My 3rd instabin…
I’m glad if a bit surprised to see the Eagle continue on, but apparently it wasn’t the largest nor most powerful entry, which I expected. I did everything I could (except cutting power steering - I did cut the automatic trans though) to get as high mpg as I could while hitting the 100hp mark. Plus the engine being ancient and ohv kept costs low / reliability high despite the size.
First CSR back and instabin. Mmmm, re-baptism of fire.
To be fair, you kinda should’ve expected it with a rear engined space frame hatch?
Even competitions not entirely focused on realism have to draw some lines in the sand. Otherwise we’ll end up with a repeat of the compact midengined 1970s American police car…
11 Likes
I play this game for fun, I don’t research what’s what for any of my builds, I just make what I think is cool. Like it or lump it, you play your game your way, I’ll play mine my way.
Yeah, of course, play however you want. It’s a video game. If you’re making yourself do it in a way that you don’t feel fun/satisfaction, that’s when you’re doing it wrong.
A competition is just going to work a little differently.
2 Likes
Yeah, exactly. I meant my comment in a light-hearted manner.
3 Likes
Round 2 and finalists. Part 1
Westland Manifest
The first car that Dave gets a test drive of is the Westland Manifest. Things start off a bit low key as outside the Manifest dealer is a sea of panel vans, it’s not the sort of dealership you would normally go to to get your new family car. Once inside Dave finds a rather rough and ready salesman and tells him that he has phoned ahead about getting a drive of a Manifest, with that sorted out the sales rep goes into the back garage section and tell Dave to wait outside. A couple of minutes later a very whimsical light green and white van pulls out of the building. It looks starkly different to everything else around it. Taking a look around the van Dave is really impressed with how they have managed to make this look like an upmarket family vehicle, the two tone finish and chrome accents are a nice touch. Stepping inside a bright white interior greets Dave with big leather seats and vinyl on all of the door surfaces. There is a 2 seat second row and even a removable third row with 3 seats leaving more than enough room to take friends out. Even with all three rows in place boot space is very good, the van base of this vehicle having benefits when it comes to space. The sales rep tells Dave to start the van up and go for a drive to see what he thinks. The massive flat four engine fires into life it is very smooth and very quiet which wasn’t expected with the van base, another surprise was the fact the Manifest was only available with a 3 speed automatic gearbox. Dave puts the column shifter into drive and let’s go of the brakes slowly creeping the van forward out of the forecourt. Luckily this big heavy van has power steering meaning it was at least easy to manoeuvre out onto the main road. Once on the move the Manifest changed through the gears shifting into 2nd almost straight away, luckily there was a huge amount of torque to pull the van along meaning it never got bogged down. At the end of the first long road was a roundabout, this was where Dave found his first problem with the Westland, pushing the brake pedal quite hard to slow down from 40mph the front wheels locked up but there seemed to be very little braking coming from the rear wheels. The vehicle also tried to tip forward but the stiff front suspension setup kept the vehicle level. Going around the roundabout the height of the van was very evident as it attempted to roll , the suspension was tuned to stop the front rolling, however the rear was very soft and the lack of lean angle at the front made it quite uncomfortable as Dave slid around on the flat leather seats. Coming off the roundabout Dave pushed the throttle pedal right to the floor, and then not a lot happened. The engine only revved to 3500rpm before it completely ran out of go and the gearbox changed up a gear and you did the whole performance again, this certainly wasn’t the vehicle for spirited driving. Dave felt like the engine had more to give and that Westland had artificially limited the engine for reliability as it kept pulling to the redline. Dave took the Manifest back to the dealer and had a sit in the back to ponder the costs of this van. It was very nearly all of their budget and the service costs were the second highest of all the cars in his shortlist. It was also not a very safe car, probably owing to the fact there was literally no car between you and whatever you crashed into. Dave enjoyed his excursion in the little van but decided to cross it off his list.
Dominion Victory Deluxe
Dave goes to the speciality import dealer next to test drive the Dominion Victory Deluxe, getting there the place was a weird caricature of America with the salesman dressed up as a cowboy for some reason. Grabbing the keys for the Dominion Dave takes a good look over the large estate car, it looked rather executive compared to the other cars Dave had looked at already. The front end was a barrage of chrome with a large and imposing grille. Stepping inside there was large inviting leather seats with nice chrome switchgear on the dashboard and a reasonable enough radio. Firing up the engine it was quiet enough if a little gruff and when revved it had a habit of making the car shake. Luckily for Dave’s arms this heavy car was fitted with power steering meaning it could be aimed at the road easily enough at parking speeds. Driving along the road it was very easy, there were only 3 forward speeds to choose from but the torque from the engine meant you can change up relatively early and not be out of pull. The brakes were up to the job of stopping the car, they couldnt overpower the front tyres no matter how hard Dave pushed them, but then the Victory does have wide wheels and upmarket tyres meaning it has plenty of grip. Dave was a bit torn on the Dominion, it was quite a big car but it was also pretty easy to drive and the extra size could be useful. He decides to keep the Victory on the shortlist for the time being.
