Should I get a Caldina?

[wesleyong]

Hey guys,

My name is Wes and I am long time reader, spending countless hours on this forum for research and entertainment!

I have been planning on saving up and getting a Legnum for a while, but something has deterred me into getting a Caldina.... :O

I am a big Mitsubishi turbo wagon fan, having a highly modified Lancer wagon myself. The only logical upgrade for me was a Legnum... But I don't know...

Why I'd like a Legnum:
Look sweet as
AYC awesomeness
I've owned 3 Mitsubishi wagons, this would make the 4th
Can't wait to slap on a set of Brembos on a facelift.

What makes me reconsider with a Caldina:
Better on fuel
More support for bolt-ons etc
Better handling
Faster? I don't know, I hear things from both sides.

So basically, I'm wondering if there's something I'm forgetting about the awesome Legnums. Yes, I know Caldinas look pretty dumb compared to the Legnums, but the idea of running costs and performance seem to make reconsider.

What do you all reckon???

Wes =)

 

[mills_88]

Welcome Wes,

Unfortunately you really need someone who has owned both to get your answer. Cos Legnum owners will say Legnums are better and Caldina owners will say Caldinas are better. One of the new zealand members will have no doubt owned both so wait for one of them to respond.

Good luck with your purchase either way it goes, Legnums are better though lol

 

[bradc]

VR-4's have a lot less lag and a ton more mid range torque over a Caldina. The Caldina interior is really quite shitty and nasty, they look like a really cheap Corolla on the inside with lots of light grey plastic.

Have you been in both cars yet, or driven both?

 

[Guest]

I breifly considered a Caldina. The interior turned me right off. Base model Corolla is right...

 

[mookers]

Why did Toyota put a cheap-spec (base Corolla) interior on the top-spec Caldina? You can get higher spec Corollas that look decent inside...

 

[Guest]

Who knows...

 

[Scottie]

I drove a Caldina the other day, gotta say i really like em. The inerior isn't pretty but has lots of pockets, compartments etc which is good. Stock Vs Stock it felt quciker than the Legnum did. Not sure about the economy or handling.

One thing i really didn't like is that it felt like a lawn mower. Loud and revvy engine that when you push it feels like something might fall off. I love the beefyness of the Legnum.
I even started to appreciate it's looks (if you ripped off that stupid nudge bar).

Still prefer the Legnum tho, like everyone said, take em both for a drive.

 

[Tom]

When I was picking up the Galant, the broker had a Caldina there.. It didn't look too bad really, I didn't check out the interior, but the guy said he had a lot of fun with that car.. Drove it from QLD to Sydney and said it got stunning fuel economy for what it was..

He mentioned it was a pretty quick car, but didn't compare it to the Galant which I was picking up.. Which makes me think, maybe it was a quicker or 'better' performer and didn't want me to stop the sale, or he just simply didn't say any comparisons lol

 

[Kristian]

Having owned and driven both on many occasions, buy a Legnum

 

[cyber_scriber]

Wes.

I suspect a back to back test drive of the Caldina and the Galant on the same day and in the same conditions will give you the answer that you're after. Any decent importing car yard should have both cars sitting around.

The one thing I will add about Legnums is that they are a better real world response car. This is by virtue of the twin turbo and larger engine set up, which is likely to result in a better torque response than the Caldina.

In plain English, this means that in most street situations, the Legnum is likely to be faster and more effortless than the Caldina. It might be a different story if you like to visit the strip or circuit frequently, where the Caldina's better top end comes into play.

 

[Guest]

Going through twisties I can keep the car in third and use the throttle to drive. Awesome torque, I doubt the Caldina could match it.

In terms of performance, I guess it depends if you want to wring its neck or get (instant) response.

I was in the same situation, chose the Leggie for the looks, extra cylinders and torque because I had to get an auto (problems with left ankle).

 

[wesleyong]

Yeah, I think test driving will be a definate must! It will be my daily driver...and I do drive quite a bit. The Legnum's twin turbo and 6 cyl setup may be more fun in that case, however, will it just drink like crazy doing all that highway driving compared to a Caldina? I drive pretty hard as well!

Mr Kristian Iron Chef - what are your reasons on the Legnum over Caldina? Is that silver one in your stock still considered to have a really crap interior, or would you say that later model is quite respectable?

 

[wesleyong]

Oh, and I totally cannot find any Caldina forums like OZVR4 hey! Anyone got any links? I'm a member of tons of Mitsu stuff...GSR/EVO club, Team 4G, EvolutionOz, MLGA etc etc... Search Caldina? Pffffft.

 

[Buckas]

have you considered the chaser on kristian's site?

 

[ygoslo]

Do you want to modify the car extensively? If you do, go the Caldina.

 

[Guest]

Yeah, I think test driving will be a definate must! It will be my daily driver...and I do drive quite a bit. The Legnum's twin turbo and 6 cyl setup may be more fun in that case, however, will it just drink like crazy doing all that highway driving compared to a Caldina? I drive pretty hard as well!

Highway driving is normally considered steady cruising, not hard driving. If you were doing mostly true, long distance highway cruising, based on my experience I think you could expect to see around 500kms from a tank with the Legnum. Mixed city/highway driving would get you around 400kms, which is fairly normal for me.. and if you were to 'drive pretty hard' it would dip down to 300km or less before needing to refuel.

 

[wesleyong]

I need a wagon - I am a drummer by profession!

 

[Tom]

The KM you get out of a tank will also be determined by how big the cars tank is, do you think the Caldina has a same size or smaller tank?

At the end of the day, depending on size, it might work out the same.. Caldina using less fuel with a smaller tank, and the Legnum using more fuel but with a bigger tank? I guess either way with that you might get the same amount of K's per tank, just the Caldina using less because of the smaller motor?

And maybe since the Legnum has a bigger motor, it might rev lower on the freeway using slightly less fuel than the Caldina revving higher at the same kind of speeds with the smaller motor?


Hmm, suppose it'll just come down to what you want out of a car.. A small little zippy turbo corolla thing, or a bigger smoother cruiser with power to boot!

 

[wesleyong]

Yeah, I realised I contridicted myself a bit after making that post! I guess you could say I do plenty of highway kms with a bit of fangin' in between! Haha.

Is that referring to the whole 60L, or a bit under...till the empty light?

in response to the lower revs highway thing, the Caldina is only 4 speed when it comes to auto! But something tells me even that would use less fuel than crusing with the ol' Legnum.

 

[wesleyong]

What modifications would be better available for the Caldina than the Legnum? I've seen Evo bonnets, intercooler kits etc readily available for the Legnum. Plus Brembos are are straight bolt-on to the facelifts....are there even much brake upgrades for the Caldina? I did a bit of search, people are talking about upgrading pads and stuff....boooooorrrriiiinnnggggg.....