I havent seen the magazine yet but I believe the 380 didn't even make the last 4 in the Wheels COTY this year. Anyone know how it went?

MX5 won it...There's a thread in the members lounge I think...or it's in General.

I know that the Mazda won it..... I asked how the 380 went.... wondering why it didn't make the last 4. Wheels normally list reasons as they cut cars from the race.

I just assumed that it hadn't been out long enough to give it a fair rating... even if it was in the running. Maybe for 2006? Weelllll, we can only hope hey?

I know that the Mazda won it..... I asked how the 380 went.... wondering why it didn't make the last 4. Wheels normally list reasons as they cut cars from the race.

Sorry, the way I read "anyone know how it went" was the "it" referred to the COTY not the 380.

I just assumed that it hadn't been out long enough to give it a fair rating... even if it was in the running. Maybe for 2006? Weelllll, we can only hope hey?

Unless the 380 is significantly changed and meets Wheels criteria before the 2006 COTY (I can't see that happening), we won't see her compete for this award again. :(

I just assumed that it hadn't been out long enough to give it a fair rating... even if it was in the running. Maybe for 2006? Weelllll, we can only hope hey?
Yeah the 380 series 2 due later this year could just about stitch it up. :shock:

direct quotes from the "380" page in the Wheels COTY section - "author, PETER ROBINSON - Wheels" :-

Paragraph 1: Sadly, a supportive understanding of the enormity of under-resourced mitsubishi's acheivement in actually creating the 380 isn't reason enough to make a COTY winner. the 380 is a fine all-rounder, but the cost- and corner- cutting that made building the new car possible all too frequently finds its way to the surface.

Paragraph 2: If only, the judges kept repeating, the 380 wasn't as conservatively styled, and delivered greater visual demarcation (inside and out) between the different variants; if only it offered a stability control system, even as an option; if only the build and material quality of the base level car's dashboard wasn't so obviously a discount special; if only the price of the entry-level 380 was $2500 lower. if only...

Paragraph 7: But just when it begins to win over any doubters, the driver discovers the base car's cheap-plastic steering wheel is only height and not reach adjustable, thus compromising the driving position. or notices the cheap rear door trims that could belong on a 15-year-old japanese ute, and the way the front seats fall away at the edges when loaded. and discovers the shortage of standard safety kit. that's when the sympathy votes seriously began to ebb away. we don't need to tell mitsubishi that en extra $500 on interior appointments and equipment, and exterior styling, would instantly transform the 380 from prudent to must-have status, and not just in terms of the COTY requirements.

END QUOTE.

Paragraph's 3,4,5 & 6 were very postive towards the 380.

those quotes are so true.. was reading through the magazine today and totally agree with them.

i must say, the 380 is growing on me, but there are little things (like the rear door panels, the front side airvents and surrounding plastics, the base steering wheel plastics etc etc) that just make me think, for a car that cost $600m to develop, its extremely clear in what areas they have cut costs in.

Also the front head rests on the base 380, LS and LX look really weird, and the tops of the seats are too square like.. just a little thing i noticed that doesnt appeal to me..

buuuut, if they fix these things up, which im sure they will, for series 2 then they may get another look in next year..

Yes they are all valid points, but saying that you jump into most new cars these days and you will find some build/design issue if you look hard enough. I did think he was being a bit petty criticising the "cheap rear door trim". I mean you have things like engine, chassis, gearbox, suspension etc those are important issues with a car, but rear door trim? My Dads new MX5 (COTY) has heaps of design flaws, but u take it for what it is. For example you need to be a contortionist to find the seatbelt and pull it over you. You cannot see the key hole at all so either blindly stab at the dash with the key or bend your head down to your knee to spot it. This is even worse at night, Parts of the interior are straight out of a 1992 Hyundai Excel, the glove compartment is awful and cheap etc etc etc None of these things I've ever heard mentioned, simply because in the grand scheme of things they are largely irrelevant because what you have is a great little car that is amazing to drive. Having a sh*tty glovebox is completly irrelvant as is having naff rear door trim.

Yeah the 380 series 2 due later this year could just about stitch it up. :shock:
Not unless it's a huge facelift. Most other largish facelifts have never been considered such as the BF, VY and VZ.

I have to agree with what Wheels said actually.

Main things that disappoint me about the 380 which were brought up, is the lack of curtain airbags, non adjustable rear headrests, no reach adjustment for the wheel. Just basically cost cutting all round.

As ppl on the previous page mentioned series 2 for later '06 (probably just after commodore's release) it will probably fill in areas mentioned from Vormund such as adding curtain airbags as an option and making them standard on LX and GT. As well as reach adjustment on the wheel and possibly adjustable rear head-rests (heck the Verada has adjustable headrests... why would they remove them from the car?). And possibly stability control and emergency brake assist.

