You probably forgot TopSpeed2001
I don’t think I have a DM thread with you, actually.
I thought I had DMed mine - will send tonight.
I have one for PTP2, but not FCC. Thanks!
HINODE MAHKOTA BROUGHAM
The Premier Luxury Sedan
Description
The 12th generation Mahkota was released in 2003, replacing the 11th generation model which was sold from 1999 to 2003. This generation of Mahkota was a radical departure from previous generations, moving away from its traditional, conservative style into a fresh design fit for the 2010s.
This generation of Mahkota also debuted a new family of all-aluminium straight-six engines, with displacement ranging from 2.5 litres to 4.0 litres. The Brougham (luxury) models are equipped with either a 2.5l or 3.0l engine, while Athlon (sports) models were equipped with a 3.5l engine. All engines were mated to a 6-speed automatic for rear-wheel-drive models, or a 5-speed automatic for all-wheel-drive models.
As with previous generations, the Mahkota is equipped with multilink rear suspension and HINOSUS adaptive suspension, which adjusts the shock absorbers based on current road conditions for optimum comfort and driving feel. All models are also equipped with Vehicle Stability Control to help the driver maintain control of the Mahkota at its limits.
In keeping with Hinode tradition, the Mahkota’s spacious interior is trimmed and upholstered with the best materials, with high-quality cloth seats (optional leather seats), woodgrain trim, aluminium accents, and a high-quality four-speaker entertainment suite, all to provide passengers with the highest levels of comfort and serenity.
Specifications
| Length | 4.92m |
|---|---|
| Width | 1.82m |
| Chassis | High-Tensile Steel |
| Front Suspension | Double Wishbones with HINOSUS adaptive shock absorbers |
| Rear Suspension | Multilink with HINOSUS adaptive shock absorbers |
| Front Brakes | Ventilated Discs |
| Rear Brakes | Ventilated Discs |
| Steering | Variable Ratio Power Rack and Pinion |
| Front Tyres | P215 60R16 100V |
| Rear Tyres | P215 60R16 100V |
| Engine | 2,499cc/2,994cc Inline 6 with Direct Injection |
| Power Output | 200hp@6400rpm/245hp@6600rpm |
| Transmission | 6-speed automatic |
| Top Speed | 140mph |
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Cabirou Argosy
This premium minivan was updated for 2005 with a focus on a more luxurious experience. Electronically adjustable dampers and a well-crafted premium interior, now featuring optional satellite navigation, cosset 6 passengers in luxury. Though maintaining the longitudinal FWD layout and 4 speed automatic of its predecessor, the new Argosy received an all new 3.5 liter V6. Power was just slightly improved from the previous engine, but the new design greatly improved fuel economy and increased maintenance intervals.
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Submissions have closed. Results will be out once I can get all the cars reviewed.
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The Bad News
Unfortunately, we did have one car fail to meet the rules and requirements. The HiWay Estate unfortunately had far too much engine techpool to be allowed to continue. Sorry, Jaimz!
Reviews coming soon.
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My best guess is that the Argosy is built on one of the '94 Lancer body sets - specifically, the wagon/estate version with the roof height morphing zone raised high enough for it to at least look like a minivan. Speaking of which, as far as minivans (or wagons that look like minivans) go, this is one of the best-looking examples of the breed.
Your decision to use a longitudinal FWD layout (in the vein of the Chrysler LH platform cars) seems odd at first, until I realized that had the engine been mounted transversely, the service costs (which should be minimized for this class of car) would have been significantly higher.
Eleanor Goes Shopping
How It Works
Cars are being reviewed in order of purchase price, low to high. They are being judged relative to one another and so keep in mind that having something be bad is only relative to the other cars. None of you said you wanted the gentler reviews, so here we go…
First up was the Mara Kavaler 2.3 UKE, more commonly called the Mara 2.3.
With a very very low purchase price, one would expect compromises across the board… but that’s simply not the case. The comfort was above average, especially compared to other value vehicles. Excellent cargo space, good reliability, and reserved styling made it very attractive. It had the lowest ten-year cost of ownership- by far. Between its good fuel economy, low service costs, and low purchase price, the Mara was a very affordable vehicle. So, why not buy it? Well, unfortunately it had by far the worst environmental resistance. When Eleanor learned its fancy partial aluminum panels were only paired to a galvanised steel chassis, she was a little concerned about it and had to take some time to think.
