Bad tagging 
Will have a batch up in about 16 hours, and yes, they’ll have pictures!
3 Likes
Ooooh. Can’t wait for them pictures. *drool
Im quite sure I should be up there…
Thought I sent you two cars, a Storm and a Dynamite.
Good god this is why you don’t do housekeeping after back to back long shifts
Anyone else feel free to pipe up if things look amiss.
2 Likes
For now, I’m not going to get into any written preamble. It’s time to show you what you can expect with the first batch of reviews, so without further ado, here is:
Gryphon Gear Market Research
(Part One)
Note the colour coded values, think of them as weighted interpretations of 
Also please note, if you see missing values, particular with regards to markup and production quantity, please let me know so I can add them in!
Price units are Automation units, which is equivalent to 2010 USD.
The “how much would this sell for in the real world” is my attempt to ballpark estimate. My estimate may be skewed or wrong. Feel free to offer your own opinions.
First Impressions- Strop
The hot hatch segment is always very competitive and each new model has to outdo the last significantly to even get punters to look twice. Armada have really pulled their socks up on this one, delivering an aggressive but tasteful looking package that ticks every box. Five seats, tick. Fully equipped with amenities and safety, check. Turbo four pot, check. Manual transmission, check. All of the necessities it appears to have done competently, but where it excels, as has always been the case at Armada, is delivering a real goddamn kick in the pants for those who dare give the car a poke. This is the most powerful proper mass-produced front wheel drive hot hatch on the market to date and it promises to be the fastest too.
First Impressions- Kai
Haha is that a Danish flag paintjob? Hahahahahahahaha after a few more seconds well it looks alright.
Driven Civilly
Let’s face it, the engineers did all they could do make sure the car was tolerable and pliant enough on the road without shattering anyone’s spine, but all their passion and efforts really went into making this car faster than it had any right to be. And that’s exactly what the kind of punter who buys this car wants. Aside from being a bit jittery over the bumps, the Fore was fuss-free on the public roads. The main problem was actually the turbo, as a pretty hefty single scroll the spool comes in the mid 3k, and before that one is left with a piddling 130Nm of torque, or basically even less than the afterthought ecobox version, the Birdie, has to offer. Not surprisingly around-town economy isn’t the best, at a smidge over 9L/100km. If you can ignore that, though, you can at least enjoy the crisp short shifter, the AC and decent stereo, and the ability to smoke every family car at the lights.
Driven Hard
On the hillclimb- Strop
All that power going to the front wheels meant getting a chirp of wheelspin even in second until the TC kicked in. The active aero pushed the car’s middle to higher speed cornering beyond what initially seems possible. Get to the choppy sections and the drive gets real lairy: coming out of the apex, one cannot simply mash the throttle or the turbo kicks in, the wheels spin and the steering goes light. At lower speeds this car must be treated with respect. It rewards patience and discipline with a gut wrenching ride, as the thick tyres and powerful brakes ensure superb cornering and stopping. I suspect I have yet to see just how much this thing can pull on a good road, because I was mainly busy being caught between wondering just how much harder I could push this thing, and dancing on the pedals using every trick in the FWD book to not fly off into a ravine. A very busy drive to be sure.
On the hillclimb- Kai
VWOOOOOOOOOOAR VWOOOOOOOOOAR PSSSSCHT NEOOOOOOOOW SPACK SPACK yeah this is more car than I thought it’d be.
At the track
As suspected, the Eagle’s frantic pace continues well past Australian freeway speeds and well into ‘high speed lane on the Autobahn’ range. Well past 200 and it still pulls and pulls. On the wider track with better quality bitumen one could properly appreciate all the visceral delights the engine that had a big turbo that popped and whistled and screamed all the way past 9k had to offer. It certainly had the chops to lay waste to other offerings that looked far more dedicated to the task and had less than half the seats, and for any enthusiast who grudgingly accepts the necessity of a practical ride, this is one way to get your satisfaction back.
Pros
- Fully equipped
- But full fat hoon approved
- Rather good value
Cons
- A bit cramped, especially in the rear, and the rear door is no help either
- Uncommonly wide tyres for a family hatch really drive up the budget, especially if tracked
- That turbo spool can make daily driving a bit of a chore
- Back roads are lairy but not sufficient to untap the full potential
What real car is it like:
An FK8 Civic Type R
How much would it sell for in the real world?
~35000
Verdict
The new standard for the hottest FWD hatches. Armada die-hards certainly have something to die harder about, and everybody else should watch out.
