YES PLEASE!
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2013 KATSURO LINEUP
From Left to right:
CX-3- 2.0 SweetDreams engine, 39k.
X5- 5.7 V8, 50K
CX-1- 1.2 SweetDreams engine, 32k.
6 days remaining.
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The Hirondelle Merlin Mage - Midsize Crossover Entry
Hirondelle performed well in the tens, producing both traditional comfort focused vehicles and some performance variants, and everything from midsize sedans to full size SUVs. This is the Merlin midsize crossover, in base Mage trim, but with the optional turbocharged 3.3 liter I6, (crampt) third row seating, and split “Picnic Tailgate”. Love the styling or (more likely) hate it, it is a tech tour de force even in base guise: with over 300hp and providing nearly 30 mpg, while carrying up to 7 people, and featuring small innovations like a glass-integrated satellite infotainment antenna.
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3 days remaining!
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The Earl E-15 Yellowstone - Full Size Truck Entry
Pickup trucks, while always popular, gradually became more luxurious and more suitable to use as a family vehicles in the 2000s. The Earl E-15 was no different - with this crew cab, short bed model in the ritzy Yellowstone trim (licensed from the famous Montana cattle ranch) being an example of a seemingly compromised machine. But it also features full four wheel drive with locking differentials, and an overhead cam 5.5 liter V8 producing 366hp, with high towing and hauling capabilities.
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LESS THAN 24 HOURS REMAINING.
Still waiting submissions from:
@thecarlover
@mart1n2005
@lddrs
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Round deadline has passed. Processing round, then it will take me a bit to process the overall competition.
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Best of Compact Crossover Class - 2013 (TIE)
RCM Carabine 2.5 DX and Ardent Olympic LS Turbo
It was not a stretch for us to believe that we’d have another tie at the top of the pile this year. After all, there were a large number of quality vehicles at the disposal of our testing staff.
What intrigued us is that, despite a large price spread from top to bottom, our favorites came in at nearly the same price point. They are premium models, but we can safely say our readers on budgets can also look at their base models as well.
First up is the RCM Carabine 2.5 DX. We very much love its road manners, its visibility, and the rearview camera with adaptive guide lines. We are also quite pleased with its amazing reliability and 5-star safety rating. We are given pause, however, about reports of premature rust-through on the Carabine. Buyers should be aware of this, and we recommend religiously washing them, especially the undercarriage, in areas where the road is salted, or marine climates.
With the Ardent Olympic LS Turbo, prospective owners are serenaded with upscale interior features such as heated and cooled front leather seats, heated outboard rear seats, 2-position power memory driver’s seat, tilt and telescopic wheel with heat, and much, much more. The cargo area is quite large, and there is a handy reconfigurable storage compartment under the floor, which includes handy storage for the jack, lug wrench, and cargo cover. We found visibility slightly worse than the RCM, but still excellent overall. The Ardent also has a 5-star safety rating, and you have to dig deep into the dummy kinetics data to find that it is second only to the Hampton Fairlie in safety.
There is about a $1500 price difference between the two, with the RCM being less expensive. If you lean towards inexpensive and reliable, the RCM is your choice. If you prefer luxury and practicality, the Ardent is the winner. If you can say one is a winner over the other, that is. We really can’t.
Silverhare Masquerade 2.0T
“…the most solid low-cost contender. Interior appointments nearly match the Ardent Olympic. Reliability isn’t as good as we’d like, however…”
Pros: Great comfort, low purchase price, good practicality, good environmental resistance
Cons: Poor reliability, mediocre safety
Hampton Fairlie 2.0T Prime
“…the King of Safety in the compact crossover category. Ride quality, handling, and visibility are all good. We’re not so fond of its cramped cargo area, or its somewhat tight rear legroom…”
Pros: Best in class safety, good drivability
Cons: Poor practicality, high purchase price
Katsuro CX-1
“…reliable and inexpensive, as Katsuro often aspires their entry models to be. With just a four star safety rating and an even smaller overall interior than the Hampton, with fewer appointments, its low price wasn’t enough to bump it higher…”
Pros: Low purchase price, good reliability
Cons: Poor practicality, poor safety, worst in class comfort.
