The August Edition on page132:

Mitsubishi 380 - Number 12 with 1569 units.

It's on the way up, folks.

Mind you, June could be skewed due to the end of year tax factor.

And I've just taken delivery of my VRX Series 2.

Woohoo!:P

Yeah I kind of knew about the June sales figures, but thanks for posting them.

Fk your 380 looks HOT.

Those mags (stock GT style) really really do suit the car.

Interior also looks very nice :D

Well done on your purchase and good luck with your SII 380VRX:badgrin: :badgrin:

Yeah and if the bulk of the population were holding off to see the new Camry first - which we now KNOW is an ugly dumpling of a thing - then the 380 should be on a roll even more so. Toyota's lost the styling plot, the VE is FAT as and not in a good way.... to my view the 380's future is looking brighter these days.

the VE is FAT as and not in a good way.... to my view the 380's future is looking brighter these days.

i actually thought it would be quite the opposite.. the VE looks a million miles better than the 380, and working with 380's day in, day out - they are certainly nothing to rave about, very ordinary i reckon..

although (obviously) i havent seen the VE (or Camry) in real life, but going by pics, the VE exceeds areas in which the 380 leaves a lot to be desired..

things like the (i know the one-pieced side panel is a good idea) but at the back of the rear door and around the rear wheel-arch it looks tacky and.. unfinished to put it best.. not even the upper spec. models get flares (like the ralliarts/VRX's etc) to sort of 'dress it up'

inside, the dash is just cheap. The outter side airvents where they but up to the doors look crap and so on..

yes, 380 is a fantastic car to drive and exceptional value for money, but i can totally understand why people arent lining up down the road to buy them..

good for MMAL that the numbers are rising though:thumbsup:

Thanks ADZ,

Really happy with it. I talked to the Brisbane dealer here who said there is a factory lowering package now available. This is great news for those who want to keep the car within spec. He also said it makes quite an improvment to the already excellent handling.

i actually thought it would be quite the opposite.. the VE looks a million miles better than the 380, and working with 380's day in, day out - they are certainly nothing to rave about, very ordinary i reckon..

although (obviously) i havent seen the VE (or Camry) in real life, but going by pics, the VE exceeds areas in which the 380 leaves a lot to be desired..

things like the (i know the one-pieced side panel is a good idea) but at the back of the rear door and around the rear wheel-arch it looks tacky and.. unfinished to put it best.. not even the upper spec. models get flares (like the ralliarts/VRX's etc) to sort of 'dress it up'

inside, the dash is just cheap. The outter side airvents where they but up to the doors look crap and so on..

yes, 380 is a fantastic car to drive and exceptional value for money, but i can totally understand why people arent lining up down the road to buy them..

good for MMAL that the numbers are rising though:thumbsup:

Well thanks for your opinion.

In my view, the VE is caught between two models like the Magna TL. Half of it has morphed into BMW/BA-esque while the other is the same old shape. In the eye of the beholder, old son...

Maybe before any more posts continue with VE styling how bout we actually see the car in the metal?

although (obviously) i havent seen the VE (or Camry) in real life, but going by pics, the VE exceeds areas in which the 380 leaves a lot to be desired..

things like the (i know the one-pieced side panel is a good idea)

Dont the 380 side one- pieced as well?If so,holden copying the idea:nuts:

I seen a VE Calais V in the flesh today driving along Torrens Rd near the North Adelaide Aquatic centre. It was light burgandy in colour and I can tell you it was nothing to be extatic about. I seen it to the right of my eye at the intersection where I proceded to look upon it when the light was red. At the back the taillights don't look too bad but I really like the look of the 380VRX/GT ones (this was at night so they were lit up). As I accelerated he tried to get in front of me (going towards the city) where it merges to one lane so I gave the Verada a bit of a jolt and he had no chance :D When he was behind me the one thing I realised is how oversized (and pathetically so) the Holden badge was. I really didn't think it looked all that different then the VZ, apart from the fact that the grill makes it look like the car is smiling and the wheel arches make the car look fat (overly so aswell). Only good comment is that the headlights looked cool while on, other then that definitely nothing to get excited about.

I really doesn't look like an all new model from the outside, the interior creates greater differentiation, but other then that the improvement is negligible.


In my opinion the 380VRX/GT looks better then any Commodore in the VE range. I know its personal taste, but the 380VRX/GT has styling that differentiates itself entirely from the TL/TW (previous) Magna range and appears very unique, particuarly in exterior styling.

