CSR123 - Slightly Super Saloons (THE FINALS)

Community Challenges & Competitions
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CSR 123 - Slightly Super Saloons

Preface

If you need a refresh of the CSR rules, guidelines, or anything else, please click here. If you’d like to view the previous round, that can be found here.

This is my first time hosting a CSR! Please bare with me if it doesn’t run as smoothly as others have. I will be putting forth my best foot with this and I have all the confidence I need to be able to say that I’m genuinely excited. I’m gonna leave some things a bit p to your interpretation, because this always brings out the best in the community and makes it fun. With all that said: let’s get on with it!
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thank you again so much @titleguy1 for this!

Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA
April 2012

Adam and his wife, Leah, both in their late 20s, step out of the front door of their house and walk down the path towards the road, which held a car to its curbside. A shining silver 2007 Farox Talbot sits in the sunlight, packed full of stuff. They’re making their way down south to visit some family for a few days. Adam opened the door for his beloved wife and let her in, and after closing it, he walked around and met her on the other side. The V8 purred to life with a flick of the key, and they set off…

Fast forward about six days, a few hundred easy highway miles, and some slithering back roads that Adam wanted to try out, they’re finally back home. Everything went as smoothly as the roads outside of their home state. Stupid Michigan roads. can’t have shit in detroit

Adam and Leah love their Talbot, but mister pseudo-racecar driver can’t help but long for something a little more thrilling in the corners. The two of them live comfortably in a in a quaint neighborhood, and have plenty of financial cusion to own and maintain a nicer car. Additionally, his wife takes little interest in cars – as long as it has heated seats, preferably comfy ones at that, it’s good. So, Adam strikes up a convorsation and they come to the conclusion that it’s time to look for something a little more fun!

They both decided that a compact executive sports sedan would be the best segment to look into. Things like Audi S4, your spicy Mercedes-Benz C350, or the tried and true BMW 340i. Something in between the standard models, and full on AMG or M performance models, as a compromise between luxury and sport.

None of these options appealed to them however: The Mercedes is less powerful than the others and dated for 2012, the BMW too pretentious, and the Audi a bit boring. They could jump up to a less optioned-out E-class or Jaguar XF, but then you lose the sport in favor of price. Read on to see what they’re looking for.

Restrictions and Guidelines

  • Trim year: 2012
  • Max Engine ET: 170
  • Max Trim ET: 150
  • Use premium fuel only (90 AKI / 95 RON)
  • Minimum Safety 50
  • Max loudness 40
  • Must have catalytic converter
  • Must have ESC minimum
  • Minimum 4 full seats
  • Soft retail price limit of $55,000 (not the material costs). Read on to find out the kind of car they’re looking for – it can be over by a small amount, but it had better be worth it!
  • Sedans are preferred! Maybe even a coupe? :eyes: You could go for a wagon to earn cool points, but it may not be necessary.
  • NO RACE PARTS. Should be common sense for a production car but if it isn’t in the rules…

Naming Conventions:

Car and engine model name: CSR123 - FORUM USERNAME
Car trim: Brand, model and variant of car
Engine trim: Engine model/variant

WHAT’S IMPORTANTEST - :star::star::star::star::star:

  • Styling! Adam likes a handsome car with a strong appreciation for attention to detail. Make it look the part! If it doesn’t, you’ll feel it in the judging.

  • Drivability. Just because Adam wants something sporty doesn’t mean he wants something hard to drive. And Leah has to be able to drive it, too. They do share the vehicle. Also, snow. Michigan. All four seasons have actually happened in one day. They will happily buy a RWD car and put snow tires on it though, so don’t let that lead you astray. An automatic transmission is strongly preferred.

  • Performance and Sportiness. Fast is fun, being able to hold the road and put down the power is even better.

  • Comfort. Keep in mind that they’re coming from a near $90,000 Farox, and that they’re used to plush interiors, competent suspension, and excellent quality. They’re fine with giving up a bit of ride quality for a better handling car, but this isn’t a race car. Michigan has crap roads. This is probably the only thing Leah is looking at as well, so bare that in mind. Heated seats, boys.

WHAT’S IMPORTANT - :star::star::star:

  • Safety. Ann Arbor is busy, and Michigan is known for their unnecessarily aggressive tailgaters. It’s 2012, it better be a very safe car.

  • Running costs and general price. They’re not penny pinching, but let’s not spend too much time off the road and in the shop. Spending too much time at the gas station would also be a turn-off.

  • Prestige. They’re giving up name brands for something more suitable to their desires. Keep it classy lads!

WHAT’S NOT AS IMPORTANT - :star:

  • Practicality and utility. All sedans in this class are about the same. Make sure it has a logical seating layout and enough room for two people and their luggage if need be, really.

I am open to answer questions about most anything within reason! Additionally, feedback feedback feedback so I can tailor this to work better.

Here is some visual inspiration to get you started!

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2016-bmw-3-series-340i-first-drive-review-car-and-driver-photo-660777-s-original
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002-2012-mercedes-benz-e-class-coupe
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cadillac
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IMPORTANT NOTE ABOUT THE NEW GAME UPDATE
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This CSR will run on the new release version of the game (4.24) that is expected to drop soon. Better to play it safe than be sorry, because it would mess everything up if we were in the middle of a round and the game-breaking update came out. So the when the submission window opens and closes will be definitively set once that happens.

EDIT: DEADLINE

Submissions are open from June 10th at 12:00 AM to June 15th at 11:59 PM, EST.