Rocha Laredo 416T
“…Rocha returning to its roots of poor safety and reliability. Add less than stellar road dynamics…”
Pros: Good comfort, relatively low purchase price, decent practicality
Cons: Poor reliability, poor safety, poor drivability
Bogliq Bolero 122F
“…amazing cargo area, plenty of well-placed cupholders, and durable, if not comfortable, flat-woven cloth seats…”
Pros: Best in class practicality
Cons: Poor drivability, poor comfort, poor environmental resistance
Hakumai Journey 1.5T
“…what could end up being an expensive, long-lasting mistake for owners…”
Pros: Great reliability, great environmental resistance
Cons: Highest in class purchase price, very mediocre otherwise
Deer and Hunt Hawg Sport Active Hardtop*
“…least expensive in the group. Cheap plastic everywhere, stiff seats, stiff handling…”
Pros: Lowest in class purchase price
Cons: Poor to worst in class in all other categories
Best of Midsize Crossover Class - 2013 (TIE)
Hampton Brigand III Deluxe and Ardent Hood GT Limited
It seems this year that Ardent is the brand to beat. Hampton gave it a good try, and came up smelling like roses. While they may not have outright beaten Ardent, they’ve made our jobs of choosing the best, well, impossible.
Hampton has loaded the Brigand with an amazing package of safety tech, including blind spot warning, emergency autonomous braking, and rear view camera with adaptive guide lines. The interior is lavishly appointed, including heated and cooled Nappa leather seating, power memory pedal and seat adjustments, tilt-and-telescope heated wheel, and 10-speaker touchscreen Nav system with Bluetooth and USB ports. Visibility and handling on the Brigand are nothing stellar for the category. We do have to say that, while the Brigand is competent on maintained dirt roads, one should exercise caution as the level of maintenance drops off, and never stray far afield.
Ardent’s popular Hood model has become as of late much more refined, though not as competent off-road as it used to be. The interior is pleasantly upscale, even for a premium model. It uses less fancy leather than the Brigand, and lacks power pedal adjustment, but is otherwise similarly equipped. Safety is also excellent on the Hood, though it lacks the autonomous braking of the Brigand. What it doesn’t lack, however, is absolutely fantastic driving dynamics, both on and off road. Cruising in the city is a dream in the Hood, and it can take on all but the roughest forest roads.
We do have to warn, however, that both models are at the top end of the price scale, and below average in reliability.
Rocha Colorado 420T
“…if you can ignore the terribly underpowered engine, the Colorado can go as far off-road as many large 4WD pickup trucks. The Rocha is also unlikely to rust…”
Pros: Best in class offroad, great environmental resistance, relatively low purchase price, decent comfort
Cons: Poor safety, Poor reliability
Hirondelle Merlin Mage (TIE-4th)
“…Very comfortable for a reasonable price. It’s not a good sign that they already have a recall for improperly installed piston rings…”
Pros: Good comfort, decent drivability
Cons: Worst in class reliability, otherwise mediocre
RCM Suburbia DX AWD (TIE-4th)
“…the pinnacle of reliability for this category. Also the epitome of a cramped, poorly designed interior…”
Pros: Best in class reliability, great drivability
Cons: Worst in class comfort, poor environmental resistance, poor offroad
Bogliq Baja 328F
“…we like it a bit better than its Hakumai fleet twin, thanks to a better engine and safety suite…”
Pros: Good safety, low purchase price
Cons: Worst in class drivability, mediocre otherwise
Hakumai Marauder
“…falls short of its related Bogliq cousin in most aspects but reliability. Its premium price tag is definitely not worth it…”
Pros: Great reliability, great offroad
Cons: High purchase price, poor drivability
Deer and Hunt Grunt Sport Active
“…with a three star safety rating. The interior is rather basic and unappealing, and rough road performance is questionable…”
Pros: Lowest in class purchase price, good reliability
Cons: Poor comfort, worst in class safety, poor offroad, worst in class environmental resistance
Katsuro CX-3
“…inexpensive model. It’s well put together and unlikely to rust. For better or worse, that is. We had to check to make sure this wasn’t a Hakumai…”
Pros: Low purchase price, best in class environmental resistance, good reliability
Cons: Poor comfort, poor drivability, poor safety
Best of Full Size Pickup Class - 2013
RCM Labrador XLS Explorer
It was a duel with the Ardent once again for the top seed, but this time RCM came through with a clear victory.