While some may brag on about the 380 having a shabby interior it really is a point of personal perception. If I was to grade the 380's interior I would give the base model a 6/10 and any model above the base an 8 to 9/10. The only things I don't like are the rear door panels, lack of adjustable rear headrestraints and the front (lower) centre console. Other than that I don't see a problem with the 380's interior and find it better then many other cars. Saying that some may argue that the dash should be made out of higher quality (not so hard) platics and that the door panels need re-designing.

Thanks ADZ,

Really happy with it. I talked to the Brisbane dealer here who said there is a factory lowering package now available. This is great news for those who want to keep the car within spec. He also said it makes quite an improvment to the already excellent handling.

Good to hear you are happy with it and I am interested that the factory lowering package is now available as I hadn't heard anything about it for a while.


By the way, speaking of the interior in my last post, what do you think of it (as you own a 380)??

i havent seen any ve in real life but many ppl commented that they look good in the pics

anyway just about the new camry, everywhere auto article i read, i hear ppl saying theyre look good, personally i find them a bit weird, definately not as nice as ppl made them out to be.

Maybe before any more posts continue with VE styling how bout we actually see the car in the metal?

Fair enough..

Naturally, because you own a 380, you are going to defend them to a certain extent..

And as much as i want to like the 380 and want for it to be a success, the visual/aesthetic quality just lets it down too much for my liking..

With the amount of research MMAL did on this car (and the amount of money they spent) the 380 should be a car thats perfect in every sense of the word.. to me, it isnt.. and the only thing that i think is bringing it down (or stoping it from succeeding) is its visual quality..

All the salesmen at work have indicated that the general conception of the public is that its a fantastic car to drive but the inside "looks cheap and tacky and fails to render a sense of any real quality".. things like the rear dor panels and so on could have been improved with the release of Series 2, however MMAL decided to change nothing..

To me, there are many areas of importance to consider when buying a new car, and aesthetics would nearly be the highest factor on my list.. if the car doesnt look good (shape and quality wise) then people arent going to be interested in how well it drives or how reliable it is..

its all about first impressions, if people walk into a car yard and see a car and think it is ugly and sit in it and think the inside looks cheap and tacky, then they are more likely to walk out of the yard and look at other brands than take it for a test drive..

all in all, i dont mind the exterior styling of the VRX/GT's, its just the interior is a major let down and i beleive that is one of the main reasons for its slow launch..

/end my 2c worth

Fair enough..

Naturally, because you own a 380, you are going to defend them to a certain extent..

And as much as i want to like the 380 and want for it to be a success, the visual/aesthetic quality just lets it down too much for my liking..

With the amount of research MMAL did on this car (and the amount of money they spent) the 380 should be a car thats perfect in every sense of the word.. to me, it isnt.. and the only thing that i think is bringing it down (or stoping it from succeeding) is its visual quality..

All the salesmen at work have indicated that the general conception of the public is that its a fantastic car to drive but the inside "looks cheap and tacky and fails to render a sense of any real quality".. things like the rear dor panels and so on could have been improved with the release of Series 2, however MMAL decided to change nothing..

To me, there are many areas of importance to consider when buying a new car, and aesthetics would nearly be the highest factor on my list.. if the car doesnt look good (shape and quality wise) then people arent going to be interested in how well it drives or how reliable it is..

its all about first impressions, if people walk into a car yard and see a car and think it is ugly and sit in it and think the inside looks cheap and tacky, then they are more likely to walk out of the yard and look at other brands than take it for a test drive..

all in all, i dont mind the exterior styling of the VRX/GT's, its just the interior is a major let down and i beleive that is one of the main reasons for its slow launch..

/end my 2c worth
You do make some good points. Whilst alot of what you say is all relative and comes down to personal taste, when there's a significant no of comments relating to specific aspects such as the interior, you know there's something more to it.

The positive aspect of this is that 380's aesthetic issues can be fixed without a great deal of effort. I too was disappointed at the lack of change for DB series 2, but hopefully we'll see some more design flair, both in AND out, early next year.

The August Edition on page132:

Mitsubishi 380 - Number 12 with 1569 units.

It's on the way up, folks.

Mind you, June could be skewed due to the end of year tax factor.

And I've just taken delivery of my VRX Series 2.

Woohoo!:P

from the interior photo did mitsu replaced the carbon fibre look of the dash? if it is it's a shame coz i think a lot of ppl liked it!

By the way, speaking of the interior in my last post, what do you think of it (as you own a 380)??

After the KE Verada it's definitely a minimalistic approach, no doubt, but don't read anything more into it. The KE is/was very clossetting and tight for room inside. The 380 seems much bigger and has a lighter ambience. A lot of the features are understated but it's the sports model so that's cool. I don't have a problem with hard plastics/fittings etc. but it is trimmed with leather and it seems to meld OK.



