Great read, really like the reviews you are doing for all carskick 
wow, iām really scoring higher than i expected
Thanks! I think everyone deserves a review, dispite the rank. Plus, thatās part of the fun!
I hope you guys like the reviews coming in gradually like this.
Oh, and please excuse typos. Proof reading is boring 
Donāt worry, cpufreak. You happen to be next!
17th of 20
User: cpufreak101
Company: Galt Automtive
Car: Gemini
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Slow. Boring. Practical. Value. Those are the four words that, in a nutshell, sum up this car.
This could be the start of the peopleās car of the future! It is a practical and efficient car with quite a unique, but potentially gaudy, look. The aluminum body panels are adequately thick for an eco car, but it does still weight about 3250lbs (1470kg) on its AWD AHS Steel platform. Pretty high tech, especially when you consider the $22,700 price tag. So youāll want to get inside. Howās it in there? Well, the seats are ok, similar to a 2007 Prius, providing support and descent comfort, but are by no means luxurious. What is luxurious for this price bracket is the high tech HUD system. In this price class, itās great to see!
So Iām ready for a drive, letās try it. Is it going to surprise us with power? Or are we going to find out the reason this 40MPG good sized eco car is this inexpensive. Unfortunately, itās the latter. As soon as you fire it up, you know you wonāt be going anywhere in a hurry. It produces the sound of a heavily muffled tiny engine with a hint of turbo whine. And thatās exactly what it isā¦
Punch it at a stop light, the short gears allow the engine to wind up and the AWD grip initially provides the illusion that the car is accelerating quickly, as the engine flies through the RPMs, the Auto transmission quickly shifting gear to gear. But itās just that, an illusion. Slow doesnāt begin to define how this goes. With a 0-100kph in 16.1 seconds and 20.55 seconds in the quarter mile, this is likely one of the slowest gas only cars on the market. Almost every hybrid is faster, and some for not much more money. So if speed is important to you, this is not your bag.
The engine is not without its merits, though. It makes good of what displacement it has, all 1169cc of it. The turbo spools relatively early at 2600RPMs, providing mid-range pull that allows the car to move a little bit without seriously burning through gas. In fact, nothing you do makes this car burn gas. I went to the middle of Kansas, I just punched it on a straight road for 15 minutes. Eventually, I somehow made it to 110MPH, but it took several minutes; a tribute to the low drag. But I donāt think the gas gauge moved. In fact, the large tank means you can go 600 to 800 miles without refueling. Incredible!
So itās slow, is fun to drive? No. The Air suspension is heavily comfort tuned, so youāll likely fall asleep driving to your destination. Great as a passenger, not so great as the driver. This is a nice car to ride in on the highway with no traffic just to get somewhere. Set the cruise control, play with the tech, and be very comfortable. For that, itās fantastic. Many āluxuryā cars costing double or triple the price canāt provide this aura. But hereās the kicker. It didnāt do enough to bring the car into the luxury category. The mediocre seats and interior paneling remind very kindly that, well, youāre not in a luxury car. And the tiny engine adds a lot of vibrations cursing at high speeds, as it has to ride the boost curve pretty heavily to work at highway speeds. Luckily itās quiet or the drone could kill!
But to the point, the handling is just plain awful! Sure, itās ok at low speeds and slow maneuvers, but it falls apart when you push it at all. The primary culprit? Well the suspensionās comfy, but it also keeps the car pretty level. So the issue turns out to be the 135mm tires. With a car this heavy, they just donāt have the grip to turn. Or stop. Heck, this tiny engine can even spin all 4 wheels at a launch, thanks to the short gears and tiny tires. Again, seeming like it might be quick, but not really going anywhere. And luckily itās not very fast, because the brakes are abysmal, many thanks to the tires that just donāt give you any grip.
So in a nutshell, this is car for those who want a new high tech car, but canāt afford a new hybrid. They want gadgets and goodies, but they canāt afford a luxury car. All in all, itās basic eco transportation and a descent car for a long road trip.