So, Eleanor looked at the next cheapest offering. This was a sedan, seating five for a reasonable price: the Globus Bravura LX.
There were some nice things about the Globus Bravura LX. Despite being the cheapest sedan available, it was the nicest to drive. It matched the cargo space of much more expensive vehicles. It was the most reliable sedan on offer, and like the Fanella Aleggia 2.0i L that Eleanor had heard about, offered very good rust protection. Unfortunately, Eleanor found herself put off by the aggressive styling. More importantly, it wasn’t all that comfortable due to its somewhat stiff suspension tuning, and the cheap CD player didn’t really sell her either. Lastly, despite being very cheap to buy, it wasn’t all that cheap to own. Oh, certainly, the Globus Bravura LX was very affordable to own; but some much nicer vehicles with higher price tags cost less in the long run, due to its high service costs most likely coming from the high-tech transmission and electronic steering system. Still, it was a very good car for the money.
Next on Eleanor’s list was the SVM Swallow 2.0 Sportwagon 6AT, which she decided to call simply the Sportwagon.
Here was a car with styling more her speed. A relaxed green paint, while not as subtle as a gray or brown, gave the car some character without drawing too much attention. It wasn’t… the prettiest, but there was still a lot to like. First off, the Sportwagon was the safest car Eleanor had looked at so far. In fact, despite its low end purchase price, it was in the top 50% of safest cars, a big draw for Eleanor in terms of value. It was an easy driver, with good fuel economy and reasonable service costs. Unfortunately, it wasn’t especially comfortable, and when the Mara 2.3 had a lot of the same upsides at significantly lower costs and better reliability, one began to wonder. Of course, the Sportwagon was much better protected against rust.
Still, Eleanor looked on. The Fowler Multiply 180G 16V was on her list- or the Multiply.
The front end styling was… unusual. While most of this MPV had reserved styling, the very unusual nose put Eleanor off. It also was the least comfortable of the cars she was going to look at, but not without reason. It was quite cheap to own, second to the Mara 2.3 but nothing else. It got really good fuel economy and had the lowest service costs of anything on offer. It was also the most reliable vehicle on the market, very safe, and seated six. The Multiply had a lot of value, to be sure. Unfortunately, like the Mara 2.3, it achieved this at the expense of rust protection, so Eleanor made note of it but kept shopping.
The IKIGAI MP25 (or MP25) was the first really big vehicle Eleanor looked at. It was an MPV that sat six.
Unfortunately it had a really aggressive front end that Eleanor disliked. Despite its immense size, it wasn’t that bad to drive. The MP25 was also fairly safe, with lots of cargo space for how many people it could seat. While it wasn’t as comfortable as the Mara 2.3, it was still a good sight better for long drives than a lot of other cars. Unfortunately, it didn’t get very good fuel economy. Eleanor wasn’t sure if it was enough to overcome the styling… but she was a pragmatic woman, so it went on her list with everything else.
The next car was the Fanella Aleggia 2.0i L sedan, henceforth just called the Aleggia.
This car was visually nice for Eleanor. It was clean and subtle, and while she liked the Mara 2.3’s looks a little better, the Aleggia had plenty to offer instead. For example, it was well protected against rust. Of the sedans, it had the most cargo space by a pretty significant margin. Unfortunately, it was not very fuel efficient, and had surprisingly high service costs, considering it was only marginally more comfortable than the Globus Bravura LX. It didn’t have particularly impressive safety features either, and it had a very dated clutched differential that was less reliable and comfortable than some others, but more expensive. Eleanor, however, really liked the cargo space considering it was a sedan, and made note of the vehicle anyways.
Now for the car that made Eleanor decide abbreviations were in order… the Brindley Grande Selina 3.6 High Value V6, or the Selina.
Despite the dated chassis and weird advertising, Eleanor didn’t completely hate its looks. The yellow was a bit much, though. What surprised her was how uncomfortable it was… tied with the Globus Bravura LX, only the Multiply was less comfortable, and this car was substantially more expensive than either. It was also the least safe offering and had unimpressive rust protection, bad fuel economy… but when Eleanor looked at actually living with the thing, she found it had some big advantages. It was the cheapest vehicle to seat seven, and was both the cheapest to buy and own. For its size and seating, it had exceptional cargo space. Curiously, it had accomplished all this with very minimal high-tech equipment.
