO, the most powerful, it’s got the most torque, but it’s also the heaviest. To start with the FTO struggles a bit more off the line because of all that power and torque, but as soon as it finds traction it claws it’s way past 400m in 16.910 seconds – a fraction faster than the Toyota – and to 1000m in 29.281 seconds. The Honda fits nicely in the middle here. It’s got the same amount of power as the Mitsubishi, but less torque, but it also weighs the same as the less powerful Toyota. On paper, it should win. It’s the most difficult to get off the line cleanly, you manage the revs nicely, but go past 6000rpm and the wheels go into a frenzy as the VTEC kicks in. Mind you it did clock the fastest time to 400m and 1000m with a time of 16.741sec and 29.134sec respectively. So the Honda is the quickest in a straight line. To see how they handle we took them to one of my favourite driving roads, Trial Mountain. We are also going to take them round Tsukuba a few times just for reference lap times
Trial Mountain
Every time I drive at Trial Mountain it never ceases to amaze. It’s a brilliant piece of road with every type of challenging corner you can think of. Out here the Levin was brilliant. Simply put, it’s an impeccably well behaved car. It felt light, taught and nimble through the faster corners with just a hint of understeer nearing the limit, easily cured by a throttle lift. Try a bit harder with a quick flick of the steering while entering a corner on a trailing throttle and it will gently roll into oversteer which is very easily controlled. Tight corners are just as easily dealt with. The front tires have ample grip to hook up the front end at the apex and propel you neatly out the other end. The steering feels quick and alive and the car responds well to quick direction changes. The only think you have to be slightly aware of is when braking hard into corners as the back end goes light and can step out suddenly. The only real problem –and it is only slight- with the Toyota is its engine. It a very willing engine and thrives on revs but it just lacks character, sounding a bit like a Hoover and it gets very boomy at the top end.
The first thing that strikes you about the FTO is the sheer loveliness of its engine. If you were to cover Pierce Brosnan with baby oil and ask him to writhe around on a satin bedspread you’d be getting near the mark how smooth the V6 engine is. At low revs it emits a deep growl, soon changing into a menacing howl as the engine revs past 8000rpm. And it just loves to rev. The engine of this car is worth the asking price alone! However, because it’s a relatively heavy engine compared to the Levin’s, the FTO doesn’t feel quite as light on its feet and it has slightly duller turn-in and with more understeer at the limit. It does feel more planted to the road though, but that doesn’t mean it’s boring, far from it. The FTO is a hoot to drive and it embodies the same adjustability as the Toyota, in fact, you can get it more sideways for longer though the transition from understeer to oversteer and then back to understeer as you slam on the throttle to straighten the car out does happen quicker.
If the Toyota is easy and the Mitsubishi is smooth, then the Honda is simply electrifying. For starters there’s the VTEC lump which feels a bit gutless below about 6000rpm. Keep your foot planted though and all hell breaks loose. It feels like it will rev forever to its redline, and in doing so it makes the most awesome noise, a sort of hairy chested scream that won’t sound out of place in a racing car. The best thing about the Integra is its chassis. It doesn’t feel quite as sure footed as the FTO but it feels even more on its toes than the Levin. Turn-in is scalpel sharp and the chassis stays poised and balanced, even if you push it. Wheelspin is more evident out of tight corners than the others but the front feels nailed to the ground. High-speed cornering stays neutral with just a hint of understeer when the limit is reached. Oversteer is available on demand should you wish and is easily exploitable.
