My love for simple, no bullshit styling have ruined my winning chances on this CSR…guess I need to look more pictures of the new Avalons, BMW 7s and Audi A8s to look for inspirations. /s
1 Like
Well, my Audi A4 ripoff just got instabinned, another epic victory royale.
2 Likes
TIL proportions are hard kappa
Aww… I should have sent the BMMA Narwhal
Note To self: plastic bumpers =/= premium
1 Like
sorry to be a sourpuss, but to get this “writeup” when the BT (which has proportionally bigger lights) got a 14/15 and a full review feels very inconsistent.
i get that CSR is subjective, but to have the shortest writeup with nothing said about the car in a critical light isn’t exactly good IMO.
You had the largest headlights by a long shot. Comically so. But that’s besides the point, I had to be nitpicky when it came to selecting things as only 8 were going through, and taking on the “persona” of a close-minded aged man with more money than sense may have made the verdict a bit more harsh than it really is. Otherwise, the car wouldn’t have passed through due to inferior equipment levels, inferior cargo capacity and other design aspects. I apologise if you feel your review was lacklustre, but I can assure you after writing in excess of 10,000 words of reviewing I needed to cut back in places.
To summarise, don’t take it too serious, especially referring to it as “a tad bullshit” even if you did edit that out.
2 Likes
that’s alright.
i edited because i felt i was too harsh (as the reviews are otherwise very good), and not to cover my ass.
tbh i didn’t think they were actually that big, but thank you for the critical follow up.
no hard feelings?
Well instead of doing a lot with a little, I wound up doing the exact opposite… Next time, keep the funkiness within the design and nothing else.
At the very least I have the silver lining of successfully creating a modern design which works and isn’t gaudy and/or agressive… until the new update hit and took the design bits clean out
Are you sure about that?
1 Like
Mid-afternoon, 18th January 2019
Brosegur HQ, Madrid, Spain
After downing the remainder of the sixth coffee of the day, Jose Luis quickly gathered all the information they had on file for the 8 cars they needed to test drive the very same day. Looking through all the information on file, Jose Luis started to mentally prepare himself as to what to expect from each car, very typical of this twisted, closed-minded old fool that he is as a lot of his impulses are based on his beliefs more often than not, and Jose Luis knew this well. This is why he decided to go along with a very good friend of his who is a very unbiased lover of cars, his colleague Javier.
Being the massive company that Brosegur is, the team had managed to come to an agreement with all the 8 companies to meet them with the specific model of the car they wanted in the same spot for them to go on a test drive that allowed to go through absolutely everything, including town driving, motorway cruising, some narrow village streets and a large open tarmac space that allowed them to safely push the cars to the limit.
Jose Luis and Javier quickly hopped into a car, specifically a brand-new Erin Belrose Coupe that Jose Luis purchased just a week prior now that his kids have completely left the household, meaning he no longer needed a big practical car and wanted something for himself, a car that was purchased thanks to the help of Javier.
Jose Luis: “What bollocks! I was sure the time wasn’t that. We need to get a move on!”
Javier: “There is a reason I said you should get this car, and being late is one of them.”
Jose Luis: “What you say?”
Javier: “Have you even put your foot all the way down on the gas pedal yet?”
Jose Luis: “No. Why?”
Javier: “Do it, you’ll see. It won’t take long to get to where we need to be.”
Jose Luis gently sets off, the 60-something-year-old apparently driving like the old farmers you still see driving around in their trusty Renault C15s but in a luxurious and fast coupe. Javier suggests again that Jose Luis gets a move on and once they hit the motorway that is exactly what Jose Luis did.
Jose Luis: “I shit on…”
Javier: “Told you!”
Upon arrival at the destination, the eight cars sat there lined up with just one person there to greet them. With Jose Luis confused, Javier explained that the deals were not actually being arranged directly with the manufacturers but instead through a completely separate company that was handling the leasing of the cars.
