CSR79 Preliminary Reviews
Surprisingly, tons of new vehicles seem to fit their bill.
for clarification, after I stop listing their names in a section of dialog, Mike and Monica take turns speaking.
Shromet Levine (DoctorNarfy)
Monica opens up the Shromet website.
Monica: “Ooh this looks pretty large! There’s plenty of space and it seems pretty comfortable.”
Mike: “But that fuel economy isn’t great, only 15 mpg…and it might be somewhat difficult to drive both on and off road, it isn’t that quick and it doesn’t have an LSD.”
“It also looks a little bare overall and it’s a tad overbudget, . So is this worth a test drive?”
“Nah.”
She closes out the window.
Bogliq Squadstar Entrance (HighOctaneLove)
Mike pulls out the March copy of MPVonthly and flips to the section on the Squadstar
Monica: “It’s very blue with plastic bumpers, kinda has a bit of a retro vibe.”
Mike: “Definitely doesn’t seem comfortable inside. It has cloth seats, and it looks like there was an ample amount of plastic used. And the reviewer mentions this ‘What’s impressive about this minivan is that it gets a cool 30 mpg on regular fuel. What’s not so impressive is it’s ride. The suspension is way too stiff for leisurely driving.’”
“Not the car for us then?”
“Yeah…”
Mike flips to another section of the magazine.
Ardent A150 LS Extended Cab AWD (VicVictory)
Mike pulls out the latest Trucks Today and the starts reading up on the A150.
Monica: “A truck? Hmm…certainly has a mouthful of a name. Looks alright overall though.”
Mike: “It has plenty of power, over 300. But wait look at this…”
Suspension: … Solid Axle Leaf Rear
“…that’s definitely not going to be comfortable, I’ll tell you that.”
“So not for us…?”
“Yep.”
Mike closes up Trucks Today and puts it away.
Genra GVM (abg7)
Monica opens up the webpage for the GVM.
Monica: “Looks simple but elegant, and I like the midnight blue.”
Mike: “Interior doesn’t look that amazing, though apparently the ride is great. Other than that, nothing really sticks out, but it looks like a pretty capable minivan overall.”
“Worth a test drive?”
“Yeah.”
Monica saves the car and dealership info to their test drive document
Sakura Starfire tZ (Vri404)
Mike pulls out an older MPVonthly from July 2002
Mike: “The Starfire tZ…25 mpg on regular gas is pretty good, and the ride is comfortable according to the reviewers, but the interior isn’t too sophisticated.”
Monica: “I like how it looks, especially the rear, but the listed load capacity isn’t great.”
“It isn’t that quick or powerful compared to its weight either, but it does have direct injection, which should make it relatively cheaper to service. ”
“Hey look! It’s AWD and it has an LSD. It should be capable off road right?”
“Possibly, I think it’s worth test driving it then.”
“Yeah!”
Monica transfers the car into the document
React AdventureAir (SheepInACart)
Monica opens up an article online featuring some of React’s new cars.
Monica: “The roof lights, the external spare tire, that roof rack, the boxiness…this looks like it’s built for an expedition to the jungle or something.”
Mike: “Surprisingly, the reviewers say it’s very easy to drive and super comfortable. I mean look: leather seats! It also somehow manages 32 mpg on premium gas.”
“There’s also plenty of room for cargo and even a 3rd set of doors!”
“It only has an open diff though. Regardless it’s definitely worth a test drive.”
Monica saves the car into the document
Estrada Bordeaux Mk.II (Camjkerman)
Mike pulls out last summer’s Car Spotlight.
Monica: “Oh a wagon, but it only has 5 seats?’
Mike: “That shouldn’t be a deal breaker though. Let’s see what it has to offer.”
“Exterior is a little uninspiring, the rear in particular doesn’t look special. The interior doesn’t look that sophisticated either; it has cloth seats… Not quite as roomy as the other cars either.”