37 Likes
2

Mandatory request of prohibiting race parts on the engine (even though it should be common sense by now)

1 Like
3

I’m assuming dropping to stable, or will it be open beta?

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Once the update comes out, the one that is currently open-beta, we will use that version of the game. Not the current open-beta.

5

Big V8 Super Saloon Coming Right Up!

6

What about transmission? Do they prefer automatic or manual?

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Automatic is preferred.

Leah is not a huge car fan and doesn’t want to have to change gears by herself. Adam is cool with an auto as long as it is modern and crisp.

I’m just going to make this statement here in addition to modifying the original post.

1 Like
8

The client for this round will definitely accept FWD, RWD and AWD drivetrains, but not 4x4 - they won’t be going off-road with their next purchase, no matter how much it costs.

Also, will environmental resistance be a factor for them? After all, they live in a northern state with a temperate climate, not a warm Sunbelt state.

And are you also treating dual-clutch gearboxes as automatics? It would make sense to do so here, wouldn’t it?

1 Like
9

Yes it will – allow me to add that real quick. It isn’t super important, as they don’t hold onto cars for very long, but it could be a deciding factor if comparisons get real close.

Yes, they are considered automatics. Obviously they aren’t necessarily as comfortable or drivable as a torque-converted unit though… and they do live in town.

On that same note, the new Bentley Flying-Spur has one, so I see that as a good reason to treat them kindly, provided they were integrated well. It all comes down to what the producer would like to offer to the consumer in terms of a balance between sport and comfort.

2 Likes
10

I’ve been waiting for something like this for a while, sports sedans are my favorite type of cars both in automation and irl.

I already have a car that should fit the bill but seeing as it uses a mod body and several modded fixtures, I’m hoping that they will be updated not too long after the update hits.

Edit: my build is completely vanilla aside from the badging. The other car I was referring to uses the Continental SWB body and I’m not sure when it’s getting updated, if ever, so I’ll just play it safe-ish

Oh yeah, and as per the practicality aspect do they plan to have kids? Since a five seater car would be more usable for that than having four bucket seats

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Go by what’s written down. It says minimum four seats, doesn’t mean that’s the most logical layout. If you’re doing a sedan, for instance, almost all of them have 5 full seats.

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The Automation stats are usually better with four seats rather than five. I asked because you said that they needed space for “two people plus their luggage if necessary” and that sounds like less in the way of practicality than your typical family sedan.

Not to mention that lots of “four door coupe” models like the S5 Sportback, CLS, 4 series Grand Coupe are four seaters, so a sedan body with that kind of style having 4 bucket seats wouldn’t be out of the norm.

Is there a specific market you’re looking at scores from, like Family Sport Premium or something? That’s not to say that our performance in this round would be wholly contingent on our market scores, but I was wondering if a really good or bad score in a certain market category would be taken into consideration when determining the submission’s desirability to the customer.

13

Really, just use your head. If you think 4 seats would work, use 4 seats. If you think that isn’t practical enough or realistic enough given the kind of car your making, then use 5. I cannot and will not tell you what to build haha. Notice what the post reads: “Make sure it has a logical seating layout.”

Also, not true: the S5 has 5 seats. The middle is just uncomfortable. There’s a seatbelt for it. Same with the CLS and 4 series gran coupe.

Never ever use market scores as a benchmark for a challenge!

6 Likes
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Ann Arbor is dangerous! Not only are the drivers unnecessarily aggressive, but the streets aren’t well marked, and diverge and converge at weird times. When I stayed down there, every single car had a dent on its left front fender.

2 Likes
15

Further note on environmental resistance, Michigan as a whole seems to favor using an excessive amount of salt on the roads. So I reckon a low stat would disintegrate rapidly. Something to bear in mind.

1 Like
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Yep, I remember driving the wrong way when I was visiting the University of Michigan with my dad, because the marking were impossible to see, so I thought it was a one way street…it also didn’t help that there was construction, and it can be everywhere…
In addition, I remember driving to Canada in Detroit, and I almost sideswiped a car because I did not know that there was a lane merge ahead. Michigan it seems does not use warning signs in terms of lane mergings. With that said, I had several close calls with people who did not know their lane was merging. With that said, more awareness can help a lot, but sometimes, a sign is a good gesture of concern.
In addition, on the interstates that run through the suburbs and cities everyone drives at least 75 mph. Yes tailgating is quite common, but not as bad as I thought. It’s really just aggressive driving in close proximity to others.
*end Ohioan rant from a Buckeye
Xichigan

17

Also don’t use them if you are making cars for beam…
Or really, just use them as a basic guideline, test, then retune…
Also if you are going to say spending time in the shop is bad, then reliability becomes a 3 star important
Also Jaguar XF being associated with not sporty…hmmmmmmmm

19

Wait are you actually from Michigan? lel
Also I agree it is a good song.
Now, with that said, to be honest, I actually enjoyed my time in Ann Arbor and Detroit. Interesting city with equally interesting history, and the car industry! I can get behind that. Of course, things need to be worked out, but I still enjoyed all my visits.
And I also liked the University of Michigan a lot. In addition, I have a few friends from Michigan, and a few who are going to UM.

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Hi,

You talked about a soft limit of 55K for the price of the vehicule.

How much over is instabin?

'Cause I may be slightly over budget like 3-4K :sweat_smile:

21

Depends on if the car is worth it or not. :))

1 Like