Greetings were conducted, a quick chat occurred and before you knew it they were setting off in the first car. That being said, due to Jose Luis being a bit slow most of the time, Javier took to the wheel of all of the cars to give them the thorough thrashing that they were most likely going to get:
@DoctorNarfy - Shromet Mystic
Yes, this is the ad but for some reason, most of the fixtures don’t appear for me for some reason idk
Javier set off from the car park into the main streets around Leganés in this rather beautiful looking, deep purple metallic Shromet Mystic. Sitting there in the city traffic, the car seemed to feel like an incredibly well made and comfortable car, even more so than the Erin they just got out of. At a standstill when the engine is running, the idle is almost completely inaudible and the stop/start soon kicks in to save on fuel. The car really does have a great feeling of comfort, that is until you start pulling away at low speeds, with the typical dual-clutch jerkiness still somewhat apparent and disturbing the somewhat impeccable experience. Both of them could see people sitting in this car for hours and not having a single problem.
Moving out of the town with a bit more space, the comfortable ride really started to shine as did the effortlessness at which the gearbox shifted through the cogs imperceivably, keeping the car in the right gear at all times. The Mystic had no trouble getting up to speed up until now thanks to the rather punchy little engine fitted to the car. But again, the quality inside and the comfort continued to impress, especially with the adaptive dampers set to comfort.
As the onramp approached for the M-45, Javier gave it a complete boot, the dual-clutch gearbox quickly changing down a couple of gears and launching the Mystic forwards up the onramp at an acceptable pace without feeling too fast or brutal, meaning the Mystic won’t have any issues with overtaking or getting a move on if need be. While cruising along the motorway, the engine note vanished entirely and the car remained exceptionally quiet, while the car held the top gear at surprisingly low revs, further adding to the serious comfort approach to the car.
The short trip on the motorway ended with them heading back into town and to the vast and empty car park where Javier gave it the last few more brutal tests, something Jose Luis dreaded. Javier threw the car into the car park and started darting around like a maniac, leaving him rather disappointed with the amount of grip the car had to offer as it seemed to run out of ability rather quickly but handled in a very manageable and safe manner, even if the car was toppling to the side quite substantially, even with the car in sport mode. Upon slamming on the brakes, he couldn’t help but notice they didn’t seem very potent and after trying a few more times noticed the brakes were starting to fade a bit more than he would’ve liked. Bearing in mind the lack in cornering grip, Javier was surprised to find that the RWD Mystic didn’t seem to break traction at the rear when hammering it, something that concerned him as he knew Jose Luis didn’t want his employees getting involved in an accident where they thought drifting was a good idea.
With the car now stopped, they quickly checked the trip computer confirmed that the rather unfrugal driving hadn’t damaged fuel consumption too much and was well within the realms of acceptable. Both of them then quickly inspected the car to find things they weren’t keen on. Firstly, the standard safety tech really was not all that impressive, with only the legal requirements appearing on this car, concerning Jose Luis greatly. Opening the boot lead them to realise that the boot really wasn’t of that great of a capacity, but it should just about be enough for the task required but may upset some employees that move around a lot of stuff themselves, and those with families who do the shopping while out with the kids that need all their toys and prams etc. A closer inspection of the brakes showed where they were failing, with solid discs up front which could’ve easily been fixed if vented discs had been fitted.
A final conclusion was drawn up
PROS
- Extraordinary comfort
- Surprisingly punchy and frugal engine
- Brilliant build quality and technology
CONS
- Lacking safety equipment
- Uninspiring handling
- Low cargo capacity
Jose Luis: “It really is an impressive cruiser which is most likely what we need, but it is about as spicy as UHT milk.”
Javier: “If it were for me I wouldn’t want this car, but you can’t argue that what it is made for it absolutely excels at.”
Jose Luis and Javier agreed that the best solution for this car was to send a message out to those who would be receiving this car to see if they felt the car was practical enough for their everyday needs and if the safety equipment was sufficient for them, as they didn’t want to have them moaning about giving them cars without enough space and inferior safety. Until the answer was back, they weren’t going to make a final decision on the car.
@yangx2 - Huangdou CC Ag Sportline
The pair quickly moved from the super comfortable sedan and into the polar opposite kind of car, the Chinese and more stylish crossover from Huangdou. Javier hesitated for no more than two seconds before firing up the engine and setting off out of the car park onto the ever busier streets of Leganés. After getting straight out of the car equivalent of a Tempur mattress, the Huangdou didn’t feel like it had the same level of solidity and refinement as the Mystic but nevertheless, it seemed pleasant. At idle the engine was quite clearly heard clattering away, if rather inoffensively, and once more the usual suspect of auto stop/start sharply kicks in to save those few drops of fuel. Moving on through the stop/start traffic the dual-clutch gearbox did a great job of keeping the car in the right gear if a little jerky as is the nature of these transmission setups.
