The Elio - Would you drive this?

"PilotMan" (Pilotman) 12/13/2013 at 14:04 • Filed to: None

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I'm turning into a car dork, a real square. I have had daily drivers with turbo V8s to the tune of 600 horsepower and I usually always have had something old or classic in the garage.

With my kids getting older and sucking my bank account like the little parasites that they are, I've almost completed my transformation into the average responsible father. I don't have a motorcycle, anything rwd, or anything with more than 6 cylinders in the garage. My repaired and spastic Cooper S is the current exciting ride of choice between it and the Minivan. The vanjo is approaching 80K miles and so in the MINI. The van will probably go 250K miles but the MINI, not so much. I'll keep both cars but it would be nice to have a third vehicle to put all the miles on.

For tax credits and to substitute some monthly fuel costs I've been thinking about building/buying something that is electric or burns just a bit less fuel. I've thought about buying a Yamaha W250R as a fun commuter with some off-road prowess. I commuted a full year here in Salt Lake on a bike, it was fun and I had a fairly safe commute only through one traffic intersection. My current ride into work would pass through several intersections and last month this damage was illustrated when I drove up on a bike underneath an Explorer that had turned left in front of it. So probably no bikes.

My dad and I were talking about building an electric car from scratch using a fiberglass Track T Hot Rod kit. It would mostly be wasted money since electric cars make for horrible resale values and require new batteries every few years. A/C and heat would also be a problem here in UT with 100 degree summers and 4 degree winters. It

would be comfortable for four months out of the year. It would cost about $17K to do it right.

The Polaris Sling Shot is supposed to be out this summer, a RWD trike running a 2.4L Ecotech or 1L Ecoboost. It is supposed to be really fun but cost close to $20K something.

Then there's also the Elio a $6,800 FWD trike that is absolutely ugly. It looks like it was designed in 1992. These guys had a chance to design something interesting with some functional aerodynamic design elements but instead they just made this horribly square vehicle. It is supposed to get 85MPG and be cheap but damn it's so bloody boring. In fact it's so boring that I'm concerned with their abilities to design a vehicle that operates as it should. Their current website and you-tube videos are horrible, like terrible infomercials from 10 years ago. You watch the videos and immediately want to punch everyone in the face. I don't know if I could trust a company that is so horrible at marketing their product. Seriously, have these guys never seen a Morgan, Aptera, VW XL-1, or owned a new vehicle in the last 25 years? Come on, American Racing wheels from 1997?

I guess you could dress it up with some cool wheel pants, maybe a P-40 shark mouth for the grill, paint it black to hide the horribly-designed body?

Such a simple, cheap and aerodynamic vehicle should be a wise purchase. You can't go wrong with outstanding mileage that comes from a lack of drag/weight. The trike aspect qualifies it as a motorcycle for cheaper insurance and access to the car pool lane. It only costs $6,800 and would save $150-$200 a month in fuel/insurance costs.

Your thoughts?

For Sweden > PilotMan 12/13/2013 at 14:09

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Short answer, yes.

Long answer, hell yes.

vdub_nut: scooter snob > PilotMan 12/13/2013 at 14:10

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I don't see the resemblance. It's barely even covered in cheese!

JEM > PilotMan 12/13/2013 at 14:12

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I've had my eye on these for months now and literally, 15 minutes ago, I just put $500 deposit down on one so I can be one of the first people in the country to own one.

FTR: I live in Massachusetts and have an 80 mile round trip commute. Just got my motorcycle license this year but haven't gotten a bike yet, most likely will this spring. My current daily driver is a '96 Cherokee which I LOVE but I want to keep forever and having put almost 50K on in 2 years, I need to scale back it's mileage as it turns 200K.

The Elio looks perfect for a commuting car. It's also oddball enough that I love it like a homely kitten (I do own two AMC products). Yeah, they could have done better in the looks department but at least it's not as fugly as an Acura. Wheels are easily changed (heck just do the front two, those are the only visible ones!) and I'm actually a fan of simple, 90's looking interiors so this is absolute heaven of a cockpit for me.

PilotMan > vdub_nut: scooter snob 12/13/2013 at 14:13

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And it's named after microwave pizza...

Bob Loblaw Made Me Make a Phoney Phone Call to Edward Rooney > PilotMan 12/13/2013 at 14:13

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A/C R 4 IDIOTS!!!!

/jalopnik

efme > PilotMan 12/13/2013 at 14:16

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I've been following them for some time now. Their website isn't the worst and it seems like they're getting a lot of buzz by touring the country. I still can't figure out when this thing will actually be delivered and what the final product will be.

they can't possibly be using those wheels. that steering wheel also does not have an air bag and straight out of a 1980 Chevy. I agree that their hummer vents, chevy steering wheel, and honda accord gauge cluster is extremely annoying as a modern day vehicle.

They could take some cues from Aptera but at the same time, Elio is still around and Aptera is dead.....

vdub_nut: scooter snob > PilotMan 12/13/2013 at 14:17

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You found a worse looking picture of that stuff than I could. Congratulations.

Jeff-God-of-Biscuits > PilotMan 12/13/2013 at 14:21

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Would you want them to be good at engineering or at marketing?

