Ohhh man this stuff is amazing. The only problem is now I need more! hahaha 
The reviews are actually really good, I mean, I’'m actually actively enjoying reading them. I hardly get that from real car magazines XD
Those animations would have taken so much time.
Thank you so much for making these because I just spent way to long reading them. Mustang 
Are you planning on doing more?
Yes, I have one in the pipeline! Probably won’t have a tv advert like the last one since its not very good bang for buck (only 118 views on youtube so far, took maybe 30-40 hours for the 1 minute tv spot). That is on top of the time it takes to photoshop the images + write the actual reviews (probably another 30-50hrs)
I need a reviever to test the new Montes 2016 cars (the Urban and the exclusive test of the Q90).
Thanks to strop and nialloftara for their help with this. Bring on the luxury sports coupe roundup!
Foreword:
Even in times of looming economic apocalypse that constantly buzzes across the horizon, certain parts of the car market seem to look more optimistic than ever, with fierce competition inspiring a constant evolution in many of the sportier segments, be it the hot hatch, the pony car, the sports coupe, all the way up to the hypercar. In this issue, we cast a critical eye, an engineering eye on three entry level, luxury sports coupes. History, presence, even purported intention and such poetics would play no role in my judgment; it all came down to the dynamics, the performance, and the hard data that would determine success.
What would one expect from a rear wheel drive 4-seater with a little sporty aspiration priced from 40-50000 USD? This is actually a relatively narrow market, occupied only by a few models, among them the Airborne Automotive S310, the AMW Eagle and the Aurora Kitfox tested here. The badge and models in themselves are indicative: they’re ostensibly premium, and they are, in themselves, evolutions of previous models, being a quantum leap loftier than their predecessors, yet they don’t carry the same iconography of their bigger, grander relations. And that’s how it is supposed to be, in the grand scheme of the hierarchy.
So the 40-50k punter would be looking for something a little fancy, the creature comforts to put them above the rest. But in this day and age of increasing expectations where rolling contradictions of every kind in the form of crossovers (or SUVs evolved) seem to put a little bit of absolutely everything into a car, the premium compact sports coupe also needs to be a bit sporty, a characteristic at odds with also being frugal and having low emissions, but also being able to seat no less than four in aforementioned comfort, and of course be easy to live with on a daily basis. But still be exciting and a bit edgy when you wanted it to be, while lugging all that weight around. I guess it would be easier to say what one wouldn’t want from a sports coupe, and that would be the (pretend) ability to offroad and feel like you’re safer because you’re bigger and sitting higher than everybody else. Because that would be an SUV, or a crossover- you get the idea. Perhaps it is best to dispense with this whole identity crisis and get on with the business of seeing how good the cars are.
Luxury Coupe Test
The idea behind a lightweight sports coupe is that less power and less weight is the way to motoring heaven. Airborne Automotive’s S310 is the Polish marque’s interpretation and is pitched as a ‘gateway’ car into the luxury brand. The S line of sports coupes have always been a somewhat controversial car amongst die hard Airborne fans as it isn’t as comfortable as the core vehicles that make up the Airborne lineup. Indeed, the S line of sport coupes (and arguably all their entry level cars) from Airborne have featured interiors that have been derided as somewhat cheap and uncomfortable when compared the rest of Airborne’s lineup (which can cost over six times as much!). Its pedigree has also suffered from an indecisive identity, bouncing between budget entry and aspirational coupe.
New for 2016, Airborne’s S310 ($42,640) goes decidedly old school in its formula; while the entire lineup of previous S coupes featured turbocharged engines, the latest S310 is powered by a naturally aspirated 3.1L 6 cylinder engine. This is perhaps in an effort to go back to basics, for the faster throttle response from a naturally aspirated engine over a turbocharged one is undeniable. If you read this, PM me mx-5. Staying with the classic sports car theme is the fact the car has few modern driving aids; while it has power steering, ABS and traction control, it eschews electronic stability and launch control. For now, it seems after more than two decades, the higher ups at Airborne have settled on a role for the S coupes. Historically, the S coupes have never been quite a match dynamically for key rivals from AMW and Aurora. Is this still the case?
