written by on 08/10/2013
Why buy an old Japanese Coupe, considering the potential minefield of problems associated? The first thing that would usually come to mind. Considering the current low purchase price of these (which must surely go up, as their "classic" status matures), you are buying into a rare, Sporty, Individual, surprisingly economical and practical, 2 door Coupe. There IS a back seat, that can seat 2 adults, or child seats. Plus there IS a decent boot, which recently I was able to drop 2 suitcases into, on an airport trip. At the time of manufacture (1994-2000), features of the FTO were well ahead of their day. Infact even today some features you just dont get on some modern vehicles - such as the 'intelligent' electronic ECU that adapts gear changes on the AUTO gearbox, as it "learns" your driving style, whether you are a cruiser, or the more 'enthusiastic' weekend driver. Plus even today, considering they are now 13+ years old - they look more racy and youthful than your regular bland hatchbacks on the road, with the sleek lines over the front arches, to the drop off the rear end. As you would expect, with Japanese reliability, these cars DO just keep on running. Even as an "older" car, there is still extensive availability of spare parts - both brand new original replacement items, also aftermarket tuning parts. These can be sourced from a handful of well trusted Internet auto suppliers, also on EBay, where cars are being split with all parts for sale. Add to this a handful of Mitsubishi FTO enthusiast forums, so you will never get stuck should you have a problem - or just to chat and exchange experiences with others who also drive these cars. My FTO - It is used as my daily driver, commuting to work and back, it has never dropped a beat. Plus I'm completely aware that it's an individual, unique and sporty Coupe, with sporting heritage, that brings back that magic every time I get behind the wheel - unlike your regular bland and boring hatchbacks. In the future I plan to garage mine and keep it as a project car (2nd car), for the weekends. Dare to be different? Consider an FTO. :-)
written by lee atkinson on 29/03/2013
For so little money you can pick up this real head turner which is becomming more and more rare on uk roads . Unfortunatly if you want a cheap economical car to run ,this isnt it average mpg is 25-33 . But what you get is great stylish looks, beautiful handling, electric windows , A/c ,Power steering electric wing mirrors etc .I am currently driving the rare gs model which is an auto ,If you speak to the owners club which is really useful for power and economy the manual is more benificial . Seating is comfy for the driver and front passenger but really no good for adults in the back . The boot is very generous for a coupe head room for taller drivers could be an issue The car is available in typical colours i.e red, black ,white ,silver, yellow ,burgendy etc . typical models are FTO GS 1.8 aprox 125 bhp FTO GR 170 BHP FTO GPX 200 BHP FTO GPR 200+ BHP My advise is to join the owners club ,take your time and buy from a member who has looked after there FTO . Do not buy if the car has not been undersealed as the car is likely to be rusted away underneath .Also check the inner wings in the engine bay for signs of corrosion . Always query when the timming belt was last done and water pump ? this is aprox a £400.00 job . Lee Atkinson sunderland
written by on 15/03/2013
I like every thing about the car except the noise of the rear wheel that i could not repair from any mechanic.
written by on 18/03/2011
Sold my beloved Caterham 7 and bought a 1999 GPX manual as a cheap, practical second car (toy). I absolutely love it. The power curve above 3000 rpm is beautiful, then at 5500 it becomes quite astonishing. It can be driven placidly around town with no fuss, but is a beast when the MIVEC is on song. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, but I think that the FTO is a work of art, from any angle. The kids love it, my wife loves it, even the mother in law likes it! Fuel consumption is reasonable, given the performance of that howling, turbine like, V6 and as a weekend toy she can't be beaten for the price. Magic car.
written by on 11/07/2010
My fto is a 96 GR (Non-MIVEC) tiptronic in passion red which I have owwned for 8 years. They come with elec windows/mirrors, power steering, digital air-con, fully adjustable seats (Incl. lumbar support) and steering column (Though if buying there are a lot of other mods/extra's available depending on what extra's the original japenes owner decided to pay for when bought new ... so choose carefully and be picky!).
