Thu Apr 23, 2015 6:32 pm by VicVictory
The Tests
On The Inside
There are countless similarities across the board. Every one of these little commuters comes with four seats and a radio. In many cases, if the badging were taken off the steering wheels and dash boards, one could easily confuse them. That is more a testament to the consistency of this class than anything else. So how could a determination of superiority be made here? It all boils down to the details.
This works to the detriment of the NMC K-Type. While the two hatchbacks and the liftback have folding rear seats, the solitary sedan does not. While its trunk is sizeable, it can’t be expanded. Physically the GSI Mosquito is the smallest in the comparison. Space is, however, very well utilized within the cabin. The trunk, with the seats up, has a better, more usable layout than the ZM Gorizia. But for overall versatility, the Gorizia takes the crown. With the seats down, its cargo area is the largest, owing partly to the Baltazar’s long, sloping hatch.
As far as overall comfort goes, the Baltazar scores the best marks. Leg and head room up front are superior, as is rear hip room. The Gorizia and Mosquito duke it out for the middle, while the offering from NMC has some headroom issues that bring it down to the bottom of the comfort category.
Winner: ZM Gorizia. It’s not the best at any one aspect in its interior, but it’s good at everything.
Loser: NMC K-Type. Its lack of flexibility and minor comfort issues are enough to put it at the bottom of this category.
Nuts and Bolts
Whereas the interiors are almost the same in these pocket rockets, their mechanical underpinnings have little in common. In fact, the only universal commonalities are rear wheel drive and 4-barrel carburetors.
Baltazar puts a single overhead cam in its 1.4L, then mates it to a 5-speed manual transmission. The rear end is a simple open differential, though wheel spin is only present in inclement weather conditions. Besides being unique in having 4-wheel ABS, the Quark also has a unique front disc, rear drum brakes where the drums are larger than the discs. This seems to aid brake bias somewhat, though adds a fair amount of rotational mass.
The GSI Mosquito doubles the number of cams, and displaces exactly 1800cc. Power is transmitted through a 5-speed manual gearbox to a viscous limited slip diff straddling the multilink independent rear suspension. Stopping power is provided by 4-wheel solid disc brakes. Wide, low-profile tires shroud the GSI’s tiny 12” wheels.
NMC’s K-Type motor has a listed displacement of 2185cc, and utilizes simple pushrods for the valvetrain. There are 4 cogs in its unusually wide-ratio manual transmission, and its rear is open. Despite its relatively low power output, the K-Type can do a pretty impressive 1-leg burnout, even on dry roads. Front disc brakes and rear drums bring the NMC to a stop, typical of this class of cars. What’s not typical is the pedal feel; it’s rather on the firm side. There’s no questioning the brakes’ ability to bring the sedan to a halt.
The ZM Gorizia’s 2.2 liter mill has two cams but only 8 valves. The viscous limited-slip rear is fed by a wide-ratio four-speed. Its double wishbone front suspension and semi trailing arm rear is a little unusual. The front disc and rear drums on the Gorizia are absolutely huge. Locking the brakes is a little too easy.
Winner: NMC K-Type. Despite its weird transmission, it has a very solid, reliable motor and good overall package.
Loser: Baltazar Quark. This mostly boils down to the engine being the most anemic of the month. Peak power comes at redline, and the NMC gets to the same level of power over 1000 RPM sooner.
Road Manners
Control and precision are quite important for a commuter vehicle. City roads and highways choked with traffic can pose hazards for even attentive drivers. Having a machine adding on to those worries would not be high on the list. Impractical sports cars can be as hazardous to their owners as other drivers. These small, fun cars don’t compromise on road manners.
While it can be a little squirrely under full power, the Mosquito handles itself with composure on the road. Big bumps can be felt in the cabin, but they don’t throw it around as much as might be expected for such a small car. Furthermore, parking the Mosquito is an absolute breeze, even in the smallest of spots.
The K-Type is extremely predictable. Part of this is due to its lack of power steering, which doesn’t help its marks for parking. However, handling under normal conditions is very even, and rutted roads are easily handled. Visibility around the sides is also very good.
ZM’s Gorizia also fares well as far as visibility and general handling, though pushing the Gorizia to its edge can result in rather sudden loss of control. It is also the hardest to park of the four due to its weight and size. That’s all relative, however; there’s no shortage of spaces that the ZM can fit in.
The Quark also handles very well, and is only minimally disturbed by uneven roads. The thick C-pillar makes for a bit of a blind spot, but otherwise visibility is good. Transition between low and high speed maneuver is absolutely flawless.
Winner: Baltazar Quark. Overall, control of this car is the easiest of the group.
Loser: GSI Mosquito. Short wheelbase and slightly twitchy handling over rough roads gives it the lowest marks in this category.