The new 2016 Airborne Automotive S310 fights convention with a naturally aspirated engine in an increasingly turbocharged world.
To prove whether this still holds, we had Gryphon Gear Head of Design strop and Centauri pro test driver nialloftara line the 2016 Airborne S310 up against the sharpest driving premium coupes available. The AMW Eagle Sport 6 ($46,000) is difficult to ignore. While it doesn’t have quite the long history as the S310, it has built up quite a following. In the mid 90’s, AMW executives saw the phenomenal success of the BMW 3 series and hoping to grab a portion of the market themselves, set out to do better, aiming at the M3 coupe as the performance target. The Eagle Sport 6 variant features a turbocharged 2.5L 6 cylinder engine, the mid range trim. The Eagle is also available with a V8, with each engine available in an Eco, a standard “Fun” trim and a Sport trim. The variant tested here is the highest spec rear drive available with a 6 cylinder, although all wheel drive variants are also available.
Completing the trio is the Aurora Kitfox ($47,999). It is beginning to show its age, not having been updated for 2015, however, the model has always been able to hold its own against its peers. The Kitfox has always been a competent car, billed by Aurora as a ‘baby’ Manticore, their flagship GT coupe (featured in the January issue of Auto). As each manufacturer was asked for a car more emphasised for the track, the Kitfox we received has many trickle down characteristics from the Manticore, such as large wheels, wide tyres, even a fully clad under tray. If you read to here, PM me miata. The model however has always felt under the attack of the accountants; to stratify the Aurora model lineup, the current Kitfox has been sold without an intercooler, thus limiting its power. This avoids cannibalising sales from models higher up the foodchain which use the same engine, but has developed a small but loyal cult following as it is relatively easy to extract more power from the engine.
The Aurora Kitfox is unchanged for 2015.
Despite their sweeping coupe shapes, all of these cars provide seating for four and the latest in advanced safety features, even the comparatively spartan Airborne. The S310, in keeping with tradition to keep weight down, has an underwhelming interior which lacks the plush comfort that has come to define the expectation of what a high end sports coupe should feel like inside. One the whole, the cabin is disappointing, and is reminiscent of a tail gunner’s position, however the purposeful cockpit like feel is fun. The infotainment system is functional but also lacking for a premium sports coupe at this price point.
A cursory showroom glance reveals the Eagle is much less stripped out and has the edge both in premium feel of its materials, design and appearance – that extra three and a half grand price advantage the S310 has over the Eagle needs to come from somewhere. The layout is appealing with functional details; soft knee pads have been installed into the door side and centre console to support the driver during high lateral loads. The only letdown is the rather spartan infotainment system that looks like it has been lifted straight from a mass-market runabout. It is rather frustrating to use with its finicky touch sensitive sliders, and embarrasses itself when compared to the more traditional rotary dials and buttons used in the Airborne.
Tipping the scales at 1434kg, the Aurora is a bit of a porker for a compact coupe and weighs more than the Airborne (1394kg) and the AMW (1367kg). However with extremely soft and grippy leather seats, if it is a luxury sports coupe you are after, the Kitfox has the advantage over the Eagle and has it all over the plasticky S310. The deeply sculpted sports seats are electrically adjustable, featuring a tremendous range of movement. If you read this, pm me fr-s. Along with the luxury interior, the Aurora also has a far more sophisticated premium infotainment system.
The S310 has a lot of low end torque.
The Airborne produces 282hp, the most in this roundup, and 320Nm of torque, with 315 of that available between 3800-5800rpm. The engine inside the Airborne is peculiar on first impressions; it has a billet steel crank, which reminds you that this is an Airborne, not your average run of the mill sports coupe – however the pistons have been chosen to produce low emissions, yet the mixture is quite rich. On closer inspection, what becomes apparent is that this car has been designed to hook a broader base of customers, rather than targeting the .1 percent of drivers who actually take their cars to the track. The engine uses EFI, rather than direct injection as in the AMW and Aurora. While this hurts all aspects of the engine such as power, efficiency and emissions, it means the customer can have the Airborne badge without having to pay the normal Airborne servicing costs.
