The Car Shopping Round (Round 64): Tears in Heaven

[Jaimz]

@strop

The Excel spread sheet I use, complete with three random examples (a premium 2017 Ford Falcon Ute

The prestige ute, in the spreadsheet has 7.1 l\100km, but the Falcon ute should be closer to 12 l\100km (or 14 depending on which mpg figure they use).

2017 Ford Falcon Ute – engine range

It was made to be with rear-wheel drive. The engines are combined with a 6-speed automatic transmission. There are two petrol and one gas engine:

4.0-liter six-cylinder engine from 261 hp and 288 lb-ft (391 Nm) of torque, with a combined fuel consumption of 20.1 mpg.
4.0-liter six-cylinder turbo engine. The production of this engine is 362 hp and 393 lb-ft (533 Nm) of torque. This engine will have a combined fuel consumption of 18.5 mpg.
4.0-liter six-cylinder EcoLPi engine of 265 hp and 302 lb-ft (409 Nm) of torque. The combined fuel consumption will have 18.5 mpg.

Or am I just being overly picky and pedantic over it?

[strop]

This is actually a good point and a subtlety that I considered but didn’t mention: You are correct, Australian built utes by and large have terrible fuel economy.

However, in Automation, it’s quite easy to build vehicles with better fuel economy, so the standard has changed somewhat. This is one reason I actually increased the price of fuel relative to what it really is in AUD.

[Jaimz]

OK, thanks for the clarification.

@strop

This is one reason I actually increased the price of fuel relative to what it really is in AUD.

Your inflated price, compared to AUD, is the ACTUAL price we are paying in the UK. Feckin’ taxes…Grrrrr…

[lordvader1]

one more post from me, here you can see a concept called
etam gtr

a transversely mounted v8 twin turbo
awd drivetrain 50/50

[DeusExMackia]

Oh no, here comes trouble - the Alstrena UL-5!

< A reconstruction of an Alstrena senior level meeting circa 2004 >
We’re a big generic car maker, so we just have to enter into every market, don’t we!
What’s that? There’s a type of a car called a ‘ute’? Do we have one yet?
No? Well, we just have to make one!
Nah, don’t worry, we’ll just use our mid-size sedan platform and nick all the others bits from our parts bin.
Research? Into what? Our target market? No no, we don’t need that, we just need to sell these things that’s all!

Introducing the 2006 Alstrena UL-5. A ute made by people who know nothing about utes because they simply saw a gap in the market. It’s uninspired, dull and simpler than white sauce. It has an engine, some seats, a radio, a gearbox and some other stuff too, all of which when put together are generally regarded to be described as a ‘car’.

Truth be told, it’ll probably serve your every need pretty well if you’re looking for a ute. But don’t expect it to be a memorable care to own, nor a fun or enjoyable one. It is simply a vehicle that looks good on sales reports.

Though in saying that, it actually looks really ugly.

The only reason you’d buy it is because you’re too scared/stupid to consider anything else.

This particular model is some mid-range trim or something with a 2.5l V6 under the bonnet, 6 speed automatic and all the features you’d expect from such a generic car. It’s painted in Scottish Salmon Pink aka “Hint of Vomit” Peach. Don’t worry, if you’ve submitted anything into this competition, you’ve already beaten this.

[abg7]

Five years ago, we set out to build a thinking man’s (or woman’s) ute: one without the inherent compromises of live-axle designs and with unusually high economy for the class. So we built a ute version of our existing ZV4 sedan and named it the Utility. It’s primarily aimed at the Australian market, but we designed it so that it could theoretically be sold anywhere… in the world.

Unlike most other ute manufacturers, we played the efficiency card. To that end, the 2012 ZV4 Utility 2.6 is powered by an all-alloy, 2.6-liter turbocharged straight-six which combines high fuel efficiency (just over 7L/100km) with decent performance, allowing this workhorse to serve as a show pony when you want it to. And by sharing the donor sedan’s all-independent suspension and unibody construction, it handles, stops and steers very much like a real car, not a truck with a ladder frame and/or a solid rear axle. In short, it looks like a truck but actually feels like a car.

Inside, you’ll find our advanced safety suite and a full set of driving aids, plus a premium interior with an infotainment system to match, ensuring peace of mind on even the most tedious journeys imaginable. And a wide range of exterior colors is available, including the Brilliant Blue Pearl of the example shown here. Amazingly, all of this can be yours for just $20,000 excluding markups - and it still is, considering that the ZV4 Utility remains in production to this day. Go on, you know you want one!

[Madrias]

Sometimes, what you really need is a good, simple ute. No fancy turbochargers, no strange suspension arrangements out back. A big V8 and a solid rear axle.

This is the 2012 Sinistra Starfire SE-8. It packs a 500+ horsepower, 7.7 liter V8 engine capable of hurtling this ute to 100 km/h in 5.3 seconds. At Sinistra Motors, we believe in RWD. AWD is expensive, complicated, heavy, and chews into your fuel efficiency. FWD is good for hatchbacks and cheap four-cylinder powered cars, but not for vehicles that have to carry any weight.