Earl Eagle Custom Wagon
While at the import dealer Dave takes a look at an Earl Eagle which is another large North American estate. Looking over the exterior of the Eagle it was not as imposing as the Dominion, with simpler lines but it was still covered in a large amount of chrome on almost every surface. The roof mounted rails were a nice touch for carrying loads that don’t fit in the boot. The inside of the Eagle is somewhat similar to the Dominion Victory with large leather seats and leather on the door surfaces too. At odds with the very nice interior was the basic radio that Earl have installed in this model which didn’t sound very good in such a large car. Starting up the engine it was nice and quiet and extremely smooth, with no vibrations going through into the car. Pushing the throttle at a standstill the engine wasn’t massively quick to rev, but this was a large heavy 3.0l engine with one small carburettor so to be expected. Out on the road this was another car with only 3 gears, Dave was thinking this must be the usual way with American cars. The drive was very similar to the Dominion with a large amount of torque carrying the car along in any gear, the car able to waft along almost silently in 3rd at only 40mph. When it came to slowing the Eagle down it disappointingly used four wheel drums which meant the stoppping distance was quite long compared to the other cars Dave has already tried, the wheels just about locking up when it was almost stopped. Taking a low speed corner the steering was very light with power assisted steering and the use of narrow tyres, this assistance was a bit too much at higher speeds though, and the narrow fuel saving tyres not giving massive grip if you push the car into a corner at speed. On the drive back to the dealership Dave decided the Earl Eagle wasn’t really the car for him. The engine size gave it very low fuel economy, and it the comparison of two American cars the Dominion was a slightly better choice he felt.
AMB K101
Next on the list was the little AMB K101, this was the cheapest car in the shortlist and also the lightest, though not the smallest due to it being a small saloon variant. Getting to the AMB dealership Dave is greeted by a sea of stylish little European cars in all manner of bright colours. Attracting the attention of an equally brightly dressed sales woman Dave mentions his test drive and viewing. “no problem” she says, “just wait in the café and someone will bring the car out to you”. Into view comes a custard coloured car, taking the keys Dave gives the exterior a good look over, there wasn’t that much car to look over however. The front end was nicely designed with a large grille and very prominent headlights. There wasn’t a lot to the side, just a trim line and some shiny vents on the C pillar. Around back the shape of the boot echoed the bonnet with the outer sections being raised and leading towards the rear light units which were rather large Dave thought, but at least they would be visible from far away. Stepping inside the interior was not the most plush place, it reminded Dave of the car he currently owned with rather hard vinyl seats and metal visible on the door frames, the radio was also a very basic affair. Starting the car up the exhaust wasn’t too loud but some of the engine noise travelled into the car through the rather thin carpet. Moving through the forecourt to the road the steering was not as light as Dave imagined it would be for such a light car, the wheels were quite wide and the engine a rather large 1.5l unit making the front end heavier. Once out on the road the size of the engine meant the K101 was not as slow as you may think from its price, it offered a decent amount of power and with the low weight it had no problems getting up to speed. Applying the brakes at a corner Dave was reassured with how well the car stopped for the use of four wheel drums, all the wheels could lock up under hard braking. Getting back to the dealership Dave pondered the K101. For the price it was a genuine bargain, offering a no nonsense small saloon with plenty of engine power. However for not really much more you can get a more comfortable and more reliable car. Maybe if Dave had a lower budget this would be a better option, as it is it’s not quite enough car for Dave or his family.
