Re: Komodo Motoring - Ashisutanto/"Assitant" Review
first up is the name they proposed.
Komodo Motoring Ashisutanto *Ashisutanto = assistant in japanese kanji
this time around. the looks are pretty different. it gives the impression that the car is wider that it actually is.
and it look a bit more stylish and sporty, which was........ totally different from how it actually handles. which was brilliant!
if we were to compare it to the 'alpha', every fixtures are bigger, more aggressive, and more pronounced. it wants to make a clear statement of "i'm here!". and it's quite good at it.
now for the engine. they proposed their lineup of commercial engine called the 'worker' lineup. it was a nice fit for the car itself. but we had our own plan, and while the engine fits the car, it doesn't fit so well with our plan of making other variants of the car, which might include the wagon, pickup, or something else that we haven't finalized yet. their engine just wasn't making enough power for it, or at least, didn't have much more room for easy future improvement.
these was the stats as they sent it.
but we chose to use our own engine after all. and these were the stats.
note that this was our original engine when the further improvement on the KoM engine with GSI help was just starting. and our judgement was done at that time, an not after the new engine design are finalized.
and the verdict.
the ashisutanto rides very firmly and planted. it feels really well designed. the interior also looks it's made with better quality, nicely designed gauges, leatherette seats, and a VERY pretty shift knob to the point that some of the people here are trying to make the imitation of it and using it themselves. geez, those guys.
it's also relatively safer than the alpha thanks to the safety concerned design, it's using an advanced safety features for the time.
but there's a downfall to all the 'niceness'.
the safety features are nice and takes a long time to produce, but it's a necessity for the market we're aiming for yet.
but even when we take out all the safety features that we can, it's still pretty safe because of the whole frame design. which brings it to the next point,
weight. it's pretty significantly heavier than the alpha, which gave the car a planted and firm feeling. but at the cost of fuel efficiency and overall running costs for the customer.
all that boils down to COST and PRODUCTION TIME. on our calculation, we would be able to make around 9-10 car per day if we pick this car, but we could make around 12 of 'alpha'. which might not sound much, but it helps when we need to be a 'penny pincher' to grow at this stage of the company.
overall. this is a nice car. but expensive and takes time to make. and the alpha are not as nice, but it's a nice compromise for the cost