1992 Centuari Knight
The 1992 Centuari Knight is a sporty luxury coupe designed for fun driving and cheap thrills. But how well does it serve it's purpose?
Performance 
Once we rip off the Knight's corrosion resistant steel armour, we can take a look at the rumbling beast that powers it. It is a 5.1L naturally aspirated V8 pushing out a rather underwhelming 264hp. But trust me, that's all the power you will ever need for a car of this size. The redline tops out at 6K, and it has a very reasonable power band across most of the rev range. It also keeps to a decent noise level if you want to creep out of your parents driveway late at night. The engine manages to run very smooth as well, which contributes to a very fun experience that is about as frightening as a pet goldfish. There are some downsides, however. It isn't a very responsive performer and so the engine can feel rather sluggish at times. Centuari have also taken a few cost-cutting measures in the form of cheap bottom end materials which is the reason for the slightly low rpm limit. The positives far outweigh the negatives though, the engine is cheap, smooth and has just the right amount of power although I would have
expected more from a 5.1L V8.
Long story short: It's a solid engine.
Ride Comfort Ride comfort is one of the Knight's weak points. The suspension is set up for cimplete stability during cornering, and the result is a very bumpy ride at low speeds. When the speed picks up however, things start to calm down a bit. It does a decent job of soaking up small bumps in the road, but anything more than that, and you will feel it clearly inside the cabin. The tyres are relatively low profile also, which adds to the bumpiness. The ride isn't unbearable though, and it becomes reasonably comfortable as a high speed cruiser. If your willing to sacrifice comfort for fun, then it's a reasonable trade off.
Handling Because of the stiff suspension setup, what the Knight loses in ride comfort, it makes up for in cornering. It generates a decent 1.04g cornering speed. Couple that with it's low weight, and it is a great little car to thrash round your local race track. It doesn't generate a great deal of downforce, however, and so it can understeer slightly under hard cornering. But that just adds to the fun.
Refinement Refinement is another downfall of the Knight. It's stiff suspension makes for an unforgiving ride, and its low profile tyres add to the discomfort. A high point of the Knight is its interior. The materials used are of decent quality, and it is quite a nice place to be. A lot of inside space is wasted, however, by the Knight being a 4-seater instead of a 2-seater. As a result, the interior is slightly cramped; especially in the back. The Knight also features rather aggressive rear brakes which can make slowing down a bit dodgy. Really should have done better for a car of this type.
Equipment The equipment levels in the Centuari Knight is somewhat underwhelming. It pretty much has all the standard equipment you would expect on a car: radio, A/C, electric windows and seats. But that's about it. Nothing more, nothing less. There isn't enough stuff inside to entertain even an impressionable child. Let alone a comfort-seeking driver. Expect to be disappointed when you climb into the inside of this car. The lack of equipment is well hidden by the leather trim.
Quality The Knight features a ladder chassis made from galvanised steel. This is a nice touch, and it helps the car achieve a lower center of gravity compared to that of a monocoque chassis. The quality of the materials used to craft the Knight are surprisingly average. I would have expected more high end, better quality materials from a luxury coupe. It is the pleasant leather interior, and nice feeling dashboard materials that grab the Knight a respectable 4 stars.
Reliability The engine in the Centuari Knight can stand up to years of abuse. Be wary of pushing it to the limit too much though, as the bottom end parts don't cope too well with regular thrashings. The interior stands up to regular use too, with the leather recieving very little wear over long-time use. There isn't much in the form of other problems either, since there isn't much electronic equipment to go wrong. A solid 4 stars for reliability.
Running Costs Although the Knight's engine lasts for a long time, it can be quite expensive to maintain. As can the body materials if you ever happen to hit anything. Don't expect catastrophically high repair bills though, the running costs are just about decent. Almost a 4 star.
Safety If you ever happen to crash, don't be worried in the slightest, because the Centuari Knight has got you covered. It has an adequate number of airbags, and good crumple zones. The chassis is strong enough to withstand small knocks effortlessly, as are the body panels. You can be assured that if you're a good enough driver, you shouldn't have to worry about getting injured, and you can drive easy.
OVERALLFor: Safe, Fun to drive, Cheap to produce
Against: Poor equipment, Uncomfortable
All things considered, the Centuari Knight is a good little car. It doesn't do a great job at being luxurious, but the coupe part is spot on. It's very fun to drive, and it's hard to fault its looks. If it's sitting there on your driveway, it will be hard to resist taking it for a run. For that, it just manages to scoop up 4 well deserved stars.
Thu May 29, 2014 2:30 pm 
