As this round up featured my own car, I thought it would have been a bit much to write a gushing review of my own car. So I had pleb rank the cars blindly to make it a largely fair test. This was all done before the update of Automation which included the body costs. Bring on the reviews!
[size=150]Camoria Z-Style Luxe[/size]
Few automakers are as adept as Camoria when it comes to capturing aristocracy and timelessness within the rich hand crafted cabins of their luxurious offerings. The case could be made that featuring a Camoria in this stable of cars is doing it a disservice; indeed Camoria’s reputation as a holier-than-thou, ultra luxury brand means it should be used in the same sentence as Bentley and Rolls Royce. However Camoria executives have said the Z-style Luxe reviewed here has been priced aggressively to compete with the full size luxury sedans from the main manufacturers.
Camoria would have no concern if it were the only luxury manufacturer in town. The truth of the matter is there are many players in the premium segment and each of them brings its own guns to the battle and none are easy to dismiss.
The Z-style tested here is the top spec Luxe version. The front end of the Z carries the Camoria corporate identity well, with the characteristic six head lamps and dual split side grilles. The rear is aggressive and shows other drivers where they belong in terms of the Z. Massive 21 inch wheels are wrapped in Goodyear sport compound rubber. The rear suicide doors are fitted with an electric self closing mechanism as is the boot lid. The suicide doors open extra wide, putting on an impressive show for passers by while allowing occupants to enter and exit the car with ease.
Passengers are treated to a truly luxurious hand crafted experience with fine leather sewn all over the seats and doors matched with natural wood trim. It almost seems insulting to discuss the quality of switch gear or mention the fit and finish as this is easily best in class in terms of comfort and luxury craftsmanship. While there is not as much technology or amenities as the S class, what is here looks and feels wondrous. If there was a complaint, it would be that sound insulation is not as extensive as its competitors; indeed engine, wind and road noise was louder in the Z than the others tested here.
The Z also boasts best in class safety and wherever you are sitting, whether it is in the driver’s seat or as a passenger, the cabin feels vault like with a complete sense of safety and security.
There is such a tremendous sense of occasion even when pressing the engine start button. The 7.2 turbocharged V8 under the hood roars to life with the sound directed through the firewall from the front of the cabin and through the exhausts from the back seats. Rated at 780Nm (576lb-ft), it is the engine with the most torque in this round up and at first glance, this engine on paper should wipe the floor with the other offerings here and take them to the cleaners. However power is comparatively woeful at only 334kW (448hp) and is in the bottom of this group. More really was expected from a boosted engine of this size. Despite this, the engine propels the Z to 100km/h in 4.1 seconds and onto a top speed of 308km/h. In spite of the heavy interior, weight has been kept down to 2330kg through use of an all aluminium chassis and body panels.
Despite having such a massive turbocharged powerplant, the performance is less than impressive on some of the more challenging roads. The Z-style was adept in large sweeping corners but lost its composure when its limits were pushed hard. Fortunately there were no passengers in the back seats to complain, but massive tire squeal and massive understeer meant reducing speeds. It is very clear the Z-style is no sports sedan.
Fuel economy is the lowest in this test at 14.34l/100km, slightly higher consumption than the Brougham. Depending on where you were brought up, where you were educated, how many accountants you have on retainer, your personal garage count and other factors, this may be a pressing concern or not at all in this age of austerity where conspicuous consumption has become rather unfashionable. Ownership costs are also high; servicing Camorias has never been cheap and while aluminium panels are becoming more common, they are still in the minority when it comes to repairing damage.
The spokesperson from Camoria was coy about the price, “pricing details will be released later this year”, which is PR speak for “If you have to ask…”. However, given the attention to detail and quality in the interior and massive amounts of safety equipment packed into the Z-style, it would not be surprising to see this model priced some 50% higher than some of the cars here. All of the other cars here perform better for much less money. However vehicles like the Z-style make their path not on comparative data (sport is not in its vocabulary!), but on comfortable luxury. Camoria drivers don’t crave canyons and twisty roads for entertainment; they want to make it to the gallery opening comfortably, safely with a distinctive statement. With that in mind, the Z-style fulfils its goal perfectly.