Moving out of the snarled up mayhem within town, the pair headed out towards the motorway where Javier noted that the car seemed mostly soft over smaller bumps and undulations but never seemed to fully settle on the harsher surfaces, augmented further by the lack of adaptive dampers. Jose Luis noticed how much less stuff was fitted to this car than the Mystic, something he was already aware of but something that was taken further note of now that they were finally in the vehicle, but the team had assured him that thanks to the low costs there would be no problem getting it up to standard while possibly still saving a bit at the end of the month. Having said this, the interior quality was certainly fine, better than Jose Luis had expected from a car from the “Great Nation of Communist Factory Land” as he liked to call it.
As the light flashed up green at the junction onto the onramp for the motorway, Javier slammed his foot hard to the floor of the car, the car hesitating slightly in reaction to this sudden change of pace before releasing the almighty force of the larger 2.4-litre engine producing over 210 bhp, meaning the car almost set off like a hot hatchback. Javier, rather surprised at this turn of performance chuckled slightly while Jose Luis stared blankly into the distance, feeling somewhat queasy. Javier also noted how controlled the car felt getting up to speed and assured Jose Luis that this wasn’t anything brutal or outside the ability of the employees. Cruising along the motorway at a steady pace, the gearbox slotted into the seventh gear which didn’t drop the revs down like in the Mystic but still kept the car away from groaning the entire way. Having said that, the Huangdou just didn’t feel quite as relaxing nor refined as the Mystic.
Realising what was coming next, Jose Luis quickly pulled on his seatbelt as they left the motorway and headed back to the empty parking area. Javier entered even harder this time, screeching around a bend and making his own slalom around the lampposts. The Huangdou felt awfully similar to the Mystic, in that the grip levels weren’t exactly fantastic but the car felt composed and safe at all times, albeit an awful lot higher up this time meaning the body lean was rather noticeable. Javier quickly got back up to speed to conduct several braking tests with a better result than what he expected and no fade coming through from the brakes. Javier was left with the impression that the car was simply a safe and stable performer and didn’t really press on any further, much to the delight of Jose Luis.
The car was now stopped, a quick glance at the trip computer surprised both of them as the result was very similar to the Mystic bearing in mind the increased performance and chunkier body. The pair then had a thorough look around the car to look for other points they really didn’t like, to which they found no real gripes to make as the car really was quite the solid all-rounder. Javier did note the peculiarity that was the semi-trailing arm rear suspension but said this wasn’t anything to worry about but made sense as to why the car just didn’t feel as good as the Mystic when cruising.
A final conclusion was drawn up
PROS
- Well built and spacious cabin with a great driving position
- Fantastic performing engine in terms of speed and economy
- Lower costs, even after adding optional extras
CONS
- Handling is nothing more than secure
- Suspension never completely settles
- Could be a bit more refined
Jose Luis: “I never thought I would say this about a car from the land of factories but it really is a great car from every perspective.”
Javier: “Again, it wouldn’t be for me as the drive isn’t any better and there is a serious difference in comfort, but everything else is really impressive.”
Jose Luis took a moment to give the car another walk around and decided that the negatives really were rather minor and decided that this car would be included in the final decision, for noe. Javier agreed that was a wise choice, and noted that the employees would probably really like the design and will be shocked when they find out how good this product is, even more so when they discover it is from China!
@Xepy - Kuma BK
It was time to move on to the next car, the charming looking Kuma BK. Javier picked up the keys, took no time at all to get ready and set off from the car park once more into the busy streets. The city traffic seemed to not be a single concern to either of them when sat inside as the car felt like it isolated the outside world out very well and the engine remained mostly silent unless it was off. The slow-moving traffic was also not a problem for the gearbox as this was a more conventional and advanced automatic gearbox that just seemed so effortlessly smooth. This really got the pair thinking about the Mystic again.
With Javier heading straight towards the motorway and out of the city, the Kuma continued to just mash the gears together so smoothly and seamlessly it felt like butter. The suspension, however, didn’t feel anywhere near as comfort focused as the two cars before, yet the car never felt unsettled, just noticeably more firm. The dampers set themselves up for the comfortable of settings, but even then the car just didn’t quite take the firm edge off, which wouldn’t be a problem for most but in comparison just didn’t quite tick the box.
