Faults:

Very little actually... That said, when we purchased her the previous owner had never used the low range transfer case. Due to this, we had a myriad of issues getting the bloody thing to engage low range 4x4 properly. After many return trips to a Great Wall dealer and a variety of different parts changed, it turned out to be a dodgy switch in the cab. $15 later and it works faultlessly. No rocking back and forth to get it in and out of 4x4; just turn the switch and off you go.

Clutch slave cylinder failed at 75,000. Turns out they have a single O-ring on the piston which is known to fail regularly. Couldn't get the part from China soon enough, so had the old one rebuilt using a Toyota Forerunner piston and seal. Perfect fit, much more reliable. Inexpensive repair either way.

Timing belt intervals are exceedingly expensive on these things. The belt tensioner is hydraulic and the part alone is $450. Add labour and belts (balance and timing) and you're looking at nearly $1000 for what is normally a $400 job. We had ours changed at 80,000 as per the service manual.

General Comments:

She's a fairly blunt tool, but she gets the job done. We live in the Pilbara, so she's exposed to extreme heat for most of the year. So far she hasn't overheated once and the interior and duco is surviving reasonably well. The headlights have the laminate peeling due to sun damage, but apart from that she's handling it quite well.

There is NO UNDERBODY PROTECTION on these things. This means your transfer case, sump, fuel tank etc are at the mercy of whatever you are rock hopping over. Don't let anyone every tell you they are not a real 4x4... they are. When lifted and fitted with underbody plates, they are a very capable vehicle.

The Mitsubishi 2.4 petrol is a slug, but is very reliable. Many parts are interchangeable with the Triton, Magna, Lancer, Sonata and believe it or not Kubota. The transfer case and 4x4 computer chip are Borg Warner and lifted straight from an RA Rodeo. Fuel consumption sits between 9-11 no matter how careful you drive it.

The leather loses its colour due to wear (driver's seat is the worst offender) but doesn't tear or crack so long as you give it a rub with leather conditioner every so often.

Built to a price, but if you are prepared to spend 2-3k on some well needed improvements, she can be a pretty capable off-roader.

Faults:

I have only had the car for just over 6 months, nothing has gone wrong yet, and hopefully nothing will!

General Comments:

So I took a bit of a punt with this car. It's a new company in the market, so there isn't a lot of information available on them yet, and the long term prospects in relation to reliability and maintenance are up in the air.

This is the first new car I have owned. I wanted a 4wd wagon, and was looking at mostly second hand, car like offerings, but saw the ad, and went and checked it out. Generally I have been really pleased with it. The price is ridiculous when you consider what you get.

Bad points: The engine, whilst smooth and reasonably quiet, is nowhere near powerful enough for the size of the vehicle. This isn't really an issue for me, but if you wanted to tow and do a lot of travel with heavily laden car, this may become an issue. The car is slow. The manual transmission is O.K, not much feel, but smooth and easy shifts.

Good points: Well obviously, the size and equipment for the price is fantastic. The car is proving to be reliable so far (fingers crossed it stays that way). Pretty good on fuel, although nothing amazing, about 10.5l/100km. The interior is great, for the price its very comfortable, very spacious, and has everything you need. The car seems to be pretty well built, except for some scratchy plastics, but what do you expect for the price...

Overall I am really happy with my purchase, for the money it's a great car. It's not perfect, and not the best in class by a long way, but for 24 grand brand new with warranty on the road, you can't do better.