The key to this was designing a model that would not only haul bricks and trailers, but also be in it for the long haul.
First, hauling. The bed of the Labrador is large enough to fit full size sheets of plywood and drywall, with convenient shelving grooves in the bed sides. Also standard are 12 retractable cargo tie-down points, spray-in style bedliner, and an excellent LED-based cargo lighting system. Our unit was also equipped with the optional hard tonneau cover, which was easy to operate, and attractive as well. With a tow rating of over 10,000 pounds, this was also one of the heaviest haulers in the class.
As for the long haul, the aforementioned bedliner helps keep the rust to the minimum, as does quality, element-resistant steel throughout its construction. The motor is stout, and even the interior switches and pulls are a bit higher quality than you normally find.
But the cherry on top is that the Labrador doesn’t feel nearly as large on the road as it actually is. Its manners are among the best in the class. As a whole package, the Labrador is the real deal.
(Meta: the actual tow rating in automation was 6850 lbs. I inflated the number to make it consistent with real-life trucks in the class. This rating was still the second highest out of all the entrants.)
Ardent A250 Limited 4WD
“…a toy hauler that the whole family can enjoy…”
Pros: Great comfort, good drivability
Cons: Average in all other aspects
Earl E-15 Yellowstone
“…heavy hauler with excellent reliability. It is a bit of a beast on the road, however…”
Pros: Great utility, good towing capacity, best in class reliability
Cons: Worst in class drivability, mediocre comfort
Hampton Herculean 5.0 Prime
“…can haul the most, hands down. It feels a bit more like a work truck than most of the others…”
Pros: Best in class towing capacity, good utility, good reliability
Cons: Poor comfort, poor environmental resistance
Bogliq Builder 552C
“…very configurable bed, with excellent load capacity. The rear can get a bit squirrely when towing, and it lands itself in a subpar category from the standpoint of reliability…”
Pros: Best in class utility, good comfort
Cons: Poor in all other categories
Rocha Tractor 630T
“…the biggest dream drive in the class. Too bad it falls far short of the category in actual truck-like usability…”
Pros: Best in class drivability, best in class comfort
Cons: Worst in class reliability, poor towing capacity, poor utility
Hakumai Brawler 3500 V8
“…good road manners but not so good on preventing driver or passenger fatigue. Seems to be shaping up to be yet another Hakumai long-term regret…”
Pros: Great reliability, best in class environmental resistance, great drivability
Cons: Worst in class comfort, poor utility, poor towing capacity
Deer and Hunt Fallow Crew Cab
“…shortest bed out of the bunch. Poor reliability marks and rumors of premature rust won’t help the Fallow’s image…”
Pros: Good comfort, good towing capacity
Cons: Worst in class utility, worst in class environmental resistance, poor reliability
Katsuro X5
“…just fails to impress us on any real level…”
Pros: Great environmental resistance
Cons: Poor to worst in class in all other areas
Motor Review World Engine Rankings
This year, we have simply decided to show you our rankings from best to worst. We acknowledge that our grading criteria tends to lend itself towards motors found under the hoods of very expensive luxury cars, but this should help our readers figure out where along the line the engine that’s in their favorite car lands in our rankings.