Turning onto the motorway onramp, Javier once more gave it a full send, the automatic gearbox taking a moment to select the perfect gear to send the car off and once it had the car really did get a move on. The 250 bhp engine was far more than what Jose Luis thought they would be looking at, and more than what Javier was expecting to have under his control, leading to a slight smile to appear. Motorway cruising in the Kuma was fine, as the car remained beautifully composed and the suspension seemed comfortable enough, but bearing in mind the gearbox had 8 ratios it didn’t make sense that the engine was still droning on in the background, when Javier realised that the car was sitting above 3000 rpm, more than what they’d hoped.
Javier turned away from the motorway now and quickly dashed down the back roads back towards the car park, again hitting the annoying traffic but eventually they arrived. As Javier now knew the power beneath his feet, Javier sharply turned into the car park and just went full blast around the lot, turning here and turning there and just trying to have some fun, but not much was found. The car felt the best so far in the bends, with less body roll and more grip, but the car still didn’t wow. A subtle disappointment for Javier as he’d hoped the firmer suspension would allow for a much better drive than the others. Once again, Javier picked up the speed and started to thoroughly test the brakes and found the ABS was working overtime, making him believe the brakes were far more capable at stopping the car than the tyres allowed.
The test drive had now been completed, and to the amazement of both Javier and Jose Luis the car had barely got through any fuel at all. A quick inspection of the rest of the car was conducted, where Javier noted in the notes that the car was fitted with an electric LSD and launch control which he felt was entirely pointless as the handling really wasn’t engaging enough to warrant it. Jose Luis brought up concerns again over the safety equipment as it really was just a bit too basic for his liking, leading to Javier making the remark about the spending in the unnecessary features probably being better off invested in safety features.
A final conclusion was drawn up
PROS
- Unbelievable performance
- Exceptional fuel consumption
- Well-specced in technology as standard
CONS
- Unnecessary handling features
- Somewhat firm ride
- Lacking in safety features
Jose Luis: “I wanted to really like this car but there are some serious flaws in the car that I just can’t look past.”
Javier: “We’ve been in the Mystic which we’re still not certain about, and although this is faster and more frugal, the Mystic was enough. The comfort, the features and many other things trail behind and I wouldn’t suggest this.”
Jose Luis and Javier agreed that the Mystic would likely be a better sedan offering and they weren’t completely clear whether they were going to keep that. The Kuma keys were handed back and the car was crossed off of the list.
@ElMenduko - Boulanger 4B Adventure
Right in front of the pair was the Boulanger in the dreaded urine colour that Jose Luis hated so much. Javier didn’t want to waste any time and dragged Jose Luis towards the Boulanger and quickly set off towards the busy streets yet again. The first niggle appeared almost instantly as the engine never really seemed to quieten down completely, making a continuous noise at idle leading Javier to set the car into eco mode just to make sure the car was aggressive as possible with the start/stop. Having said that though, the smooth automatic gearbox suited the conditions perfectly and made the nightmare traffic situation less stressful and rage free.
As Javier turned towards the road leading to the motorway, a gap appeared large enough for a quick burst of speed to be obtained, and much to the liking of Javier the car responded very pleasantly, giving off a fruity five-cylinder note and accelerating smoothly and rapidly. Jose Luis wasn’t as impressed and found the engine note to be annoying more than enjoyable. It was also at this time that the pair noticed that the car really was a comfortable ride along the poor surface of this road, soaking up bumps really well.
Since Javier had already found the engine to perform very sweetly, the onramp experience wasn’t quite so daunting for Jose Luis this time as Javier gently accelerated up to speed to pull on to the now quite busy stretch of motorway. Once up to cruising speed, the Boulanger sat in the highest gear, six in this case, and gently wafted along the motorway. There were really no complaints to be had here at all.