First Impressions- Strop
Light and nippy sport coupe with some class and it looks the part. Pop the hood and holy moly the 4 banger has got some incredible parts in there, nothing you’ll find on the shelf. It’s a downsized version of Erin’s large i4 which normally displaces 2.4L, tuned to as far as it’ll go, pretty much. Call this the modern equivalent of a cough S2000, except with six speakers. It’s light, it’s all gears and cogs and analog and traditional with the FR format and the 6 speed manual. One wouldn’t have thought the staggered tyres would have been necessary, but that doesn’t stop the car from being engaging and good slightly-faster-than-slow fun.
First Impressions- Kai
Cute, if not for the headlights being a bit weird
Driven Civilly
It’s sport sport and upmarket sport all the way with fancy trimmings and a rather firm ride with only 1170kg. Sport low profile tyres also contribute to ride harshness and road noise. On the plus side that does mean there’s plenty of scope for sporting feel even on the road, and feeling the simple pleasures of a machine that’s direct and responsive. There’s a real analogue feel here, manual transmission, no extra frills on the suspension, and it’s nice to see some of the old sports values retained. Having fun on the road like this also comes guilt free, with relatively good fuel economy and ultra low emissions.
Driven Hard
On the hillclimb- Strop
This was a facile but engaging drive, plenty of confidence in the brakes and once the nose was past the apex one could really hammer the gas without worry, even on the poor surfaces and narrow roads. It wasn’t terrifyingly fast but the throttle response was great which made for confident fun where you could really push the car knowing you were getting everything you could. This car is at its best on the tight slow corners and hairpins. It took a bit of time to get used to the long bonnet, but after that it was all man and machine, getting squeezed against the side bolsters of the bucket seats before banging through the gears, revving all the way to 8800rpm and feeling like a hero. The main worry was the really high speed zones as after a lot of heavy braking the pedal started feeling a tad mushy.
On the hillclimb- Kai
Quite easy and fun. Pretty good balance. Got to play some nice tunes.
At the track
Just because this is one of the less powerful cars doesn’t mean it can’t go fast. With plenty of balls and determination it topped out at 220km/h around the Thunderdome, which is actually pretty fast considering the nature of this car. Naturally it’s probably going to get eaten alive by about half the cars here, but that doesn’t mean that it isn’t fun even on the track. If anything one would encourage the weekend racer to take a car like this to the track, so they can get a feel for what it takes to drive at the limit. Again, just watch for the brakes, spearing off the Thunderdome is nobody’s idea of a great weekend.
Pros
- Combination of everything that kind of enthusiast wants in a sports car: NA, manual, no active suspension
- Able to have legal driving pleasure, though you’ll be tempted to push that legality
Cons
- Relatively less actual performance for the price point
- Slightly firm road ride, especially on shitty Australian roads
- High speed braking gets scary after a while
- The six speaker system adds extra weight and probably detracts from the focus of the rest of the car
- The staggered tyres are of questionable necessity
What Real Car is it like:
An MX-5 ND Roadster GT with a hardtop
How much would it sell for in the real world?
~28000
Verdict
The sports roadster for the gentleman and lady who loves it old school and loves it B road.
First Impressions- Strop
Retro sportscar made modern, something Smooth is known to do on occasion. It’s an odd chimera of nostalgia enthusiast’s wet dream come true. Long bonnet and sleek lines with flared arches housing ridiculous wide wheels already creates an imposing profile, and is that carbon fiber? It’s all over the panels and the wheels, good god. This looks like it’s going to be an expensive affair. Same too with the muscle-sized V8 that barely squeezes into the engine bay. This looks like a kit car but has fancy parts, so it’s probably realistically going to be more than double the asking budget here, but hey, it’s here, and it looks good, so we should still drive it right?
First Impressions- Kai
AHHHH THE BUG EYES.
(It is worth noting that among other arbitrary things like Swedish products, Kai hates round headlights)
Driven Civilly
This here is something that can definitely fight the GBF Bellua for road presence. It’s an absolute head-turner and totally not for shy drivers. Same can be said for the performance and the handling. The cabin is pretty spacious for such an old body, but it’s the road noise that really intrudes, thanks to the thick tyres. Also the interior, while definitely sporting in aspiration, are a bit bare and dated. Though that’s probably quite the minor detail in the grand scheme of things. The ride itself is actually really sorted and fuss free, thanks in no small part to the fancy and advanced suspension components: adaptive dampers, semi-active sway bars, and a setup that isn’t too stiff. Prod the gas and the car will absolutely obliterate even the most performance of sedans found locally. Do it too much though and you’ll find yourself pulling over for petrol real quick. But the burbling V8 is an absolute delight, so it’s really hard not to.