“The safety package isn’t amazing but it isn’t bad either. But it’s rather lightweight compared to some of the others so it’s not that slow. “
“Oh wait what?..it can only carry about 860 pounds (390 kg)! That’s awful.”
“Yeah…now that’s a dealbreaker.”
He puts aside the magazine
Mitsushita Ulyesse Turbo (conan)
Monica browses to the Ulyesse Turbo on Mitsushita’s website
Mike: “29 mpg on premium pump gas is great! I’m looking forward to this car already.”
Monica: “I do like how the exterior looks; it has a bit of a Japanese vibe. And it has an upscale interior with leather seats and a quality sound system.”
“It also has pretty decent power for its weight and can hold a bunch, though it has an open diff and no AWD.”
“Overall though it’s pretty strong. Let’s check it out!”
“Definitely.”
Monica adds it to the document
Farox Delta 3.7 Premium (On3CherryShake)
Mike pulls out the December 2002 edition of MPVonthly
Mike: “…3.7L V6, 246 horsepower, 3920 lbs (1780 kg), seems pretty quick…”
Lizbeth makes a faint ooh noise from another room
“…but it only makes 19 mpg on premium, not so great.”
Monica: “The exterior looks alright, nothing special. The interior is again pretty high class. Trunk isn’t that large but there is a hefty roof rack to hold extra stuff.
“No AWD and an open diff, but the price is very competitive.”
“Test drive?”
“Yeah.”
Monica adds it to the document
Albatross V350 (ZSCHMEEZ)
Mike flips to another section of the Dec 2002 MPVonthly
Monica: “Well, quite frankly, it’s visually bland, just looks boring.”
Mike: “It does get a respectable 24 mpg on regular though, and it is insanely cheap, just 24k.”
“Haha, 24 mpg, 24k. Anyways, it does have leather seating and good load capacity.”
“But there’s no AWD, an open diff, and a 4-speed automatic…”
“Hmm…”
“It is very much on the cheaper side, so I think it’s still worth a look.”
“Ookay”
Monica adds it to the document
Aniki Hito (SilverRemix)
Monica browses through the Aniki website
Monica: “Ooh, definitely has more aggressive styling.”
Mike: “This looks mediocre…”
“What?”
“143 hp, 4400 lbs, almost 2 metric tonnes, and 17 mpg on premium? This one is slooow.and chugs gas.”
“That’s a little unexpected…”
“And just to punch the ticket, it has a solid rear axle, so it’s not going to be comfortable either.”
“Yeah…no…”
She closes out the Aniki website
Triton Courier TRS (TheTechnoVampire)
Monica stumbles upon the Triton website and navigates to the Courier page
Monica: “This design screams sporty…”
Mike: “I bet it’s not that comfortable then…28 mpg is great, and it’s AWD, has a diff…”
“It has leather seats and an upscale interior, but that speaker system looks really cheap, like it was carelessly tacked onto the center console.”
“Tires also look pretty low profile, and the car sits low, doesn’t look like a comfortable combo. huh? It’s a stick…”
“So…”
“Yeah this is going to be way too uncomfortable for us. I might know someone who’d like a sporty minivan though.”
“Alright.”
She closes out the window
Ninomiya Zephyranthes (Urbanliner)
A full page photo catches Mike’s eye in the latest MPVonthly
Mike: “The Ni-nom-ye… the Zeph-er-an-these?”
Monica: “Sounds exotic.”
“Anyways…it’s a cool 28k yet it does 25 mpg on premium gas, but it’s only FWD with an open diff…”
“I don’t really click with the exterior much, but the interior does look rather high-spec. And it can hold quite a bit despite it’s smaller size.”
“I think it’s worth a test drive it then.”
“Yep”
Saved
RCM Provincial PX (thecarlover)
While flipping through the same issue of MPVonthly, Mike comes across the Provincial
Monica: “Ooh this one looks fantastic on the outside, has leather seats too.”
Mike: “It doesn’t have amazing fuel economy, and it has a rather basic drivetrain. I do also like how it looks on the outside.”