It has two seats at the rear but if like me you like the drivers seat far back to allow plenty of leg room there is no space in rear although, bit of a squeeze I have had 4 adults in my car!
The boot I find is spacious and will happily take a family shop and then some!
Power is reasonable and the drive really is great though a bit harsh/stiff. Mine is a tiptronic gearbox (Switchable between Auto and Semi-auto which allows manual gear change with no cluth). Everyday driving in Auto is great, particularly in town but when the road opens up the semi-box really livens things up! However, manual box is quicker and more fuel efficient but its down to personal preferance.
Reliabilty is typical Japenese, or has been on mine ..... touch wood! Despite being laid up for 3 years a brake overhall (Which it required before being laid up!), new alternator and typical fluid changes, etc she runs like a dream and I use her every day for 40mile round trip to work!
Downsides .... Thirsty on fuel especially compared to newer petrol and especially diesel cars. Not as comfortable as everyday cars (Mondeo's, Vectra's, etc) but they dont handle anywhere as good as fto's and there is very little on market similar (especially for less than £2000!) that will put such a huge smile on your face! Also, insurance premiums can be high so always get a quote before buying, however this is reflected in the price of the car in the first place .... You cant have a car with such great head turning looks, great performance and equipment, now costing as little as they do without any drawbacks!
If you judge car ownership by the size of the smile on your face then the fto is definately the one to go for if you want the all round best on a budget!
written by on 02/02/2010
I bought my FTO mivec after being a VR6 man for a long time i watched many videos on the car and read a lot of reviews , so i took one for a test drive and fell in love with it it hits 80 in 2nd gear and handles like no other front wheel drive car ive ever driven in fact a lot of ppl think when driving its rear wheel drive or four wheel as it handles that well. But as too the mr2 debate a turbo will be quiker ....but you can do a vr4 conversion if you want !!! then there a bit daft ..but theres a vid on youtube called (FTO Tsukuba Race)there all standard and driven by race drivers the only car that beats the fto mivec manual with 5 laps is the M3 ...MR2 gets trounced so does the supra infact heres the car list ...A 5 lap race of the Tsukuba Circuit featuring a Mitsubishi FTO GPX up against a Toyota Levin GT-Z, Honda Integra Si, Nissan 180SX, Toyota MR2, BMW M3 and a Toyota Supra. shows how good it corners and is relativly quik ...go on buy one you know you wanna :)
written by on 12/05/2009
Really quick, especially when switching to 'manual' selector on semi gearbox, good handling, reliable, and a real 'drivers' car. Mitsubishi FTO is a great car...almost as much fun as the 2.0 Starion's used to be.
written by on 21/04/2009
Hi, i always liked the look of Mitsi's FTO but never had the bottle to go out and buy one. Several years ago i bought the WRX on the forecourt of the importers rather than the FTO cos the girlfriend didn't like the look of it! Then i became a MR2 convert and have driven toyota's mid engine maestro for several years now but due to the requirement for a back seat it was back to searching for something sporty, japanese, fun, affordable but with a back seat - the MR2 had to go lol - oh and it had to look good also.
Looked at several cars but found myself drawn to the FTO and finally after searching around i sourced a sweet 1996 GPX mivec with the tiptronic box. The car is well equiped with aircon, full leather, electrics and has some nice aftermarket bits fitted - nothing too harsh just a nice exhaust and filter which accentuate the sweet sounding V6 and some crystal side repeaters to get rid of the rather unsightly orange "boiled sweets" on the wings!
Driving the car is a pleasure - very comfortable seating position, adjustable steering column and seat allows for almost any human shape to be accomodated! The feel on entry and half way through a corner instill confidence allowing the driver to concentrate fully on the job in hand. All instruments are easily read and well positioned with very little clutter.