Tsukuba
Out on the track the Integra feels even more at home than on the open road. The brilliant engine, chassis adjustability and overall composure is perfectly suited to the track. The most noticeable thing is the lack of understeer for a front-wheel-drive car. The Integra sets a lap time of 1’12.460 which will be pretty hard to beat. The FTO also feels very well suited to the track. I suspect it has to do with the smooth track surface. Without the bumps and undulations of Trail Mountain, the FTO feels rock solid at Tsukuba. It feels slightly softer than the Integra, with more understeer at the final corner and less wheelspin out of the tight corners. The FTO passes the finish line a fraction behind the Integra and sets a time of 1’12.550. On the track the Toyota deals admirably as suspected. It is basically a vice-free car with very little understeer in the fast or slow corner, though it does have to deal with rather a lot less power. To be honest the track doesn’t do the Levin justice. You need to be out on the open road with some bumps and undulations thrown in to fully appreciate the fine qualities of its chassis. It sets a lap time of 1’14.224.
All of these cars are great. And whichever one you go for, you won’t be disappointed. The Toyota is a fine car, but to be a great car it needs a better engine to fully exploit its chassis. The FTO and the Integra, it’s a very close call. The Honda is undeniably the better drivers’ car. It’s got a brilliant engine, it handles brilliantly, it steers brilliantly, it goes like the clappers and it’s the most exciting to drive. If you are a true enthusiast, the Integra is the one to have. It’s the FTO however that wins my heart. Ultimately it doesn’t steer or handle quite as well as the Integra, but I for one will happily make that trade off to listen to that glorious engine.
FACTFILE
Toyota Corolla Levin BZ-R
Price: Cr.12,284 (Cr.12,334 inc. oil change)
Mileage: 23840 miles
Power: 174bhp
Torque: 118lb ft
0 – 400m: 17.113
0 – 1000m: 30.038
Best Lap: 1’14.224
Mitsubishi FTO GP Version R
Price: Cr.10,800 (Cr.10,850 inc. oil change)
Mileage: 33764 miles
Power: 197bhp
Torque: 147lb ft
0 – 400m: 16.910
0 – 1000m: 29.281
Best Lap: 1’12.550
Honda Integra Type R
Price: Cr.15,326 (Cr.15,376 inc. oil change)
Mileage: 22819 miles
Power: 197bhp
Torque: 137lb ft
0 – 400m: 16.741
0 – 1000m: 29.134
Best Lap: 1’12.460
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This test was conducted using a DFP wheel. Please note that all cars had an oil change, were equipped with N2 tires and all driver assist systems turned off. Apologies for any spelling mistakes that I missed. Comments welcome.
Cr.12,284 buys you a ‘98 Toyota Corolla Levin with 23840 miles on the clock. It’s the top spec BZ-R with the 174bhp engine and a six-speed gearbox. The Levin name might sound familiar to some. The early 80’s AE86 Levin/Trueno was a car for the true enthusiast. Light, rear-wheel-drive and with a highly tuneable 130bhp 1.6 engine it was a dream to drive. The now legendary “Hachiroku” became the car of choice for the so called drifters and many became upset when Toyota made the switch to front-wheel-drive, but Toyota made sure that the latest Levin and Trueno is still very much a sporty car for the enthusiast.
Take a standard Honda Integra, strip it out, make it lighter, and make substantial engine and suspension improvements and you get the Integra Type R, the second Honda badged with the now famous “Type R” moniker after the first NSX-R appeared back in 1992. For Cr.15,326 we got a 22819 miler from 1998. You can spend less and get a ’95 model should you choose. For your money you get a high-revving 1.8-litre, 197bhp engine and a very well balanced chassis, all in a car that weighs just 1080kg, the same as the Toyota.
Cheapest of the three is the Cr.10.800 Mitsubishi FTO. The FTO (Fresh Touring Origination) name harks back to the days of the old Galant Coupe FTO of the early seventies. Ours is a ‘97 with 33764 miles. It’s the top-spec GP Version R, so you get a bigger rear spoiler, sports suspension and a Helical limited slip differential. Both the Toyota and the Honda also comes equipped with LSD’s.
