CSR 162 - Finals
Los Angeles, August 2005, 7:30 AM
Loading into his old car for hopefully the last time, Tim turned the key as his little Akari’s 4 cylinder thrummed to life, ready to head out for his first test drive - a bittersweet moment as he knew one of the cars he planned to drive today would be what replaces the Akari, a car he’s had for so long and that’s been with him through so much. Nevertheless excited, Tim set out, hoping to avoid the traffic on I-5...
@KSIolajidebt
Arriving at the Hoffsman dealership right around 8, Tim was greeted by the well-dressed salesman, who walked Tim into the center of the showroom, where a yellow Blythe sat, looking ready to pounce. Once the dealership staff got the Blythe out into the parking lot, Tim loaded himself into the low-slung sports car’s interior, slotting the key into the ignition and twisting, hearing the 4.0L inline-6 roar to life. Pulling out into the streets of Los Angeles, Tim felt the Blythe’s rear end step out slightly, but it never felt out of control. Tim liked the snick-snick action of the crisp 6-speed manual gearbox, and when he took it up into an emptier, twistier road, Tim grinned with enjoyment as the Blythe threw itself into corners and bends with great composure, feeling solid and stable at speed. Tim however didn’t like how hard the ride was for what would become his new everyday car, nor did he feel as if the materials or build quality were particularly worth the moderately high $39,100 asking price. As for the design, Tim was even more struck by it in person than he was in photos, loving the classic yet still modern lines of the Blythe. Not too ready to commit to anything yet, Tim rolled back to the Hoffsman dealership, ready to set out for his next test drive.
@Falling_Comet, @variationofvariables, @yurimacs, @Portalkat42, @SpeedyBoi
Arriving at the Sendo gallery at 9:45, Tim was greeted by a perky, teal-haired saleswoman who led Tim over to the silver Friesia, in a demonstration mode, showing the breathing LED headlights in action, looking like something from a science fiction film. Walking outside to a similarly specced car, Tim climbed into the Friesia’s cabin, enveloped in the plush and well-trimmed seats. Pushing the engine start button, the Sendo’s V10 awoke, letting out a low, yet sporty burble. Pushing the 8-speed auto’s shifter into drive, Tim rolled out onto the road. Pulling on to some less than ideal surface streets, the Sendo’s suspension soaked up the bumps, with nary a jiggle or disruption making its way into the Friesia’s cabin. Pulling back onto better roads, Tim unleashed the V10, climbing towards its 9,000 RPM redline exceptionally smoothly. While he liked how comfortable, well made and easy to drive the Sendo felt, he didn’t feel as if it was as sporty as he’d like it to be, particularly for his entire budget of $40,000; however, it being only the second car he’s driven so far, Tim isn’t ready to completely discount it either. Arriving back at the Sendo gallery right at 10:25, Tim handed the keys to the Friesia back to the saleswoman, and glanced at the Friesia’s gorgeous, modern lines and classy details.
miku sweep
@GetWrekt01
Pulling up to the Bushido dealership at 10:45, Tim checked in at the front desk with the receptionist for his test drive. A few moments later, a professionally dressed salesman led Tim back to a green SL Fuji R. Taking the leather-wrapped key fob from the salesman, Tim unlatched the door and climbed inside of the Fuji’s cabin. Pressing the engine start button, the Fuji’s 4.3L V8 came to life with an aggressive snarl, a taste of the 411 horsepower beneath the hood. Putting the Fuji’s 7-speed automatic into drive, Tim set off for the hills, wanting to put the Fuji through its paces. As Tim reached a lull in the busy LA traffic, he pushed the Fuji’s pedal to the floor, feeling the full weight of the Fuji R’s 4 second zero to 60 rating. Coming into the hills, Tim flicked the Fuji back and forth between the curves of the road, its all-wheel drive system biting into the pavement without relent, and without the typical understeer of all-wheel drive. With his test drive coming to an end, Tim was very impressed by the Bushido and its capabilities, not to mention its sharp and aggressive design that looks excellent from virtually any angle. That being said, Tim still knows that it’s too early to call a winner just yet.
