I disagree on the treated steel point. Treated steel panels are more expensive than partial alu, suggesting that partial alu - which is acceptable in a competition like this - uses “regular” steel. This in turn suggests that “regular” steel panels are acceptable, though seeing them on cars that are supposed to be premium and forward-thinking is still weird.
3 Likes
I almost always use Treated + Corrosion Resistant combo on any cars that I make from the 1990s. Plus, the Imperium is a late 90s design dressed up for the early 2000s like the W220 S-class. Furthermore, I made the Imperium a while ago (September as it stands), so I didn’t change much, and I sent it in to see how it would perform against more modern competition. (P.S. The car was intended to have satnav, I left the CD player in there by mistake when I was experimenting.)
My car is boring as shit to look at, I just wanna see what them stats doo.
Bin, or no bin. That is the question.
I did say you would announce your arrival without a word. Technically screams of pain and horror are not words, just noises. I also apparently struggle with where to put ESC on my regular cars, too. I guess a good rule of thumb would be “When in doubt, put it on anyway.”
Even ordinary cars get a significant boost in drivability when fitted with ESC. Besides, in real life, many markets began mandating its fitment on all vehicles from around 2012 or so.
1 Like
Reviews: Part 2 (Coupes)
Now at the end of his coupe search results, Harold had one more car category on his mind: utility vehicles.
Back for another day of surfing the world wide web, Harold made another search:
“NEW LUXURY COUPES THAT GO FAST PREFERRABLY BUT DON’T DESTROY MY BACK”
However, he noticed there were about half as much results as the sedans. Was that cult obsessed with throwing cars into trash bins and burning them really a real thing? Regardless, these were his results:
KMA KC60
Harold’s first result of the coupes was the KC60. He felt the design just looked plain mediocre, and while he heard comments about decent comfort and drivability, but everything else just felt average.
Verdict
Bravo Legato GTS
Harold’s next result was the Legato GTS. He loved the handsome Italian design of this car, but unfourtanetly it was just as reliable as an Italian car too. It also didn’t help that it also used plenty of outdated driving assists that made it actually driving it a pain as well.
Verdict
Voncil Boattail
@donutsnail
Harold’s next result was the Boattail. He was absolutely blown away by its ultra sharp and luxurious design. He also found out that it had an interior crafted by hand granting best-in-class comfort, and still many positive reviews about its drivability and somehow, reliability. He initially though this car was too good for him to have, but to his surprise it was in his budget.
Verdict
Wells Panther GS
@DuceTheTruth100
Harold’s next result was the Wells Panther. He really hated the design and felt that it feels just sportscar-like and not premium, and this shows once he looked into it more, with reports of suboptimal comfort and drivability. But on the bright side, it is quite spor- oh wait no it’s not even that sporty either… damn.
Verdict
BINNED
A very poor design that just looks like a half-assed Mustang replica with no thought into fixture placement. It’s just made worse by being dead last in comfort and prestige with still not very good drivability. And even though it looks sporty, a big but underpowered engine with 225mm medium tires don’t give it the sportiness it looks like it has. Overall, not the car for Harold.
Theta LC45
@Lanson
Harold’s next result was the LC40. While initially offput by its design, he didn’t think it was that bad. Upon doing some reserach, he found that it was decently comfortable and good to drive, as well as also being very fun to drive.
Verdict
Swanson 437PO
@Ludvig
Harold’s next result was the 437PO, the only convertible he got as a result. He liked the quirky design, feeling that it looked very unique. Upon reading some reviews, he found out that it was also decently comfortable and easy to drive and pretty good to drive. Overall, he was very surprised by it.
Verdict
MOVES ON
Submitting a convertible was a big risk, buck luckily it has been executed well. It may not have the most detailed design, but it is very unique, which I admire a lot. A boxer 6 may have been an odd choice as an engine, but in no way do I find it realism bin worthy because who the FUCK would be that much of a strict asshole that they would instabin any 6 cylinder that isn’t a V6 just because that’s what everyone used in the 2000s? Just seems a dick move tbh.