PilotMan > JEM 12/13/2013 at 14:23

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Some additional thoughts, I worry about the supposed working prototype vehicle running around on a Geo Metro motor with no wipers, heater, AC... The motor that they are building themselves only seems to be existing in the CAD world for now.

Doesn't it bother you how elementary their website and marketing info is?

Jeff-God-of-Biscuits > PilotMan 12/13/2013 at 14:24

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One bike that I really have an inexplicable jones for at the moment is the Yam TW200. Great big fat tired underpowered monster truck of a bike that makes you feel like running stuff over. They used to have one in the MSF course I taught, and I would always grab that whenever I had a demo to give. They just make you giggle when you ride them.

f86sabre > For Sweden 12/13/2013 at 14:36

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Me too. Bored with three box design.

Ian Duer (320b) > PilotMan 12/13/2013 at 14:41

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It looks tempting but this is coming from a guy who would drive one of these if I could get my hands on it.

WorldRally17 > PilotMan 12/13/2013 at 14:42

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The Polaris and this are extremely different vehicles. The Polaris won't even have a roof or doors and will require a motorcycle license (and in many states a helmet) to drive. The Elio is supposed to be much more like a normal car and I believe won't require you to get a motorcycle endorsement or require you to wear a helmet.

Also, don't expect the final Elio vehicle to look much like this. The prototype they currently have is a very early design. I can tell you it doesn't look quite like this one anymore.

JEM > PilotMan 12/13/2013 at 14:57

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A lot of things potentially worry me about this, the website isn't one, but I realize it's a gamble and I'm willing to take that gamble. I'm thinking this will be an interesting experience to be an early adopter of something, and that's something I usually don't do with cars/tech, but as someone who does engineering QA for a living, it does intrigue me to do this.

JEM > WorldRally17 12/13/2013 at 14:58

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Really? As someone with a deposit on one I'm super curious now.

JEM > efme 12/13/2013 at 14:59

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According to them, production starts summer of 2014.

PilotMan > Jeff-God-of-Biscuits 12/13/2013 at 15:16

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Well, when the marketing is so bad and the aesthetic design so poor, it makes you wonder if their design is following any kind of engineering innovation. Right now it looks like they are just putting a skinny body on a Geo Metro front clip.

On the hand, a low drag and light weight body with a 55 HP GM 1990s three cylinder doesn’t sound too bad for $7,000. I would almost pay for something prettier for $9,000.

Jeff-God-of-Biscuits > PilotMan 12/13/2013 at 15:44

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They do have an interesting problem to tackle though. They have to make everything believable and plausible without going too far into flash and trendy. If they get too advanced with the website, it will look like they are trying to run a scam; but on the other hand, if they keep it to "primitive," they run the risk of alienating the more tech oriented crowd. I think they have done a pretty decent job. Could it be flashier? Oh yes, but at the same time, I think it's sufficient.

PilotMan > WorldRally17 12/13/2013 at 15:46

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Both are trikes and both should get great mileage. Here in Utah a helmet is not required by law. The Elio will be comfortable with A/C and heat but the Slingshot is designed for performance. One will be $7,000, the other $20,000.

With the new headlight design on the silver trike, I think that finishes off the design process. They still need a wiper blade, functioning heater/a/c and their new motor but I think the exterior is pretty much done.

PilotMan > Bob Loblaw Made Me Make a Phoney Phone Call to Edward Rooney 12/13/2013 at 15:49

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Tell that to someone in Pheonix and Vegas.

PilotMan > Jeff-God-of-Biscuits 12/13/2013 at 15:51

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The W250R has a fantastic little thumper of a motor with injection, titanium exhaust valves and such. As a commuter it can pull off 60-70 MPG. I think the TW200 is more old school for riding at slower speeds around town, those tires look great but would probably be pretty bad at 65MPH.

WorldRally17 > PilotMan 12/13/2013 at 16:18

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They may both be trikes, but that doesn't mean they are really competition for each other. It would be like comparing a convertible and a pickup and saying "they are both cars". The Polaris might get good mileage in comparison to a car, but it won't get anywhere near the Elio because one is for fun and the other is for commuting.

As for the design, the general shape is there, but the headlights are completely different and the rear is different.

nataku83 > PilotMan 12/13/2013 at 16:55

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I currently ride a 200cc Honda most days. If this ever hits the market, I will buy one. I'm not putting any money down, though - last time I checked, Elio had only met 1/4 of it's estimated capital requirements, and they're planning on starting production in less than a year. I'm not convinced they'll succeed, even if they are a legitimate organization. If they do, it will because they get some large investors involved. The missing capital is impossible to crowd-source through their reservation system.

Philbert/Phartnagle > PilotMan 12/14/2013 at 23:19

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In a word, hellyeah!

I plan to buy one when they come out for sale.

For the price I think they are one of the best deals around and who wouldn't like that mileage?

milanst666 > PilotMan 12/17/2013 at 08:16

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If they do start producing the vehicle then I will probably purchase one as a daily driver. I've wanted to get a 250 cc bike for the purpose but I've just had too many close calls on motorcycles in the past and would like something a little safer.

turbokitten > PilotMan 02/23/2014 at 15:40

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His face says it all.