The Efficient Future Rank: 17th/20 @ 1153.1 points
Summary: This car scores huge points for its low price point, eco friendly setup, comfort and practicality. But, it incurs a huge penalty in many ways because itās just REALLY slow with squishy suspension and no brakes.
Carskickās Overall Subjective Score: 5.5/10
Summary: Despite it being a true economy car in every sense, it fails in so many ways in terms of drivability, performance, braking, etc. Maybe Iād buy it for my daughter as her first car.
meh, still higher than expected, because i made an ecobox and i see everyone else making hypercars, so i really figured iād be 19/20 
Mine shouldāt be far behind. I made a luxury car too. At least the emissions are cleaner than mine when I have eaten too much Taco Bell 
This will be interesting for me. I made an upscale car, but paid mind to fuel economy too. I know Iām not tops out there, but from what Iāve seen I donāt think (or at least I hope) Iām doing that badly.
I paid close attention to fuel economy, but thereās only so much you can do between economy and decent performance for a midsize sedan.
Awesome! Keep the reviews coming
The higher up the countdown, the more I dread having my car displayed next 
Same here!! It makes me wonder if I actually did it correctly? 
[quote=ārobt100ā]
Same here!! It makes me wonder if I actually did it correctly? [/quote]
I know I didnāt 
16th of 20
User: Puffster
Company: ABR
Car: Rhino Nightshade
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The Rhino Nightshade definitely wins at being the most practical car in the competition! This is primarily due to the fact that itās an SUV, and the only SUV to be entered. But ABR has made some interesting choices with this vehicle.
First off is the engine. While the emissions are pretty low for an SUV, it is quite a surprise! Why? Well, there is a 5.6 Liter 570HP V12 that revs to 8500RPM under the hood. But I didnāt realize this when I first got in the unassuming SUV.
I did notice the very truck-like utilitarian styling; and the SPORTWAGEN logo on the back. The front end is kind of love it or hate it. I really like the top part, but the bottom part wasnāt my favorite. And other than the suicide doors and chrome trim, the side is pretty standard. Stepping into the inside, the car is pretty basic. The seats are nice, and there are 3 rows, which is handy. But the electronics are borderline bare minimum in todayās world, especially when you consider the $76,300 price tag. But once you fire it up, you know why it costs that much.
The aggressively cammed V12 barely holds an idle without vibrating the whole car. If you pop the hood, you can see the engine mounts struggling to keep the massive vibrating monster in place, like a Cobra thatās about to shed its skin before it strikes. But once you pull out and get over 2k RPMs, magic happens! The engine begins to come into its own. I pulled onto the highway near the dealer, put the 6 Speed Single Clucher Sequential in 4th and rode it all the way to the way to 120MPH. The torque is incredible! Despite its size, the SUV only weighs 4200 pounds, partly in thanks to the Fiber Glass body. So it moves with urgency; and its tires arenāt huge, so you will get some tire spin in first gear, even with AWD and some really nice, sticky rubber.
What else is special about this SUV? Pushroad rear suspension. Yeah, you may wonder why the trunk floor and rear seat are so high. Thatās why. Expect to only put kids and short people in the back seat. But that helps keep the back end more controlled than any production SUV, well, ever. The aggressive active suspension system makes this SUV handle better than most family cars that weigh significantly less, and is quite admirable. If youāre the kind of Dad that likes to speed up to catch and drift through a yellow left turn light with 6 kids in the back so you donāt have to wait for the light, this is your Ute!
The Efficient Future Rank: 16/20 @ 1225.7 points
Summary: Fuel Economy was the Achillesā heel of this car. While 18.3MPG is good considering that itās a high speed race SUV, it is a weak spot in this competition. High running costs, low comfort and prestige donāt help its case, either. High Drivability, Speed, Safety, and Practicality helped put it where it stands on the rankings.
Carskickās Overall Subjective Score: 8.5/10
Summary: I have a lot of respect for this aggressive design in and economy competition. Despite it being a very large and relatively heavy performance machine, it still manages to be somewhat environmentally friendly. So for taking the entry to an interesting extreme and creating a car that fills a cool niche, I give extra bonus points!