Only drawbacks i have found are the fuel economy - it can be quite a thirsty beast! - and the front wheel drive layout does detract slightly from the more fun aspects of driving. The GPX with the mivec is plenty powerful but really needs to be held high up the revs to stay in the mivec zone and keep going - the noise from this will scare most drivers making them back off and not seeing the cars full potential. A turbo charged version would have given this car the extra power to suit the looks but may have required a change to rear wheel drive as it may simply have been too much power to put through the front wheels!
All in all a very capable 2+2 giving the sporty drive but with the practicality of passenger space and a boot which can hold a family's shopping or plenty of luggage.
written by PI LACAY CG on 14/04/2008
Very satisfying to drive and I hope they would continue the fto series production. Got an Mitsubishi FTO gr passion red.
written by John from Downunder on 26/09/2006
Bought this Mitsubishi FTO on strength of reviews here. Got passion red GR with tiptronic. It's very reliable and a lot of fun to drive. Now spend my time fantasising about body-kit manual GPX and that 20% extra whoooosh. But tipronic a lot of fun and 2 speed tickets enough thus far, a bit sobering. Darn! Great car. Would buy again. GPX next time!
written by Chancer on 05/09/2006
Only had the Mitsubishi FTO a few months now but it is my third in the last 4 years.
Lovely drive, real headturner for the cash. Performance wise, for a ten year old car its hard to beat. I have a Tip gearbox so it's not as fast as a manual but I for a lazy driver like me.. a tip is great....
Petrol prices seem to be coming down too so thats a plus!!!
written by Shane Keat on 23/01/2006
Love the Mitsubishi FTO, not had it long but oh man.
Stats are 7.6 secs to 100kmh 15.5 to 400m mine is manual GX 2Lv6 with big bore exhaust and pod filter after market suspension 17.
written by FTO96 on 04/01/2006
The Misubishi FTO is great it sure turns heads and it does look a lot more expensive then it is. This was the most cute but sporty car and it took me awile to get up the guts to get one because its imported, I thought I might regret it but I'm still as much in love with it as the day I got it don't think about it go FTO
written by wittzi on 03/08/2005
Don't get me wrong I love my FTO which I've owned for just over one year. Very little has gone wrong with it. It's quick and it looks (and sounds) awesome and looks way more than its worth. Mine is a 1998 GX for £5,000.
However, you can't help but feel that this car should have been faster and whilst you can modify it extensively you're never going to be getting the gains that the Turbo jap cars will achieve.
Also as standard the pre-face lift models (and some newer ones) can look a bit plain and IMHO needs a new exhaust. Much larger wheels - the arches are huge compared to standard Mitsi alloys and some side skirts.
Full service is £750 which is pretty expensive but then it is a performance car so that's what you can expect.
Major things to watch out for when buying one would be random idling (ECU might be on its way out - costly to replace), steering issues (pulling one way or the other and when braking), jerky gear changes (a good condition tiptronic is very smooth) and 'tired' performance after 4000 revs (should explode into life around 4-5K revs). If it's not been undersealed then its important to do so as the Japanese don't use salt on their roads and so don't bother undersealing their cars.
If you get one that avoids these problems then you will have a car that still has more moden gadgets than your average car on today's forecourts, looks and sounds great and, importantly, is good on fuel.
Insurance, services and lack of fully explosive power are the only drawbacks but against what you're getting for your money I would fully recommend one.
written by owen3 on 22/07/2004
The Mitsubishi FTO is smartly designed, both in and out.
Too much is made of the larger engine. The 1800cc, which I have, is plenty power for all types of driving and very economical. An applause should go up for the tiptronic transmission. Very cool for an automatic and quite useful on windy mountain roads.
written by Liaquat. on 12/06/2003
An excellent 2+2, 200bhp from a 2litre and exceptionally cheap to get hold of in the UK. circa 6-7k for a GPX.
3 main models, GS (1.8 ltr) GR (2.0 ltr) and the GPX (2.0 ltr) other variants are GX,GPVR(Lightened GPX).