The brief motorway cruise came to an end and the quick dash towards the car park through town was over just as rapidly. Jose Luis braced for the car park as Javier entered at a higher pace than any other time and just went crazy and something purely magical occurred. Javier turned in, and turned in some… The car gripped like nothing else up until now, to the point of feeling sporty to drive. Knowing the power from the engine was available whenever and the grip on offer, Javier really went hard on the car as the crossover somehow managed to light something up inside of him. Jose Luis, meanwhile, was scared shitless. A quick jab on the brakes was enough to determine that the car braked harder than any car until now and did so without wearing out the brakes. Javier continued to drive around like a maniac, up until Jose Luis slid down the window to eject most of the lunch and the coffees he had consumed today.
Once Jose Luis had regained some colour in his face, the pair checked the fuel consumption, which had been somewhat higher than some up until now but was still very impressive. Javier mostly looked around the car to find any further niggles while Jose Luis took some cool, fresh air. Javier discovered the cause of the grip, as the car is fitted with exceptionally wide tyres that would be costly to replace but clearly fits within the monthly budget. He was also surprised to discover the brakes were not vented, but the car didn’t suffer from this. Like the Kuma, an LSD and launch control are fitted to this car, but somehow it suits the nature of the Boulanger far more due to the more engaging drive if a bit unnecessary. In all fairness though, the points made weren’t complaints as the car just worked so well.
A final conclusion was drawn up
PROS
- Fruity sounding and great performing engine
- Impressive road handling
- Very spacious and well-built interior
- Smooth ride comfort
- Great level of standard equipment
CONS
- Engine might be too fruity sounding
- Urine yellow
Jose Luis: “Yes, I’m feeling better now. That car is outside of my league but clearly a very good car in every way.”
Javier: “I think this might just be the only car I would consider up until now, and it’s a crossover.”
Without hesitation, the pair of them agree that the car would be a fantastic option to give to their employees and note down the details should they need to go ahead and arrange the lease deal. But not in yellow. Never in yellow.
More to come in part 2!
16 Likes
@Mr.Computah - KAS Aranj 2.2 Statement
Javier decided that with the angular and sporty looking KAS Aranj it was time to spice up the routine a little bit and start the opposite way around. Jose Luis barely managed to strap himself in when Javier slammed the throttle down and ditched the clutch and started driving to the limit around the car park. The conclusion was very much like every other car until now, the car grips up to a certain point and feels very composed and secure, but it didn’t feel anything more than normal, perhaps slightly better than most until now. The brakes grabbed nicely and no matter how many times Javier tried the brakes functioned just like the first attempt. Although the looks lead both of them to believe it would be a bit better than this, there wasn’t really anything to complain about.
Javier now left the car park to head down the usual route to the motorway, now hitting almost standstill, rush-hour traffic around Leganés. The car remained hushed and worked fine in the town, but didn’t feel quite as nice as the cars up until now with a distinct lack of equipment and a rather normal looking estate body. The manual transmission was slick and easy to use, which Javier noted was great when throwing the car around but not as great in these traffic situations. Jose Luis already believed that most city based employees would be looking for an automatic, but he had been assured that it would be possible.
With the road leading up to the motorway even getting rather busy now as everybody was heading home, Javier could do nothing but wait until he could get onto the motorway before giving it some welly. The badly surfaced road made the pair aware that the car was perhaps a touch firmer than some other cars that had been tested, even with the adaptive dampers in comfort, but still remained comfortable, but by this time Javier was getting a bit bored of using the clutch pedal.
At last, Javier was finally at the slip road onto the motorway and there was no hesitation in dropping the car into the lowest possible gear and thrashing the 2.2-litre engine as hard as he dared, returning reasonable performance that was on par with what was expected of the cars they wanted. The M-45 was getting really busy at this point, but the speeds were still high enough to test the cruising capabilities, which is where this car felt much more at home. The engine melted into nothing and the car felt strong enough even from lower rpm if a burst of speed was needed.
The pair finally returned to the car park after battling more rush hour traffic and quickly glanced at the trip computer to see a respectable fuel economy figure indicated. A quick inspection of the car for any other niggles was conducted which revealed absolutely nothing at all to note.
A final conclusion was drawn up
PROS
- Stable and composed handling
- Respectable fuel consumption
- Angular and modern design
CONS
- Nothing really impresses or stands out. This applies to pretty much every aspect of the car.
Jose Luis: “I know this car is good in many different ways, but I just can’t find a reason to say that this would be a great car to offer. Nothing excites me whatsoever.”
Javier: “I agree with you totally, the car is a bit of a pretty face with nothing else going for it.”