The AMW has peaky engine with a huge mountain of torque.
There is unquestionably AMW heritage in the Eagle’s 2.5L magnesium/aluminium turbo mill as AMW is one of the few manufacturers still using 5 valves and is a knockout engine; the magnesium/aluminium engine features a forged crank and pistons and titanium connecting rods. The engine outputs 275hp and its torque peak of 346Nm comes at a relatively heady 4500rpm. However over 90% of that torque is available from 2700rpm to 6000rpm, thanks to fast spooling turbos. In spite of the forged crank and pistons and titanium connecting rods, there is no way to escape the rubber band feeling in power distribution and is the least responsive engine here.
The Aurora’s 2.0L turbocharged engine has a broad predictable torque curve.
The Aurora’s engine is outgunned in this comparison, with a 2.0L 4 cylinder engine. The turbochargers spool up a little later than that of the AMW, however with 260hp available at 8100rpm (the redline is a screaming 9000!), it appears the turbos allow it to keep up. However looking at -how- that power is generated reveals a huge torque deficit – 254Nm at a skyhigh 6800rpm. Redeemingly, 95% of that is available with flat delivery between 3000 and 7000rpm and in keeping with Aurora’s sporty tradition, the engine is very responsive - moreso than the AMW and almost as responsive as the naturally aspirated Airborne. Refinement is also good, with cruising at 100km/h at lower rpms than both the AMW and the Airborne.
On paper, these cars all seem quite similar. However in practice there are clear divisions when it comes to real performance. The AMW, with the least weight and most torque is propelled to 100km/h from standstill just in 5.2 seconds, a blisteringly quick time. The Aurora follows at 5.8 seconds and Airborne brings up the rear at still a respectable 6.4 seconds. The performance advantage stays with the AMW in the rest of our tests; the quarter mile is completed in 13.50 seconds at 177km/h, with the Aurora in 14.10 seconds at 167km/h and the Airborne closely behind 14.46 seconds at 171km/h. It must be mentioned that AMW have opted for sticky Michelin sport tyres which gives it a distinct traction advantage over the other two; the Airborne has been fitted with Continental low rolling resistance tyres while the Aurora has grippier Bridgestones but not as performance oriented as AMW. This plays out in the stopping distances; the Airborne requires over 40m to bring it to a standstill from 100km/h. If you read to here, mention br-z in a pm. The AMW completes the stop in 33m flat. Despite carrying the most weight and the weakest brakes (2 pistons while the AMW and Airborne sport 4), it completes the stop a hair shorter at 32.8m
The story is the same when we take the cars to the track. On the Automation test track, the AMW completes the track in 2m29s. What the figure doesn’t tell you is how precise the Eagle is. There is a purity and purpose in the way the AMW slices through the corners. During development AMW paid particular attention to the suspension tuning and it is clear the efforts have paid off. The Aurora completes the track in 2m33s, a fair way behind and not exactly breathing down the neck of the AMW. The steering is slick and accurate and while agile, the whole package isn’t as incisive as the AMW. The AMW clings harder and where the Aurora’s tyres surrender, there is a feeling of stubborn tenacity as the AMW holds on – this plays out on the skid pad, with the Aurora getting 1.26g at 56.7km/h, while the AMW gets 1.29g at 57.4km/h, with the narrower tyres being made up for by being sport compound rubber. The Airborne is again at the end, completing the track in 2m39s. That the Aurora, with the smallest, weakest engine hauling the most weight, was able to beat the Airborne speaks volume about how well the handling has been tuned. While there is some road feedback, the S310 really had to be pushed through the track, and isn’t the dynamic peer as the AMW and Aurora, which were much more engaging. The level of grip in the Airborne is also significantly lower; it only managed 1.07g at 52.2km/h
As the cars were driven, each of their personalities started to emerge and this plays out in their running costs. The AMW delivers the authentic sports car experience; while it has plenty of grip with its sport compound Michelins, if you drive it hard, expect to go through rubber quickly. Servicing AMW’s have never been cheap, and on rough estimates, the Eagle will cost some 25% more per year than the Aurora. The Aurora aims for a balance between comfort and sportiness and sits in the middle for running costs. At the fuel pump, the Aurora consumed 7.56L/100km on our combined cycle test. The Eagle only consumed 6.52L/100km - about the same as a Ford Focus! These two cars feature modern direct injection engines with frugal turbo technology and this is highlighted when compared to the S310 with its engine that relies on older, tried and tested EFI. It was the most thirsty at 11.23L/100km, some 70% more than the Eagle. That the fastest car sipped the least fuel is a win win situation. If you read to here, also pm me gt-86. On further examination, it becomes clear that the S310 is made for the 99% of owners who want the image a sports coupe brings, rather than for its dynamic capabilities. It is simpler and easier to maintain – indeed, the servicing costs when we contacted a local dealer ended up some 2/3 that of the AMW. While the Continental TrueContacts compromise grip, you won’t be replacing the long life tyres with the same frequency as the AMW or Aurora. The target owner of the S310 will still want performance, just not full track day abilities.
