After delegating all garden chores to his sons, Palle spent all day looking at Cars & Spreadsheets.
@Hilbert -
Aitlan Trinity Sportswagon 6-speed Turbo:
It’s cheap, looks okay, fairly reliable, has decent fuel economy and plenty of power.
But it’s dull and uncomfortable to drive, and didn’t do well in crash tests. Oh and the brakes overheat, maybe not a big deal every day, but not something I want to deal with.
@Ch_Flash -
Miller Maple SWi 2.0:
Classic good looks, but a bit underpowered for my tastes. Front suspension is very soft. Slightly above average in many ways, but doesn’t stand out in any way.
@abg7 -
AMS Argosy 3.0 V6 S Estate:
High performance and high consumption, one of the more compact offerings. Very appealing as a driver’s car, and still comfortable and safe. Comparatively unreliable. Clean decent looks.
@Conan -
AEKI 550 2.4 GLE:
It’s reliable, and has an inline 5, nice. Decent comfort and rustproofing. Lacks a little performance and we don’t love the looks, the rear in particular is a little odd.
@nate21 -
Yoshino Mako SW GLS V6:
It looks good and balances engaging driving and performance with comfort. Unbalanced brakes and a tendency to oversteer at high speeds isn’t so appealing though, even if the ESP supposedly keeps it in check.
@mart1n2005 -
Valiant Fortis wagon:
A very conservative [but well detailed] looking car, Under the hood there’s a whole 4 liter inline 6 like an old Jaguar, neat. Apart from being a far second on performance, and having the highest top speed, it¨s fairly average. Comfortable but rolls a bit too much.
@Riley -
Zephorus Demente:
400 hp V10, hot looks, should just buy this I guess…on second glance, maybe not. A bit of a handful and not particularly comfortable, with an annoying automanual. Insane fuel consumption, would cost twice as much to run a year as some of the others.
@AndiD -
Mara Kavaler 2.3 UKE:
It’s a Mara, so of course it’s cheap and reliable. Unfortunately slow and very boring to drive and look at too. Surprisingly it’s also
very comfortable. A very
sensible option to consider, yes.
@Ducethetruth100 -
Axxus Serin 1.8 Sport:
The least powerful car here is [presumably] American, but it’s not quite the slowest. Handsome [D-pillar annoyance aside] and competent, but doesn’t stand out. Many high quality components so it should hold up well over time, particularly against rust. Also considered “surprisingly competent” offroad.
@Machalel -
A.G. - Illuminer LT18:
The french are really into automanuals, but this one isn’t too bad. Among the best for fuel economy and safety, midpack otherwise. Nice and swoopy in a fresh french racing blue, but I’m not entirely convinced about the door paddings.
@randomBullets -
Luma Wagon I4T:
Looks like a near-production concept cars, those stripes by the tiny headlights, are they functional or even legal? That, and
eye-catching color aside, it is sort of appealing. Easy to drive, but below average in other aspects, safety in particular.
@Fayeding_Spray -
Veltharen KW472:
Cheapish, but looks very unique. A bit like a speedboat with wheels? It certainly rolls like a boat. Tall but cramped, overpowered rear brakes and no ESP. It’s only above average features is offroading and the rustproofing.
@the-chowi -
Karlsson W3X:
It looks great, very futuristic despite the unpainted plastic, not sure I see the point of that but still. A turbo engine that combines high performance with low consumption, an above average car in every aspect except the very high service costs.
@Knugcab -
Saarland Siegel Pilger 2.2 DPi:
Bland looks, but in a good, friendly way. It’s one of the larger wagons, yet still very economical. Best in class safety, boring to drive but in all regards a very good, comfortable family car for consideration.
@shibusu -
IAS Griffin SEL Spacio:
Very comfortable and easy to drive; a compelling above average package. On further investigation, not the most reliable, and the front brakes are underpowered. A neat and conservative look, nice taillights but the A-pillar rake and mirror integration seem a bit off.
@Vento - xuzL:
Engaging enough to drive, fairly reliable and decent service costs, but falls behind in other categories. And it looks…too unique for our tastes.
@crwpitman1 -
Canmo Kestrel Wagon:
The Canmo can do more offroading than most in class,
and is considered the sportiest despite mid-field perfomance. Unfortunately it’s also loudly uncomfortable and a real handful to drive with no ESP. An
interesting mix of (in)capabilities in in a purposeful sculpted body; taillights a bit overdone.
Some test drives and light-hearted spousal arguments later, it was finally time to pick up the new car:
Winner
@the-chowi - Karlsson W3X
Quelle surprise, the Volvo owner picks the the most Volvo-looking alternative. A good balance of sportiness, comfort and practicality, with a good helping of usable performance. It does look more like 2010 than 2005 with the side shaping, and the service costs are stupid high due to the turbo engine. But according to Palle’s calculations, the unbelievable fuel economy compensates for this, and it gets relatively cheaper the more they drive it…
2 @shibusu - IAS Griffin SEL Spacio
3 @Knugcab - Saarland Siegel Pilger 2.2 DPi
4 @abg7 - AMS Argosy 3.0 V6 S Estate
5 @nate21 - Yoshino Mako SW GLS V6
Thanks for playing