Driven Hard
On the hillclimb- Strop
It was immediately apparent that this would not be a car to be floored out of the hairpins. Full throttle was less than half the time, the braking points came much earlier, and any carelessness between second and third resulted in chirping of tyres and a lairy skip. The mid-front layout actually led to a rearward biased car which was great for acceleration but the front sometimes lacked the traction, demanding left foot braking with a bit of throttle in the middle of tighter corners. The sheer speed of this thing verged on terrifying, yet in reality due to the oodles of traction available and the superior chassis rigidity the car had a much more planted feel. It might even be the kind of car you’d want to take competitively to hillclimb events, it would be a blast.
On the hillclimb- Kai
after being coaxed into actually driving it This is pretty quick for a not-race car. Except it is a race-car, isn’t it? Is it?
At the track
With this much power on tap care had to be taken even on the banked curves of the Thunderdome. The front end getting a bit light was enough warning to back off and really feather the throttle. 550bhp is no joke, and pretty soon the Basking was brushing the far wall doing faster than the top speeds of many of the cars here. In fact it would be well faster than even the touring race cars of yesteryear that drove this course. With solid and stable dynamics, the driver was largely free to really pin it here and feel the massive shove.
Pros
- This is fast!
- The weight distribution suits the power
- For essentially a retro muscle car it handles rather well
- Some will find it sexy
Cons
- Average punter in this segment will never be able to afford the purchase
- Average punter in this segment will never be able to afford the upkeep either
- Don’t ding the panels!
- Definitely not a daily
- Specialist looks for specialist interests
What Real Car is it like:
I dunno, a Shelby Daytona Coupe? How about the custom C5 GTO?
How much would it sell for in the real world?
It’d probably be a collector’s item or a one-off, so it’s hard to tell
Verdict
Well over budget, but a dalliance with this model is like going on a fancy date with an Italian bodybuilder in stilletos and garters (or a Versace suit and bow tie, depending on which team you bat for): hedonistic, and quite possibly could break you in two.
First Impressions- Strop
This was described in the brief as ‘a touring car retooled for the road’. This makes a lot more sense. Otherwise what reason would there be to put a 2.3L four pot in a supercar? And that single-scroll turbo is… not small. Actually, the brief never made it clear whether this was a car designed for racing or whether it was just the engine in a car, but for sure, the interior was sparse and the wing was big and the tyres were thicc. With a sleek shape and very low ride height it certainly had a racey impression going. As advertised, however, we weren’t so sure about the ‘Classic sports car’ feel.
First Impressions- Kai
Oooh sporty, I- pops the hood hey, why is it missing half an engine?
Driven Civilly
After about four seconds of wondering whether there was something wrong with the engine, a spirited poke with the throttle revealed the spooling point and the cliff of torque, and something far more disconcerting: a complete lack of traction control. Strangely enough when the back end threatened to plow into the nearest oncoming car, the Feroce’s E-diff stepped up and tucked it back in. So no TC but ESC… our tame racing driver had to be heavily restrained from pulling ‘semi-controlled drifts’ through every corner. The suspension was far more pliant and soft considering everything else seemed to be designed to be all balls-to-the-wall. But that was where the niceties ended, lost amongst the deafening road noise and rock hard seats and lack of A/C. In reality, this was not the kind of car anybody would want to daily, from the slightly thirsty fuel consumption to the mercurial throttle control. This was ultimately a go hard or go home car. Yet, the strangest part was the gearbox. A classic six speed manual, but the top gear appeared to have a ratio set to about 470km/h. Doing 100km/h on the Calder and we thought we’d try sixth, and the car almost stalled! Maybe it’s for cruising at 300 on the Autobahn or something.
Driven Hard
On the Hillclimb- Strop
Knowing the figures and the lack of TC, this was initially an exercise in caution. There was some hesitation applying the throttle in anything other than straights. On the other hand, the really thick rubber on the rear, rearward weight bias and the pliant suspension setup lent a lot of confidence to really hammer it in second and above and feel some rather brisk acceleration and bang through the gears. And boy is the shifter a delight, it’s just a shame that the gearing was so far apart, especially at the high end. I don’t think I even left third. For such a flighty engine, the chassis itself felt far more composed, probably due to a surprisingly high weight. That said, steering response was still very direct with minimal understeer, and the brakes did their job fautlessly. Overall, a car like this isn’t best suited to something so tight and technical and I was having to exercise more patience than I would have liked getting out of the tighter corners. The surprise pluses seemed more to be coincidental than by design.