Cabrera Trubia GTL
Dave made his way to the Cabria dealership to test drive the Trubia. When he got there he spotted the sunflower coloured car out front. He parked next to it to get a feel for the size, as it turns out the Trubia wasn’t that much bigger than his current car but it did have the benefit of 2 extra doors. The exterior was simple but modern looking, the front end having a nice grille design to it. There were contrasting 2 tone wheels which looked good compare to the yellow paintwork. Inside this rather small car was quite different to the exterior. Comfortable leather seats were fitted in the cabin with thick carpeting. The instruments and radio were the standard from a normal spec Trubia which contrasted with the seats a little bit. The engine was a 1.5l flat four with smooth and near silent operation. On the road that engine offered good overall power meaning the car could keep up with traffic whilst not exactly breaking any speed records. The torque of the Trubia was quite abrupt and had a tendency to tail off quickly too meaning if you weren’t in the correct gear it could be hard to get the car going again. Cornering was relatively secure in the Trubia, the wheels had good grip, with body roll also not overly noticeable. Understeer could be provoked if the car was pushed heavily into a faster corner. Middle of the road was the best way to describe the driving ability of the Trubia, it wasn’t too fast or too slow and the setup was very neutral. Dave was quite impressed with the level of comfort available in such a small car. Test reports also suggest that overall reliability will be good, this combined with competitive service costs mean Dave adds this to his shortlist.
Boxwell Junior MK4
Dave’s next trip was to the Boxwell dealership, the Junior MK4 was parked out front already waiting for him. He went inside to collect the keys from the salesman to take a closer look over the car. From outside it was a reasonably attractive looking small car, in fact it was probably a bit on the small side now Dave got to see it in person. The cabin space was quite nice, if a little narrow. However the boot was rather small and the angle of the rear window meant it wasn’t any more practical than a saloon model. The interior was quite simple with thin cloth seats and a simple enough dashboard with just a radio and speedometer with a couple of lights for instruments. The Junior had very narrow and small wheels meaning it was easy enough to steer at low speeds. Out on the road it was clear 54bhp and 3 gears could only go so far, first gear was very tall and if you changed into 2nd too soon you ended up with no acceleration. Getting to a tight corner Dave realised that speed was actually quite the enemy of the Boxwell with the tiny wheels offering very little grip and the car understeering quite aggressively if a corner was taken with any gusto. Dave decided that he should probably take the Junior back to the dealership before he fell off the road. With that he scrubs it off the shortlist.
Zephorus Type B Series
Dave arrived at the Zephorus dealership to take a drive in a Type B. Upon arrival he was welcomed to take a look at an attractive blue estate car by the salesman, he handed Dave the keys and left him to take a closer look at the car. Instantly Dave liked the look of this car, it was quite utilitarian but also stylish at the same time, the white stripe along the side adding a bright sporty look. Dave felt the overall look of the car was like a smaller version of the American off road vehicles he had seen in magazine reviews. Inside the car was nicely presented if a little plain. The seats were dark grey and light grey contrasting cloth with dark grey door cars. The dashboard was quite flat leaving plenty of knee room, and there was the novel addition of an arm rest for the front seat occupants. The engine was a modern and reliable 1.6l overhead cam design. Starting it up and the exhaust note was rather muted with no roughness from the engine. When it came to driving the car out of the forecourt Dave was quite surprised to find that as well as an automatic gearbox it also had power steering, he didn’t expect it on a car this size however this was quite handy since the engine is on the heavy side and the tyres are wider than average with summer tyres. Out on the road even with the auto box the Zephorus isn’t a slow car, it picks up pace reasonably well from a standstill and because of the flat torque curve the in gear speed is very good too with the car changing into 3rd when you hit 30mph and there is not much need for it to change down to gain any extra speed. After getting up to 40mph Dave gave the brake pedal a good press to see how the car stopped, and it was a good showing. The Type B uses small front discs and large rear drums to good effect stopping the car and enabling repeated heavy stops if required. Dave decides that the Zephorus deserves a place on his final list due to just how easy it is to drive and how practical the small estate body is with the boxy boot holding odd shaped loads easily.
Anhultz Mimas BX
Dave headed off the to Anhultz dealer next to take a look at the Mimas. Upon arrival there was large signage in the building exclaiming the relaibilty of the Mimas, apparently in a recent magazine road test it was the most reliable car in it’s class. Dave was greeted by a smartly dressed gentleman who handed him the keys to one of the cars in the showroom, it was a very bright orange saloon. Dave took in all of the orange-ness it was rather a smart car if a little plain, it all looked like it was built to last but there were no real design flourishes to be seen. Stepping inside the car it was a sea of vinyl and plastic, the seats were made of very thick high quality vinyl with small cloth patches on the base , they weren’t massively comfortable but also they looked like they wouldn’t wear out in five minutes either. The radio and instrumentation was bare bones, just a single speaker radio and a plain but easy to read speedo in front of the driver. Turning the key the engine sprung straight into life, and with no trouble settled straight down into a nice idle. The exhaust sound was fairly muffled and unobtrusive inside the cabin. Taking the Mimas out for a drive low speed driving was no problem as the wheels were narrow offering little resistance, the wheel diameter was large for the size of the car. The benefit of the large wheels was the fitting of huge drums on all four wheels, while not as modern as discs they stopped the Mimas in reasonable time with the front wheels locking up if you pressed really hard. Even with the narrow tyres Dave found the car didn’t understeer quite as easily as he would have imagined, it had a neutral driving experience unless pushed really hard. In gear the Mimas was more sprightly than imagined from only 60bhp, the engine delivered a pretty flat torque curve and the 4 gears were setup to get the most out of it. Dave took the Mimas back the the Anhultz dealership thanking them for the drive. On the way out he picked up the road test that included the Mimas’ reliability and on further reading it seemed the Mimas was also one of the least safe cars that you can buy and it’s fuel economy isn’t too great for the small engine size. Dave decided that he wouldn’t be persuing the Mimas anymore as it’s purchase price was at the higher side and even with the very low service cost, it’s fuel economy and safety made it less competitive.
