The BAM P1100 A from Bavaria in Germany is the last to be reviewed, but that doesn’t mean it is the worst! This car looks nice and it’s a German. So, we expect something here as well. But, can they make cheap cars that are not overly engineered? The P1100 has a similar set-up as the nearest competitors. It offers a ladder chassis with corrosion resistant steel, macpherson struts in the front and a sold axle leaf spring in the rear. Just like the Motor and Janus it has body panels made out of polymers, ensuring lightweight, cheap and a corrosion resistant body. Furthermore, similar to the competition it also has a longitudinal orientated engine under the hood. Some money seems to have been saved on some of the body components though; the headlights still look fine as do the taillights, but we did hear these do sometimes gather moist or stop working. Maybe something BAM should look into.
The drivetrain of the BAM P1100 A is AWD with a 52.3hp Inline 4 8V 1.1L engine, made out of cast iron. It uses a tried push rod head, so at least no German over engineering there. The cast conrods with the low friction pistons ensure again good fuel efficiency. The cam profile of 53 is somewhat sportier and together with a low compression it will still run fine on the worst fuels. Max power is reached around 5800RPM and the engine has a somewhat richer fuel mixture compared to its nearest competitors. It also features a Single Point EFI injection system like the Motor. However, the P1100 A does have fairly normal ignition timing. Just like its nearest competitors it has two baffled mufflers, making the engine quiet.
The 4 speed automatic gearbox with overdrive and manual locker is something we did not expect at first, but it is a pleasant surprise. Power distribution is mostly even, with a slight bias towards the front. The P1100 has off-road tires and relatively small ones as well, with a width of 145mm in the front and rear. This does ensure the car is relatively easy to handle. Brakes are adequate, cheap and simples drums to the front and rear, with fully comfortable breaking pads to match. This ensures a braking distance of 43m, which might not be great, but certainly is good enough. Like the Motor Q 10 1.8 this car has more cooling than deemed necessary for the engine, but that way it will again not easily overheat during the hot African summer. The car hasn’t really been refined at all to decrease drag, so that might impact fuel economy somewhat.
The interior is what you can expect from a cheap car. The P1100 A has 4 seats, with basic plastic features and cheap cloth padding. The dashboard is made out of cheap plastic and has some issues here and there. One of the buttons seems to come off, but you can luckily simply put it back again. The amount of attention put into the refinement of the interior is shocking for a german car, but we have for sure seen much worse and we know it is cheap. The car offers no entertainment features what so ever, except for a small light in the ceiling that can be switched on and off. It does have a fair package in terms of driver assists though: power steering, ABS and Electronic stability are there to help the driver stay on the road, if there is any. Safety is certainly sufficient here. The package might be a bit older technology wise, but many American, Japanese and European cars do not offer much better here usually either. Also we are convinced that the safety is adequate and BAM can surely not be accused for not caring about the safety of the P1100 A’s passengers. Suspension wise this car offers some interesting features, it has progressive springs and a gas mono-tube. The ride-height is as expected off-road type, and any bumps will be decently dampened, especially in the rear.
Overall Conclusion
The BAM P1100 A is a great car, it might not be the most fuel economical compared to its direct competitors with just less than 30 US MPG, but it offers some interesting features elsewhere. Off-roading is adequate with this car, but sure there are those that do better, but also worse. Service costs are low and the car is well protected from the environment. It is not the best heavy duty car around, similar to the Motor QX 10, but it can handle some tasks. Comfort wise, it has more to offer, but could also receive some more attention. Its drivability is great, and actually one of the best I have seen in a while. It doesn’t need to feel inferior to many American and European market cars; in fact it might even do better. Reliability is somewhat lower than its nearest competitors, especially the head and tail lights seem to show issues after some time. The 4 seats are adequate, there are cars with more, but those are usually very big. However, this car does offer excellent value for money. It is not perfect, but no car we have seen is. It does however offer an excellent package of low purchasing price, low service costs with above average fuel economy and good resistance to the environment. Also it is nice to drive, still shows to give its passengers some comfort and is relatively safe if you do not crash above 60km/h or so. Furthermore it has a bit more advanced suspension set-up and has an automatic gearbox, all for a very competitive price. In conclusion the BAM P1100 A, a very pragmatic car that not over-engineered with a touch of german finesse. This car will for sure clog up the roads near Johannesburg. Africa might have found its champion in this one.
Sat Jun 13, 2015 9:21 am 