On the Hillclimb- Kai
SUDDENLY POWAAAAAAA. Really just needs the other half of the engine
On the track
The same strengths and weaknesses in this car were clearly displayed on track. The four pot with the long gearing was even more flagrantly at odds with the stately handling characteristics. The steering rewarded smoothness, but trying to predict the appropriate application of throttle was forever a game of cat and mouse. We found ourselves aching to put in a closer ratio six speed for better responsiveness, more fun, and less drop-off between gears. As it were, a little too much or too early in the corners and the rear would blip and the diff would drag it back in. It turned the driving experience into more of a trial-and-error session where the car was a teacher who wouldn’t actually tell you what the lesson was about, only smack you over the knuckles with a ruler whenever you said something wrong.
Pros
- Lovely handling characteristics
- Fantastic gearbox and trick diff
Cons
- Engine and gearbox don’t match
- Interior and body don’t match
- Why is there no traction control?
What Real Car is this Like?
I dunno, a 4-pot Venturi 400 GT?
How much would it sell for in the real world?
This isn’t the kind of car that would sell in the real world, not publicly anyway
Verdict
As quirky as the, what is this, French come? Body and gearbox of a grand tourer, engine and interior of a not grand tourer. The reciprocal twin to this Frankenstein would have been more fun.
First Impressions- Strop
So we just remarked that the FRE Feroce’s reciprocal twin might be a lot more fun? It seems we’re ready to put that to the test already: instead of a sports car body with the engine of a touring car, we now have a touring car body with the engine of a sports car. V8 hatches are a vanishingly small market dedicated to company showboating, but when they do appear they are usually glorious. This one blew the door down and strode in with no pretense and all business: simply but imposingly styled, with the proper CONANTECH badge on the back. The interior is up to modern standard, in fact, on the advanced side for it (drawing favourable comparisons to the Armada Fore). The 3 doors, the subtle wing and the 35 profile tyres all hinted at the trim, but betrayed nothing of the true potency of the engine.
First Impressions- Kai
Not really sporty. But real comfy. Real solid. Would also consider if I was mafioso. (Refer to Kai’s reaction to the BMMA Salmon 2.3 GT Sprint 2)
Driven Civilly
Out of everything tested so far, this was the most everyday car of the lot. Very pleasant to drive, very easy to cruise. The clutch was light and the gearbox throws short and precise but not fussy or overly notchy. The V8 was very happy to purr along at barely above idle on the highway and the freeway. Bumps were very neatly absorbed on the rough roads, though there was quite a bit of body roll when pushing hard, not that this resulted in any understeer, a somewhat unusual feeling. One could sit at the lights in confidence that any time needed, generous throttle application would yield desired results. The only thing that detracted from the ride quality was the sports tyres in both width and profile, causing a fair bit of rumble in the cabin at speed.
Driven Hard
On the Hillclimb- Strop
Naturally being a hatch it was going to be compared to the Fore, though only in the same way as, say, a BMW M2 would be compared to a Civic Type R. Conan the German brought an extra 250kg and much more muscle in an FR format. It was faster in a straight line, but more geared to cruising than tight technical tracks. Barely five seconds in and the prediction was already looking to come true: I had to brake earlier and lift off before accelerating back out, not because of the rear wheel traction, but because the cornering was simply not as sharp due to the relative softness of suspension and the extra weight. Thanks to the great characteristics of the naturally aspirated V8 all the joy in this car came from how easily one could apply throttle and hear the rumble rising. But it certainly isn’t a car that’s particularly oriented to the rigours of mountain passes, so care has to be taken not to push it to be something that it isn’t.
On the Hillclimb- Kai
Like rolling around on a featherdown. Really… pillowy. But not fat, like a fat American.
On the track
Once again this was best described as a pleasantly quick rather than raw and visceral experience. In the banked Thunderdome the tyres started decidedly scrubbing, though due to the much easier control, corner speed was better maintained compared to the Feroce. For the first time it was not possible to keep full throttle through the gentle chicane of 12-13, simply because the handling wasn’t sharp enough. Nor were we all that compelled to try, it simply isn’t that kind of car.
Pros
- Plush and comfy
- Solid and safe
- Genuine V8 modor, very satisfying in a straight line
- Great drivetrain
- Practical and can carry decent amounts of cargo
Cons
- More plush = less actual space for occupants and cargo compared to the Fore
- More engine is outweighed by the extra weight
- Smoother ride means less capable handling in general
What Real Car is this like?
An E92 M3 crammed into a 3 door hatch
How much would it sell for in the real world?
~38000
Verdict
Instead of being a sports car dressed up as a daily, this is a daily dressed up as a sports car.