Verdict: The Kaiser Chief rules supreme
Only 22 hp separates these luxury sports coupes and if the marketing is to believed, these coupes were designed to tear up the local road course. In reality, very few owners actually drive their cars this way and as a result the manufacturers of these cars are targeting different buyers Over the course of testing, separate identities emerged from each car.
The Airborne Automotive S310 is designed for the buyer who wants the impression that they are out kicking ass on a track, but without paying the full price. It has been designed from the outset for ease and cost of ownership (fuel economy aside); it is the cheapest car here, but the problem for the S310 is that inside and dynamically, it just does not feel like a $42,000 car. The S310 has been designed as a punter’s ‘first’ Airborne to introduce them the brand and keep them loyal. In a digital world, Airborne have tried to keep the S310 traditional with an analogue feel by omitting driving aids and going with a naturally aspirated engine. Unfortunately it doesn’t convince the heart of a driver, or the stopwatch on the track.
The Aurora has aimed for the true luxury coupe experience – it is hard to argue against the Kitfox’s much more comfortable interior and equipment. It has larger 18" magnesium wheels, while the S310 and Eagle sport 16" alloys. Performance wise, it has more communication and composure than the S310, despite being down on power, torque and carrying extra weight (those creature comforts don’t come free!). On the topic of price, it is more expensive than the AMW. It would be easier if the Kitfox sat in the middle price wise – a logical compromise between the livability of the S310 and the sportiness of the Eagle. The prospective buyer must ask, are they willing to pay a premium to have the best of both worlds?
The price difference between the Airborne and the AMW is easy to justify when you focus on what the Eagle does dynamically. It turns quickly and handles challenging changes of direction with aplomb. It is not as refined as the Aurora and there aren’t a lot of creature comforts. The headunit isn’t anything special, nor is the sound system compared to the Aurora. There aren’t a lot of features and while the seats are nice and supportive, they just aren’t as fancy as those in the Aurora. But what this car does have is an experience that is timeless. If a sports car is to be kept for a while, will you really care that the temperature controls are a bit fiddly? No, you want the steering to be engaging and to be the kind of car that makes you hunt for a twisty detour instead of the most direct route. Some cars are so enjoyable from behind the wheel that you drive them purely for fun and AMW delivers. For what the acceleration, fuel consumption, braking distance figures and all the other statistics cannot convey is the feeling of being connected to the road. Sports cars have to be judged on their dynamic ability and that is why the Eagle wins here.
Driver Impressions:
Strop
The Airborne Automotive S310 is a standard trim, and at $42,640 is the cheapest of the lot. This one ran a 7 speed manual, which I was in two minds about, as 1) the first gear was rather short, with a top speed of 40, which is appropriate for certain applications, but 2) there’s a bit of room to move on the top speed, or at least gear to improve fuel economy, which was worst in class by a big margin.
The power keeps building nice and progressively to develop the most power, but redline cuts off short: is it because of reliability?