(Meta: An engine gains 1 point of scoring for being in the top 6 in each of 7 categories I track. An engine, conversely, loses 1 point of scoring for being in the bottom 6 of each of 7 categories. The top engine gives its company a 5 point overall RR bonus for the round)
Ardent Ursa Advance UD8-66DVi - 3
Hampton HT6 3.0T 340 - 3
Bogliq 1Q52VDT - 2
Hakumai C500MX 427 - 2
Katsuro 8V32-5.7DI - 2
Ardent Scorpius SH8-40MVi Advance - 1
DaH 6.8L V8 NA - 1
Earl Super Caliber 5.5 Regular - 1
Hampton HS8 5.0Di - 1
RCM V6-M 3.5-2 - 1
Bogliq 1Q28VDT - 0
Hakumai V610-CE - 0
Hampton HT4 2.0T 240 - 0
RCM V8-L 5.8-U - 0
Rocha 420T - 0
Bogliq 1Q22DVT - -1
Earl Persephone Four 2.0T - -1
Earl Persephone Six 3.3T - -1
Hakumai SSX-VTi MK3 - -1
Katsuro SweetDreams 1.2DT - -1
RCM I4-L S3 2.5 - -1
Rocha 416T - -1
Rocha 630T - -1
Ardent Cygnus CE4-20DTVe - -2
DaH 2L I4 Turbo MK II - -2
DaH 4L SOHC V6 - -2
Katsuro SweetDreams 2.0DT - -2
Visual Design Honorable Mentions
Hirondelle Merlin Mage
Katsuro X5
Hampton Brigand
Hakumai Brawler
Rocha Laredo 416T
RCM Labrador XLS Explorer (the tonneau cover was a nice touch)
2013 Reliability Rankings
Hakumai - 71.03
RCM - 70.67
Hampton - 69.27
Katsuro - 69.17
Earl - 68.73
Bogliq - 67.93
Ardent - 67.7
Deer and Hunt - 67.67
Rocha - 66.17
Courageux - No Data
2013 Relative Ratings
Ardent - 100.00
RCM - 97.60
Earl - 92.07
Hampton - 96.98 (Including Engine of the Year bonus)
Rocha - 85.81
Bogliq - 83.96
Hakumai - 81.29
Katsuro - 70.51
Deer and Hunt - 63.23
Courageux - 46.08 (missed submission penalty)
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Generations 2: The Full Line Challenge - FINAL RESULTS
BINNED:
The following companies stopped sending entries without formally withdrawing, and get no score.
Charge
Watson
Silver-York
Platinum
WITHDRAWN:
The following companies formally withdrew. Their final rankings are based on their overall participation, and may be skewed vs. companies that completed the entire competition.
Anhultz - 6 rounds
Valence - 2 rounds
LATE JOINS:
The following company joined after the first round. Its final ranking is based on their overall participation, and may be skewed vs. companies that completed the entire competition.
Hakumai - Joined in round 4
Alright, now that we’ve gotten that out of the way, how bout we look at the final category-by-category data?
FINAL RELIABILITY RANKINGS
Hakumai - 65.74 (Limited data)
Earl/Silverhare/Hirondelle - 64.52 (Paricipated in every round)
Katsuro - 63.85
RCM (Dominion) - 63.40
Ardent - 62.83
Bogliq - 62.2
Rocha - 61.96
Courageux - 61.78
Hampton - 61.66
Deer and Hunt - 61.39
Anhultz - 58.71
Valence - 53.74
FINAL SMALL-CAR RANKINGS
Earl/Silverhare/Hirondelle - 88.98
Bogliq - 84.21
RCM (Dominion) - 82.23
Ardent - 81.24
Katsuro - 79.42
Anhultz - 76.36
Valence - 75.50
Rocha - 75.49
Hampton - 75.34
Courageux - 67.20
Hakumai - 60.30
Deer and Hunt - 60.19
FINAL INTERMEDIATE CAR RANKINGS
Earl/Silverhare/Hirondelle - 90.88
Bogliq - 85.67
Hampton - 85.00
Katsuro - 80.85
Ardent - 80.09
Anhultz - 79.73
Valence - 76.81
Deer and Hunt - 70.93
RCM (Dominion) - 70.20
Rocha - 69.05
Courageux - 63.32
Hakumai - 54.10
FINAL LARGE CAR RANKINGS
Katsuro - 89.30
Hampton - 87.11
Earl/Silverhare/Hirondelle - 82.21
Anhultz - 71.70
Bogliq - 71.54
Dominion (RCM) - 69.30
Courageux - 68.66
Ardent - 67.38
Rocha - 65.51
Deer and Hunt - 50.75
Hakumai - 43.87
Valence - 35.48
FINAL PERFORMANCE CAR RANKINGS
Hampton - 97.11
Earl/Silverhare/Hirondelle - 84.79
Valence - 84.21
Bogliq - 83.29
Rocha - 78.27
Hakumai - 76.99
Anhultz - 76.78
Dominion (RCM) - 75.91
Ardent - 73.05
Courageux - 71.90
Katsuro - 70.45
Deer and Hunt - 67.66
FINAL LIGHT TRUCK RANKINGS
Earl/Silverhare/Hirondelle - 90.52
Hampton - 84.00
Anhultz - 82.72
Bogliq - 80.41
Katsuro - 76.57
Ardent - 75.85
RCM (Dominion) - 73.56
Courageux - 70.11
Rocha - 68.23
Hakumai - 62.79
Deer and Hunt - 62.70
Valence - 51.93
And now, ladies and gentlemen, we come to the big enchilada…
FINAL OVERALL RANKINGS FOR GENERATIONS 2: THE FULL LINE CHALLENGE
Earl/Silverhare/Hirondelle - 95.94
Hampton - 91.20
Katsuro - 86.66
Bogliq - 85.90
Anhultz - 85.64
Ardent - 80.26
Dominion/RCM - 79.41
Rocha - 76.64
Courageux - 72.78
Deer and Hunt - 66.29
Valence - 62.31
Hakumai - 58.94
So there you have it, folks! Congrats to the winners! And thank you to everyone who participated over the last… get this… 11 months. Dang this was a long one!