Right, so it appears that even a batch of 9 reviews doubles the character limit. So I’m going to go with batches of 5 
12 Likes
Moving right along, then:
First Impressions- Strop
GBF are our partner company for the car that spawned this belated research project, so naturally it was not difficult to see how this car shared similar genetic source material. This one however probably belongs to a higher tier, all fancy stitched trim with lightweight materials and a dash of leather. Properly acoustic speaker system. Really fancy controls with a classic touch and lots of LED. Sculpted lines, sculpted vents, sculpted lights, this is as much artwork as you can get for the budget. However there were immediately two glaring issues: first, the safety rating was only good enough for current but not projected standards for sale in Australia and Europe past 2020, an issue explained away by the fact this car was not going to be produced then anyway as it was a strictly limited run as was everything from GBF. The other thing was the curious mismatch between power and powered tyres: this car would have easily fit the JDM Gentleman’s Agreement of the early 90s, but the rear wheels essentially come from a Lamborghini Diablo, which isn’t going to be easy to source on the go around here. It’s especially odd as the front tyres come from what you’d expect on a car of this class, more like a Lotus Elise. Chalk another one up for GBF weirdness.
First Impressions- Kai
Ooooh fancy! And in my favourite shade of red too! And if I turn the volume up I get a scalp massage!
Driven Civilly
The absolute first thing one notices when they attempt to turn out of the driveway is an unfamiliar feeling… of there being no power steering. This car is light by modern standards, and the front even lighter still. But the lack of power steering brings a directness and a feedback on a level that cannot be substituted by the finest of assisted mechanisms. Of course, in the mostly 90 degree bends punctuated by stop start traffic, it’s just a bit of chore, however mitigated by the weight distribution and the disconcerting narrowness of the front tyres. On the plus side this merely adds to the wholly committed, involved experience of driving this particular trim, with a delightful shift action and an integrated electronic stability control and differential system that really masks the really understeery characteristic caused by the extreme stagger in the tyres. The turbo is actually very unintrusive on both counts, being such low boost, even though it spools so late, it doesn’t really rob the engine of much throttle response, though being a smaller engine, it does have to be worked harder to get to the ‘fun zone’. It’s a good thing then that first in this is short for a sporty car, and the ratios and nicely spaced for Australian conditions.
Driven Hard
On the Hillclimb- Strop
The aforementioned curious mismatch of choices really makes for some unique dynamics here, some good, some not so good. For something so frugal and modestly powered, it really shoots off the line, making the full use of its rear traction and trick diff. First, second and third are just a joy to blast through, espeically with this screamer of a tiny V6 revving almost all the way to 10k with a huge powerband. But then the first oddity: the front wheels are so narrow compared to the rear they just really like to understeer and it badly affects speed in the hairpins, which is an additional shame considering just how flat the car really corners. It just makes me want to shout or really chop the axle a bit and install wider tyres. I guess on the plus side it did mean I could push much more confidently as the understeer was really very progressive and predictable, so in a way, I probably went faster than I would have with something more on the edge. Just not what I expected from this kind of trim.
On the Hillclimb- Kai
The rear is all grip, the front is all slip. Having ten speakers really helps mask the sound of tortured tyres.
On the track
The sleek profile of the Exsilio helped strengthen its case in the high end, and sneakily aided by the curious active wing. Even with the lack of power this was good for about 235km/h on Thunderdome, which is not bad. The stable, flat handling was a boon, again allowing adventurous application of throttle and much sawing of the wheel with impunity. It’s barely quicker than the Conan S40, but a completely different approach. After several laps we felt we’d worked this one out: it’s the kind of car that gives you maximum driving feel but doesn’t make it stupidly hero car difficult to drive, so you get the most pleasure in something that won’t bite your head off for pushing it a bit too hard. In a way it rewards daring driving moreso than skilled driving, but not everybody has racedriver skills (shut up, Kai), and that’s possibly a lesson in relevance that GG has mostly ignored when making their cars, for better or for worse.
Pros
- Rather easy to drive for MR sports with no power steering
- Low end vroom is a joy in traffic and on tight roads
- Great suspension feel
- Quite frugal
- Very nice interior trim and entertainment system, very premium GBF
- Exterior is eye-catching
Cons
- Safety not quite up to scratch
- Ridiculous rear wheel profile a real pain for procurement
- Heaps of front wheel understeer will frustrate skilled drivers
- Expensive active wing adds weight and has questionable benefit considering qualified high speed credentials
- Forget road trips, this thing can barely store a Happy Meal, let alone a suitcase.
What Real Car is this like?
An Alfa 4C dressed up like an 8C, except with actually good handling
How much would it sell for in the real world?
~65000
Verdict
Quirky and bold, if you can put up with some wallet-burning ‘character’, it’ll do wonders for your driving ego without the fishtailing into a kerb.