(OOC: Considering you forgot 90% of your techpool, this is a really good entry.)
Eleanor was next drawn to the Resuki Arano Limited.
The styling was a touch aggressive, but showed enough restraint and class that Eleanor liked it. What really drew her was the comfort. This was the first vehicle to be nicer to ride in than the Mara 2.3, but it didn’t come for free. While it was very reliable and the interior was nice, as was the SatNav, that did contribute to the Arano’s premium cost of ownership. It achieved pretty good fuel economy though, and with its improved comfort, ease of driving, and high safety, that made it really nice for long road trips. Perhaps most notably, you wouldn’t see anything with better rust protection until you got to the vehicles with a near-luxury purchase price. Eleanor really liked the Arano overall.
Up next was the Argosy, full name Cabirou Argosy Exclusive.
This was a very nice car for Eleanor to look at. It had a very appropriate American minivan/wagon appearance, without being overly aggressive. The seating was very unusual… two benches to accomplish six. But Eleanor had ridden in many cars with seating like that, so it didn’t put her off too much. Especially considering only the very most expensive vehicles on the market could beat the Argosy in terms of comfort. It was pretty safe and had a lot of cargo space- beaten only by one vehicle, and not by much. Especially considering the Argosy was much smaller. But, once again, the good value was accomplished by unimpressive rust protection of the chassis. Simple galvanizing didn’t cut it in the rust belt, although the Argosy was far from the worst.
Eleanor looked next to the Bazard Dakar.
The Bazard Dakar was the next seven-seater, following the Selina. It wasn’t terribly comfortable considering its price, and seven seats came at the expense of storage space. This car would get seven people wherever they needed, but they’d be sitting with their bags. That was a big put-off to Eleanor. But it did have some upsides; it had much better rust resistance than the Selina, was quite a bit safer, and was much easier to drive. It offset its high service costs with reasonable, if unimpressive, fuel economy. Eleanor really didn’t like the color though- it was very eye-catching and drew her to really notice the thing at a distance.
So she moved on to the DWA Crest V6 Estate, aka the Crest.
The brown color did help to hide its very aggressive styling, but the Crest still wasn’t totally Eleanor’s speed. But, it was pretty comfortable, got excellent cargo space, and was easy enough to drive. Most importantly to Eleanor, this was the safest vehicle on the market. That was a very big deal for her. It was pretty big, and somewhat expensive to own compared to its purchase price, but she still liked it.
Next was the Rhania Galvino.
This car managed to be bland enough to actually draw your eye, with its dull coat of paint. It wasn’t very comfortable or safe, and had a pretty small storage compartment. At first, Eleanor didn’t get it… until she realized it had aluminum panels, a properly corrosion-resistant chassis, and decent fuel economy. There were many compromises involved, and it wasn’t perfectly reliable, but this was a car she could be assured would never rust away. She did like that about it, but due to safety concerns, the Rhania Galvino wasn’t a guaranteed pick, so Eleanor kept looking.
So, the IP Vagant 3500 GLX.
This was the one of two hatchbacks to make it on Eleanor’s list. She wasn’t a big fan of hatchbacks, preferring a proper wagon or sedan to the compromise. Oddly, it had less cargo space than any of the sedans; the least overall, in fact. It didn’t get great fuel economy and was overall very average otherwise. It was also the first car with a high-end cost of ownership. What struck her about it was safety. In sedan-ish form, the Vagant was quite good, and though unfortunately it did come with some substantial compromises, Eleanor made note of it anyways.
The last sedan, the Hinode Mahkota 300 Brougham, was her next pick.
While the front end was a little sporty for Eleanor’s tastes, it was overall a really stylish car in her eye. It was pretty comfortable, and it was the safest sedan. In fact, it was the third safest vehicle on the market, and held that title very securely. The Brougham was also really easy to drive, and got good fuel economy. For road trips, that was a nice touch. But, from here on out, cars were getting pretty expensive, both to buy and own, and the Brougham was no different. That said, it was one of the more reliable of the high-end vehicles, so Eleanor really liked it.
The Brougham’s closest competitor in terms of price was the Arion Cormorant 145I, or the Cormorant.
