Discussion
Hi Guys,
Just wondering if anyone had any opinions on the FTO?? I don't know anyone who owns/has owned one so I was wondering about performance, reliability, expense, handling. Just generally how good a car they are.
I'm looking for a reliable (70 miles a day to work) car with fairly good performance, and a little bit of posing abitlity never hurt anyone did it?!!(budget £3-6k)
Cheers,
Tom.
Just wondering if anyone had any opinions on the FTO?? I don't know anyone who owns/has owned one so I was wondering about performance, reliability, expense, handling. Just generally how good a car they are.
I'm looking for a reliable (70 miles a day to work) car with fairly good performance, and a little bit of posing abitlity never hurt anyone did it?!!(budget £3-6k)
Cheers,
Tom.
Nice car. Bit plasically inside.
Reliable as far as I know, but there must be a FTO owners club.
I looked hard at the MIVEC V6 varient. 200 bhp, but needs caning to get the power out of it.....
Tiptronic box isn't much good IMHO.
Can I suggest a 6th generation Celica instead? (profile, profile....)
Sorry, biased.
Reliable as far as I know, but there must be a FTO owners club.
I looked hard at the MIVEC V6 varient. 200 bhp, but needs caning to get the power out of it.....
Tiptronic box isn't much good IMHO.
Can I suggest a 6th generation Celica instead? (profile, profile....)
Sorry, biased.
I used to own an FTO. A lot of car for not a lot of money. My advise would be to go for a manual rather than tip (boring to drive once the novelty wears off). And get a GPX if the budget will stretch to it.
Stay well away from the 1.8 GS.
All the info you need can be found at -
www.jcars.co.uk/mmc/index.html
Stay well away from the 1.8 GS.
All the info you need can be found at -
www.jcars.co.uk/mmc/index.html
yeah i have a fto no mivec,but with a few mods filter pipe etc it turns heads and is reasonably quick.Alot of car for the money for more info try www.ftooc.org
plum
plum
Mr E said:I was seriously considering an FTO for my next car with the Tiptronic as I have been told my my surgeon that my next car should be an Auto. (Knee problems). Why is the Tiptronic not much good? Anyone got any other suggestions for a stylish sports auto. The Celica Auto secondhand is like rocking horse sh1t. Needs to be about £10k or less.
Tiptronic box isn't much good IMHO.
Tiptonic box knocks 2 seconds of the 60 sprint, and turns a rapid car with a peaky engine into a slushbucket....
I drove a tiptonic. Loved the styling. Loved the engine. Hated the gearbox. The manual was a different drive.
But, if you need an auto, then I suppose it's not much worse than any others.
Most Celica autos will also be Jap imports (very few were sold in the UK).
Erm. The problem is generally sports cars and auto boxes don't mix too well.
A quick look on the other forums I post on turned up;
(www.celica-club.co.uk)
Celica GT
Black
M Reg
Import
102,000 km = 63,000 miles
Automatic Transmission
Full electrics
Air conditioning
Sports Box Gears
1 Year MOT
1 Tear Tax
£3,750 ONO
Telephone Craig: 07740 336726 / 01904 764343
I drove a tiptonic. Loved the styling. Loved the engine. Hated the gearbox. The manual was a different drive.
But, if you need an auto, then I suppose it's not much worse than any others.
Most Celica autos will also be Jap imports (very few were sold in the UK).
Erm. The problem is generally sports cars and auto boxes don't mix too well.
A quick look on the other forums I post on turned up;
(www.celica-club.co.uk)
Celica GT
Black
M Reg
Import
102,000 km = 63,000 miles
Automatic Transmission
Full electrics
Air conditioning
Sports Box Gears
1 Year MOT
1 Tear Tax
£3,750 ONO
Telephone Craig: 07740 336726 / 01904 764343
Good cars - had one for about two years. Mine was very reliable (despite being modded) and I used it every day and covered a lot of miles. The only problem I had was the alternator failing in that time.
Tiptronics are actually very good, they are about half a second to a second slower 0-60 on the book but there isn't a lot in it really. Go for either a manual or the later model tiptronics (earlier pre '97 models only had four gears as opposed to five). I was dubious about tiptronic but really enjoyed it.
The V6 Mivec engine sounds great and is the only one to consider really. 1.8 is gutless and non-MIVEC V6's will always have you wishing you spent the extra money. The only downside is that the small size of the V6, high OEM state of tune and lack of forced induction means that you can't really get much more power from the engine if you want to tune it further.