First Impressions- Strop
Maesima continue to develop their reputation as masters of style with this modern, sculpted offering that draws immediate comparisons to the Erin Nardella. This is quite useful, for while they are fundamentally similar they are also fundamentally different: the use of the ActivBoost technology in the MCA block promises a broad powerband while retaining the high revving characteristics. We’ve previously had concerns about the reliability of Maesima engines, given their overstressed components, so naturally have to wonder the same here, though the material and fabrication methods also seem to have addressed this somewhat. Experience wise, it is clear that Maesima wish to showcase the extent of their abilities on the road, with ground effect undertray and an actual, real diffuser, a properly sporting interior (also with six speakers, like the Erin), and what look like race-bred brake calipers. It’s like they transplanted the components off a supercar. In essence this was classic tweaked with the full bore of modern technology.
First Impressions- Kai
This is sexy. I need a bigger garage.
Driven Civilly
Looking at the STX-R is one thing. Actually driving it is another. You’ll understand the first thing you do after you push START, and you hear the engine sound (it sounds pretty regular like a mildly boosted i4). Then you grasp the shifter and you will never think of the car in the same way. The silky smooth action, the short and direct travel, the weight, the clutch, this is the kind of gearbox that proper supercars should have. It’s already hedonistic enough to drive slowly in traffic, but when fanging it up the on-ramp or downshifting it’s nearly enough to make one spaff their pants. You feel like a race car driver without having to break the speed limit. Not to mention the autoblip and rev matching feature matches to your skill so as to massage you into feeling one with the drivetrain. Just how much money went into this makes one wonder. In concert with this, the suspension is well balanced and sorted, absorbing the bumps but staying flat and grippy, with almost no understeer at all. The turbo kicks in quite early, mitigating many of the problems of more hardcore offerings like the Fore Eagle GTi as while it’s not great in the start-stop crawl of peak hour (what is?), it’s definitely workable in most conditions. By the end of the trip the relation to the Nardella emerged, like a younger, hipper, beefier cousin that ditched the gentleman suit for tight jeans, lifetime membership at the gym and scientifically proven protein supplements.
Driven Hard
On the Hillclimb- Strop
The pleasure turns to pressure somewhat under tight conditions, and depending on your skill level that can either feel like a buzz or quite scary. Physics dictates that there’s only a finite amount of frictional force between tyres and the road. Everything feels well balanced, but then there’s always the two halves in my head telling me I can go harder, and the other half saying if I lose traction the cliff is right there and there’s no guardrail. On the plus side at least one could confidently stamp on the brake any time anywhere and the bite was sharp and immediate. In the world of modern sports cars, thank God for the niceties of stability aids, although really, again the turbo here was not so sudden as to cause significant difficulty. It was difficult to appreciate what some of the technical showcase pieces, like the ground effect, actually did for the handling here, I suspect not much to be honest, and so I wasn’t sure that despite a car like this being that seat-of-your-pants fun on a road like this, whether I had seen the depth of its potential. Or, even, what it thought its own potential was to be.
On the Hillclimb- Kai
I bet I can take that corner faster! Faster! Faster! MOAR BOOOSCHT (if Kai bought this he would definitely tune it and then it’d need new internals…)
On the track
As suspected, on the track, the true handling of the STX-R comes to the fore. On the high speed corners there is little loss in the steering feel and stability, and the STX-R attacked the Thunderdome and the high speed chicane with gusto. It was in fact the power to weight ratio that held the car back, not because it was necessarily slow, but just because it was the weakest link in something that was dressed like a comfy race car. It was kind of frustrating getting passed by most of the other cars on the track despite being able to stick to them like glue on the corners, yet never quite being able to capitalise on it by passing them, which included the Conan S47.
Pros
- Technological treasurebox in a reasonbly priced sports car
- Orgasmic gearshifts
- Addictive handling that rewards skill and bravery and fantastic suspension setup that soaks up bumps
Cons
- Classic Maesima engine reliability concerns are yet to be clarified
- Engine is relatively weak compared to the strength of the other components
What Real Car is this like?
A BMW 1M missing 2 cylinders worth of power.
How much would it sell for in the real world?
~35000
Verdict
Rip-roaring chassis, both civilised and sporty. It’s just begging for the affluent hoon to dump another 10k on it to give it the power it deserves?
First Impressions- Strop
Here is an upscale sedan, for the market Australia largely forgot (see: demise of local manufacturers). But it’s a market that is still alive and well in the form of affluent import offerings, and bustling competition overseas. If one couldn’t quite afford (or tolerate) the Toorak tractor in favour of something sleeker, more dynamic (and better looking) then this is the place to be. The sL200 certainly looks the part, aggressive lines full of intent on a classic sedan body. The interior is proper premium (I will put aside my bias against leather for now), with all the bits of trim and extras you definitely won’t find in a truly sport-oriented car at this price point. The LCD infotainment display is bigger, the buttons are crisper, and the atmosphere stately, imposing. It’s all part of the performance art, though, naturally, with that, I suspect it also carries a statelier heft.
