Арчана Мотор король Супер
@HelloHi
Dear Komrades, I will be honest. I am only including this car to pad the list with another Archanan car, and… it is not good. It is a real oddball and I am not even sure how the engineers came up with this idea to take a “super”-car and make it into an offroader. It’s almost like a failed dune buggy, but without the “buggy” part. In any case, the car does have some strengths that we must consider. Some highlights include a stellar reliability – both the engine and car show remarkable resistance to breaking down. This may seem hard to believe, but it might be true that if there is nothing to break, then nothing will in fact break. The engine is rather simple and under-powered for a medium-sized V6, but is cheap to maintain. Fuel economy is mediocre however, and why does it use 85 octane? Nobody knows. Overall running costs are one of the worst in the pack due to the fact that it only has two seats (the only two-seater in the lineup), meaning that half the crew will have to be working remotely. This is a shame, because otherwise running costs would be very acceptable. Two other highlights are its offroad capabilities, second to none surprisingly, and its upfront costs. We could buy 30 of these! But would it be worth it? The negatives include a spartan interior giving it the absolutely worst comfort of all. It is one of the loudest cars in the list, so it would not be very suitable for natural audio recording during scenes. Environmental resitance is also by far the worst of the pack. It seems that we haven’t figured out how to prevent our steel from rusting in Archana, so even though we’d have 30 cars, they’d all rust away in no-time. The biggest offender of all though, is the car’s abysmal drivability. Perhaps due to the questionable ladder chassis, the offroad oriented suspension and drivetrain, the lack of adequate power steering, it all adds up to being the absolutely worst to drive. We cannot have that. So overall, I cannot recommend this car.
STAG Raider Civil
@Mikonp7
Next up we have a Gasmean dune buggy with four seats, built for the Dalluhan desert. This “car” I only included as a wildcard, to see if it’ll be suitable. It seems an interesting prospect at first: it has really good overall reliability, is fast on its feet with class-leading sportiness, has decent environmental resistance, and upfront costs are reasonable (we could buy 13 of these). It is however powered by a large V8 with ancient technology (OHV?!), leading to by far the worst service costs and poor fuel economy – overall running costs are bottom three. Surprisingly for a buggy, off-road capabilities seem average at best, and drivability is also near the bottom of the pile – only “surpassed” by the Archanan Super-Offroader mentioned above. Oh, and comfort is, understandably, quite poor as well. Komrades, I think this buggy would be a lot of fun to own and looks really cool (I apologize for the Gasmeanism, I got excited for a second), but it doesn’t seem suitable as a well-rounded camera-car.
MAPCO G330 Cab 63-Option
@Th3maldonado
With the two coupes out of the way, let’s take a look at the only Truck in this line-up. Komrades, this Gasmean truck is quintessential Gasmean. Well, with the exception of the suspension – double wishbone fronts and solid axle coils don’t exactly scream Gasmean truck. A large V8 with a slightly outdated OHC2 top is mated to a true off-roading drivetrain, which is. The main highlight of this truck is its stellar environmental resistance, which is not only second to none, but stands head and shoulders above the competition. It looks like when they want to, Gasmea can indeed treat their steel very well. This truck is also among the sportiest in the line-up, even though acceleration is only mediocre. It is also the third quietest of all vehicles, which is certainly very welcome to see after the two loudest reviewed so far. Upfront costs are also very good – we could buy 14 of these – the second most units after the король Супер. So then why would I not recommend this one? It has the worst reliability of all, service costs are pretty high and fuel economy is the worst of the line-up, resulting in the worst overall running costs for this truck. Drivability and comfort are also bottom three, and offroad is nothing more than mediocre. We suspect that this might be due to a wonky suspension set-up, with ultra-stiff sway bars only allowing 3.2 degrees of roll angle. Good for sportiness, but it kills all other stats, unfortunately.
Fraser MPV
@pentiumbased
Next up is our first kombi. Although some claim it’s from some country called “China”, I have not been able to find out where that is… based on the plates, we think it’s actually an import from Fruinia. Not that that matters. Let’s get to the review. Again, let’s start with the good. It is relatively cheap, even factoring in that we have to immediately swap the suspension (this is the only car with a load capacity <800 kg), we can still purchase 11 of them. It is also very cheap to service, and while fuel economy is about average, its running costs are third-best. It is also pretty quiet, solidly in the top half of the pack. Lastly, comfort is above average. Environmental resistance and drivability are about average – nothing bad, but also not stellar. But unfortunately this is where all the good ends… Reliability is just as bad as for the MAPCO truck, it has by far the slowest 0-100 time and very low sportiness overall, it has almost no off-road capabilities compared to the competition. There are also some questionable engineering choices. For example, the engine makes peak power at the red line (6700 RMP), but actual peak power occurs at 8100 RPM. Needless to say, the small-ish I5 engine is very under-powered and poorly set up. The car also suffers from quite a bit of brake fade. Lastly, two aesthetic considerations: the stats indicate five seats in two rows, but the graphics show six seats in three rows. And there is a sunroof, which is a questionable choice for a car that will have something industrial mounted to its roof.
