TMCC31 Aesthetics Reviews!
Fresh out of development hell!
@shibusu ACR Lanea Sport 420
The ACR Lanea Sport 420 has muscular aesthetics, with the black cladding and ample suspension travel giving the impression that it is prepared to handle rough dirt tracks with ease. The roof racks lend the wagon extra practicality for our protagonist family too. The bonnet scoop is an unusually wide affair, promising ample oxygen for the engine, and the front air dam and vents and rear spoiler lend additional pretense of sportiness.
However, the producers were suspicious of its small size, and brought out the tape measure. With a wheelbase of just 2.55m (and an overall length of 4.25m) the Lanea violates the 2.75m minimum in the requirements and thus will not be selected as the final choice. Our wealthy family would just be too cramped in this car.
@abg7 WM Wolford
Unlike the unfortunate ACR above, the WM Wolford is all sports in character. A low ride height, sporty bumpers, and bonnet bulge make it subtly clear that this V8 wagon is meant to go fast. However the clean sides avoid going over the top with clutter. Some may call it lacking in detail. The rear lights and front bumper lights are a dazzling display of many light fixtures, but the main front lights are big and simple. The front lights offset to the front grille is an interesting choice.
@AndiD Mara Kavaler 4.6 UKS AMM
The Mara Kavaler is an understated affair, with only the dual exhausts and 4.6 badging belying the true nature of this sports wagon. The front lights and grille merge into a single unit that is in harmony with the rear light stack, and details are well placed all around. However, the door handles give away the carâs 2002 origins and the rear spoiler looks more like a Gurney flap than something that fits with a modern vehicle. The producers werenât a fan of the rear side markers either, but thatâs the NHTSAâs fault.
@azkaalfafa Kotatsu V8 Salamander
The Kotatsu V8 Salamander has a similar design philosophy to the Mara, with little to give away the fact that it has a V8 under the bonnet. The front venting is more aggressive than the Maraâs, but the rear spoiler is barely noticeable and there is otherwise only badging to hint at the speed this wagon is capable of. The Kotatsu, however, has a much more extravagant rear light setup, with the red stretching from level with the bottom of the number plate holder all the way up to that faux-spoiler. Overall an excellent design.
@Ch_Flash Miller Marengo
The Miller Marengo is the first of our big boys, with the 2.93m wheelbase augmented by the traditional American sized rear overhang to have the estate break the five metre mark in length. The American-ness of the Miller is evident throughout, the big grille paired with simple but effective front lights, and a rear setup that stretches across the width of the boot. Chrome lines the car almost its entire perimeter, around the windows, and on the roof rack. Certainly an imposing car. The producers would prefer a different colour, however.
@CivettaScintilla Mori Skyroad Techsport GT-R
If the WM Wolford was sporty in character, then the Mori Skyroad looks like it wants to be on the race track. Big grille, big brake vents, quad exhausts, the Skyroad certainly has the looks to match its Techsport GT-R badging. Unfortunately, the front of the car just doesnât quite mesh together. The lights look like theyâre melting, and theyâre so far away from the grille. The front side indicators are also right on the edge of the wheel arch, which raises questions of the wiringâs vulnerability to suspension damage. The rear is also a sporty affair, but is much cleaner than the front, the quad rear lights providing ample intimidation to would-be tailgaters.
@crwpitman1 Torrent Frigate Portage B6X
The Torrent Frigate Portage is one of the more unique looking cars in the field, with the curving roofline and the slanted D-pillar setting it apart from its competitors. The front continues with the uniqueness, a narrow front grille nestled between double width front lights and below prominent âTorrentâ lettering. The plentiful black cladding and thick rear bumper promise adventures off the beaten track but the rear spoiler, its placement and shape again throwing convention out the window it sits below, promises that the Frigate can be sporty too. A love it or hate it design for sure.