It was nice to look at, but a little too aggressive for Eleanor. That said, it was pretty comfortable, safe enough, and had really impressive cargo space. That was the Cormorant’s biggest strength- compared to the other comfortable, high end vehicles, this one could actually fit all five of its occupants’ luggage. It was also much cheaper to own than most of its competitors, thanks to its best-in-show fuel economy. It was also rugged and very rust-resistant, so Eleanor really found it an attractive car.
The Niko Wardrow ST was also very similarly priced, each of the previous two cars only $200 or less off of its price tag.
The Wardrow was the second safest vehicle available. It was a very large car, one of the biggest, yet had above average fuel economy. But compared to other cars at its price, it wasn’t very comfortable or reliable. What impressed Eleanor was that it could seat seven, and most likely fit all of their stuff. It wasn’t as spacious as the Cormorant, but that only meant it was very good. The Wardrow was also surprisingly easy to drive for such a large vehicle, although its rust resistance was no better than that of the Dakar. Eleanor did like it, but its styling was a little off-putting, so she needed time to think.
While she did, she looked at the 2005 Canmo Kestrel V6 SE, or the Kestrel V6.
This was the other hatchback on Eleanor’s list. Unlike the Vagant, the Kestrel V6 had pretty impressive cargo space- if counted as a sedan, the best. Eleanor wasn’t quite willing to do that, though. It was superbly comfortable, second only to the X250, and well protected against rust. But the Kestrel V6 struggled with reliability, and the V6 meant it didn’t have amazing fuel economy. It was also very expensive, both to buy and own. Lastly, the Kestrel V6 was pretty sporty looking despite the paint.
Nothing was as expensive as the X250. Being the most vehicle on the market meant it drew scrutiny from Eleanor.
The X250 was the most comfortable vehicle for sale. However, its safety left something to be desired. Seating seven, the Bazard Dakar had very comparable storage space to the X250, but couldn’t hold a candle to it in environmental resistance, and was substantially less comfortable and safe. For a seven seater, the X250 was pretty impressive… until you looked at reliability. It was by far the least reliable vehicle around. Worse, it was listed as needing Premium Unleaded… but would never run right without 100 Octane fuel. That was a bit much to Eleanor.
And the winner is...
When it came down to it, the Resuki Arano Limited had a really good value proposition. It was one of the most reliable vehicles on sale, with good rust protection. It had storage space rivaling the Cormorant, safety of a much more expensive car, exceptional fuel economy for the price, and a low service cost. It was a similar vehicle to the Cormorant overall, but at a lower price of entry. While it was not as fuel efficient or rust resistant as Arion’s attempt at capturing the market, it was more comfortable, safer, and more reliable. Combined with the lower purchase price and cost of ownership, Eleanor made her decision and drove home in a sparkling Arano.
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Thanks to:
@karhgath
@abg7
@Ludvig
@Knugcab
@Hilbert
@Aruna
@AndiD
@Jaimz68
@Ch_Flash
@Edsel
@04mmar
@Happyhungryhippo
@Lanson
@TopSpeed2001
@crwpitman1
for participating!
Congratulations to
The winner!
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There are cars posted by members above whose names aren’t listed, did they not send in cars?
Edit
I see the cars are there in the list now,
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This counts as a win for me.
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Yeah, that’s what happens when you F*&^ up your initial engine, by tinkering, and then create pretty much the same engine…but forget about TP.
I wish the default TP was 0 and then you add were you want to. So, new engine you have 0 TP. New car, 0 TP.
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The body I used was shit, just could not find anything better that wasn’t an SUV or crossover with seating for 6+ which I considered to be a requirement.
Good run all
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I too wish the default was 0.
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What were the top 5 cars Eleanor liked the most?
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In no particular order, other than the Arano being the pick:
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The Mara was the best budget option, aside from rust resistance. When I added better rust resistance in out of curiosity, it was still the cheapest entry, and head and shoulders above basically anything near it price wise.
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Aruna had a really strong entry with the Cormorant, but was just beaten out on value. Incredibly close.
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The Dakar was probably the best 7 seater. It wasn’t the cheapest, or the most comfortable, but was the best overall.
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The Brougham was the best sedan, thanks to good safety, drivability, and comfort. Price killed it.
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The Argosy was a well engineered car, but sort of missed the mark with its priorities and bad environmental resistance for the price.
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I’m glad I placed somewhat well - Trying to improve my engineering, a la Hyundai in this time period.
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