P5 Driveability

[Florida Guy]

I would LOVE to hear from anyone that has any information about how the P5 actually drives. It looks GREAT. We all understand that the P4 was noisy, rough, and could not exceed 35mph. Has anyone actually driven the P5? Those driving impressions would be so very important and I would think Elio motors would want to get that information out ASAP. Any comments?

 

[DAVID BROWER]

THE P-4 COULD ONLY GO 35 ? THAT MAKES NO SENSE .
THE GEO METRO WHERE THE DRIVETRAIN CAM FROM COULD EASILY DO TWICE THAT !

GOOD GRIEF ! MY GOLIATH TRUCK CAN DO 45 ON 500cc WITH BIG BOX AREODYNAMICS
AND A LOT MORE WEIGHT .

 

[RUCRAYZE]

we will be getting detailed reports from members today, none will be able to report about the driving experience. Short of that there is a great video onYouTube by a guy who's impartial and who was invited to review the E with a test drive. It'll be awhile before the public will get behind the wheel

Short of that, in the spring, there should be two opportunities to at least sit in it -Barrett car auction Palm Beach, and at the north end of the state near the Georgia border. For now, it is an experience that will reinforce the beauty, comfort, and answer some practical questions- Can I see behind me without rear window
Enough room, visibility ergonomics etc. ALL the comments fade in comparison to seeing/touching it.

 

[Rob Croson]

THE P-4 COULD ONLY GO 35 ? THAT MAKES NO SENSE .

The P4 is speed-limited by a governor.

 

[Florida Guy]

I have seen the YouTube video of the impartial driver of the P4....I would think that Elio would want a similar sort of review be done of the P5 ASAP, no?Do you know of anything like that scheduled? I also realize it will be long time until the public can drive an Elio but a knowledgable and impartial 3rd party review would be a great think to have for respectability. Why would they not want to have this done sooner rather than later? If the P5 is road worthy let's see what it is really like on the road. Let the press drive it around a course there in LA at a minimum or perhaps have an Elio person drive it with a press person in the back seat. Show us something besides a trophy car sitting in a display area.

 

[Thomas Maule]

I have seen the YouTube video of the impartial driver of the P4....I would think that Elio would want a similar sort of review be done of the P5 ASAP, no?Do you know of anything like that scheduled? I also realize it will be long time until the public can drive an Elio but a knowledgable and impartial 3rd party review would be a great think to have for respectability. Why would they not want to have this done sooner rather than later? If the P5 is road worthy let's see what it is really like on the road. Let the press drive it around a course there in LA at a minimum or perhaps have an Elio person drive it with a press person in the back seat. Show us something besides a trophy car sitting in a display area.

It would seem that there has not been much time for that. Paul Elio said he had a chance to take a brief drive in it before the auto show, and thats the man himself. I doub't anyone other than people building and testing the car have had a chance to sit in it...

 

[Gas-Powered Awesome]

If you ever watched the movie "Tucker", you might recall the scene where they were scrambling to get the car together before it shambled onto the stage. I imagine the same thing went on with the P5. I suspect there will be weeks of clean-up work before they allow any journalists or other non-employees to drive it.

The P5 is still a LONG way from production. Look closely at the large pictures posted by Autoblog. The body panels are held to the frame by glued-on and tack-welded perforated steel. The radiator has inlet and outlet on the wrong side. No hood latch. Climate control screwed to the dash with visible phillips-head screws. The random hoses and clamps plumbing the engine. Cable ties holding the plug wire boots onto the coils. The list goes on.

Even so, the P5 is a good improvement over the P4. At least this one has the right engine. They did a great job of cleaning up the front suspension, though I'm curious if there will be any more enclosure of the opening. The hood and trunk lid hinges are complicated, not sure they are a good choice for cost containment! Gauges still look dumb, but at least they are in the car. Interesting new third spoke on the bottom of the steering wheel. Don't see any cup holders, but nice to see a real row-your-own shifter in the right spot and three pedals on the floor.

 

[W. WIllie]

At the unveiling they had the "Dyno Run" exhaust headers installed. Bad move.......in my opinion. No prop rod on the engine hood either.
Jerome had to stand there holding the hood open.

Willie

 

[TStriker]

Yes, there is a prop rod to hold up the hood.
Toward the end of the press event, a lady from Elio helped Jerome to use the prop rod for keeping the hood up.

 

[W. WIllie]

Thanks for the info. I wondered how long he had to stand there airing out his "arm pit".
The pics also showed a prop rod for the rear hatch...good move.
I was told in Chandler that it would have an inside release also.

Willie