“But it can hold a respectable amount, even without the roof rack, and it’s about 28k too.”
“I think it’s worth checking out then.”
“Cool.”
She types it into the document
Star Journeyman (UndercoverHardwareman)
Monica navigates to the page on the Star Journeyman*
Monica: “Well this looks rather boat like, but I like how it’s designed.”
Mike: “As expected for its size, the fuel economy isn’t great: 22mpg on premium gas…”
He skims the page a bit more and comes across the interior section.
Mike: “That stereo system looks rather cheap…wait…under safety…apparently this car doesn’t even have air bags! That’s a no for me.”
She closes out the window
Vermillion SpaceStar V6 GX (Kubboz)
Mike comes across an ad for a very low mileage 2000 Vermillion Spacestar
Mike: “Ah the good ol’ Spacestar, it used to trade blows with the old caravan.”
Monica: “I can see why, the exterior has quite a bit of detail all round and looks incredible, the sunroof is gigantic, the interior has leather seats and cool bits of trim all round…”
Mike: “The safety is still state-of-the-art, even though it’s a few years old, and it gets decent gas mileage: 25mpg on premium gas.”
“Test drive?”
“Yeah.”
She adds it to the document
FM Highway Move (Jaimz)
Monica opens up the FM website
Mike: “The Highway Move… plenty of power, decent mpg.”
Monica: “Looks pretty unique, the front looks very cool.”
“Oh not again…”
“What?”
“‘Solid Axle Leaf Rear…’ not worth a test drive.”
…and closes out the website
FAAL Ochlosia 2.7 Tetra (Knightophonix)
She comes across the FAAL website which defaults to french, but fortunately there’s an option to change to English
Mike: “30 mpg, regular fuel, leather seats, all looks pretty good so far.”
Monica: “And the styling is both distinctive and very cool; apparently it has retractable roof bars?”
Mike: “It’s a little slow, but not too bad, though I wonder if it’s actually available in America.”
“Hmm, let me check.”
A quick search shows that the FAAL failed US emissions tests.
Mike: “Ohh it doesn’t come with a cat from the factory…that’s a shame, it was looking rather good.”
Pastinuji Freewind (Lordred)
Mike pulls out the recently released Car Spotlight.
Mike: “This one has potential…it’s the Past-uh…it’s the Freewind. It’s a wagon again, and it only has 5 seats, but there’s plenty of room and gets 31 mpg on regular.”
Monica: “It does pull off an aggressive look pretty well, and the interior is pretty premium and looks comfortable as well.”
“Kinda quick, too. It has a 2.1L turbocharged inline 5 that revs pretty high.”
Lizbeth happens to be walking by and suddenly becomes interested in the car.
Lizbeth: “Ohh, we’ve GOTTA test drive this.”
Monica: “Well I’ll take note of it. It certainly does look quite capable”
Monica copies the info to the document.
Aero Summit LT (Racer13)
Mike flips to another page of the Car Spotlight.
Mike: “Aero Summit…it’s another large one.”
Monica: “Styling doesn’t resonate with me, but the interior looks great…hmm the reviewers didn’t really like the automatic transmission.”
Mike: “And it gets a whopping 9.9 miles per gallon…I veto this one.”
He puts away the magazine for now
Ars Vapula LX (Xepy)
Mike skims through last month’s MPVonthly and notices the Vapula
Mike: “Hmm, 8 seats in this small body…at least the interior looks quite comfortable.”
Monica: “Quite a bit of detail on the design, I like it. Load capacity is only average though.”
“…”
“Huh?”
“This car has a state-of-the-art electric LSD, active and adaptive bits of the suspension, and a 6 speed automatic, but they couldn’t spare the budget for something other than drum brakes in the rear? I veto this one too…”
He puts the magazine away
JHW NaviStar S (JohnWaldock)
Monica wanders to the JHW website
Monica: “I dig how this looks, has a bit of a premium feel even from the outside. And the inside is full of comfy looking leather seats.”
