Beater or Sleeper? GT6 Car of the Week Thread

Cars within one second at Goodwood:

Citroën C5 V6 Exclusive '03: 1:01.147
Acura Integra Type R '01: 1:01.163
Audi TT Coupe 1.8T quattro '00: 1:01.196
Alfa Romeo GTV 3.0 V6 24V '01: 1:01.312
Alfa Romeo 156 2.5 V6 24V '98: 1:01.674
Citroën C4 Coupe 2.0VTS '05: 1:01.883
BMW 120d '04: 1:02.106

Alfa Romeo Spider 3.0i V6 24V '01: 1:02.286
Alfa Romeo MiTo 1.4 T Sport '09: 1:02.718
Gran Turismo Racing Kart 125: 1:02.789
BMW 120i '04: 1:02.890
Alfa Romeo 147 2.0 TWIN SPARK '02: 1:02.933
Citroën Xantia 3.0i V6 Exclusive '00: 1:02.938
 
Cars within one second at Goodwood:

Citroën C5 V6 Exclusive '03: 1:01.147
Acura Integra Type R '01: 1:01.163
Audi TT Coupe 1.8T quattro '00: 1:01.196
Alfa Romeo GTV 3.0 V6 24V '01: 1:01.312
Alfa Romeo 156 2.5 V6 24V '98: 1:01.674
Citroën C4 Coupe 2.0VTS '05: 1:01.883
BMW 120d '04: 1:02.106

Alfa Romeo Spider 3.0i V6 24V '01: 1:02.286
Alfa Romeo MiTo 1.4 T Sport '09: 1:02.718
Gran Turismo Racing Kart 125: 1:02.789
BMW 120i '04: 1:02.890
Alfa Romeo 147 2.0 TWIN SPARK '02: 1:02.933
Citroën Xantia 3.0i V6 Exclusive '00: 1:02.938
Why is the 120d faster than the 120i?
 
BMW 120d '04
2.0L
160 hp / 4,000 rpm
251 ft-lb / 2,000 rpm
1,415 kg (3,120 lbs)
388 pp

BMW 120i '04
2.0L
148 hp / 6,000 rpm
147 ft-lb / 3,500 rpm
1,335 kg (2,943 lbs)
368 pp

The diesel version puts out 12 more horses and a whopping 104 extra ft-lbs of torque, though the car does weigh nearly 200 lbs more than the petrol-powered 120i.




Top speed on front straight:

114 mph - 120d
110 mph - 120i

Minimum speed through Turn 1:

72 mph - 120i
70 mph - 120d

Cars within 0.500 seconds of 120d:

1:31.644 - 373 - Toyota 2000GT '67
1:31.757 - 371 - Toyota MR2 1600 G-Limited Super Charger '86
1:31.872 - 387 - Mazda Axela 23S '03
1:31.901 - 387 - Alfa Romeo 156 2.5 V6 24V '98
1:31.920 - 394 - Opel Vectra 3.2 V6 '03
1:31.934 - 375 - Nissan Fairlady 2000 (SR311) '68
1:31.938 - 375 - Spoon CR-Z
1:31.948 - 379 - Toyota Celica 2000GT-R (ST162) '86
1:31.967 - 378 - Nissan 240ZG (HS30) '71
1:31.968 - 382 - Alfa Romeo MiTo 1.4 T Sport '09
1:32.109 - 388 - Toyota Celica GT-Four (ST165) '86
1:32.124 - 388 - BMW 120d '04
1:32.247 - 385 - Citroën C4 Coupe 2.0VTS '05
1:32.415 - 372 - Hyundai Tiburon Turbulence '99
1:32.581 - 375 - Pontiac Vibe GT '03
1:32.587 - 389 - Peugeot 406 Coupé 3.0 V6 '98
1:32.594 - 379 - Hyundai Tuscani CCS '03
1:32.608 - 381 - Mazda Lantis Coupe 2000 Type R '93

No real competitors here unless you count the Mazda Axela and Pontiac Vibe GT. I like having power deep into the redline and diesels like to be short-shifted to stay in the powerband. Not a huge fan, but I do like the monster torque at low rpm's. Still, calling this one a beater.
 
(Storytime!)

I passed off my Altezza wagon and IS300 sport cross as presents to my aunties. :DThey'd have more use for them than I ever would. Upon returning to my house, I found a 44 gallon drum on my doorstep. Thinking of it as the race fuel I'd ordered a week ago for my Ford GT LM Spec 2 test car, I took it inside but, before I could fill it up, tow truck arrived with a car on the back, covered in a large sheet.

"Are you Nismonath5?" The driver asked. I nodded. "I've been looking for you. Got something I'm supposed to deliver. Here's your car." He said, and began unloading the car, with the cover still on top of it.

"What is it?" I asked, trying to make out the shape of it.
"I dunno. A fast car?" He shrugged, obviously he didn't know much bout cars. I began to picture a BMW Z4, Audi TT, or maybe a Merc 300SL... no, too short in the front to be a 300SL.:odd:

As soon as the towie left, I ripped the cover off. A BMW 120d, okay, not a bad choice. I suddenly realised what the 44 gallon drum was for, good thing I hadn't put any of it in the GT! There was an envelope in the glovebox, containing a note.

"This week's car is a DIESEL. yep, diesel! You have been warned!
Anyone who fills up with gas will be laughed and pointed at.
-Brad."


So just remember not to fill up with race fuel this week, folks! The results will be disasterous, and possibly hilarious..:lol:
 
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With regards to last night, further use of horns will result in the cancellation of weekly races. I'm tired of asking for people to stop week after week. It's a simple request.

