Review:
Having never drove one prior to this one, my one-word summary is "useful"
The ride is choppy (partly due to her 17" aftermarket wheels). With my head stuck under there, it appears as though the springs and dampers are stock... and with only 57k on the ticker, probably original. Handling is fair but very forgiving. Acceleration is what you'd expect; 108 hp and 2500 lbs to move, but at least the manual tranny ratios are well-suited to the power band. The 4.27:1 final drive matches the power/weight ratio, but does keep things buzzing around 3000 rpms at 70 mph, but the good news is that road noise drowns out the engine noise :)
Given the crippling potential of the low profile tires on this one, I can only assume that stock setups show excellent steering feel. With the reduced pneumatic trail of her tires and the increased friction, it could tend to make things twitchy, but on-center feel is excellent. The ratio is a bit fast for high-speed highway driving (probably fine on 15") but nothing that can't be solved with 0.25* camber and careful toe settings.
The best dang part about this beast is the ROOM. The seating position suggests "sporty" about as much as Roseanne Barr suggests "sexy" but the driving position is comfortable and visibility is incredible. Nearly vertical windows make almost no glare. Everywhere you turn, there is storage. There are shelves in front of the driver and passenger with he center mounted instrument panel. Then, in front of the passenger there is a cavern at knee level and a large glove box. There is room under each front seat for a small 5-year-old, and under the rear floor there is about a 0.5 cuft space for some handy stuff.
Some photos that show the space:
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