Seikatsu Esper 1600 sedan
Dave’s next trip is to the Seikatsu dealership, this is a relatively new brand to the UK selling Japanese cars. The main selling point is high reliability and well made solid cars. When Dave gets to the dealership he is greeted by a very smartly dressed middle aged woman who shows Dave to a selection of Esper models to see which one he wishes to take a look at, he chooses a light yellow 1600R sedan. Taking a look around the exterior it’s an attractively designed medium sizd saloon and was larger than it first appeared to be from the pictures Dave had seen. The design was refreshingly modern, there were some chrome touches but it wasn’t overdone and brash and this was also complimented by more brushed metal looking sections in the grille. There were roof rails and also a luggage rack on the boot which were handy for larger items that wouldn’t fit inside the car. The doors opened with a satisfying click and Dave took a look inside. The seats were trimmed with dark grey cloth, the doors having plastic mouldings with vinyl inserts. The dashboard was a single plastic moulding with large easy to read instrumentation and a modern am radio with a single speaker mounted at the top of the dashboard. Starting up the engine it was on the quieter side and it had no problems settling to a nice relaxed idle. Dave had heard reports that this was a very reliable engine. Doing some low speed driving in the car park Dave felt the steering wasn’t overly heavy in the Esper, it didn’t have power steering but it didn’t put a huge amount of weight over the front end and the narrower eco tyres helped too. The Esper offered good relaxed driving, the maximum power came on quite slowly and needed the use of the gears to make quick progress. If however you wanted to drive along more casually the torque setup was really good, it offered flat progressive torque low down and with the three plus overdrive gearbox the engine could cruise at motorway speed without the engine screaming along which led to good fuel economy. Braking performance was better than Dave expected, when he saw the car had four wheel drums he didn’t hold out much hope but he was very surprised with just how well the Seikatsu came to a stop. Dave was very impressed with what the Esper achieves for less than the budget. The interior was a bit on the simple side but the reliability, fuel economy and safety where top notch
Arion Virgo 2000dl estate
Dave’s next appointment is at the Arion dealership to test drive the Virgo. Dave met the rather abrupt salesman and was motioned towards a metallic green Virgo estate that was parked outside. The salesman thrust the keys at Dave and vanished inside rather quickly. After that rather strange experience took a look over the outside of the Virgo, it was a bit smaller than he thought it would be from the pictures but none the less it was a nicely designed car there were chrome flourishes without being too brash. It certainly had the look of a sportier vehicle than the other cars he had looked at already with the large bonnet bulge and spot lamps mounted on the front bumpers. Inside were luxurious cream leather seats with the same material on the door cards and a light cream headlining to match. In front of the driver were sporty instruments with a speedometer and rev counter taking pride of place in the centre. Starting up the Virgo there was a low rumble from the exhaust, the engine itself being very quiet with the modern sohc valve train. Moving the car out onto the main road the steering was rather heavy with wide summer tyres fitted and no power steering available. Once out past the forecourt Dave gave the throttle pedal a good push and car flew off down the road, this was set up as a sport estate with a close ratio four speed gearbox meaning the engine was always in the powerband. Two piston front disc brakes and rear drums offer reassuring braking power, able to stop the Virgo down from speed with ease. The suspension was also setup with spirited driving in mind, offering flat cornering and no diving under heavy braking. This suspension did take away from the comfort however with bumps in the road being transferred through to the driver, also the car was quite easy to provoke into oversteer even at low speeds. Whilst Dave enjoyed the ability to drive quickly in the Arion he felt it probably wasn’t the best bet for family duty with such a sporting driving style.