Mike: “And it gets an amazing 34.6 mpg on regular fuel! It’s a bit down on power as a result.”
“Safety isn’t as sophisticated as some of the others.”
“Yeah, but it has an LSD, should be a more drivable as a result.”
“Okay, looks pretty good, we should test drive it then.”
“Yep!”
Monica saves the info to the document
Hawker Leopard PM (USDMFTW)
Mike pulls out the latest Car Spotlight again
Monica: “Not too intricate, but also not too basic externally. Interior looks very comfortable”
Mike: “It also has hydropneumatic suspension, so the ride should be super smooth. Though the safety is less comprehensive than others and the fuel economy is only about average.”
“Ooh I really want to test drive it now.”
“Yeah!”
Saved into the document
Sofa 1100-TW Sport (nerd)
Mike pulls out a black and white newspaper ad
Monica: “…sofa? Sounds like it should be comfortable.”
Mike: “Hmm…this is a rare export SOFA from the socialist state of Archana… It’s super cheap, weighs basically nothing, and apparently has undergone a significant horsepower boost to a whole 95hp.”
“When you say it’s ‘super cheap’…”
“Yep I mean it in both ways, and considering the price, 7.5k…”
“Huh?..Under safety, it just says ‘maybe,’ and under interior it just says ‘yes.’”
“Haha. You know I sorta want to test drive it but I’m afraid I’d crash and burn pulling it out of the lot. I’ll save this for later when I feel daring.”
He folds up and pockets the ad
Hertzedes-Menz T-Class (Leedar)
Mike: “Oh hey, a friend told me to check this car out.”
Monica pulls up the webpage on the T-Class
Mike: “33.8 mpg, hydropneumatic suspension, looking good, although it’s a bit slow.”
Monica: “I sorta like the front, but it reminds me of something…Anyways it also can carry a bunch and it has leather seats. It looks super comfortable”
“Then we have to give it a test drive.”
“Yeep”
Saved
DAAG SW35i (NiuYorqCiti)
Monica opens up the DAAG website
Monica: “Huh it’s a minivan with 5 seats?”
Mike: “No wonder, look at the interior…”
Monica: “It screams luxury. Real woodgrain, heated seats all round, top-quality leather, I want to sit in it all day.”
“As cool as that seems, all that makes the car rather heavy so it’s a bit sluggish, and other things, such as the diff and the drivetrain were sacrificed a little bit.”
“And the exterior is a bit sleepy compared to the inside.”
“Still let’s test drive it!”
She adds it to the document
Aeros Aventyr Final Edition (JX platform) (Echowaffle8)
Mike pulls out yet another edition of MPVonthly from Feburary
Mike: “Hmm, 30 mpg on regular is looking good.”
Monica: “It definitely stands out visually.”
“But oh, solid axle rear…you know what that means.”
“Aw.”
He puts the magazine away
Luxor Tug (LS-Vehicles)
Monica finds Luxor’s webpage
Mike: “Oh wow, 37 mpg on premium fuel, but it’s a bit too slow for my taste…”
Monica: “But it looks pretty cool, and…oh it’s not even available yet.”
“Oh well…”
click
and lastly
DeerAndHunt-Buck PeopleMover (Mikonp7)
Mike pulls out a full page ad in the latest MPVonthly
Monica: “…DeerAndHunt…Buck?..Well it’s boxy…it looks cool…”
Mike: “Haha, solid axle, super underpowered, boxy, it seems like it’s straight out of the 80s. Not for us, but it gave me a laugh.”
He puts it away
Moving on to the test drive round are
Kubboz
Lordred
Vri404
SheepInACart
abg7
conan
ZSCHMEEZ
On3CherryShake
JohnWaldock
USDMFTW
Leedar
NiuYorqCiti
thecarlover
Urbanliner
Congratulations!!
So there’s a good chance that I’ll only have time to review the top 5 or so in the test drive round, but all the finalists will be listed in the final scoresheet.