Safety
With how many miles pile up on commuter cars every year, accidents are bound to happen. Survival of such incidents may be on the minds of prospective buyers. There are clear differences here between our four cheap thrill rides.
GSI has the shortest list of standard safety features. The most basic federally required seat belts and 5 MPH crash bumpers and tempered glass. That’s about it. Between that and the GSI’s small stature, it is no wonder that it tested far below the others.
NMC and Baltazar add seatbelt pretensioners, door intrusion beams, and collision fuel cut-off to that list. Not surprisingly, they score pretty much the same as far as injury chance.
Highest marks were given to the ZM Gorizia, which on top of the others adds a driver’s airbag, which is a class-exclusive.
Winner: ZM Gorizia. With the longest list of advanced safety features, this was the clear winner.
Loser: GSI Mosquito. It gets away with being sold because it meets federal standards. And nothing more.
Down To Business
A sporty, fun commuter is a fine balancing act. Too much power could lead to drivability problems or poor fuel economy. Too little and it’s just another boring bucket of metal rolling down the road. Costs are an important factor as well, though those considerations will be broken down in the next section. Here we concentrate solely on usability versus the fun factor.
The Baltazar is an absolute kick to drive. While its straight-line performance isn’t great when compared to its competitors, its ability to handle corners is fantastic. Coupled with a comfortable interior and good cargo space, and the Baltazar makes sense as far as sporty alternatives go. After all, life isn’t always lived in a straight line.
Though if straight lines are your thing, the GSI Mosquito is the car to watch. With the fastest off-the-line acceleration and a top speed of over 100 MPH, this sprightly little devil offers a lot of fun for not a lot of money. It can still carry around four people and park in very tight spaces, making it a very versatile city car as well.
The NMC K-Type isn’t as nimble around corners as the others, but it’s no slouch. It doesn’t have to wind up as far as the Baltazar to hit prime power, either. It’s a good overall compromise as far as usefulness and fun, but just not up to snuff with the others.
Somewhere in the middle of it all falls the ZM Gorizia. Able to carve corners better than the NMC but not as well as the Baltazar. Faster off the line than the Baltazar but nowhere near as quick as the GSI. And yet, as far as day-to-day usefulness, undeniably wonderful.
Winner: Baltazar Quark. Only by the slimmest of margins did it beat its two closest competitors here.
Loser: NMC K-Type. It’s no boring sedan, but just not at the same level as the others.
Cost To Own
A little bit of penny-pinching behavior is expected from owners of these types of car. Initial cost, reliability, and economy are all great considerations. There’s a bit of a difference between our four pocket rockets when it comes down to balancing the ledger.
The Baltazar Quark ends up being about middle of the road as far as purchase price. Maintenance is inexpensive, however. It manages to fall short of the 30 MPG mark, attaining 29.7. That’s no small feat, but not best in class. Projected reliability is average.
GSI’s offering is a hair less expensive than the Baltazar. It also gets best-in-class fuel economy of 32.3 MPG. Its maintenance costs are the highest of the group, but there’s a pretty small spread, so that shouldn’t deter anyone from looking at one. Expected reliability is reasonable to good.
NMC’s K-Type has the lowest sticker price out of them all, as well as the least expensive maintenance. It gets just over the magic fuel economy mark, at 30.1 MPG. It is also predicted to be the best of the bunch as far as reliability, with a “good” score.
The ZM Gorizia gave us a bit of sticker shock. It’s as expensive as some of the cheapest purpose-built sports cars. It should hold up well, however, and it cheap to maintain. Not so much to fuel; it got the worst economy of the group at 24.9 MPG.
Winner: NMC K-Type. Good economy, good reliability, low price, cheap maintenance. Everything a pocketbook could ask.
Loser: ZM Gorizia. While it’s not ungodly expensive to own, it’s definitely the highest of the group.
Overall
Fourth: NMC K-Type Rallye. It probably qualifies more as an economy car than a sporty commuter, though it makes the cut because of decent handling and a big enough engine to motivate it properly. This would probably also make for a nice spicy little family car that won’t give everyone a heart attack.
Third: GSI Mosquito Sport. Peppy as hell. Corners like a mosquito, even if it’s a bit twitchy. Can park anywhere and run for a couple weeks on a tank of gas. Well utilized spaces, but just not as much as the others. Also, quite possibly a death trap if you get in a collision.
Second: ZM Gorizia 2.2 Sprint. Definitely the best blend of comfort, usability, and speed. It handles quite well, despite being the heaviest of the group. Its big engine drinks a lot of fuel, so for commuters who drive a lot of miles, probably not the best choice. Also the only choice if safety is your main concern.
First: Baltazar Quark FR445. With fantastic handling abilities, good fuel economy, and respectable safety and reliability, this entry starts off well in many aspects that a fun commuter car needs to have. Top it off with being easy on the wallet and having the most comfortable interior, and you’ve got yourself a winner.