7 Likes
Round 2 and finalists. Part 2
Decarlis 1500 Grand Luxe
The 1500 was the latest car from famed French manufacturer Decarlis and was next on Dave’s list of cars to test drive. When Dave got to the Decarlis dealership he saw a row of 1500’s of various colours outside on the forecourt. Inside he had a chat with the representative for new car sales and was shown outside to a bright red model. Dave liked the modern medium sized hatchback style of the 1500. The oval headlights were a nice change from the round lights of most cars, the fog lights and two tone wheels gave the car a sporty look. The indented chrome trim line around the car did a nice job of breaking up the sides. Overall Dave felt the car looked very upmarket and managed to distance itself from cheaper hatchbacks. Moving inside the car the interior was as nice as the exterior, The seats were light brown leather with brown vinyl on the door cards and dashboard. The car had a very fancy radio built into a pod under the dashboard with its own speaker. Dave started up the engine and was pleasantly surprised with how quiet the sound was inside the car, from outside the exhaust could be heard but it wasn’t too obtrusive. He also noted this car had the gear change on the steering column making the area between the seats open for more space. Dave put the car into drive and started driving out onto the road, he noted that the steering of the Decarlis was on the heavier side at low speeds as the car was quite heavy and had wider tyres. Whilst driving around on the roads Dave tried some acceleration tests from a standstill and also in gear and thought the Decarlis while not fast it was certainly up to the task of driving in fast traffic. The power and torque of the engine was fairly late on in the rev range so the engine needed more working than Dave expected from a more luxury car. The brakes were certainly up to the job of stopping the car from speed with no drama, the front had discs and the rears drums but they required a lot of stopping before getting very hot. Dave decided that the Decarlis deserved a place on his list, it was good looking, comfortable and also very practical.
MAD Consort 1.6 Classic
Arriving at the MAD dealer Dave’s first thought was “this seems rather a sensible place for being named mad”. Upon entering he found the nearest salesman and mentioned that he had got a test drive booked. He was lead out to the car storage area around the back of the building. His first thoughts on seeing the Consort were of it being quite a staid design and neither sporty nor luxurious. There was a rather large chrome front grille and chrome touches with the bumpers and door handles. Inside there were supportive cloth seats with vinyl door cards and vinyl soft touches on the dashboard. The am radio was nicely integrated into the dashboard design with a large chrome speaker grille. Starting up the car was a nearly silent event with a smooth 1.6 litre engine and very muffled exhaust. Driving around the building was relatively easy, the tyres were narrow and even without power steering it wasn’t too much effort once the car was moving. Along the road the Consort had no problem keeping up with traffic, it was by no means a fast car but the engine had a decent helping of torque low down, sadly this tailed off so changing down a gear was required for overtaking manoeuvres. Braking performance was middle of the road with large discs on the front, when Dave pressed the pedal hard the wheels just locked up as the car came to a stop. Dave pushed the car around a roundabout trying to see what the handling was like with more spirited driving, the Consort was very neutral only provoking slightly into oversteer. Overall Dave felt the Consort was a good all around car but it didn’t quite have that special something he wanted to find to move the car into his shortlist. Maybe a higher spec model would have been better for him and his family.
Mons Creed
Dave arrives to test drive the Creed collecting the keys from a man wearing a sharp brown suit, he gets led outside to see the very brown Mons Creed. Taking in the look of the Creed Dave couldn’t help but think this was a very rectangular car, it seemed like it was designed by someone who only had a pencil case full of rulers the overall design was playing it very safe. Opening the doors and the seats were even brown, thankfully they were leather and quite comfortable with vinyl door cards and high quality plastics on the dashboard. The Creed was powered by a 1.3l engine. This had a brand new Mons technology called “tri valve” which gave it three valves per cylinder instead of the usual two, Dave was somewhat sceptical of this newfangled idea but was interested to see how the car drove. Starting up the car it was smooth with very little mechanical noise from the engine. Dave took the car through the forecourt towards the main road, while doing that he noticed the steering was a bit on the heavy side, the car seemed quite heavy for its size and there was no power steering to help out. Whilst out on the roads however the benefit of the wide tyres and no power steering was that the car handled rather well with being driven around roundabouts and corners. This wasn’t a particularly fast car, though it did have enough power to keep up with faster traffic when accelerating. Dave did notice the engine was lacking in the torque required for lazy driving so you always needed to be in the correct gear, he noted this was probably due to that new multi valve system the engine used. When it came to stopping the Mons Creed was competitive with lighter cars due the use of massive front disc brakes which Dave was able to do repeated hard stops with and suffered no loss of braking power. Taking the Mons back to the dealer along a bumpy road Dave noted it seemed quite a stiff suspension setup leading to some bumps being quite aggressive inside the cabin. Once he got back Dave had a think about the Mons, it was on the whole a solid car but he did have some reservations over the fancy engine tech and as the car used up almost all of his budget he felt that if he was going to spend that much he could probably get a more comfortable car.
