FINALS - Test Drive
Thursday Andrew awoke late in a daze after sleeping off a Lortab. He’d fallen up the stairs after climbing them too excitedly the night before. After a long day of filing paperwork his full settlement payout was in escrow at the behest of his attorney. Once the car was chosen, and the house for that matter, the money could be drafted out simplifying his transaction. After the typical grizzly bachelors breakfast Andrew pocketed his JHP, and climbed into his Colt Vista for what he hoped would be the last time.
Mons Ghibli
The first stop on the car buying adventure would be the Mons dealership. After the obligatory gladhanding with the salesman Andrew is led to a deep black Ghimli. With the door open, he was struck by the slight dichotomy entering the cabin. The interior, while of the utmost luxury, felt unbalanced compared to the unassuming exterior. The car was a sort of comfort sleeper. Starting the engine produced a very clean note that hinted at a faster idle speed. He attributed this to the engine being cold.
In the dealer lot Andrew began exploring the cabin. Every panel was carefully designed to flow together, and a dizzying array of controls, lamps, and storage cubbies were sensibly placed. The air conditioning was capable of accepting a temperature rather than the hot to cold slider he was accustomed to, and the passenger had a unique control on their side.
Once on the road the comfort focused steering manifested in an arguably detached feeling. As stated in the article there was no hint of torque steer endemic in the FWD platform, but the cost was road feel. The car had the expected control in the corners, and any jounce was predictably controlled by adaptive dampers, but the lack of steering feedback meant that the body roll was the only indicator of how severe the car was taking the corner.
In the parts between corners the wheel sat perfectly still, and the car floated along like nothing Andrew had ever owned. Small bumps, and road gaps simply melted into the suspension, and larger imperfections were met by a gentle float rather than the jolt he was accustomed to.
Entering the highway the small car began producing a low drone on acceleration indicating a higher than ideal engine load. Andrews mechanical sense began nagging him about oil temperatures, and valve concerns related to high engine load.
In all, the Ghimli was an almost surreal driving experience compared to anything Andrew had ever driven before. It’s foibles were more comparative than anything really wrong with the car, and he could certainly get accustomed to the luxury it provided.
Durendal R2-C
Leaving the Mons dealer, Andrew next made his way to the Durendal dealership. Another song and dance with a salesman, and he had the keys to a creme R2, and the convertible version no less. Outside looking in the R2-C had a similar interior to the Ghimli color toned to the new car, but the radio had many fewer switches and knobs. The simpler control layout would surely mean less fussing on his part. All the luxury here was arguably less out of place inside the R2-C where you could expect it, or even an ultra lite no nonsense interior complementing the performance oriented chassis. Starting the car produced a near whisper with a very smooth runup.
Once on the road both the throttle, and the brakes felt effortless. The mild floating of the suspension was becoming comfortable, and Andrew decided the R2-C made better use of it, perhaps due to the car being lighter than the Ghimli. It could also be the brisk steering and considerably lower body roll of the low slung roaster. This resulted in a noticeably lower comfort overall, but to the same effect the R2-C being closer to the road meant the sensation of speed was more pronounced, and even a simple drive was more satisfying. Once out on the highway the car provided a sensation of racing speeds. The comparative absence of the driving sensation in the Ghimli was not missed.
MAD Corsair GTE
Andrew returned to the dealership, and began his drive to the MAD dealer which was a bit further out there. One last round with a salesman, and Andrew was handed the keys to a Corsair GTE.
Outside looking in the Corsair had a simpler, but still smartly designed interior, but the entertainment package was more emphasized. This stood in almost direct contrast with the R2-C he had just left, but similar to the R2-C the interior felt matched to the car. There were many fewer storage cubbies to lose things in, and the lights were more what he was accustomed to. Starting the car produced an invigorating V8 lope spoiled slightly by the airiness of too many mufflers.
Out on the roads the Corsair had an eager feeling to the drive that bordered on the urgent. The massive V8 had no hesitation, and the short geared transmission would hunt for a gear at certain speeds. Despite this underlying aggression the ride was supple and balanced. The steering seemed to get more eager at higher speeds, but this followed the sensations presented by the car's urging the driver to speed up more.
Out on the highway the car had the comforting rumble of a V8 distantly behind it, but the feeling of speed wasn’t as pronounced as the cars thirst for it. The car had decidedly little roll for its height, and absorbed the road just as competently, and softly as the other two. Andrew drove the MAD back to the dealership. He would pick up his new car tomorrow after connecting the finance department to his escrow. Almost as thrillingly he would be leaving the tired, and frumpy Colt Vista behind, the last material reminder of his old self.
The next afternoon, Andrew awaited the arrival of Stuart. He had a full case of Natural Lite to share with his friend as they admired his brand new...
...car. Yeah, I’m going to stall you a little longer with some honorable mentions:
Most design work:
Has to go to Kyorg & karhgath for the Northstar Transatlantic. The base car is barely recognisable under all the fixtures, and the interior is simply incomparable.
Best looking:
With a combined score of 8.5/10 Camjkerman’s Raven Streamliner was the favorite. Now we just need a contemporary engine in there.
Best engineering:
With one of the highest scores in the objective measurements, and a price in the low average range the Branson-Bradford from vero94773 & yurimacs made the best use of the budget.
Best sounding engine:
Bringing a noticeable rumble, and consistent sound the V8 5.0 confort by Arn38fr was the most enjoyable to listen to.
5th place goes to the Raven - V8-M by
4th place goes to the Watson Ariesa V8 Convertible by
3rd place goes to the Mons Ghimli by
2nd place goes to the MAD Corsair GTE by
And here is Andrew's new car!
Congratulations @GassTiresandOil !
Thank you so much everyone for participating. We hope that you enjoyed this round as much as we loved to host it. Truly a positive experience. See you all on the next round.
@mcp928 and @mat1476