@Urke101 and @pen15
Arriving at the Ossler dealership at 12:15, Tim walked into the clean and simple building, with the natural lighting, stone walls and light wood accents feeling particularly Scandinavian. Walking into the showroom, Tim met with a simply dressed, but still professional saleswoman that had a certain amount of zest, led Tim back to the light blue Orkan he requested. Taking the keys, Tim opened the door and slinked into the Orkan, greeted by a modern, but still classy looking interior. Tapping the start button, the Ossler’s 3.4L V6 came alive, with a throaty shout. Pushing the 6-speed dual clutch into drive, Tim pulled out of the Ossler dealership onto the streets. Stepping on the accelerator and unleashing the Orkan’s full 268 horsepower, rocketing to 60 in just 4 and a half seconds. Pulling on to the freeway, the Orkan’s rear end attempted to step out slightly, but the trick electronic limited slip differential shifted the torque between the rear wheels magically, and brought the little Ossler back under control. Tim liked how tossable and how quickly the Orkan could change directions - all especially impressive for the Orkan’s $35,200 MSRP, the lowest of all the cars he planned to drive today. On the walk back to his car, Tim took one final glance at the Orkan, struck by the sharp and defined surfacing, as well as the elegant two-tone. Still, Tim had other places to be and other cars to drive.
@debonair0806 and @Texaslav
Arriving at the Somervell dealership just past 1, Tim met with a polite and casually dressed salesman, who had a slight southern twang to his voice. Walking out to to a blue Switchblade SBR, the salesman pops the door open for Tim and hands him the keys. Slotting the switchblade style key into the barrel, Tim cranked the key, with the 2.5L turbocharged 4-cylinder thrumming to life. Pulling out onto the streets, the Switchblade rocketed to 60 in 3.9 seconds - just as fast as the much larger Bushido he had driven earlier in the day. While the Switchblade didn’t have a fancy electronic differential to pivot power around, the helical limited slip differential it has still puts the power down effectively, and allows the Switchblade to carve through the roads like butter. If Tim had any real complaints, he doesn’t love the side air intake, which bulges out and makes the Switchblade look unflatteringly long, and the rear shapes didn’t make much sense to him. When it came to the driving experience however, the Switchblade more than met Tim’s expectations. Pulling back into the dealership just before 1:50, Tim decided it was time for something more filling than car dealership coffee and donuts, and set out for lunch.
With the clock just now striking 2:15, Tim decided to stop in at his favorite restaurant for a quick bite, reflecting on the first 5 cars he’s driven. He liked the sporty feel of the Hoffsman, but didn’t think it was as nice of a car as he would want; The Sendo was a very nice and very comfortable car, but lacked in sportiness just a little; The Ossler was the best looking car he’s seen so far, and generally liked how it drove and felt, particularly at $35,200; The Bushido was a solid all-rounder, with a handsome design, and a good blend of sportiness, drivability and comfort; Finally, the Somervell was very sporty and easy enough to drive, but comfort wasn’t as good as some of the cars he’d driven, and after seeing it up close, he wasn’t a fan of the side air intake design/positioning either. Tim decided to put it out of his mind, he still had 5 more cars to go, and anything can happen...
@donutsnail
Pulling into the Turból dealership at 2:30, Tim walked in and met with a casually dressed but still professional salesman, who led Tim over to an orange F640 Zagretti. After the salesman gave Tim the whole spiel about the F640 being designed by the Italian coachbuilding company Zagretti and so on, he handed Tim the keys. Climbing into the well-trimmed and luxurious cabin, Tim slotted the key into its port, pressing the engine start button. The F640’s large 6.4L V8 roared to life, a sampling of the 391 HP just ahead of Tim. Putting the 5-speed automatic into drive, Tim rolled out into the ever busier streets of LA. Reaching a break in the traffic, Tim stepped on the throttle, sending the Turból to 60 in 4.9 seconds - still fast, but one of the slowest cars he’s driven all day. The Turból handled very well, with a compliant and comfortable ride, but it didn’t feel very sporty at all, even against the Sendo, which he felt the same about. All the materials felt quality and the Turból felt well built, but Tim had certain reservations about the design, finding some spots, like the surfacing over the hood and grille, to look a little rougher in person than they did in photos. Overall, Tim liked some of what the Turból offered, but he still had a few more cars to get through, and headed back to Turból to return the F640.