In effect things like rear adjustable headrests and a reach adjustable steering wheel are not generally expensive things to add to a vehicle range. The curtain (and possibly head) airbags should become available along with ESP and EBA. Another thing to possibly add is active head restraints (which hyundai included on there getz and other cars and got a good safety rating) as this reduces whiplash for front passangers and you'd think if its in a Getz it shouldnt be too expensive to include in the 380.

Just say though these are the only upgrades to the vehicle along with a few slight exterior styling changes and other changes here and there would it honeslty be enough to consider it for the 2006 Wheels car of the Year?. I don't think it would be, but we'll have to wait and see; as for what will change in 10 months time I can't think of any cost effective options they could add to the vehicle? (possibly GPS standard in GT or something and upgrade to 180kw....but thats it really?)

I still think the rear headroom is the worst feature of the 380 by far. My head gets crushed by the roof. Never experienced that in any other car.

The 380 headroom is adequete. I only say this as once you start driving the car the back seat passangers will start to slope down in the seat (as you do in most cars) so that your back is parrallel with the backrest of the seat instead of sitting to upright. This thus stops your head from being so close the the roof. After often sitting in the back seat of my mums Verada (even on long trips to VIC) I can say that the headroom seemed short once first hoping in but once you relax it is fine (and I am 178cm tall, which isn't giant but isn't short either). And after sitting in the back of a 380 a few times (my dad has a fleet base 380) I can confirm rear headroom is slightly better then the Magna/Verada but not a huge improvement. In fact it is still significantly less then the Falcon and Commodore. But, I spose when building a car you don't always have rear seat passangers so it probably wasn't first priority.

The 380 headroom is adequete. I only say this as once you start driving the car the back seat passangers will start to slope down in the seat (as you do in most cars) so that your back is parrallel with the backrest of the seat instead of sitting to upright. This thus stops your head from being so close the the roof. After often sitting in the back seat of my mums Verada (even on long trips to VIC) I can say that the headroom seemed short once first hoping in but once you relax it is fine (and I am 178cm tall, which isn't giant but isn't short either). And after sitting in the back of a 380 a few times (my dad has a fleet base 380) I can confirm rear headroom is slightly better then the Magna/Verada but not a huge improvement. In fact it is still significantly less then the Falcon and Commodore. But, I spose when building a car you don't always have rear seat passangers so it probably wasn't first priority.

Again dude I have to say check your facts. Not only have I sat in the 380, but so too has Mitsubishi. "Mitsubishi says the 380 is slightly narrower inside than a Falcon or Commodore, but larger than a Magna except in rear headroom."

http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5744,17623082%255E13232,00.html

According to Mitsu the rear headroom is 941mm in the 380 and was 952mm in the Magna. I honeslty thought the 380 had more after being in one and the salesman also stated that the 380 had slightly more headroom than the Magna. Obviously I took his word for it, but to be honest 11mm is just a change in height of just over 1cm. I mean man I don't know how tall you are, but I must admit for taller people (taller than me anyhow), it would become a problem.

The 2006 Wheels COTY result does not surprise me. Although the 380 is a significant step forward from the last of the Magnas, there is nothing about the 380 that gets people emotionally attached to it. I say it is a very competent car which could have been much better if it wasn't for MMC's cost cutting.

FF

Just say though these are the only upgrades to the vehicle along with a few slight exterior styling changes and other changes here and there would it honeslty be enough to consider it for the 2006 Wheels car of the Year?. I don't think it would be, but we'll have to wait and see; as for what will change in 10 months time I can't think of any cost effective options they could add to the vehicle? (possibly GPS standard in GT or something and upgrade to 180kw....but thats it really?)
I doubt it would be a large enough change. The VY brought in new front and rear ends, a new interior. The VZ brought in a all-new V6 and 5-speed auto. The BF brought in an upgraded engine and state of the art transmission. Yet none of their were considered for COTY.

All in all the car is very good indeed, there are a few niggles that sell it short of the mark, but still a very worthy car to be purchased indeed.

I doubt it would be a large enough change. The VY brought in new front and rear ends, a new interior. The VZ brought in a all-new V6 and 5-speed auto. The BF brought in an upgraded engine and state of the art transmission. Yet none of their were considered for COTY.

I doubt there will be enough changes as well to make the 380 eligible at any time in the near future. TL wasn't eligible either.

If the VY's facelift was the same time as the VZ's V6 and auto, (in other words VY VZ combined together as one facelift.) I'm pretty sure it would have been eligible for COTY.