INTRODUCTION: While thinking of ways to use this as a serious driving game and not just a car crash sandbox (i.e., whilst quite bored one day) I had the idea to do a head-to-head test between some cars, and I happened to have good candidates for a 3-way showdown. I just puit em through some simple tests So, without further ado, here is... THE BATTLE OF THE 90s HATCHBACKS!!! 3 little cars. All built within a couple years of each other. Compact, light, low-powered. Put through their paces to see who's the best. but first, a breakdown of our competitors: 1990 AW Astro 1.6M (Euro-spec) MSRP: $3700 Weight: 2136 lbs. 1.6L I4 (fuel-injected) w/ 4 speed manual transmission 75 bhp 85 ft/lbs torque 1991 Ibishu Covet 1.5 DXi MSRP: $3500 Weight: 2107 lbs. 1.5L SOHC I4 (fuel-injected) w/ 5 speed manual 96 bhp 96 ft/lbs torque 1993 Fait One CL MSRP: $2100 Weight: 2030 1.6 L I4 (carbureted) w/ 5 speed manual 87 bhp 96 ft/lbs torque Germany vs. Japan vs. Italy by way of Latin America. Who. Will. Win? (following segments coming soon its late as i post this)
PART 1: SPEED & PERFORMANCE Starting off I put the cars through some simple tests to test their acceleration and other characteristics, heading off to West Coast USA. First, a quarter mile run. Best times were as follows (seconds): One - 16.86 Covet - 17.19 Astro - 18.47 Then 0-60 times: One - 9.61 sec Covet - 10.54 Astro - 13.01 After this I took them to the highway for a 0-60-0 brake test: The Astro was far out owing to its sluggish acceleration. The other 2 were close, but all 3 times I ran it the Covet proved to have better brakes. Moving away from speed for a minute I went elsewhere and setup a makeshift moose test with some barriers This sadly didn't prove much as all 3 handled it at freeway speeds. Finally, out to nowhere for 2 final tests. First a 3 way drag race (which I was unsure on so i did it but letting them all run with cruise control set to a ludicrous speed. The Astro never had a chance, The One was usually the fastest off the line, and in the runs the Covet GOT a jump on it, the Fait eventually pulled ahead. Second, a top speed test, results as follows: One - 134 mph Astro - 113 Covet - 111 Next Time: Things get rough
PART 3: SAFETY & DURABILITY Handling covered I took the cars to see how they handle crashes in some simple standard tests, at the BIHS testing facility. 3 Tests were run, 2 frontal and 1 side. All were run at 45 mph. Moderate Overlap Small Overlap Side impact Being an older design dating back to 1980, the Astro was by far the weakest structurally though none of them handled the side impact well. The next test was less serious and more done out of a silly curiosity: how hard can the cars crash and still be drivable? very simple test, just ran them into a retaining wall at faster and faster speeds, whichever car could still move at the fastest speed wins. and amazingly, still able to move after a 60-mph impact, the Astro came out on top. Next time: We hit the track!
PART 4: ON THE TRACK For the final part of this series of tests, I just went all in on performance, and took the cars out for some power laps around a few different race tracks, and logging the best time for each. Each car was run multiple times (including crashouts) to give them the best chance. Top Gear Test Track One - ~1:48.2 Covet - 1:49.4 Astro - 1:51.6 Automation Gravel Circuit (there were many crashes) One - 1:16.9 Covet - 1:15.8 Astro - 1:16.2 Automation Short Track One - 1:30.7 Covet - 1:29.3 Astro - 1:32.7 The Astro probably had little chace being considerably slower than the other 2, but that did make it a little easier to handle powering around the track, as it didnt throw its weight around as much, but that may have let it buy itself a little time as I generalty didnt have to cut back as much and it could carry (possibly) a little more speed in corners. That's probably why, despite its inferior acceleration and straightline speed it wasnt too far behind the others in terms of lap times. The Fait One had the clear advantage going into this with its better speed and acceleration: at least that was what I believed before I tried to drive it aggressively. Now, all of these cars are front wheel drive, so I expected them to be held back by understeer. I also realize these are old economy cars not built for performance, but out of the 3, trying to drive this one like a sports car was an absolute headache. It's speed amplified the understeer problem, so it cand corner flat out, but it also proved to be very loose amd trying to swing it through a turn lead to spinouts. I also found that due to its soft suspension and what feels like a considerably higher ride height, it has a lot of body roll which aggrevates its wobbliness, and it I wasn't careful it sometimes got loose and I would lose control at high speeds. It's quick, but it's underpinnings held it back somewhat. The Covet really won the day. I feel like its power made up for the slight weight advantage the One has. It was very tight and I could take it through curves, at least the wider ones. so the quicker times were probably from it nlt having to slow down so much in the turns, and it just felt more poised, not all over the place like the Fait or heavy and more sluggish like the Astro. It's not made for it, but it's surprisngly good at driving hard.