@Xepy
Arriving at the Tristella dealership at 3:20, Tim walked over to the red Crecerelle at the center of the showroom, where he was then met by a classily dressed woman who led him out to a similarly specced car to drive. Handing Tim the keys, Tim tapped the start button, the Crecerelle’s relatively small 3.5L V8 snarling awake. Tapping the accelerator, the Crecerelle’s flat-plane V8 let out its signature scream, the tachometer dancing from idle to the 8,000 RPM redline with zero haste. Pulling on to the quiet streets around the Tristella dealership, Tim unleashed the Crecerelle, reaching terminal velocity in just 4.2 seconds, impressive given the engine’s relatively measly 355 horsepower. Turning onto the hills, the Crecerelle feels impressively light and tossable, never feeling uncontrolled or ponderous. Ride comfort is good, feeling about as comfortable as the Ossler Tim drove earlier in the day, but the material quality felt much better in the Crecerelle. Pulling off at an exit to get back to the dealership, Tim reflects on his experience with the Crecerelle, impressed at how well it drives and how nice of an experience it offers, particularly at $36,600, the second least expensive car he intended to drive today, but it wasn’t as comfortable as some of the cars he had driven so far. Despite that, he took one more good glance as the gorgeous Italian sheetmetal as he handed the keys back to the saleswoman, liking what he saw.
@vouge and @Tsundere-kun
Walking into the Montiel dealership right at 4, Tim met with a professionally dressed salesman, who walked tim out to the silver Torrige he requested online. Walking around the Torrige, Tim didn’t love the large and wide grille up front, somewhat reminding him of a catfish. Not wanting to be too nitpicky right away, Tim slotted the key into the barrel and twisted, the Torrige’s 4.4L V8 smoothly coming online. Pulling out of the parking lot, Tim tapped the throttle, sending the Torrige to 60 in a hilariously quick 3 and a half seconds. Coming back down to legal speeds, the Torrige was more than pleasant to drive normally, with a decently plush ride and compliant suspension tune. Taking it up into trickier roads, the Torrige felt just as at home there as it did on the city streets, Tim flicking back and forth with remarkable control and fluidity. Tim also liked how well built the Torrige was, with every bit of the car feeling just as high quality as the Sendo did, but not as nice as the Turból did; but at $38,500, cheaper than either the Sendo or the Turból, it was very impressive. Another strong poing is that the Torrige seems to be invincible, with Tim finding in his research that it was poised to be the most reliable car that he tested out. Still, Tim had two final cars to go over, and didn’t want to be too hasty in his decision.
@SayokiN
Walking up to the Valheimmer dealership at 4:45, Tim was greeted by a teutonically dressed salesman, who led Tim out to a white S6. Taking the key fob from the salesman, Tim climbed into the modern and well-trimmed cabin, tapping the engine start button. The Valheimmer’s 4.8L V8 ignited, with a pleasant burble coming into the cabin. Pulling out onto the streets, Tim stepped on the accelerator, the S6 rushing ahead to 60 in 4 and a half seconds. Turning onto some bendier roads, Tim notice that while the S6 still handled very well, it seemed to run out of grip sooner than other cars he had driven today, but it never felt unwilling to be driven hard. Tim liked how well built the Valheimmer felt, but it didn’t feel quite as nice as other cars that he had driven, but still good overall. The S6 was also reasonably well priced at $39,100, but Tim worried that perhaps cheaper cars offered more for less. Coming back into the dealership lot, Tim handed the keys back to the salesman, glancing at the Valheimmer’s modern and sharp design one last time, climbing back into his little Akari to head to the final test drive.
@iivansmith and @Oreology
Arriving at the Tioro dealership at 5:45, Tim met with the well-dressed saleswoman, who led Tim over to a yellow Tanaro, the same one he requested to drive a few days earlier. Taking the keys from the saleswoman, Tim climbed into the low-slung cabin, slotting the key into the ignition. Turning the key, the Tioro’s high-tech 3.8L V8 came to life with a throaty growl. Shifting into first, Tim rolled out into the streets, feeling a little less predictable and controllable than some of the other cars he had driven today. Pulling onto the tighter and curvier streets around the Tioro dealership, the Tanaro felt as tossable and as quick to change direction as the Tristella, possibly even a little more so. The Tanaro felt as nice and as well built as the Valheimmer did, but with the Tanaro taking his full budget of $40,000, it pales in comparison to a few of the other cars he had driven on the build quality and material quality front. Design was a strong point in Tim’s eyes, with the striking yellow paint, the large and sharp looking 5-spoke wheels, his only complaint being that it looked just a little flat from the back end. Turning around to head back towards the Tioro dealership, Tim started to reflect on everything that he had experienced today, considering everything he touched, drove and felt today, and ultimately deciding to sleep on it, hoping that a good night’s rest would give him clarity on the decision ahead...