Estrada Familia 1700SS
Dave was en route to the Estrada dealership. This was a brand he had never heard of before, the road test that he had read a few days ago said that it hailed from Guatemala which didn’t instil him with the greatest confidence bearing in mind the civil war going on there right now. Eventually he got to the dealer which was located some distance outside of Stevenage in an industrial estate. Dave went inside to introduce himself to the man he spoke to on the phone, who strangely appeared to be some kind of army general. Nonetheless receiving the keys Dave went outside to take a look at a Familia. It was a very nicely designed medium sized saloon, the chrome grille and bumpers were stylish and Dave especially liked how the rear lights were integrated into one unit. The design didn’t look quite as modern as some of the other cars Dave had looked at. But that wasn’t necessarily a bad thing. Inside were very nice grey leather seats with contrasting black piping around the outside edges. The dashboard was relatively simple plastic, with fake stitching and soft touch vinyl along the top. Instruments and radio were classically chrome edged for a premium feel. Turning the key the engine rumbled into life, it was somewhat loud from both the exhaust and also the sound of the tappets along the top of the head. Inside the car this wasn’t a huge problem as the thick carpet blocked out the most obtrusive sound. Dave had to spin the car round before being able to get out of the industrial estate, this is where he noticed the steering was relatively heavy at low speeds due to the weight of the car. He recalled from the road test that the Estrada used a body on frame construction which is one of the reasons it was heavier for its size. Driving along the road another construction feature that stood out was the use of leaf springs on the rear of the car, the Estrada was alone in Dave’s test drives for this feature and it lent the car a rather bouncy ride from the rear when it came to bumpy road surfaces. The springs were set for a comfortable ride however and the front end was very compliant over imperfections in the road. The handling was on the whole stable however the car could be provoked into oversteer if pushed into corners while applying heavy throttle. The brakes were luckily a very modern part of the car, with large front discs and good rear drums used offering steady braking performance that could put up with repeated stops from higher speeds. Driving along Dave is impressed with how the car copes with in gear acceleration offering decent torque from low down. Taking the car back to drop off the keys Dave decides that while the car is very well designed and offers a lot of car for below the budget, he is not going to put it on his shortlist as there are still some shortcomings he would rather spend more money for.
Tanaka Aventis 1200 deluxe
The Tanaka dealership was next on his list to look at another Japanese offering that was new to the British market. Upon arrival Dave saw a line up of Aventis’ outside the front, a light mint model was parked in the centre with the windows and bonnet already open and the keys on the seat. Dave gave the outside of the car a good look. It was a stylish small saloon with a wide chrome grille flanked by round headlights, fog lights underneath the front bumper and shiny wheel covers hinted at this being a more upmarket model. The inside had light grey cloth seats and dark plastic door covers with a small section of grey material above the arm rests. The dashboard was black plastic with a thin piece of what could have been real wood inlaid into it. Like the Seikatsu the instruments were all easy to read white on black numbering with small plastic toggles to control the heater and lights. Since the bonnet was open Dave decided to give the engine a look over, it was rather on the small side. When it was running the exhaust note was a little on the louder side but the engine itself was running very smoothly and quiet. Taking the car for a drive the small size of the engine made itself apparent when accelerating from a standstill, it needed the full use of the rev range to get up to speed. The Aventis also only had 3 forward gears which meant your choice when driving was either being in a high gear and being out of the power or having the engine droning. The braking performance of the Aventis was a bit of a letdown as the car used small drum brakes on all four wheels and when Dave tried to stop from speed it took quite some time and repeated stopping attempts led to some very hot brakes. After giving the Tanaka a good driving round Dave decided it didn’t have a place on his final shortlist as it had too many price related short comings. It was a nicely designed and engineered car but sadly it was targeting a slightly lower level than what Dave was after.