Ok, so it's not rear wheel drive but next to a late model Lotus elan it's probably one of the best handling FWD cars around. I did a track day in mine and the instructor (ex FWD racer ) was well impressed and said it was of the best FWD road cars he had been out in on the track.
Downsides, not many really for what you get. Central locking motors have a habit of playing up. MIVEC V6's can start to sound tappety once the miles clock up (can be sorted). Rear suspension can get a bit noisy when old too (again, fairly easily to fix) Small OEM battery (same as used in Micra I beleive!!) can be a bit naff, especially if you fit an alarm.
FTOs are getting very common in the UK so if you look around you should be able to get a good example at a good price.
Lots of FTO info at:
www.mitsubishi-fto.org/
I think the bloke who runs the site is selling his which, by all accounts, is a fantastic example.
Have fun.
Tiptronics are actually very good, they are about half a second to a second slower 0-60 on the book but there isn't a lot in it really. Go for either a manual or the later model tiptronics (earlier pre '97 models only had four gears as opposed to five). I was dubious about tiptronic but really enjoyed it.
The V6 Mivec engine sounds great and is the only one to consider really. 1.8 is gutless and non-MIVEC V6's will always have you wishing you spent the extra money. The only downside is that the small size of the V6, high OEM state of tune and lack of forced induction means that you can't really get much more power from the engine if you want to tune it further.
Ok, so it's not rear wheel drive but next to a late model Lotus elan it's probably one of the best handling FWD cars around. I did a track day in mine and the instructor (ex FWD racer ) was well impressed and said it was of the best FWD road cars he had been out in on the track.
Downsides, not many really for what you get. Central locking motors have a habit of playing up. MIVEC V6's can start to sound tappety once the miles clock up (can be sorted). Rear suspension can get a bit noisy when old too (again, fairly easily to fix) Small OEM battery (same as used in Micra I beleive!!) can be a bit naff, especially if you fit an alarm.
FTOs are getting very common in the UK so if you look around you should be able to get a good example at a good price.
Lots of FTO info at:
www.mitsubishi-fto.org/
I think the bloke who runs the site is selling his which, by all accounts, is a fantastic example.
Have fun.
Stay away from the low model ones. The base model makes 125hp and with the tiptronic gearbox has slower accleration than an MGB 
Manual gearboxes are available but are very rare with most being full auto or tiptronic.
The 200HP MIVEC ones have reasonable performace but dont expect a good track car or anything. The top model other japanese coupes such as Integra, Celica, Silvia etc will show them up both in a straght line and around corners.
Saying all that they are a nice looking car if theyre done right and they seem to be pretty reliable so youo could do worse
Manual gearboxes are available but are very rare with most being full auto or tiptronic.
The 200HP MIVEC ones have reasonable performace but dont expect a good track car or anything. The top model other japanese coupes such as Integra, Celica, Silvia etc will show them up both in a straght line and around corners.
Saying all that they are a nice looking car if theyre done right and they seem to be pretty reliable so youo could do worse
There was no "full auto" FTO although the tiptronic has either "auto" or tiptonic modes.
Although the difference between the 0-60 times of the manual and tip is significant, it's going to depend entirely upon how you pull away and how harsh you are on the clutch. The Tip looses out because of the torque converter.
At "real driving" speeds the difference is much less (not much in it from 60-100 etc..), especially in the 5 gear tip. Ultimately, it's down to personal opinion but I wouldn't discount the tip. On the track you certainly won't miss any gears. The only downside of the tip on the track I found was that in very tight low speed corners, 2nd gear on the four speed box was not quite low enough and it often wouldn't let you select 1st. Again the 5sp tip or manual would be better there.
You do have to drive the V6 Mivec quite hard to get the performance out of it (keep the revs up above 4K) but that's half the fun!
Although the difference between the 0-60 times of the manual and tip is significant, it's going to depend entirely upon how you pull away and how harsh you are on the clutch. The Tip looses out because of the torque converter.
At "real driving" speeds the difference is much less (not much in it from 60-100 etc..), especially in the 5 gear tip. Ultimately, it's down to personal opinion but I wouldn't discount the tip. On the track you certainly won't miss any gears. The only downside of the tip on the track I found was that in very tight low speed corners, 2nd gear on the four speed box was not quite low enough and it often wouldn't let you select 1st. Again the 5sp tip or manual would be better there.
You do have to drive the V6 Mivec quite hard to get the performance out of it (keep the revs up above 4K) but that's half the fun!