A decision was made very quickly as to what to do with the KAS Aranj, as the car simply didn’t tick any box that would’ve made them put the car forward, so the car was sadly scratched off of the list and the pair moved on to the next option.
@Elizipeazie - Anhultz Dione
Realising that the rush hour traffic was only getting worse to the point where test drives wouldn’t be very reflective of the abilities of the cars, the pair decided to wait for a while before going out in the Anhultz Dione. This gave the pair time to have a good inspection of the car to see if there was anything that annoyed them before setting off. A quick look around found nothing but the details showed another LSD, which Javier simply shrugged off and said wasn’t important. Jose Luis, however, kept remarking that the more he looked at the car, the more he was put off by it. Again, this was a car with a case of the oversized lights, and it really did look a bit too bold for his liking.
Once the traffic seemed to have calmed down a fair amount, the pair headed out to the streets of Leganés, which is where the Anhultz Dione couldn’t perform any better. The engine at idle is almost entirely silent, the car feels almost entirely isolated from the world around it and the 9-speed automatic simply slips from cog to cog without the pair even noticing. Javier was much happier in the traffic in this than the KAS, that is for sure.
Moving out of the town with a bit more space, the pair noted that this car again felt somewhat more firm than most, and the lack of settings to change the damper stiffness would’ve been a great addition in this, but the car wasn’t deemed uncomfortable. The smooth and silky inline 6 engine really felt at home in this car and worked sublimely with the equally smooth gearbox.
Javier managed to get straight onto the onramp without stopping and gave the car the obligatory send up the hill onto the motorway which, after a leisurely pause due to the nature of the car, picked up speed so beautifully and smoothly that even Jose Luis wasn’t even bothered by the punchy acceleration. Once on the motorway, the car slipped into the ninth gear and felt like the best motorway cruiser so far. Javier even quickly glanced at the instantaneous fuel consumption and was blown away as to how low it was.
Thanks to the significantly lighter traffic, the car park was reached in no time. Javier entered at a much lower speed than usual as he had become used to the smooth and gentle nature of the car and then realised what he needed to. Somewhat reluctantly, Javier chucked the car around a bit, again with Jose Luis being mysteriously unfazed by it all. The Dione is a very capable car in the corners, gripping more than most up until now and keeping rather composed, but the sudden change from grip into understeer is very abrupt and violent as one minute you’ll be turning and the next you’ll be going straight on, giving the car a far less secure and safe feeling than anything else. The brakes function very well, no complaints were to be made by Javier. The test was finished, and the average fuel reading came out with a very positive result.
A final conclusion was drawn up
PROS
- Silky and smooth engine mated to a silky and smooth gearbox
- Exceptional fuel consumption
- Brilliant long-distance cruiser
CONS
- Firmer ride comfort
- Grip limit best avoided
- Overly bold design elements
Jose Luis: “I’m still not sold on the design, and the car seems to have a gentle and calm nature yet has a firmer ride. I’m really not 100% sure on this one.”
Javier: “I’ll tell you this, you could drive that for hundreds of kilometres and you’d not get tired. But when are they going to be doing massive journeys to sell security systems?”
Still undecided as to what they were going to do, Jose Luis and Javier agreed that they would do the same with this as what they did with the Mystic, and send a message through with all the information about this car to the staff that would be up for having this to see if they think it is right for them.
@ramthecowy - Cavallera Moia Prima 200
Again, this is the ad but for some reason, most of the fixtures don’t appear for me for some reason idk
Javier was very keen to set off in this car thanks to the angular design leading him to believe he was about to find the non-crossover that was going to have the driving experience he wanted. Without taking a second, Javier set off at a reasonable pace towards the car park exit, only to change his mind and do all the testing around the car park itself first. Within milliseconds, Javier was left feeling rather disappointed as the car was no better than any other car tested today, in fact, it felt a bit towards the poor end of the scale. The brakes were tested and were found to work continuously after many attempts and stopped the car well. Jose Luis at this point was numb to everything and just let Javier do what he felt necessary.
Heading out of the car park and into the somewhat lighter traffic situation, the car just didn’t feel quite as nice as many others previously, with the engine constantly droning at idle to try and give off this sporty note that really wasn’t what the car was like after that disappointing handling outcome, and the dual-clutch gearbox continued to be jerky like all the others.