Despite the power, this is by far the worst performing car of the lot. Much of this is due to very lackluster dynamics: ridiculously thin front tyres. 175mm fronts belong on a much smaller car, and 215 rears would have a lot of difficulty coping with that much power, not to mention the weight, which is not much lighter at 1393kg. As a matter of perspective, a Honda Civic runs 215 fronts and rears, weighs 1330kg, and only develops 140hp.
Furthermore, I’m not sure why the roll angle is so low. Is it the active dampers? The ride height is very low, and the car bottoms out on a not infrequent basis. Apart from that, the ride appears to be firm and stable, for what that’s worth given the glaring fundamental issue.
Braking distance, turning and in general on track performance is the worst of the three cars by a margin, again, largely due to the tyres. A 100-0 distance of >40m should have been a warning sign. 33m is about the maximum acceptable stopping distance for a car in this class.
Verdict: Much cheaper in every way, and generally outclassed in trim and handling, this car is the worst at what it sets out to achieve. A plethora of engineering choices could have improved things here and there, but by far and away the big issue are the completely wrong choice of tyres. Even this notwithstanding, this car doesn’t seem to offer the same value, or driving experience and clearly ranks behind the other two.
nialloftara
The Aurora Kitfox has a sweet engine with a great powerband, it’s punchy and responsive across most of its range. Its relatively quiet and rev happy little engine but loses it’s smoothness and has plenty of vibration at the higher rpms. Though it has a comfortable ride it displays scary amounts of body roll when pushed in the turns, though the tires do grip well. Gear spacing is well suited for highway travel, engine and wind noise are very low. The interior is very comfortable and well insulated, but the soft seats, excessive body roll and amble tire grip make vigorous cornering quite an adventure. The brakes are well sorted, with a nicely progressive feel, ABS intrusion is minimal. This is a good highway bomber, it can be driven quickly on a track but you won’t enjoy it there as much as you would on a nice open stretch of blacktop.
Strop
The Aurora Kitfox, priced at $47,999USD, was the luxury model of the three, but ran a 6 speed manual like the rest.
Sign of the times turbo 2.0L i4, which, once spooled, delivered very even torque almost all the way to the end of the rev range of a fairly screaming 9k.
The power did seem to drop off quite a bit by that point, so I never found myself looking to push that limit.
At 260bhp, the power wasn’t exactly earth-shattering, but it still enjoyed brisk straight line performance, thanks to a not-too-ponderous dry weight of 1434kg, which considering that the interior may as well have been mined from marble quarries, was remarkable.
In addition the fuel economy was quite good, partly due to the economy gearing.
Tyres are quite wide, a configuration more commonly see on higher end, more powerful cars. 285 rears in particular may prove slightly difficult to source from some shops.
Brake fade is a small issue, performance could be perhaps slightly better on a premium car. The size of brakes is more akin to what one would expect on a smaller car.
I was a bit surprised to find the undertray was fully clad. I just didn’t think the car’s performance credentials and level of trim mandated that, plus it’s harder to service.
Suspension is relatively well sorted and there is plenty of traction. No unpredictable wobbles. Roll angle is quite high, however.
Verdict: more a luxury car than a sports car, but competent enough on the road. The undertray and a couple of strange decisions (overly wide tyres, too small brakes) impact both the drive and the practicality, but nonetheless seems good value.
nialloftara
The ride is Cadillac-esque, that’s the best way to put it, it has a soft floaty feeling on the road, body roll is very noticeable but not totally overwhelming, the sport rated tires provide excellent grip and traction despite the floaty feeling. Braking is abrupt and powerful with the ABS stepping in almost immediately on anything more than normal pressure, The gearing is short and the lack of an overdrive keeps the engine spinning slightly high while cruising, but it makes very good use of the torquey turbo. On that front this is a slightly laggy engine, boost comes early but throttle response is sluggish, the fuel economy however is quite good. Pushing this car on a track is rewarding, the performance is quite potent and handling is soft but forgiving, the tires are up to the task. At speed the wind and road noise is low and very well managed and this is a car that encourages you to push just that little bit faster.