@Happyhungryhippo Primus Merit 350R Exclusive Sportwagon
Primus brings to the competition a car with the exceptionally long winded name of Merit 350R Exclusive Sportwagon. Ironically for a car with âSportwagonâ in the name, it arguably has the least wagon-like proportions in the field, the huge D-pillar and curved rear window compressing the rear side windows into little more than hatch-like rear quarter openings. The front grille is again a narrow affair, but this time it extends all the way to the bonnet and almost all the way down the front of the car, though the fixture holding the Primus badge takes up a lot of that real estate. Viewed from an angle, the narrow grille and big lights somehow make the car look narrower than it actually is, and the rear lights and D-pillar seem to give a similar effect. However, the Meritâs design otherwise lives up to its name with its modern trimmings and tasteful use of chrome.
@Knugcab Saarland Siegel Pilger ESP
Our fourth 2002-based car, the Saarland Siegel Pilger is a muscular wagon with a much squarer build than the Primus or Torrent, and yet Saarland has managed to update the core design in a way to keep it with the times. The bumpers are prominent in a slightly brash way, the front vents and rear dual exhausts making it clear this wagon means business. The lights are simple but modern, and the badging is proud. The producers liked the design of the Siegel very much.
@mart1n2005 Valiant Fortis GX6
The Valiant Fortis GX6 is a wagon that gives nothing away that it is anything other than a regular family estate. No spoiler, no brash trimmings, no special badging. It is, in short, the ultimate stealth mobile. Every fixture is well placed and does what itâs supposed to do. Itâs a pleasant looking car, and the only real complaint is that it doesnât quite mask its five year old underpinnings as well as the Saarland.
@Mikonp7 Bergmann Deich 3.0 Kombi ClubSport
If the Valiant is your everyday wagon, then the, erm, Bergmann Deich 3.0 Kombi Clubsport is a sports car in wagon drag. Bright yellow paint, chequered flag decals and big âCLUBSPORTâ lettering are the Bergmannâs way of telling you it wants to race. Adding to the sports aesthetic are the black roof and rear spoiler and red trimmed front vents. It promises much pace. But will it be a good place to be a family?
@moroza Nordwagen Freya T6x4
The Nordwagen Freya is one of the most menacing cars to come across the studioâs producers in a long while. Chromed suicide doors, shiny wine-red paint, a three pronged grille and a big bonnet ornament are just a few of the elements of the Freyaâs bombastic design. Itâs a big car, too, its 5.22m being the longest by some margin. If the Miller Marengo was the symbol of old-money American wealth, the Nordwagen is the symbol of ancient-money Freemasonry. The kids will drool over this one. Just have some wet wipes handy for that.
@Riley Zephorus Demente
The Zephorus Demente is a sports wagon in the sense that itâs a wagon that knows it can be sporty. It has vents applied liberally like tattoos on a biker, but they all serve obvious purposes. The front grille setup extrudes outwards as if itâs growling and the front splitter becomes a sort of chin underneath. The rear is simpler, but still tastefully racy with the semi-exposed exhausts flanking a central vent. The design, at least, is sports wagon extraordinaire.
@the-chowi Harlan Pursuit 8R
The Harlan Pursuit 8R is the new age gym-built muscle to the Millerâs mature work strength. A square stance complementing the square everything else, the Harlan eschews things such as flow and gentleness for an uncompromising display of brute force befitting of the big V8 under its bonnet. Big, bright lights and a big bumper grille give the impression that it will simply eat anything that doesnât get out of its way.
@Vento Clari GĂ©nâEta Incroy Monticule Turbo
The Clari GĂ©nâEta Incroy Monticule Turbo was sent to us from somewhere in France as, we presume, a futuristic prototype of a wagon, with its smooth shape and avant garde front design. Unfortunately, the design arm of the company seems to have run out of budget for the rest of the car as the front lights donât match the forward thinking of the rest of the front and the rear lights have arrived straight from the 90s. The doors seem to open from slots in the big cutout of the car, and the rear has equally big badging with the name of the car, which seems to have been there only for the company to remember what car theyâd just run out of money to design.