To me, there are many areas of importance to consider when buying a new car, and aesthetics would nearly be the highest factor on my list.. if the car doesnt look good (shape and quality wise) then people arent going to be interested in how well it drives or how reliable it is..

its all about first impressions, if people walk into a car yard and see a car and think it is ugly and sit in it and think the inside looks cheap and tacky, then they are more likely to walk out of the yard and look at other brands than take it for a test drive..

all in all, i dont mind the exterior styling of the VRX/GT's, its just the interior is a major let down and i beleive that is one of the main reasons for its slow launch..

/end my 2c worth

Well, I understand your viewpoint. The 380 doesn't come across as the usual aggressive front end/ get outta my way style. It's more European and I like that.

I test drove a number of Honda's and the Saab 9-5 as well as the usual F/H and I was surprised that the Honda interiors didn't do much for me (and not just me also my girlfriend).

Enough people seem not to like the interiors as stated; acknowledged.
For me, on balance, the VRX interiors were quite acceptable compared to the other models including the Ford XR6, and the rest of the package more than compensated.

A number of people at my work have stated that the 380 styling has grown on them since the launch.

Anyway, I'm now a happy owner but I'm not going to be a 380 apologist - if someone doesn't like the car - well and good, buy something else. It fulfils everything I want and it wasn't even on my list when I first started looking at the options - I was going to "downgrade" to a 4. So in a way I was in the Mitsu target market.

With a few people drawing complaints about the 380 I thought why not look at what MMAL may/will be improving on it in the near future.

Has anyone got any news on the new 190kw 380VRX set to be launched in March (or early) next year?

I have looked on the net and Wikipedia states that a 190kw VRX would've been available during March 2006, which was obviously not the case (I understood it was pushed back to get other Mitsubishi products, such as the Outlander here earlier).

I just came across this on the net which sort of matched my idea of things. It suggests that the updated, sportier and more powerful 380VRX would be on display at this years Sydney International Motor-Show.

http://www.automotiveindustrynews.com/auto33057296.htm

http://redbook.goauto.com.au/mellor/mellor.nsf/story2/1E82B59923C312A9CA25716300090B25

I realise that this article was only a few days after the SII launch and from what I read it sounds like they were planning to launch SII in October, which is obviously not the case. At the same time I don't know why the writer of this article would've known that SII had already been launched.

After reading the article I realised that the show-car at the Sydney MS may not have the new engine but should have the new looks/styling tweaks.

Does anyone know if the new 380VRX is going to be on display at the Sydney International Motor-Show?

Thanks :D

Yeah VFacts publishes the sales figures 3 or 4 days after month end, Wheels is way behind.

I thought the interior was a draw card, after being in a few I love the LCD thingy in the dash, and the interior lights at night.
When you see a VRX or GT 380 cruising down the highway you know exactly what it is, it stands out, there an awesome design, I've done lots of tech drawing etc and from my experience they are very well designed.
Other makers have some very poor elements of design(TL for instance), they took a bit from here there and everywhere and whack it all together in a package, but not the 380, alot of thought has gone into its design, it may not be visible to all but it is there.

I have a few holden mates (owning sv6000, hsv maloo, ssv crewman etc) who say the 380 is a very nice looking car, they just wish it was RWD.
They cant say a thing wrong about it other then that.
They know damn well it has a good engine and that its reliable etc.

So maybe the problem lies there.

Quite a few people say about my car, "is'nt it FWD???" and that instantly dismisses it.
It's not till I shove em in my car and go for a fang around the twisties that they change their mind on FWD.

So MMAL should probably be teaching the general public a little more about FWD technology and how well a balanced and set up FWDer can really be.

Sorry, the guy that started this thread, mighty fine vehicle you have yourself there, wish I had one.:D

Thnx Bud,

A few more shots....

well with all the new style of cars coming out, i can come to my final jugdement, the 380 and the ford, and some of the holden range ( not all), have good styling the rest look, bland or ugly,

so the 380 is really gathering momentum, lets hope it continues,

:( looser....

I so want a 380 VRX or even more a GT. Wanna swap lol

I personally love their styling and especially their interiors! Im not a fan at all of the Holden (havent seen the VE) and Ford interiors but i love the 380 and Sportivo interiors!

Enjoy your car mate! Im jealous :P

Hello Vanquish,

This isn't a Holden versus 380 thread. Take your pics to the VE thread if you must.

Hello Vanquish,

This isn't a Holden versus 380 thread. Take your pics to the VE thread if you must.

Exactly.

Keep to the topic or find a new forum to boast about the VE on..