Having driven a 190S on several occasions, it is by no means a daily driver. This is a full purpose race car. It doesn't like to idle, it is loud, the exhaust is obnoxious on the street. Fit this car with R-compound tires and you are in for a serious ride.

The fit and finish is marginal to say the least. This car makes you appreciate the S2000 and Honda even more.

The 190S runs 0-60 in under 5 seconds. It's power delivery is very much like ours. No torque down low and there is a rush above 6000rpm (8000 redline).

Maintanance is a nightmare - you have to remove the diffusers just to change the oil and jacking the car up is quite an exercise in itself. There is nothing easy about the car.

My $.02

 

They're way too common in the UK.
They look quite weird
No comfort
ugly colors (that violet )
I've driven a Vauxhall vx220 (quite similar manufacturing I think), and it felt treacherous, unstable and cheap.
It's so small and low, with such a short hood, that the idea of driving one on crowded US higways, between SUV's and Hummers, sounds very frightening!

 

I just read an article in Car & Driver that Sun International is able to import street-legal Elise, equipped w/ the Type-R engine. The cost? 55K Look at it this way, this thing buys you time -- it goes 0-60 in 4.8 sec (on paper).

Personally, I love the styling, inside and out. I have a biased admiration for exotic mini's...the Elise's shape is everything I could ever hope for.

I haven't had the privilege to drive one, but every article I have read raved its performance, acceleration and handling.

Definitely a second car though.

 

The Sun Car is NOT street legal. It has not been crash tested.

 

I think it is an awesome car. I've only read about it, as it isn't street legal here in the USA but it sure looks like an even more intense vision of the S2K.

sorry to hear about the reliability. That's a real shame.

 

Kamehamaha-

Are you Hawaiian? I'm Hapa Haole. I was intrigued by your "handle" as King Kamehameha spells his name a little different from your handle.

 

[QUOTE]Originally posted by meat
[B]The Sun Car is NOT street legal.

 

com'on guys....it's a LOTUS.....you expect certain .aaa ..excentricties.. in exchange for the driving experience...

 

[QUOTE]Originally posted by 1Y2KS2K
[B]
There have been several articles in car magazines, and mentioned in car test reports on TV to indicate that car manufacturers don't actually have to have cars crash tested.

 

GTRPower

Thanks for chiming in. I know enough about this stuff to be dangerous, but not all the details.

I also know that the ITR motor in the Sun cars is much heavier than the Rover 1.8. It has been said that this disrupts the handling of the car quite a bit.

As GTRPower mentioned - it's only a matter of time before Sun gets cracked down on. The publicity they draw to themselves astounds me at some points.