But why choose our ute over someone else’s? Well, 26.2 US MPG, for starters. 8.98 L/100km. Sure, it’s not the best in the world, but we’re throwing all of that fuel into an engine that produces 580 horsepower. It then fires that power into a 6 speed manual gearbox, through the driveshaft, into a viscous rear differential, and out through the rear tires, in proper fashion.

Of course, it is a ute, and with a solid axle resting on coil springs, you can actually haul things in it. And up in the cab, we’ve kept it nice and simple, but it feels just like being in one of our sedans. Which is to say, it’s a little plain, but we’ve given all the comforts you need. Our standard equipment package includes 2 cloth-covered seats, an AM/FM/CD player with Bluetooth support, a nice 6 speed stick, and enough airbags to survive an accident and walk away.

We’ve also decided that a full-width sunroof was an essential add-on to aid your enjoyment of this beautiful machine. While it doesn’t retract, it does pop open, so it can let the hot Australian air out of the cab if you need it to. Also, power windows are standard equipment, with driver, passenger, and rear windows all being able to open.

Sinistra. Simply Better.

[DeusExMackia]

Wow that front end design is silky smooth. So elegant for a ute!

[abg7]

That ute is a nice contrast to my entry - simpler and gruntier but still a looker!

As for why I prioritized efficiency, comfort and dynamics… Well, I believed that I could combine the ride and handling capabilities of a VE/VF Commodore ute with a level of fuel economy unheard of in any ute, while still having enough cash to spare for more creature comforts than I would normally install.

And although I toyed with the idea of building an actual truck (albeit a much cheaper one from 2003), I abandoned that plan after realizing it wouldn’t be competitive or attractive enough and deleted said truck once it had served its purpose.

Finally I intentionally made my ute fast, but not too fast, because I figured I didn’t need lots of power to make a competitive entry. In fact, I built a test car with a >400-bhp NA V8 earlier, but chose not to submit it either because I thought I could do a better job by focusing on efficiency and comfort.

[Madrias]

@DeusExMackia: Ironically, it’s basically the same front end I used in the last CSR, with the '87 Sinistra Warrior SE-4. Modern version of the lights, LED foglamps, but pretty much identical. I was trying to find a nice balance between “Looks good for this era” and “Can be reused many times over the years.” I figure, it can carry from late '80’s to mid '00’s without being too badly dated, and carried forward if desired.

Of course, nothing about Sinistra is final until UE4, but that’s not stopping me from trying some ideas.

@abg7: Mine wasn’t intended to contrast, but in a way, I’m glad it has. You went for one half of the equation, I went for the other. You built an efficient and comfortable ute that’s likely a great driver’s car. I’ve built a ute designed to haul things, but is capable of also hauling ass. I aimed to have decent fuel efficiency, though with 7.7 liters of V8 under the hood, it’s not the most efficient, and not the most comfortable, but still reasonable enough, I think.

Basically, this was my way of building a better version of the Storm Jackal, one that fit within the budget and wasn’t quite so insane.

[TheElt]

Can you guess the side I’m trying to appeal to here. Who needs a useful utility vehicle, amirite?

[Leedar]

Hmm. Here’s me hoping that @Strop will buck expectations and weight performance unexpectedly low.

[DeusExMackia]

@Madrias

but that’s not stopping me from trying some ideas.

Can confirm that this idea is a good one

[nialloftara]

From the factory brochure.
The Centauri Ridgeback Express, the hard working ute for the hard working driver. Powered by a 6.0 liter turbo straight 6 revving to 6000 rpms mated to a 6 speed transmission this rugged hauler is up for whatever challenge you throw at it. Inside you have comfortable seating for 3 with a durable interior, everything about this vehicle is designed with an eye towards longevity, this will be your solid companion for many years to come. $17,900

[strop]

I haven’t opened any entries so far, but I have downloaded entries from the following:

@lordvader1
@doncornaldie
@HighOctaneLove
@TR8R
@DeusExMackia
@abg7
@Madrias
@nialloftara
@Mikonp7

I think that was all of them so far.

[JohnWaldock]

2010 JHW Peregrine HST

Light on gas, Big on fun!

from $16,500 AUD

[TheBobWiley]

Just an FYI, you said the spreadsheet was made by “BobLobLaw” in your original post, but my name is “TheBobWiley”.

[strop]

ooh, err, misattribution is bad. Thanks for letting me know!

[NormanVauxhall]

Sometimes I think you should have a furry deer character with teal color fur.

Joke aside, I really appreciate the great immersion you create around the rounds.

[strop]

Well now, actually you may not remember that Cen and I did sneak in a teal deer into our sponsor lineup on no less than your Znopresk Zeus for the AMWEC.

The proof:

Post you fan art here

squidhead thought this should go here. It was done for the AMWEC, so you can see the background info to it there: [image] The resolution is too low due to filesize. At least at 1380 width you can see all the decals and logos properly.