Anyways, despite progressive suspension, it does have pretty decent comfort and drivability, and also still scoring pretty high in the other areas, all for a good value.
Somervell Sabre W
@Texaslav
Harold’s next result was the Somervell Sabre. He thought the design looked pretty odd and slightly outdated, especially in the front with its huge headlights. Despite the gargantuan 7.9 liter V8 inside this beast, he found it to be decently comfortable and good to drive. However, it came at a large price, where much better options could be head for cheaper.
Verdict
Quezon Cordova GT 4DRVE
@variationofvariables
Harold’s next result was the Quezon Cordova. While he liked he design, he felt like it looked too much as a hatchback dressed up as a GT coupe. While reading a review, he had some doubts raised over the fact that it was of a pre-production version of the Cordova, yet a major complaint was that it was uncomfortable.
Verdict
BINNED
Honestly, I had a really hard time debating to myself whether this should be let through or not. First of all, it’s a really nice design, but it looks too much like an Acura RSX trying to compete more upmarket due to the big V6 put in there.
Secondly, some notable strong points are drivability, sportiness and reliability, but poor comfort and dead last in safety.
But most importantly, there is the 2 instances of +15 techpool being used. Now I consider myself very lenient when it comes to realism, but that is one of the things that crosses the line for me.
With all things previously mentioned considered, I made the hard decision to send this to the unholy depths and BURN.
Mastriota 500S
@vero94773
Harold’s final result of the coupes was the 500S. It was a nice looking GT car that looked consistent in every angle, with the engineering to match as well. The reviews Harold read were saying it had bearable drivability and comfort, the the most important standout was the thrill they had while driving it.
Verdict
Now at the end of his coupe search results, Harold had one more car category on his mind: utility vehicles.
24 Likes
My entry was basically a jack of all trades, but a master of none. I am as surprised as anyone, however, to see egregious tech pool spam (+15 in at least one area? Seriously?!) on at least one entry.
Yooo, thank you thankyou THANKYOU for that review!!!
Another big underpowered engine from me…I aim to fix that.
Back to the drawing board.
Thanks chief.
ah welp, engineering is def not my strong point, though im glad you liked the design
AFAIK, the Subaru H6 was around in the mid 00s, and not many other brands made front engined boxer cars anymore by then, so a realism bin would have been rather stupid anyway.
Thanks for more good reading.
The earliest form of variable power steering (variable hydraulic) unlocks in 1993 (assuming 0 tech pool points for driver assists). From then on, it would make a lot of sense to use it on higher-end cars, since it confers a significant improvement in drivability.
I’m assuming you didn’t use it because it would have made your car too expensive - and that may explain why you didn’t fit ESC to the Bravo Legato either.
i mean, not really, the car was cheap enough, 38-39 k iirc, i really cant recall why i didnt go for it
34,500 to be exact
So… your car costs around $35k and the maximum price is $45k. If that’s the case, you should have fitted both of those items (ESC and variable steering) - you would still have some cash to spare, and your car’s drivability would have been massively improved.
i mean, hindshight wont change anything so :p, tbf i though ESC was too much for '05, that’s why i just went with Traction control and abs, but yeah, no clue why i didnt go for variable steering
but as i said, hindsight isnt of much use ¯_(ツ)_/¯
Even as early as 2005, a lot of cars, trucks and SUVs had ESC either as standard or as an optional extra, although it would not be until early in the following decade (2012, to be exact) that its use became compulsory in America.
huh, the more you know (
)
What really made ESC take off was that Mercedes had to fit it to the A-class since the early examples with no ESC fitted, had a habit of…uhm, well…
With ESC fitted as standard on the cheapest Mercedes, it would seem cheap if you had to pay extra for it in the higher end models, hence they made it standard all across the line. So already late 90s/early 00s is viable for higher end cars.
6 Likes
…Well. And here I thought it was just their LeMans cars that had issues remaining in contact with the pavement.
3 Likes
Mercedes just wants to fly, maybe they should take up aeronautical pursuits.
2 Likes