Moving onwards towards the motorway, the pair couldn’t help but notice that this was definitely the firmest setup of all the cars so far today, a bit of a shock to Javier particularly since the handling doesn’t make up for this whatsoever. With that being said though, the dual-clutch certainly felt more comfortable once on the move and shifted smoothly.
The slip road leading onto the motorway was nice and empty, giving Javier a great opportunity to give it everything from the 200 bhp engine, and the car responded fantastically, but really was far noisier than what they both wanted. The acceleration would give hot hatches a run for their money, but all these sporty cues would’ve worked so great if it actually felt that way once driving. Once up to cruising speed, the engine drops revs substantially and the droning becomes minimal, but the car still feels noticeably more firm than the others.
Getting tired of the car, Javier turns off the motorway and heads straight back to the car park. The pair didn’t even bother giving the car a complete check over, they both had made their minds out about what they wanted to do with the car.
A final conclusion was drawn up
PROS
- Reasonable performance
- Reasonable fuel economy
- Fantastic angular and modern design
CONS
- Too mundane to drive
- Sportiness focus is too much
- Limited cargo capacity
Jose Luis: “I was so keen to have this car tested when we were in the meeting, what a disappointment.”
Javier: “Tell me about it, I wanted to really like this car as well but it just doesn’t do it for me.”
Jose Luis and Javier agreed that the best solution for this car was to simply scratch it off the list, the choppy ride and overly sporty focus while having poor handling just wasn’t the best combo.
@EddyBT - BT Motors Panthera XH
The last car remained for testing, the BT Motors Panthera XH. Javier wasted no time in getting started, grabbing Jose Luis and setting off almost instantly onto the streets of Leganés for the final time. Once again, just like the Cavallera, the BT seemed to suffer from the same case of the noisy idle syndrome. Thankfully though, it doesn’t also suffer from an annoying dual-clutch gearbox and instead gets a proper automatic which was far better suited to traffic.
Moving onwards towards the M-45, the pair noticed the Panthera seemed to really have very supple suspension. In fact, over some larger bumps in the road the car seemed to bounce and feel unsettled for longer than what they would’ve hoped for but nevertheless, the drive was exceptionally comfortable. This, plus the smooth six-cylinder engine and automatic gearbox, it reminded them of the Anhultz Dione.
Now heading onwards to the acceleration lane, the obligatory boot was conducted and the Panthera smoothly gathered speed as the rather potent engine didn’t offer the level of urgency they had expected given the figures, but acceleration was more than decent enough yet this was accompanied by a lot of noise. Once on the motorway, the Panthera settled down nicely into eighth gear and cruised along gently, with the droning engine note still there but by no means annoying.
Leaving the motorway, Javier made a quick run through the city to get back to the car park to test the handling traits. Once there, Javier quickly turned the vehicle in and realised that this thing really does not have the grip required to be dealing with a car with over 250 bhp. The cornering abilities are really limited as the car quickly runs out of grip. The same applies to braking, as this somehow seems to take an age to finally come to a stop. Javier had no intention to keep throwing this around, it just wasn’t great.
Now the car had stopped, the pair noticed that the car had got through very little fuel, which was nice to hear. Unfortunately, the inspection showed a number of flaws such as a very limited amount of standard safety equipment, unnecessary LSD and launch control just to mention a few. Nothing more needed to be said, Jose Luis and Javier had made their verdict.
A final conclusion was drawn up
PROS
- Silky and smooth engine mated to a silky and smooth gearbox
- Exceptional fuel consumption
- Incredible luggage capacity
CONS
- Overly soft ride
- Rather uninspiring handling
- Questionable “sporty” addons
- Lack of safety technology
Jose Luis: “I’m certain this one just isn’t going to work, the few positives don’t make up for the many negatives.”
Javier: “I couldn’t live with this car at all, and if your staff are anything like me…”
Without hesitation, Jose Luis crosses the Panthera off of the list.
Now all eight cars had been tested, Jose Luis and Javier realised that only two cars were really up for contention and they just had to decide which one it would be. The two other cars that were sent to the staff just felt inferior in ways to these two cars, meaning that although they were keen to see the results on what they would think, they realised it wouldn’t be suitable for them.
Jose Luis: “I really don’t know men, I can’t choose.”
