1G Comparisons (the Laser myth)

[Andrew Scott]

Allright, I'll voice my true opinions on Lasers, and this should in no way be taken as a retraction After chatting with all you lazzzar guys at the meet, these are the conclusions I've come up with:

Performance, engine, etc:

As we all know, Lasers are basically all mechanically identical to Talons and eElipses, this section will be fairly short.

Because of minor differences (mostly interior trim), Lasers come out weighing less than all other models:

Code:

                       Vehicle Base model     Mid model     Upper model (FWD)     Upper model (AWD)
1G Laser                         2530          2690             2745                  3073
1G Talon / Eclipse               2550          2712             2791                  3108
2G Talon/Eclipse                   -        2842 / 2906      2921 / 2998           3157 / 3234
Galant VR-4                        -             -               -                    3295
Eclipse Spyder                     -        2888 / 2943      3053 / 3142                -

As you can see, the top model AWD Laser is 35 pounds lighter than the top model AWD Talon, and 161 pounds lighter than a 2g AWD. 35 pounds is alot of weight, and some people pay hundreds of dollars for 35 pounds (C/F hood, lighter seats, etc), and remember, this is the heaviest laser we're talking about. The FWD Laser, is an amazing 46 pounds lighter than a Talon. Checkmark for the Laser.

Looks:

To me, 1g Lasers look like kind of an Eclipse/Talon hybrid.

1ga Rear:



When it comes to the rear of a 1ga, I'd have to say it's a tie with the Talon and the Laser (no spoiler). The Talon looks good with the metal enblem in the center peice, but the Laser has better tailights in my opinion, and the cyclops in the rear window gives te car a really smooth look. The Eclipse looks kinda hokey with "MITSUBISHI" written in all caps in the center section, like it's yelling it's name at everyone like Timmy. Tie: Talon/Laser

1ga Front :



As much as I like popups (now that I drive a 240 ), I was never really a fan of the 1ga front end, unless the driving lights have been painted body colour. The Eclipse here has the most potential, by removing the uprights that seperate the foglight sections, and dropping in a FMIC. They all have very similar front bumpers, but the "Plymouth" on the front bumper of the Laser takes alot away from it. Winner: Eclipse.

1gb Rear :



Mitsubishi got it right this time, as the Eclipse rear ties with the Laser rear. The center painted section of the Laser looks great, and the spoiler looks better than the wrap around in my opinion, while the "MITSUBISHI" on the body-coloured seperator stripe looks alot better than the 1ga as well. The Talon rear lights jusst look a little bulbus and featureless to me. Tie: Eclipse/Laser.

1gb Front:



I have to say the Laser wins hands down here. The solid emblem section, and the embossed body-coloured "Plymouth" on the bumper look really good. The two tone is also very nice looking on the lower lip. The Eclipse has a strange looking stripe through the front air dam and the 'nostrils' look a bit strange as well. The Talon shares the 'nostrils' with the eclipse, but has a more open air dam. The problem with the  talon is that the front bumper looks way too far off the ground, and could do with a chin lip loke the Laser. Winner: Laser.

I think that the 1gb Laser is probably the best looking 1g dsm, while a 1ga laser with an eclipse front bumper would be the best looking 1ga.

Of course certain things can be done to the different models to make them look better, but this is for stock cars! If I used a picture of your car and you want me to change it PM me and I (grudgingly) will.

So there you have it, in truth I don't hate Lasers that much at all. It's just fun to bug you guys .

[Mike Schmid]

With regard to the drop top, they're usually always heavier.  Don't think because the roof is cloth that they're lighter.  They need reinforced A pillars.  That and chassis reinforcements and braces all over too to keep it from being a wet noodle.  Then throw in the motors and mechanics needed to make a power top and probably some form of rollover protection and they get heavy.  

As for the GVR4 I'm not real surprised it's heavier but don't think 4 doors are always heavier either.  In the Cavalier for instance the coupe is actually 5 pounds heavier than the 4 door.

[Jovan Ceklaj]

Just a reminder to everyone who posted here, Specs and Techs isn't a chatting forum.  Any useless posts get deleted.  I don't want to have to sift through 3 pages of "oh cool! " to find useful information.