The Mitsubishi is the odd one out when it comes to engines. While the others have Inline fours, the FTO has a 2-litre V6 pumping out 197bhp with the help of Mitsubishi’s MIVEC variable valve timing. It is also worth noting that with 147lb ft of torque the FTO has more torque than both the Toyota (118) and the Honda (137) but at 1150 kilos it’s the heaviest of the lot.
Looking at the cars parked side by side your attention is immediately drawn to the Honda and Mitsubishi. The Honda makes do with red badges, a Championship White body colour –just like the old Honda F1 racing cars from the 60’s- accompanied by white 16 inch rims and of course, that huge rear spoiler. It certainly looks like it means business. The FTO is unashamedly pretty by comparison. It has an even more outrageous spoiler than the Honda’s but you can’t help but notice things like the deep front bumper with an almost splitter-like bottom lip and prominent bulging front wheelarches that protrudes into the bonnet line. Overall it’s a very pleasing shape that manages to look sexy yet aggressive at the same time. The Toyota fades into the background here. It’s by no means an ugly car, but with it’s round nose, blunt back and sedan-like profile it is much less shapely than the other two cars. Things are lifted slightly by the fog lights and big front air dam, the side skirts and the rear spoiler. It just feels like it’s not trying hard enough when compared with the Integra and FTO. On the other hand, the understated styling works well if you are the sort of person who wants something fast but doesn’t want to attract too much attention. That’s enough looking for now, let’s get out there and drive.
0 – 400m – 1000m
The Toytota might be the lightest of the three but it has a 23bhp disadvantage and it has the least amount of torque, although its six-speed gearbox might just help it out. 400m Arrives in 17.113 seconds after some easily controlled wheelspin and it picks up pace nicely, it crosses the 1000m line in 30.028 seconds. On the other end of the scale we have the FTO, the most powerful, it’s got the most torque, but it’s also the heaviest. To start with the FTO struggles a bit more off the line because of all that power and torque, but as soon as it finds traction it claws it’s way past 400m in 16.910 seconds – a fraction faster than the Toyota – and to 1000m in 29.281 seconds. The Honda fits nicely in the middle here. It’s got the same amount of power as the Mitsubishi, but less torque, but it also weighs the same as the less powerful Toyota. On paper, it should win. It’s the most difficult to get off the line cleanly, you manage the revs nicely, but go past 6000rpm and the wheels go into a frenzy as the VTEC kicks in. Mind you it did clock the fastest time to 400m and 1000m with a time of 16.741sec and 29.134sec respectively. So the Honda is the quickest in a straight line. To see how they handle we took them to one of my favourite driving roads, Trial Mountain. We are also going to take them round Tsukuba a few times just for reference lap times
Trial Mountain
Every time I drive at Trial Mountain it never ceases to amaze. It’s a brilliant piece of road with every type of challenging corner you can think of. Out here the Levin was brilliant. Simply put, it’s an impeccably well behaved car. It felt light, taught and nimble through the faster corners with just a hint of understeer nearing the limit, easily cured by a throttle lift. Try a bit harder with a quick flick of the steering while entering a corner on a trailing throttle and it will gently roll into oversteer which is very easily controlled. Tight corners are just as easily dealt with. The front tires have ample grip to hook up the front end at the apex and propel you neatly out the other end. The steering feels quick and alive and the car responds well to quick direction changes. The only think you have to be slightly aware of is when braking hard into corners as the back end goes light and can step out suddenly. The only real problem –and it is only slight- with the Toyota is its engine. It a very willing engine and thrives on revs but it just lacks character, sounding a bit like a Hoover and it gets very boomy at the top end.