Final Results
10th - @KSIolajidebt. Kyorg and I really enjoyed your car aesthetically, but when it came down to it, it scored the worst overall stats-wise, falling behind the higher placing cars fairly easily. Overall a solid entry, and with further refinement to the engineering, will make for a very good car.
9th - @donutsnail. A solid entry, but a design that feels a hair undercooked and tuning that lends itself more towards being a GT car than a full fledged sports car ultimately keep Kyorg and I from putting it higher. Much like KSI’s car, with some further adjusting, you’ll have something very promising on your hands.
8th - @vouge and @Tsundere-kun. A promising entry, with inconceivably high reliability and relatively balanced stats otherwise, but a design that’s a little awkward at points ultimately is what keeps it from placing higher - particularly as the differences between your entry and the other finalists started to erode.
7th - @debonair0806 and @Texaslav. A very good entry, with typically good engineering, but low drivability and comfort relative to many of the other finalists, the highest service costs out of the finalists, and a solid, if minorly flawed design keep Kyorg and I from placing this one higher. A very good entry that punches well above its weight for as affordable as it is, but it just gets beaten out unfortunately.
6th - @SayokiN. A strong effort overall, with a super clean and handsome design that only errs on the side of being a bit modern. Engineering by and large is very good, competing very well with the higher placing cars - but at $39,100, other entries either tie with you or beat you for less money, and that’s ultimately why the Valheimmer doesn’t place higher.
5th - @iivansmith and @Oreology. Overall a very good effort, with a strong design that literally could just use a bit more rear bumper. Engineering is largely very good, but the lowest drivability and comfort of the finalists, in addition to maxing out the price cap keep Kyorg and I from placing this one higher.
3rd (tie) - @Falling_Comet/@variationofvariables/@yurimacs/@Portalkat42/@SpeedyBoi/ and @Urke101/@pen15. Both exceptionally well done entries, with each having their fair share of pros and cons; the Sendo is easier to drive, more comfortable, marginally more reliable and much more prestigious, however it’s more expensive, both to buy and service, it’s not as sporty or as fast, fuel economy is worse and practicality is worse. The Ossler is sportier, marginally worse to drive but still very good, significantly cheaper to buy and service, more efficient, more practical and quicker; however, comfort, prestige, safety and reliability lag behind the Sendo. Design made it even harder to choose, with both recieving some of our highest design scores, and if one had any particular edge it would be minor. All together, this was an impossible choice to rank one higher than the other, so we called it a tie. Tremendous efforts, all of you.
2nd - @Xepy. A great effort as I would expect from you, with a solid design that feels current but still of the challenge’s era, but maybe feels just a little (and when I say little, I truly do mean it - it made virtually no difference) simple from the rear. Engineering was among the best, scoring very well in all of the objective stat categories, a particularly impressive feat considering the Tristella was the second least expensive finalist at $36,600. Kyorg and I debated between you and the 1st place car at length - and at the end of the day the differences were minor, but when competition is this close, we have to take those minor differences into account. Very well done.
1st - @GetWrekt01. Being the first time I’ve ever judged something you’ve made - I was thoroughly impressed. Design was great, feeling sharp and modern but still fitting for the mid-2000s, and any faults Kyorg and I could point out are borderline so nitpicky it’s almost not worth mentioning them. Engineering was overall very good, and like I said above, the differences between your car and Xepy’s were minor - Xepy was sportier, but you had much higher drivability, Xepy was marginally more prestigious but you clear him in the 2nd star priorities across the board. Xepy was a good bit cheaper to buy and marginally cheaper to service - but at the end of the day, value was a very low priority, as were service costs. Hands down one of the toughest choices I’ve ever had to make as a host and as a judge - kudos for not making it easy on us.
With that, Tim has his new car - a brand new Bushido SL Fuji R. A tough choice, but he couldn’t be happier with what he got.
Spreadsheet
