CSR157 - We Made It
Arlington, Virginia, USA, 2004
Ronnie and Jan Matthews, both early 40s, after years of trying to live frugal, have realized that they’ve made it. With hefty dual incomes thanks to a well-paying government job and a recently-landed finance position with a lucrative government contractor, the Matthews’ lifestyle has been quietly growing more comfortable and opulent. Their two kids are 15 and 12 years old, and the older is going to start learning how to drive soon. They currently have two cars, a 1999 Honda Accord and a 1996 Plymouth Neon, the latter of which will be going assigned to learner’s permit duties, and eventually to be passed down.
With that in mind, Ronnie and Jan want a new car, and they feel comfortable getting something pricey and flashy for a change. What they want is a big, luxurious, powerful crossover that gives them a slice of luxury and all the space needed for hauling what the future holds: family vacations, sports gear, band instruments, you name it. In their affluent neighborhood, SUVs have become increasingly de rigueur family cars, and the Matthews are quite smitten with the idea of something properly premium that keeps up with the Jones’, while also offering more cargo space than what their sedans can offer.
Inspirations
BMW X5 4.4i
Mercedes-Benz ML500
Infiniti FX45
Porsche Cayenne S
Volkswagen Touareg V8
Cadillac SRX V8
Volvo XC90 V8
Priorities:
- Style
- Drivability
- Comfort
- Safety
- Value for Money
They are looking for a bit of understated flash. They want to appear that they are well-to-do, but they don’t want to look like they are living beyond their means either. Even though they are not interested in offroad capability, they strongly desire the look of a crossover SUV; while a wagon may fit the bill, it would be a hard sell.
They are expecting a luxurious, do-it-all experience. That means the car will be drivable, comfortable, and well-equipped both in features and safety. In terms of well-equipped, I’ll be looking at the choices made rather than the prestige stat, and how both how high scoring and well-equipped the vehicle is compared to other entrants at the same price to determine if it is solid value.
- Sportiness
- Reliability
Part of the aforementioned do-it-all experience includes sportiness. While it is inherently a bit sacrificed with this type of vehicle, it cannot fall by the wayside; it is part of the expected experience for the class. They are expecting roughly 290-345 hp and they do not want to shift their own gears.
They understand that these high tech machines may not be perfectly reliable in the long run, but, the more reliable, the better.
- Service Costs
- Fuel Economy
- Environmental Resistance
They aren’t too concerned about these, but if they are outliers compared to the competition, that could be a problem.
Rules:
- Trim/Variant year: 2004
- 5 door crossover/SUV appearance (SUV bodies are appropriate, but Wagon, MPV, and hatchback bodies are also allowed if you want to try to make them work)
- Wheelbase between 2.7m and 3.0m (2.8-2.9 preferred, overall length of 4.65m to 4.95m preferred)
- Must have 2 front and 3 middle row. Additional seats are allowed but not needed nor desired.
- 3 way catalytic converter of either variety is mandatory
- 95 RON Fuel mandatory
- Max Loudness: 40
- Longitudinal AWD with more than 50% front bias is banned (FWD bias for transverse AWD is allowed)
- Max Price: $30,000 automatollars
- Minimum TP: 5
- Maximum TP: 10
- Maximum Net TP: 200
- Advanced Trim Settings: not banned, but will be reviewed on a case by case basis. If you are making many adjustments here, please let me know when submitting so I can review it sooner to let you know if it’s gone too far.
Save your own copy of @doot’s TP calculator for your own use. As stated above, your net TP cannot exceed 200.
Due date: September 13th, 0400 UTC (extended)
if yall voted to extend this then don’t submit more cars i will be annoyed