The GPX has MIVEC, which allows the Car to use another set of Cams at 5800 rpm. Sorry im not a motorhead with the Jargon! this will allow normal driving below 5800 rpm and sports above 5800. Avg MPG will be 20/25mpg .. although you will want to rev and hear the awesome sound and power, so dont be surprised if your fuel economy drops!
Insurance is a pain, although if you go with the specialist importers you should be ok.. 30+ y/o with NCB in a Major City circa 800 pounds. Aplan are very good.
Servicing, there are quite a few service centres nationwide that can work with the FTO and there shouldnt be any issues.
Maintenance manuals are available from the Net to assist any mechanic to maintain the FTO.
Mods, again there are quite a few modders out there and thre should be some Turbo kits available soon!
Support, the FTO Owners Club in the UK is a very helpful and friendly bunch of people who can assist and advise on most issues, if the collective cant help.. theres always the specialists FTO mechanics Japco/Jappex/Camskill/CMS/Eurospec.
Hope this helps!
written by Dave. on 19/04/2003
A great looking car despite the wheels which are too small to fill the arches. The real revelation is the handling which is roller-skate precise. Mortals driving rear-drive beasts, give up now. Engine is a gem, if one with a few impurities. It's beautifully smooth and loves to rev all the way to 8000RPM but keep it below 6000 and watch those Micras and diesel Astras fly by. Once on song the performance is good but not as spectacular as the engine note may fool you into thinking (0-60 in 7.5 seconds for a Tiptronic MIVEC). Apparently the manual is the best part of a second quicker, but frequent changing is necessary to get the best out of such a rev hungry engine. Reliability and Mitsubishi are almost synonymous and this car is no exception. Avoid dealers and source parts from independents and this car is really cheap to keep on the road. Be sure you are over 25 if you want a sensible insurance premium. As for acommodation, whoever claims the boot is small must have thought sports coupes are a type of 4X4 or estate car. For a wee sports car, the boot is pretty damn good. There are even rear seats which are handy for those with small children or for Douglas Bader.
written by Squiggy. on 23/01/2003
I purchased my GPX Tiptronic FTO about year ago now. When I first sat in it, I freaked, I was so low to the ground. The FTO has fantastic take off and quick acceleration. Stick a turbo in it and watch it fly. With its sleek design and great traction, the FTO is a fantastic car for the sports car enthusiast that's into style and speed.
written by rich. on 20/10/2002
The Mitsubishi FTO is a nice car. Very quick off the mark but doesn't corner and is quiet. Very reliable, around £80,000, no boot as such (nos) but is a brilliant babe magnet.
Written on: 19/04/2003
I think the reviewer is getting his cars mixed up. FTO is not quiet even in standard un-modded form, corners like it's on rails PROVIDED you don't skimp on the rubber, has a boot as big as my old Vectra 2.5 SRi and was never £80k, even new.
written by Alaba_b. on 29/07/2002
My husband bought this mitsubishi FTO for me on my birthday (I am not sure if he bought it for himself). It only comes out during the week ends. Despite all the latest and modern sports cars around, the FTO still draws attention.
Unfortunately an idiot has broken into mine in Hackney, London. The drivers window was broken and I could see problems looming. It's been a sad day for the family - the baby has been humiliated. There were so many cars on the well light road why mine!
Written on: 02/01/2004
If your car only goes out on weekends it may be worth thinking about limited mileage insurance, I have an FTO GR which is my second car, I have it insured with mileage limited to 1500 miles a year and it cost £220 fully comp! if I go over the agreed limit I simply pay the extra for the next level, ie 3000 would probably be an extra £80-100 or so.
<br>Richard.
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72828_Spankmebandit.'s Response to 45124_rich.'s Review
Written on: 14/02/2003
The FTO is one of the best handling FF cars in the world.
Performance is fairly average in a straight line but try to keep up on some corners.
Quiet, You should have been in Sydney when 12 FTO with Modified Exhausts and intakes drove down george street in formation.