Olsson 67
The Olsson is the last car on Dave’s test drive list, and it is one he has been hoping makes a good impression as Olsson is well known for their success in rallying. The dealership is a very modern looking building with a large concrete facade and a glass tower containing various Olsson models from their beginning. The 67 that Dave had booked a drive in was in the car park of the dealer ready for him to look at. It was a visually very modern looking medium sized hatchback. The front end design was dominated by a quite intricately designed grille with large circular headlights at the edges and the Olsson script in the centre. The sides were on the plain side as was the rear with some chrome edging around the lights but little else in the way of frivolous design. It was all very no nonsense but well designed at the same time. Inside the story was much the same, the seats were brown vinyl with blue fabric centres so they weren’t too slippery when you were driving. The dashboard had the same theme with blue plastic for the main section and a brown vinyl piece at the top. There was also wood effect used for the area surrounding the main instruments. The information sheet inside the car made note of the sporting pedigree of the engine, it was a modern overhead cam design with a large 4 barrel carburettor. When Dave started the car up the engine was a lot quieter than he imagined it would be for such a sporty sounding setup. When it came to driving the car it was very competent with very little body roll in corners and plenty of grip with an extremely neutral driving style, it was hard to make the car understeer or oversteer. The Olsson was also quite quick for such a small engine especially in gear acceleration with the short gearbox ratios meaning you were in the power band of the car most of the time. The downside of this gearbox was how low geared it was on a long run, at one point Dave took the car down a disused bit of road and at 70mph it was screaming along at 4000rpm. Going back to the plus points the brakes were very good, with large front discs and rear drums the stopping performance had no problems and repeated stopping attempts caused no real problems with hot brakes. The Olsson 67 ended up being exactly the kind of car Dave expected it to be, a really good sports saloon but also it was definitely more sports than family. The interior wasn’t massively plush and the gearbox and suspension setup made it a bit of a chore on longer journeys. If this was a car for just Dave to drive around in he would have been signing the paperwork already but he didn’t think his wife would be quite so happy with it. So with that he takes it off his shortlist.
Hanno Moxie 1400
Dave was met at the Hanno dealership by the salesman he had phoned earlier in the week. He was given the keys to a Moxie 1400 and left to look it over on his own. This was a sharp stylish medium sized saloon. The front end consisted of round headlights flanked by square parking lights and indicators, and a nice cross hatched chrome grille. The design of the fog lights into the main body impressed Dave as they didn’t seem tacked on like in a lot of cars. A chrome trim line broke up the side, with the side repeater fitting into it. The vent on the C pillar was designed in the shape of the Hanno badge which was a nice design feature. The rear was a bit plain but functional nonetheless. The interior of the car had large comfortable light coloured leather seats with light grey vinyl on the door cards. The dashboard was a beige plastic with a thin wood trim piece inlaid the full width of the front. The radio was a simple but well laid out unit with a single speaker hidden in the dashboard. Dave started up the car to see how the engine felt. It was smooth with a good idle, but the exhaust noise was on the louder side with a rather raspy tone. Putting the shifter into D Dave set off out of the forecourt, he was happy to find out the Hanno had power steering, it was perhaps a little on the light side but at least it saved his arms. Moving out onto a main road Dave pushes down the accelerator pedal hard and waits for the car to change gear, nothing happens until he lets off the pedal and it changes into second. The two speed gearbox took Dave some getting used to, at normal speeds it changed into second at low speeds and it then had one gear all the way to motorway speeds luckily it was a very tall second gear meaning the car was running at relatively low engine speeds. This did make in gear acceleration rather on the slow side. Handling was rather good in the Moxie with a relatively neutral driving style, and body roll was not too apparent. The suspension had no problems soaking up bumpy roads. Braking was solid with large front discs and rear drums meaning the Hanno could stop quickly and without the brakes overheating. Dave puts the Hanno on his list as it is very easy to drive with good brakes and comfortable suspension.
Homura 1300
Dave visits the Homura dealership last of all to look at a 1300, when he got there he was shown to a metallic teal coloured saloon. The front end design was dominated by a large pair of headlights on the outer edge which combined with the colour gave the car a bit of a frog look. The radiator grille was split into two sections with the Homura badge in the centre. The interior of the 1300 was vinyl seats with vinyl door cards and a light coloured carpet. The dashboard was black plastic with chrome accenting around the controls and instruments. The radio was much the same, with large simple controls and a large speaker on the top of the dashboard. Starting up the engine it had a slightly loud and unusual rumbly exhaust note. Revving the engine it was very smooth and the exhaust note was not intrusive. The Homura didn’t have power steering but the narrower wheels with eco tyres and lightweight engine meant steering wasn’t overly heavy at slow speeds. That steering was also very neutral on the road with no noticeable understeer unless the car was pushed very hard into corners. The suspension setup was slightly to the more sporty side but it still had no problem absorbing slight bumps in the road, and roll was kept to a minimum. Braking was done by four wheel drums, however this were rather large and managed to bring the car to a stop with no drama, the wheels could be just overpowered by the brakes at the limit. The Homura was another car with an auto gearbox meaning the off acceleration times weren’t the best as it liked to change up into a higher gear quite early on this car. This did have the benefit of good fuel economy figures however at the cost of outright performance. Dave decided to put the Homura 1300 on his list as it ticked plenty of boxes and reports said it was on the more reliable side too.
this puts the following people into the final stages
Sorry this is taking so long to get written up, putting 18 cars through to in depth write ups was a massive mistake on my part and took a lot longer than i thought. I basically have my top in order though so it’ll just need typing up with flavour text and formatting.