Hmm
Well having owned 2 FTOs (current one for sale) I can say quite honestly, the Tiptronic is the best all rounder, its stunning in traffic, stunning to boot around, and only really gets pipped on the power by the GPX manual (it beats GR manual)
The tiptronic box is nice, allowing for 80% control over the car, compared to a manual, but with the whole headaches of traffic jams disappearing.
This is exactly why I opted to get a second Tip one this time round. Traffic jam no longer == Left let Ache.
check out the FTO Owners Club Rolling Road Figures.
www.ftooc.org/contents/pages/events/rollingroad/index.html
Not really that much in it is there.
unless your getting a weekend car, I would say the TIP is the box to have..
Ask yourself, why ARE 90% of them Tips...?
Because thats what the Japs specified them with when they bought them!
Well having owned 2 FTOs (current one for sale) I can say quite honestly, the Tiptronic is the best all rounder, its stunning in traffic, stunning to boot around, and only really gets pipped on the power by the GPX manual (it beats GR manual)
The tiptronic box is nice, allowing for 80% control over the car, compared to a manual, but with the whole headaches of traffic jams disappearing.
This is exactly why I opted to get a second Tip one this time round. Traffic jam no longer == Left let Ache.
check out the FTO Owners Club Rolling Road Figures.
www.ftooc.org/contents/pages/events/rollingroad/index.html
FTO OC RR Day said:
Name and Car BHP @ Wheels Estimated Flywheel Torque
1. Patt Torr GPvr aero Man. 164.0 210.2 163.6
2. Dave Emberton GPX Man 163.0 203.4 156.2
3. Pete Ide GPvr Man 162.8 208.0 159.4
4. Chris Lynch GPvr Man 158.1 212.6 164.4
5. Andy Geering GPX Man 158.0 204.1 164.9
6. Jason GPX Tip 157.4
Not really that much in it is there.
unless your getting a weekend car, I would say the TIP is the box to have..
Ask yourself, why ARE 90% of them Tips...?
Because thats what the Japs specified them with when they bought them!
Hi,
My wife has a GR Model and i have a 4ltr TVR Chim - when i'm working in town i choose to take the FTO every time. The auto with selectable tip is v good. Ok if your going along at about 50 and boot it to over take it seems to think a while before it drops down the gears to go. The tiptonic is also slightly slow as it dosen't change at the instant you move the gear lever - up or down the gears.
As an everyday car doing everyday journeys i don't think you can beat it for the money. As for practical it isn't really small back seats and short interior.
Lee
My wife has a GR Model and i have a 4ltr TVR Chim - when i'm working in town i choose to take the FTO every time. The auto with selectable tip is v good. Ok if your going along at about 50 and boot it to over take it seems to think a while before it drops down the gears to go. The tiptonic is also slightly slow as it dosen't change at the instant you move the gear lever - up or down the gears.
As an everyday car doing everyday journeys i don't think you can beat it for the money. As for practical it isn't really small back seats and short interior.
Lee
I went to look at an FTO recently and was told by the dealer selling the car that there is not a 'standard' FTO wheel - the factory would just put on whatever alloy the customer specified or what was available. He said this as I queried the wheels as they looked aftermarket. Is this a load of bull?
Big_M said:
I went to look at an FTO recently and was told by the dealer selling the car that there is not a 'standard' FTO wheel - the factory would just put on whatever alloy the customer specified or what was available. He said this as I queried the wheels as they looked aftermarket. Is this a load of bull?
total arse.
FTO Stock wheels look like this.
16". stock accross the range.
Nice cars tho, selling my second one atm.
Had noticed your FTO for sale Jamie - wont have the funds until later in the year and will probably want to spend about £10k on a newer facelift version. Have noticed that the GPX is a lot rarer than the GP or the GX when you get to the younger cars.
I have been thinking about joining the FTO owners club beforehand to get some advice. Any good?
I have been thinking about joining the FTO owners club beforehand to get some advice. Any good?
FTO OC is great, ditto Jcars.co.uk
both a wealth of knowledge, not overly full of 'young types' some seasoned members too.
The FTO is a very nice motor, its still up there with todays hot hatches, 200bhp from 2 litre,
imagine how ahead of its time it was in 1995!
GL looking for one, the benefit of a facelift is its likely to be a UK official one, makes insurance 10x easier.
both a wealth of knowledge, not overly full of 'young types' some seasoned members too.
The FTO is a very nice motor, its still up there with todays hot hatches, 200bhp from 2 litre,
imagine how ahead of its time it was in 1995!
GL looking for one, the benefit of a facelift is its likely to be a UK official one, makes insurance 10x easier.
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