So Iām curious, what would the Efficient Future points index actually indicate on the metric? How well you think it would sell? What proportion of the market share it might take? How attractive it would be to the āmean (average) buyer of the futureā?
For example, I know for sure that my car has good fuel economy compared to most of the ones shown so far, and far far far far more performance. But itās also far less practical, soā¦ it would lose points?
This is getting pretty tense 
Great detailed reviews.
Pushrod? Really on a SUV? hahaha nailed it
Iām like: āIām noooot reeeaaadyā¦ā
[quote=āstropā]So Iām curious, what would the Efficient Future points index actually indicate on the metric? How well you think it would sell? What proportion of the market share it might take? How attractive it would be to the āmean (average) buyer of the futureā?
For example, I know for sure that my car has good fuel economy compared to most of the ones shown so far, and far far far far more performance. But itās also far less practical, soā¦ it would lose points?[/quote]
Good question. The point calculator isnāt perfect, but the idea is that it would calculate how popular the model would be in a particular market niche, not necessarily the whole market. I donāt want to give too many details yet, but this part of the intro covers it to the point that I want to reveal for now:
āyour car company focuses on the average to above average income consumer which is the market this competition will focus onā
so the points are based on this premise
Good drive on the reviews, fantastic work so far carskick! Suprised the Rhino even got this high considering I almost completely neglected the main premise of fuel economy. Great fun, best of luck to the remaining contenders
Thanks! Itās a lot of fun.
Not COMPLETELY neglected. Heck, most real SUVs with V6ās get 18.5MPG. You did that with a 500+ HP V12.
15th of 20
User: Squidhead
Company: Kraft Haust Technic
Car: EconoLiner
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Do you want the ultimate family car around $50,000? The Kraft-Haust EconoLiner may be the car for you! Today, we are going to find out what this āLinerā is all about.
First, letās get in and drive it! While walking up to the Kraft, I did notice the interesting headlight design which will certainly turn a few heads. They are so dark, surrounded by a distinctive chrome outline. There is a matching vent above the front wheel wells, too. The body has definitely been crafted and stylized. But thereās no hiding the size of this guy, itās big! So will this monster be sporty and fun? How will it fair in government eco tests? Letās find out!
We started on the track with ours. The traditional Front Engine RWD layout and stiff suspension give this car tremendous handling capabilities, despite its immense 4100 pound weight. But the active suspension keeps everything in check so the ride is stiff yet comfy. This makes it a great family car that can be thrown around in the turns and stick like none other!
The acceleration and power delivery were more than adequate. While not mind blowing, the turbo V6 3.0 liter with an eco-tune gives a good balance of usable torque while sipping gas. Well, at least considering its weight and performance. But it does excel at low emissions and fuel burn efficiency, so it solves the problem without breaking the bank. So while 0 to 100KPH in 6.3 seconds isnāt overly impressive, the acceleration continues even through higher speeds, bringing the āLinerā to over 175MPH!
The interior is quite nice, with a premium feel and lots of gadgets. Itās a very cozy and safe place to be, and your family will appreciate that.
The Kraft-Haust EconoLiner is a great family car! Itās a large 5 seater with a good balance of everything. Being Easy to Drive, Large, Practical, Safe, and Comfortable are some of the many great things about this car. The balance is very exacting, and I really like it!
The Efficient Future Rank: 15/20 @ 1325.0 points
Summary: While the EconoLiner is very well balanced, it didnāt stand out in any particular way, which the scoring metric favored. Its large size/weight hurt its fuel efficiency, despite the engineās efficiency.
Carskickās Overall Subjective Score: 9.0/10
Summary: While aesthetically it wasnāt my favorite, I really liked the blend of luxury, sport, and practicality this car provided. It will do anything you ask of it quite well, and I am sure this will be a great seller!
I shouldāve specialized, not generalized, it seems. Well, still, not a bad experience gain for me.