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we got beaten by Hampton! NOOOOOOOOO! lol
On the other hand… coming into this competition I never would have expected to finish 3rd overall! This challenge was fun! Congrats to Earl for the Victory! Thanks @VicVictory for hosting this challenge. Most fun I’ve had with the game.
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Hampton Motor Group - Round 12 Aftermath
Chairman Tony’s decision to allow American manufacturer MAD to buy a majority stake in Hampton had finally paid off - the new truck/SUV range for the 2013 model year had been well-received since its introduction partway through 2012, and sold very well globally as a result. The new range of passenger cars was equally successful, but Tony knew that the future would bring more challenges for him to overcome.
One cool November evening, Tony took one last look at the reviews in a recent issue of Motor Review World - and a few of them caught his eye:
He expected nothing less than greatness from the Brigand, and according to the press, that’s exactly what it delivered in spades - unsurprising, considering that it was effectively a Valiant on stilts. However, Hampton’s closest rivals, Katsuro, had squandered their chance to reinforce their claim in the burgeoning truck/SUV sector - and for once, Tony felt sorry for them:
“Well, it seems we don’t have as much to fear from Katsuro as we first thought - in the truck/SUV market at least. And I know exactly why - they have simply not known enough about what it takes to succeed there. Therefore, our fiercest opposition in that sector now comes from certain North American makes instead - RCM and Ardent are among them. However, we still have an excellent reputation across the board according to our customers, and we can build on that to carry Hampton into a bright new future.”
And so Chairman Tony returned to his desk, knowing that he had done the best job possible during this time, with a worthy successor waiting for him in the pipeline when he eventually retires. Exactly who that person would be, however, is a story for another post.
Many thanks to @VicVictory for hosting this competition, and all the entrants for making it so entertaining even after 11 months! I never thought I would do well, let alone finish second overall! Hats off to all the category and overall winners as well, both for individual rounds and the whole tournament. In fact, this is the most fun I’ve ever had on these forums - and a very tough act to follow!
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I tried, It was a good try at competing in a challenge.
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You got markedly better at the end. I know you were working with @HighOctaneLove towards the end to refine your designs. From what I saw, please take the following advice:
Lay off the quality sliders. Anything that revolves around cost, ET, or PU, having more than +1 or AT THE MOST +2 in anything, will kill you. In case you weren’t aware, the game is set up to mean that for every +1 you invest, you are making that technology 2 years more advanced than is considered generally available. It can give you some boosts, but if you over-utilize it, it will kill you.
I know you were like, completely new when you signed up. You’ve learned a lot. You’ve got a lot more to learn. There are a ton of veterans on the board who will willingly help you with your designs and tuning, with a lot of experience. Listen to them, and in no time, you’ll be making very competitive mechanical designs. Your visual skill is already pretty damn good. Having both skills at your disposal would be game-changing.
You may not have done well mathematically in this challenge, but you’ve got a future ahead. Open mind, open possibilities.
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Oh, I forgot… bonus shoutout to @Mikonp7 for best adherence to lore, and consistency of design across the generations.
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Won’t deny that I hated making crossovers. Lol I just couldn’t find the right balance as per competition requirements.
BTW @VicVictory any tips on how to improve engine designs?
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