I did not consider these in judging, but something to keep in mind in the future for realism sake. Needless to say, despite the car’s few strengths, I cannot recommend this car for future consideration.
Ibis Coyote 4S8
@nightwave
All-right Komrades, let’s take a look at our first SUV on the list. This car arrives on the scene with a bang, with some stellar key stats. The main highlight is its drivability and acceleration, both of which are second to none! These stats certainly make us proud of this Archanan built car, and make me wonder why such a drivetrain was not used in the король Супер… but I digress. This car must be a dream to drive with its huge V8 mated to an automatic AWD drivetrain! Another highlight is the above average sportiness, which is understandable based on its stellar acceleration figures and active sport suspension. Most of the other statistics, however, are only average or slightly below average, unfortunately. The key factors of reliability and running costs are both slightly below average, mostly due to the trim’s reliability and high fuel costs; engine reliability and service costs are about average. Despite having two reverse-flow mufflers, the car is still the third loudest of the bunch, which would mean some disruption of filming. The car does have many of the latest electronic gadgets installed, but in the end it is also fairly expensive – we could only buy 10 of these. Environmental resistance is average, and despite the decked-out premium interior, comfort is slightly below average. Lastly, the car’s off-road capabilities are are bottom three, putting the final nail in its coffin. This car certainly had lots of potential due to its stellar handleability and sporty attitude, but in the end is let down by a few key factors, and cannot be recommended for further consideration.
Hyensu Pardus
@Maverick74
Let’s look at something completely different again – the first minivan on the list, from Fruinia! But is it really Fruinian at heart? Let me explain. This medium-sized van certainly has a Fruinian chassis, but the engine is a moderately sized, mixed-metal, underpowered V6 with an older OHC technology. Not exactly expected specifications. The van is not very fast and has below average acceleration, and has the worst sportiness of all cars considered. Definitely not very Fruinian. Definitely Fruininan, however, are the wings and spoilers on the van. Questionable engineering choice, but very Fruinian indeed. Despite these shortcomings, there are still some good points. Engine reliability is high and trim reliability is also above average. Its service costs and fuel economy combined make running costs above average, and it is not terribly priced – we can get 11 of these. Drivability, off-road capability, environmental resistance, comfort, loudness – all average. In the end, there is really not much to say about this van, just that it is… average. Sportiness aside, there is nothing terribly wrong with it, but also nothing exciting or outstanding. As such, it deserves its place firmly in the midpack in this line-up, but I don’t recommend further consideration.
Edison Verge SportCross AWD
@Vero94773
Next up is the second SUV of the bunch. It’s a fairly generic looking SUV, and could hail from Fruinia, Hetvesia, or Gasmea. It doesn’t matter though, main point is that it is here. Let’s start with the standout highlight and lowlight combined: it is the most comfortable of the bunch, but also the most expensive. Our drive and camera operators would certainly work in comfort and style, but we could only afford ten of these. It seems that in many other ways as well, the Edison is a dichotomy of statistics. It has good engine reliability, but poor trim reliability, decent fuel economy, but below average service costs, good acceleration, but low off-road capabilities, excellent drivability, but poor sportiness. It also just below average in loudness and environmental resistance. So overall, the Edison is also a very average car with some strengths and weaknesses, but overall just not quite good enough to warrant further consideration.
Again, not taken into consideration for judging, but the huge double glass roof windows are a questionable choice for this competition. And watch those rear lights decapitating the passangers!
Regal VT30 Trek 2010
@karhgath
Another kombi for your consideration, dear Komrades, and another from our beloved Fatherland Archana. As such, it also has a few questionable engineering choices, but overall it is a decent pick. What is so questionable you ask? Well, for one it combines a fairly straight-forward car suspension and relatively hard set-up (sporty 4.7 degree roll angle) with disconnecting off-road sway bars. Strange. Then it combines a premium interior with a basic CD. Strange. It is also unclear how many seats it actually has – the pictures show a rear bench seat, but the specifications say four seater. Strange. All that strangeness aside, this does have some strong points. For example, its fuel consumption is head and shoulder better than any other car on the list, and even with an average service cost, the total running cost is the best in the field. It has very decent acceleration and sportiness, both above average. And while price isn’t the best, we could still buy 11 of these, so that’s not too bad. This car just missed out on the top three for the reason that every other statistics is just… average. Reliability is average, loudness is average, drivability is average, off-road is average, and environmental resistance and comfort are slightly below average. Overall, this was a very attractive proposition, and truly only barely misses out on being in the top three. It is unfortunate that another Archanan entry will not be further considered.
Dear Komrade – interrupted the old bureaucrat before the young man could go on – I have had just about enough for the day. Is there much more to go through? I cannot listen to more of this car talk…
Only three more! I left the best for last Komrade. - exclaimed the young man enthusiastically.
All right, listen. I grow weary. We will reconvene tomorrow, and I will bring in the big boss to look at the best three. Then we’ll decide.
And with that, the bureaucrat got up and left the room… Our young friend stacked his papers neatly, and prepared for his meeting with the big boss tomorrow….