First Impressions- Kai
Grand, real grand. Maybe if I’m 40 with twins.
Driven Civilly
Sachiuri have spared little expense in what is definitely the most daily liveable car yet. With the exception of, interestingly enough, an abnormally small rear door, just like with the Armada Fore, this is every bit the 2017 premium sedan the successful, upper-middle class parent would expect while dropping their kids off at their private school before purring their way to their 25th floor office in management. Actually, I lie, 25th floor management probably wouldn’t have this kind of taste, it probably is more the domain of those with more individual, marginal tastes, like, say, doctors and architects. Given this, the choice of DCT is an interesting one, particularly as it is difficult to hide the clunkiness of shifting in low gears, especially given a rather tall first. In stop-start traffic it is just slightly noticeable, but when moving along it fades away, leaving us in an insulated cocoon of cool pleasantness bathed in surround sound in which one plays Mozart or Coltrane or what have you. Another pleasant note; the engine may have a decent amount of donk to round out a certain smug superiority in which you can smoke lesser mortals at the lights, but driven as you’ll want to, it returns a decent fuel economy. Not the best, but decent, especially as NA V6es go.
Driven Hard
On the Hillclimb- Strop
Like your typical upmarket sedan, this was never going to be a chuckable vehicle. I also noted with a degree of trepidation that the wheels were fairly narrow, even if low-profile. The relatively comfortable suspension setup did also leave more room for body roll, yet despite this, by some sorcery the front really pitched its nose in accordance with the steering. While it wasn’t a machine that compelled hard driving, it still inspired confidence and allowed you to push its limits without fear of punishment. The obvious and necessary flipside to this was that the hard driving experience was softened, not as engaging. The limits weren’t particularly scary or extreme, and I found myself loath to turn either the A/C or the radio off while driving.
On the Hillclimb- Kai
On second thought, maybe I’ll still get it but Bianca can drive me around in it.
On the track
There was little to change the impression from the hills on the track, aside from the added confidence to throw the car at the kerbs a bit more, for it was nigh impossible to unsettle. The one exception was the odd sensation of the rear feeling a bit light on very high speed corners. It seems that the lip on the front wasn’t purely cosmetic, and there certainly wasn’t anything in the way of spoilers or wings on the rear. Else, the sL200 proved here that it was perfectly capable of cruising past 200km/h and feeling almost just as easy as it did at lower speeds, though, even as just about everybody blasted by screaming through the corners, one found it difficult to care.
Pros
- Super comfy
- Really classy
- Most pleasant to daily
- Feels nice at almost any speed
Cons
- Pricier than most things here
- Makes you want to feel lazy and soft, less Sport and more Touring
- DCT with tall first a minor annoyance at very low speeds
What Real Car is this like?
A Lexus IS
How much would it sell for in the real world?
~50000
Verdict
That which makes it uncompelling to drive hard, is what makes it supreme on the road.
First Impressions- Strop
“Something hopefully different”, came the note from our long-lost partner who started out GG’s own aerodynamic journey. They’d disappeared for some years but clearly hadn’t stayed still, coming up with this surprise package in the form of a sportwagen, the kind that you’d think would go for at least twice or three times the budget as laid out here. The other way in which it was different was unfortunately the gagging it elicited as soon as we laid eyes on the front end. Hello, 2006 Subaru called and wanted its bad fascia trip back. Bundling inside as fast as possible proved the perfect salve for our burning eyes, because we were immediately swaddled in leather and woodgrain and tasteful chrome lining. This was definitely up there in the substance stakes. Dual zone climate control, big LCD, all the doodads and whizzbangs, beefy leather steering wheel full of nice firm clicky buttons. It appeared that Stryker had been paying to a lot more attention than to just aero while they were on the downlow. I just wanted to offer them some design tips, maybe afterwards.
First Impressions- Kai
It’s not all bad, after a few ram raids you’ll hardly notice the front!
Driven Civilly
Sports wagons are a grand statement. They show you’re prepared to go your own way but you do it in style (maybe not so much here), but also comfort. You have a family, you need to bring lots of stuff on your trips, but you have all the comforts at your disposal. A proper sports wagon is the all-in-one platform but you care about your vehicle dynamics, so you refuse to get an SUV. The Sinatra does a stellar job of achieving this vision in utter comfort, with the exceptions of not being quite as spacious per passenger as the Sachiuri, and the extra thicc tyres (for better cornering and acceleration) causing extra rumble through the cabin at higher speeds. But you can rest assured that even among sports cars, your superiority in speed and significance of presence will prevail. The fuel economy isn’t so good, but I suspect if you got this car, you don’t really care about burning a hole in your wallet as much as you care about the naturally aspirated V12 that would have gone in an earlier Aston Martin. Speaking of which, goodness gracious what a raucous exhaust tone. The heady overtones fill the cabin when you put your foot down, but for some reason, you can’t turn it down even when you’re not banging the loud pedal. Great fun at first but a bit odd in a vehicle that otherwise spends so much of its time telling you to forget about the rigors of the outside world.
