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Thread: Let's discuss... Elio.

  1. #1
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    Let's discuss... Elio.

    I had heard NOTHING about this thing, but I am a little intrigued.



    It's a 1+1 trike with a ~50hp inline three tugging 1200lbs. Claimed 84mpg, expected price under $7k.

    Reviews of it are pretty bad - doesn't drive well, is slow, is cramped - stuff that was said about Hyundai Excels and Yugos back in the day. I think America has largely forgotten (quickly) how terrible super cheap cars were. The Elio is like 60% the price of the cheapest car in America, but probably better than 60% as well equipped.

    Honestly, I am intrigued - everything Elio is saying about Elios rings true based on my experiences with the Fiat - most people would never notice the loss of big car features most of the time. The Elio still costs about twice what the Fiat does to run, although $7k buys the Elio outright and $4k rents the 500e for three years. Maybe the TCO ends up being similar.

    It appears the Elio is classified as a motorcycle in most places, but that's no guarantee. If it is, and that means emissions exemption, I'd be VERY curious about engine swaps for a diesel of some sort - because the potential of tiny diesel cars fascinates me.

    On the downside, Elio still doesn't have a manufacturing plan or even a fully realized prototype, so who knows if this will actually happen. It could just be more Aptera-esque hype. Hilariously, though, they have already struck a deal with Pep Boys for service and warranty concerns. Since they are a motorcycle in most places, they can be direct marketed without Tesla-type dealer hangups.

    Anywho, WTF?

  2. #2
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    hmmm... Why not just buy a motorcycle?

  3. #3
    mAdminstrator Random's Avatar
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    Motorcycles fall over and people run into them and there's no protection from the weather.
    Whoomah!

  4. #4
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    Trikes roll over!

    You have 3 wheel tracks, so will find more potholes and debris on the road.

    I just can't see the advantage of a 3 wheel car

  5. #5
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    I think in this case the advantages are weight and licensing. Elio gets around a LOT of legal requirements by making a "motorcycle," including crash testing, emissions, and distribution. Maybe others. But those advantages surely keep the price and probably the weight down even further. Totally agree the comfort & performance of three wheels is dumb compared to either 2-wheeled or 4-wheel vehicles.

    It is interesting to me, along with the three wheels, that Elio went long instead of wide - occupants sitting 1+1 instead of abreast. One of the nice things about the Smart is you can park it perpendicularly instead of parallel parking. The Elio is too long to do that - so its advantage would be ultra-narrow parking spaces... which seems a pretty limited skill. Although maybe cramming it into a crowded garage is useful, or maybe into dedicated motorcycle parking? How awesome/annoying would that be? IMHO, it should have been like the McLaren or CRX, 1+2/2+1. Maybe that configuration causes issues with its motorcycle classification.

  6. #6
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    Its a Can Am Spyder with a cabin.

  7. #7
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    Except it isn't.

  8. #8
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    Quote Originally Posted by Dicknose View Post
    I just can't see the advantage of a 3 wheel car
    In the US its a way of skirting a lot of Federal regulations that apply to 4 wheeled cars.


    Also it looks like a Mustang banged a New Beetle and then the middle was cut out of the offspring.

  9. #9
    Junior Potato
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    It's a huge bucket of fail.

  10. #10
    Relaxing and enjoying life MR2 Fan's Avatar
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    I would have rather had one of these...GM Lean Machine...early 1980's concept


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