Strop
The AMW Eagle offers similar to the Aurora Kitfox, with nearly as much comfort, though less luxurious trim, and for slightly less money at $46,000. It also runs a turbo good for 275 horses yet returns a superior fuel economy and the lowest emissions, which is impressive given that this car is clearly geared a little short for acceleration. This car, somehow, also manages to be the lighest of the bunch. This said the performance and drive is impressive: best acceleration and turning, and almost equal to the Aurora’s brakes, yet also the most drivable car, and clearly the fastest on the track, which makes it the clear winner with regards to the driving experience.
The only criticisms I can offer about this car: it runs significantly more expensive tyres and the obvious tradeoff for better performance is higher servicing costs which are a lot more than the others. Also, the damping is perhaps a little underdone, and while steering is very direct, the ride lacks road feedback. This however does make it better for a smooth ride, so you could say it’s a fundamental compromise.
Verdict: The best balanced car with no glaring fundamental issues, superior performance and also livability. You pay more for it, but with a package like this, for the price range and the aspirations of this car’s class, this would be my pick of the bunch.
I have changed the format of the reviews compared to previous ones; this one is more of a comparison, whereas the previous comparisons, each car was reviewed on its own independently.
Let me know what you think?
I am more Proud then I care to admit that the Commune made the cover, looking forward to seeing this issue. 
Nice integration. I’m also digging the title, good pick!
Also I better get my butt in gear and actually finish the presentation explaining the GG Tuned Rennen Kusanagi 
Stroppy, better get working… Rennen has to present the new Kusanagi by next April!
Nice cover!. I like the pose of the coupes (btw nice cars there)…, and (as usual) looking forward to read those reviews
Doing a little national enquirer there with the “All you need to know on this scandal” are we?
Wow! Well done, all of you! I like how this came out. I enjoyed reading this whole review in all its details and of course I’m happy to have won the comparison with such positive reviews! Stay tuned for the next generation of the Eagle, as it will use a different bodyshell
S310 is mainly suited for being budget 2+2 GT, not track monster. However we will work on the brakes and tyres, since they went really problematic when it came to producing them + we noticed an error in one system assisting brakes in your unit when it came back (#065), sorry for this apologize, don’t correct this. By the way, S310 is great in one thing: Donuts!
CEO of Airborne Automotive
Aside from this - thanks for review, finally
Gt86!
I love this format, but it wiil better if you publish in PDF format.
If you make a comparison of luxury sedans or sportscars, I had a few models.
Don’t say that, Airborne (based on this one car) had the highest reliability and therefore in this magazine’s universe, is known for reliability!
This presentation has some polish to it, good job.
EDIT: I understand what OP was doing now, hence this comment has been redacted.
[quote=“utopian201”]
Don’t say that, Airborne (based on this one car) had the highest reliability and therefore in this magazine’s universe, is known for reliability![/quote]
Thanks! At least my company is known for something, this is reliability. 
But really, some idiot probably put ABS to wrong cable so that caused those results. Anyway, if you have >40m braking distance, that may sound scary. In practice it’s enough, it’s not for people who brake almost at the crosswalk when going 100 km/h and seeing people at last minute 
MX-5, Miata, BR-Z and GT-86…
Good reviews and great photoshopping.
I wonder if I will be able to submit a Znopresk sooner or later.
Thanks, you almost got them all!
I wasn’t able to do as good photoshops of the AMW because I couldn’t get it to load. The newer version of the game also produces lower resolution screenshots so hopefully they will restore the previous functionality.
Did you think the reviews had too much detail, not enough, or just about right? They are quite long and wordy so I’m wondering whether it is worth putting that much detail and time into them when something shorter and more digestible is preferred.
A nice length to the reviews. I might have to see about getting something put in here for an upcoming Syron Motorworks project. [size=50]This Project includes a 740hp luxury coupe and some insane sh*t[/size]
Congrats guys, a good read and detailed enough to not get bored and know what we got in hands…, and a nice ‘touch’ to know the Strop’s and Nialloftara’s opinion about every car.
Loved the review, but I think the Eagle also deserved an “introductory picture”, as both Aurora and the Airborne got one in the beginning of the review.