Driven Hard
On the Hillclimb- Strop
As the first AWD car of the test, it made a certain amount of sense, feeling like one was able to put the foot down hard and early and not worry about spearing into a rock face or a tree. Even more interestingly the central diff was preset to directing 2/3 the power to the rear, in an attempt to curb understeer. The nose dipped in sharply but not overly so, keeping one ever so mindful that one was driving nigh two metric tons at breakneck pace. The front suspension in particular was actually relatively soft, in particular the damping, to the point there was very little feedback or correlation through the steering wheel; one simply had to point and pray. In this sense it was less of an engaged experience, but more an abstract marvel that something so large could travel so fast, the grand surprise being that it was very nearly as quick as the hardcore Fore Eagle GTi, though undoubtedly this was more to do with the AWD and power advantage than it was to do with dynamic character.
On the Hillclimb- Kai
Point, shoot, lumber, turn up the tunes, enjoy.
On the track
The benefit of smooth roads and curves yielded some novel insights into the Sinatra. First, that it had a lot to haul around and really felt this at higher speeds, meaning that for all its power it almost felt like running out of puff in fourth, resting on the laurels of the blistering first three gears. Second, that one could really feel the full benefit of the wide tyres in the corners, for when hauling the car around them, the tyres just gripped and gripped. So we found ourselves carrying greater corner speed than many of the dedicated sportsters, but also slower around the Thunderdome. Nowhere near as sedate as the Sachiuri, it really gave many of the other cars hell, and must have been quite the imposing sight as it thundered past coming out of the corners. The Sinatra had found its second home.
Pros
- Well stacked and super plush
- Engine note is heavenly
- Great low end shove
- Heaps of grip
Cons
- Heavier than a stack of bricks
- Engine volume becomes intrusive and not-so-heavenly
- Really squeezing the budget, plebs need not apply
- Bordeline obnoxious fuel consumption
- Front dampers are so soft there is no steering feel
What Real Car is this like?
Audi RS4 Avant
How much would it sell for in the real world?
~75000
Verdict
You feel the need to swing your well-moneyed penis around doing TRACKDAY BRO, but you have kids and you can’t stand SUVs.
14 Likes
IIRC the STX-R was a very limited edition. And I did try to boost a Maesima, it didn’t turn out too well, reliability of 50 against 70+ stock on minimal boost… It was also a reason why the i4 lump left the engine bay as soon as drift car build commenced 
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Totally. My comments attempted to convey the fact I could see the reliability of even that block struggling (although you can’t really see reliability in effect on a single test drive unless the engine happens to break down)… and that indeed was on low boost, which is why I said it’d need new parts! I just think the dimensions simply didn’t support stock level parts at all.
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That is why v8 swaps exist 
In any case, nice writeups. I can really understand which car has what character and specifics.
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well then. i’ll be waiting for your reaction on what KSR did to the STX then.
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Gee, the poor MCA engine is getting bad reputation Let’s hope this isn’t some type of Theta II style massive recall in the waiting 
But these are some great reviews, expertly detailed that shall give all manufacturers involved some food for thought.
Looking forward to the rest of the reviews!
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I’m worried about what I’ve send in.
Oh, someone remember the Salmon 2 seat special I’ve sent…
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Great start to the reviews - honest, detailed and surprisingly concise. Keep up the good work!
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ahahahahaha you motherf***** 
Well you are spot on. Actually the price mirrors just production cost, the real deal wuld be astronomical. Daytona Coupe was spot on. The story of this car is sort of a racer for street prototype to celebrate the immense success of the racing company but than customers demanded limited production… So yeah, spot on, good stuff as allways.
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I grow worried as well 
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Haha it seems that AirJordan always gets the short end of the stick with Kai 
At least it’s not a Saminda 
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Holy cow @strop, this is in-depth. I mean, I love it, and the writing is fantastic, but have you done anything else other than write these recently? Are you eating properly? How much sleep are you getting?
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Hmm, I see bad reviews coming… 
This is… Wow. Normally I don’t read all of the reviews in detail, but these, I’ve held onto just about every word. Can’t wait to see what the characters of Strop and Kai think of the two machines I’ve sent in, but I’m perfectly content with the appetizers being served up from other people’s cars.
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