Javier: “Seriously, I know which one I would have!”
Jose Luis: “I know that, but you do realise that they are both crossovers in the end.”
Javier: “Ha, yeah. So much for all those estate cars you told me about, you still ended up with what you thought you would.”
Jose Luis: “I know, maybe I’ll have to sleep on it and speak to colleagues in the morning.”
Javier: “Of course, but you know you’ll make the right decision.”
Jose Luis: “Shut your mouth. I’m going home.”
The following morning came around and Jose Luis was now starting to favour one car over the other but wanted to see if the results from the two cars sent out to the staff had been conclusive towards one car or the other before saying yes or no. He also wanted to speak to his colleagues to see what they thought. Jose Luis quickly got ready and headed for work.
A quick discussion with the colleagues was indicative as to what they wanted, and the results had come through for the two sent out yesterday. Both cars didn’t receive great approval rates by many, but the Shromet Mystic just seemed to edge out the Anhultz Dione.
Jose Luis: “Hmm… that makes me believe that they’d prefer subtle to overly bold. That is interesting. People, I think we have an answer!”
5th place - @Xepy - Kuma BK
4th place - @Elizipeazie - Anhultz Dione
3rd place - @DoctorNarfy - Shromet Mystic
2nd place - @yangx2 - Huangdou CC Ag Sportline
Congratulations @ElMenduko, you are the winner of this round of the CSR!
You have created the perfect crossover it seems. Well, nearly perfect anyway. Brosegur have now taken hold of several hundred units to start off with. Of course, they couldn’t have the new Boulanger 4B Adventure in any other colour than white!
Thank you to everybody for participating in this round of the CSR. This was more work than any other round I have hosted thus far, the equivalent of a 40 page document, so you won’t be getting anything like that off of me for a while!
21 Likes
YASS!!!
4th!
on a modern-styling-based CSR
4 Likes
Congrats the the 
️rossover gang!
Wow I totally didn’t expect to win when the first thing the guy did was blast the color lol. That was unexpected.
The problem is that criminal José Luis got away with painting my cars in the dullest white 
. Well, I guess a sale is a sale. Or 100 sales in this case.
But still, yay! And even better, a crossover won! This is one small step for Boulanger automobiles, one giant leap for crossoverkind.
I can host the next CSR as I have a lot of time and something in mind. The issue is the game version, as the openbeta branch has recently updated and many people are trying it out. I don’t know what is the state of most mods in there, and if most need updating or just work fine. I think I’ll play it safe and host on the main stable branch, but I need some time to roll back to it and download it, then to make a few test cars and the ruleset (at least I already have an idea in mind)
UPDATE: There’s a bit of a problem with the recent update. I assumed most people were just on the non-beta normal branch and that all mods still worked for it. Turns out, some mods have updated to work with the openbeta, but they’re broken on the main branch, and viceversa. I will wait for a bit before hosting to see how things develop. In the meantime I’ll work on a first draft of the ruleset to then adjust it when the update shitstorm passes
7 Likes
When do you expect to post the “first draft” of CSR94?
It doesn’t really depend on me, aside from the time it takes me to make a few test cars and write the rules (which I’m working on right now, but things like ET limits, budget, etc. need to wait for a test car to be set in stone). It depends on what happens with the versions.
So I really can’t tell. I’ll try to have as much as I can ready beforehand so it’s a matter of adjusting and making the post.
Aside from many mods not being updated, the open beta has some signficant changes to engine bay space and other few changes. The changes are not much of an issue since everyone will have the same ones, and the rules would be adjusted according to them. The main issue is many people are having stability issues in the open beta, with many crashes. And some people can’t even install it, so if I used that they wouldn’t be able to participate.
I’ve asked the mods, but it’s a matter of wating to see which turns out to be the better version to host it in
For now I’ll wait for a day or two. In the first place, because the openbeta isn’t done downloading for me with my snail internet connection. And secondly, to see what happens. If most people manage to install openbeta without problems, and there is a good enough selection of bodies and fixtures even without mods there, then I’ll use that
3 Likes
Why was my car completely ignored in the challenge? It’s neither in round 1 or 2…
did you miss the deadline? or forget to submit the export file?
Now I feel pretty stupid… Indeed, I had forgotten to submit my .car file. Thought I did tho… too bad for me