The first thing that strikes you about the FTO is the sheer loveliness of its engine. If you were to cover Pierce Brosnan with baby oil and ask him to writhe around on a satin bedspread you’d be getting near the mark how smooth the V6 engine is. At low revs it emits a deep growl, soon changing into a menacing howl as the engine revs past 8000rpm. And it just loves to rev. The engine of this car is worth the asking price alone! However, because it’s a relatively heavy engine compared to the Levin’s, the FTO doesn’t feel quite as light on its feet and it has slightly duller turn-in and with more understeer at the limit. It does feel more planted to the road though, but that doesn’t mean it’s boring, far from it. The FTO is a hoot to drive and it embodies the same adjustability as the Toyota, in fact, you can get it more sideways for longer though the transition from understeer to oversteer and then back to understeer as you slam on the throttle to straighten the car out does happen quicker.
If the Toyota is easy and the Mitsubishi is smooth, then the Honda is simply electrifying. For starters there’s the VTEC lump which feels a bit gutless below about 6000rpm. Keep your foot planted though and all hell breaks loose. It feels like it will rev forever to its redline, and in doing so it makes the most awesome noise, a sort of hairy chested scream that won’t sound out of place in a racing car. The best thing about the Integra is its chassis. It doesn’t feel quite as sure footed as the FTO but it feels even more on its toes than the Levin. Turn-in is scalpel sharp and the chassis stays poised and balanced, even if you push it. Wheelspin is more evident out of tight corners than the others but the front feels nailed to the ground. High-speed cornering stays neutral with just a hint of understeer when the limit is reached. Oversteer is available on demand should you wish and is easily exploitable.
Tsukuba
Out on the track the Integra feels even more at home than on the open road. The brilliant engine, chassis adjustability and overall composure is perfectly suited to the track. The most noticeable thing is the lack of understeer for a front-wheel-drive car. The Integra sets a lap time of 1’12.460 which will be pretty hard to beat. The FTO also feels very well suited to the track. I suspect it has to do with the smooth track surface. Without the bumps and undulations of Trail Mountain, the FTO feels rock solid at Tsukuba. It feels slightly softer than the Integra, with more understeer at the final corner and less wheelspin out of the tight corners. The FTO passes the finish line a fraction behind the Integra and sets a time of 1’12.550. On the track the Toyota deals admirably as suspected. It is basically a vice-free car with very little understeer in the fast or slow corner, though it does have to deal with rather a lot less power. To be honest the track doesn’t do the Levin justice. You need to be out on the open road with some bumps and undulations thrown in to fully appreciate the fine qualities of its chassis. It sets a lap time of 1’14.224.
All of these cars are great. And whichever one you go for, you won’t be disappointed. The Toyota is a fine car, but to be a great car it needs a better engine to fully exploit its chassis. The FTO and the Integra, it’s a very close call. The Honda is undeniably the better drivers’ car. It’s got a brilliant engine, it handles brilliantly, it steers brilliantly, it goes like the clappers and it’s the most exciting to drive. If you are a true enthusiast, the Integra is the one to have. It’s the FTO however that wins my heart. Ultimately it doesn’t steer or handle quite as well as the Integra, but I for one will happily make that trade off to listen to that glorious engine.
FACTFILE
Toyota Corolla Levin BZ-R
Price: Cr.12,284 (Cr.12,334 inc. oil change)
Mileage: 23840 miles
Power: 174bhp
Torque: 118lb ft
0 – 400m: 17.113
0 – 1000m: 30.038
Best Lap: 1’14.224
Mitsubishi FTO GP Version R
Price: Cr.10,800 (Cr.10,850 inc. oil change)
Mileage: 33764 miles
Power: 197bhp
Torque: 147lb ft
0 – 400m: 16.910
0 – 1000m: 29.281
Best Lap: 1’12.550
Honda Integra Type R
Price: Cr.15,326 (Cr.15,376 inc. oil change)
Mileage: 22819 miles
Power: 197bhp
Torque: 137lb ft
0 – 400m: 16.741
0 – 1000m: 29.134
Best Lap: 1’12.460
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This test was conducted using a DFP wheel. Please note that all cars had an oil change, were equipped with N2 tires and all driver assist systems turned off. Apologies for any spelling mistakes that I missed. Comments welcome.
thank you for that! 