18 Likes
The Final Seven
Dave sat down at his kitchen table to work out what car he would choose from his shortlist of seven. It was a varied list of saloons and hatchbacks. He had got his thoughts from driving all of the cars and also stats from magazine road tests so he knew fuel economy and also reliability of the cars. The two outliers in size were the Dominion and the Cabrera. Dave decided to remove both of these from his list. The Dominion offered great interior and boot space but it was also going to be a pain to park and the fuel eco was quite low due to the size of the car and the engine. The Cabrera Trubia had good interior space with its long wheelbase but the boot was quite small and weirdly shaped. Dave also thought the large engine didn’t offer the advantages you would expect because of the way the power and torque was delivered, and gave the car bad economy for its small size. Dave decided to take the Hanno Moxie off the list as it had quite bad fuel economy and reliability. The driving style from the two speed auto did seem kind of strange too. The Zephorus was next on the list, Dave liked the looks but it didn’t quite feel premium enough with the boxy looks and the quality of the interior. It was however very easy to drive. The next car was the Seikatsu, even with the more basic interior there was still a lot to like about the car with the best in class reliabilty and safety, and very good fuel economy. Maybe a version with nicer interior or an auto gearbox would have swayed Dave its way. The Decarlis 1500 was very close to being Dave’s pick due to its smart looks, top end interior and good driving dynamics. However it’s high purchase costs, high service costs and below average fuel economy did have a negative impact on the car.
The car for Dave and his family then was the Homura 1300, it managed to be a solid all rounder with an easy to drive nature. While it didn’t stand out in any one category it did everything he required in a new car without breaking the bank.
The results in list form
seven. @Petakabras
six. @CarLover
five. @mat1476 @mcp928
four. @Riley
three. @Tzuyu_main
two. @Arn38fr
one. @donutsnail
This has been my first CSR so i hope everyone isn’t too unhappy about the results, it was quite hard to balance cars with auto and manual gears and different interior levels against each other in weighting. If i ran it again i would probably use lower limits and make all the cars on the cheaper scale. However it is what it is so hopefully this has been ok with everyone and well done to everyone for making cars, i have enjoyed seeing how people make cars differently but also i’m glad to get my time back now as i didn’t realise quite how hard this all was, even with just the 40 entries.
20 Likes
Second? Unbelievable! I didn’t think I would finish so high in the ranking. I really enjoyed creating this car. I knew I was taking a risk by opting for an automatic gearbox and a selling price close to the maximum.
gg everyone, congrats to the winners. Looking forward to the next one
1 Like
Quite rightly so. The phrase “A jack of all trades is a master of none” sums up the winner perfectly - it appealed as much to Dave’s head as it did to his heart. I aimed too far towards the former, and just missed out on a spot in the finals for it.
And you also deserve to be commended for doing an excellent job at hosting your first CSR - I hope the next one is just as exciting as this one, if not more so.
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Thanks for hosting @mart1n2005, the 2nd round of reviews was a lengthy read and no doubt took a lot of effort.
Happy the customer was happy with the Homura! These Japanese cars are surely are an ominous sight for the British auto industry…
Unfortunately I don’t have the time to dedicate towards hosting right now, so @Arn38fr, the ball is in your court.
I do have a multi-part stand-alone challenge in the works, so keep an eye out for that hopefully sometime in May when I have more time.
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Even if this is your first time, it is one of the best, most interesting, most well-written CSR rounds I have seen IMO, thumbs up.
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I have no availability problem. But I have a skills problem: I’m bad at English and I’ve never organized such a big challenge. So I am afraid I will not be able to host the next stage of this challenge… Maybe @Tzuyu_main ?
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Oh my god, I’m sorry for the late response. My school just started up again so I’m handing the reins over to @Riley. As always though, I appreciate the hard work martin put into this challenge and the reviews in particular.
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There is something, so just saying i am here, and thinking for the next CSR. 
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After some consideration, I simply don’t have the structured time available.
I’ll pass to @mat1476 and @mcp928
Sorry for wasting time
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We will be happy to host. Though we will need the next 48-72 hours or so to come up with the next csr as it is the first time for us.
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