[size=150]Centauri Brougham[/size]
http://automationgame.com/phpBB3/download/file.php?id=6855
The Brougham represents Centauri Motorworks’ first entry into the luxury segment. Following in the footsteps of Hyundai, Centauri has chosen not to create a separate marque and sales channel for the luxury market. Centauri is known for affordable, economical and reliable cars. How does the mainstream manufacturer fare in the luxury space? Surprisingly well.
The Brougham SS variant tested here was borne out of a desire to show the world what Centauri was capable of. On approaching the car, the exterior is largely unchanged from the base Brougham. An aggressive front end show this car’s intent. The rear looks a bit awkward however with the almost squared off C pillar and elongated boot. Centauri, with its blue collar roots, maintains its function over form philosophy for this results in exceptional rear headspace and leg room without compromising luggage space.
The large doors open into a luxurious hand crafted interior, a step up from the base trim. The rear bench has been replaced with two reclining seats. Everything is solid, as expected from Centuari and the doors close with a reassuringly thick muted thud. Sound insulation has been a focus here with the car going through extensive noise-vibration-harshness testing. This model carries over the rear seat entertainment and audio controls from the base model.
Based off an endurance racing engine from the Centauri parts bin, the naturally aspirated 7.2L Firebolt V8 shoehorned under the bonnet is rated at 399kW (536hp) and 683Nm (504lb-ft) of torque. The Brougham is propelled to 100km/h in 3.8 seconds, the second fastest here. The quarter mile is completed in 12 seconds flat and will carry you through to a maximum speed of 325km/h, the fastest in this roundup. It is clear the Brougham has the Aurora firmly in its sights as the power figure and top speed of 325km/h (202.1mph) marginally eclipse that of the Utopia. The engine is buttery smooth with a wide usable torque band throughout the rev range. Power is sent through the same 6 speed automatic dual clutch gearbox and AWD system as the base model.
Fuel economy is on the high side at a combined 14.12l/100km. However Centauri’s mainstream origins are evident throughout the Brougham; while the chassis is made from aluminium, the panels are made from corrosion resistant steel. This keeps repair costs down as well as minimising insurance premiums. Annual service costs have been kept in check as well and Centauri’s reputation for reliability carries through intact into their luxury offering. At an as tested price of £85500, Centauri is aiming high with the sedan and is in the more expensive half of this round up.
The Brougham proves Centauri is capable of producing a luxury car of premium quality, complete with a luxury interior and relatively sporty driving demeanour. The Brougham will work wonders for building Centauri’s allure, opening the brand up to all kinds of new buyers who previously would not have given a Centauri a second glance.
[size=150]Conclusion[/size]
It was interesting to note there is a degree of interchangeability between the cars. Depending on your priorities, you could buy any of these cars and be happy. They are all luxurious and, while on the face of it have performance differences, are all performance cars; all of these performed 0-100kmh in under 5 seconds.
Regardless, there are certain, undeniable conclusions from our test drives. All agreed the Aurora was the best all round luxury sports sedan (make no mistake, it IS a sports sedan) for the enthusiast driver. It delivers blistering performance with good fuel economy. While the interior isn’t handcrafted like the Centauri or Camoria, the base model is the cheapest in this roundup. In the words of Pleb, “I must say, it was hard to find any major bad points about the Aurora… Consider it to be a perfect machine!”
As for the Aurora’s tagline, “Nothing Comes Close”? In the past 15 J.D. Power surveys, Aurora and Centauri have always been in the top 5 for initial quality and least number of problems per 100 vehicles. Previously, Aurora and Centauri were in different market segments so there was no competition for the same buyer. Now, Centauri have in no uncertain terms fired a shot across the bow of Aurora. If Centauri hasn’t made the executives at Aurora sit up and take notice, with the Brougham, they will now.
As ranked by pleb and I. I left my own car out of my own ranking and then ‘averaged’ it with pleb’s ranking.*
*All information correct at time of printing.
Editors note: At the time of going to press, perhaps to address its weaknesses in engine design, Camoria have established an engine supply contract with MONO Performance. We look forward to seeing what kind of excitement results from this collaboration!#
Cars featured here are outlined in the Auto Magazine Full size car directory here:
automationgame.com/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=35&t=4228
The Cottam E5 GTS is detailed here:
automationgame.com/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?p=28082#p28082
#This was correct in August.
I would get it done, but although I now have fixed the fixtures issue, I am getting errors when loading cars that people have sent into me, plus there are a number of other issues with my public version of the game.
