Elio Motors is a US-based automaker that promises to give us a 3-wheeled car that costs only $6,800 and yet will return up to 84 mpg without using hybrid technology. It's the wet dream of every engineering student, so naturally we wanted to know everything.
We've been following Saabkyle04 for quite some time and saw how his channel grew from being relatively unknown to having three-quarters of a million subscribers. That means his Youtube channel is the perfect place for Elio to promote their upcoming product.
Kyle is invited by the company founded Paul Elio to discuss the feature of the Elio P4 prototype over a cup of coffee. What follows is 27 minutes of detailed analysis that hypermilers have been waiting for.
On February 6th, 2015, Elio Motors unveiled a new 0.9-liter three-cylinder. Apart from offering the 84 mpg (2.8 l/100 km) fuel consumption we mentioned at the beginning of the story, it's also reasonably nippy. The prototype is said to reach 60 mph (96 km/h) in 9.6 seconds and has a top speed of over 100 mph (160 km/h).
Of course, it's not yet ready for production, as Elio will build dozens more prototypes, right up to the P30. These are needed for validation and testing. Because the 3-wheeler is classed as a motorcycle, it doesn't need to pass the same safety regulations as a car, but its manufacturers still want it to be very safe. Three airbags, ABS and ESP will be standard while the body is designed to have crumple zones.
So what's it like to live with? Well, the fact that it doesn't have a back windshield is not a problem, according to Kyle. But the suspension is set quite firmly, which might put some people off. The setup will be changed soon, so the 3-wheeler won't be as jumpy over potholes. We honestly love the exterior design, but the same can't be said about the dash. Hopefully, they can do something to make it feel less like a kit car.
What's our say? We've always been fans of the Elio, but it might need some extra storage spaces. Some people might just buy it for the fun factor, so a roofless version might not be a bad idea.
Mihnea's favorite cars have already been built, the so-called modern classics from the '80s and '90s. He also loves local car culture from all over the world, so don't be surprised to see him getting excited about weird Japanese imports, low-rider VWs out of Germany, replicas from Russia or LS swaps down in Florida. Full profile
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