It might not seem like much, but the horns are so loud compare to the other sounds on the game, that it threatens to wake up and disturb my family while they sleep, and I'm not the only one. It also ruins any video that might come from the race, as viewers don't care about tards that seek attention.

So consider this the final warning. I realize that it seems petty, but we have rule #1 for a reason, and abusing horns is a clear violation of that rule.
 
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With regards to last night, further use of horns will result in the cancellation of weekly races. I'm tired of asking for people to stop week after week. It's a simple request.

It might not seem like much, but the horns are so loud compare to the other sounds on the game, that it threatens to wake up and disturb my family while they sleep, and I'm not the only one. It also ruins any video that might come from the race, as viewers don't care about tards that seek attention.

So consider this the final warning. I realize that it seems petty, but we have rule #1 for a reason, and abusing horns is a clear violation of that rule.
I propose that instead of cancelling, we merely shift the lobbies to the club lobby.

The thing is, there will always be one or two randoms who don't know our rules, will join and honk for no apparent reason. All us regulars are well aware of the rules in play, so should it happen again, rather than punish everyone, just punish the outsiders who are 99% of the time the ones responsible and host lobbies in the club itself, meaning only club members can join in.
 
A casually short review
by the cowboy himself

jvz5Np86S75jpbXRV_0.jpg


So, the 120d. A mild mannered car with no emotions whatsoever. Looks are quite a drag, especially in the color as of now. You need a color like Japanrot or Sonora to make it at least sort of stand out. Driving it was a bit of a different story. That's a trend I see in a bunch of cars, sleeper attitude with a punch underneath. Ripping around Silverstone's very own Stowe Circuit was fun in this car, taking every corner like a madman with that tail kicking out. Get up and go isn't real noticeable, but who cares. What you need this car to do is roll some coal, and smoke out the competition. Anyways though, I'll give it a sleeper rating because I think and other people have said that this is an underrated car that's fairly easy to tune and tamper with.​
 
Regarding the whole running the events out of the community club deal, it's a good choice.

It removes the unpredictability of randoms ( I still remember that one who went postal at Ascari :rolleyes:) and keeps it relatively simple. 👍

Now to catch up on some reviews.

We'll start with the Italian Stallion with a an American Heart, the Alfa Romero TZ3 Stradale.

Now let's get my first gripe out the way, No customising for a road car, no rims, no paint and no race stickers. :mad:

Second gripe and this ones more about the cars statistics.

According to most websites, the Stradale is based on the Dodge Viper ACR-X ( the X is key here), but it's making the same power as the normal ACR (600hp btw).

What's so special about the X? It was built to commemorate the ending of the second gen Viper and was specifically for the Dodge Viper Cup Series.

It had 40hp more than stock at 640 ( same as the third gen viper :)), weighed 1,500kg stripped out and wasn't road legal.

So the Stradale we have doesn't have its true stock HP number and is also stuck with the second gen vipers 6 speed gearbox.

By normal standards it's a decent gearbox, until you hit 6th gear which is a highway cruising gear.

Drafting is the only way to keep it moving in that gear and we ended up hitting 240mph at SSRX. :drool:

The interesting thing was Jack brought the third gen viper and not only did have more power, his top gear was shorter so he was faster unassisted than the Stradale.

Although he eventually lost as he hit the redline and we drafted past him, it took more than half a lap to reel him in. :D

As for the handling, it could put the power down just fine, but the suspension was quite soft and wanted to push to the outside of the turns a lot of the time.

So it's got less power than the car it's based on, no customising options, not the greatest suspension set up and is quite expensive to buy at just over 600k. :yuck:

What kills it for me most is the lack of visual customisation which for a race car is fine, but not for a road car, especially one which has proven to have more than one colour in real life.

To give an idea of how odd the lack of customising is for the Stradale, Jay Lenos Oldsmobile Toranado is a one of one car, But you CAN change the paint, you CAN change the rims and you CAN add race stickers to it.

It's a shame we didn't get the original TZ3, weighed 850kg, but based around the Alfa 8C and packing a 420hp V8 and a 6 speed sequential gearbox, all wrapped up in a Carbon frame and hand beaten Aluminium body. :eek:

So verdict? Beater in stock form. 👎 ( the reputation of tuned Stradale's is well known. ;))

From the Supercar to the waggon (or estate), there's a life lesson in there somewhere. :lol:

The Toyota Altezza AS300 and its Lexus partner in crime, the IS 300 Sport Cross.

Both pack a 3.0 non turbo version of the legendary 2JZ Inline 6 making around 220hp going through a 5 speed Autobox.

Now even though you safely say that they are completely identical, some have said that the Lexus was the better than the Toyota.

Whilst it didn't set the world on fire for acceleration, it did have a surprisingly fun chassis which considering the cars rivals of the time like the BMW 3 series, it had to be good.

It was playful, but responsive when needed, I even threw on some parts to go rallying with it. :)

Now whilst I can't speak for the Altezza, the Lexus was a great car and fully tuned it's slap bang on 500pp which is a bonus.

Verdict? Sleeper ;)👍

Now for the oddball, not just in this review, but in GT6 altogether.

The BMW 120D, the only Diesel road car in the game.

Packing a 2.0 Turbo Diesel 4 cylinder, it's making 160hp, but also 251 ft-lb of Torque going through a 6 speed gearbox.

Being a Diesel, shifting at the right time was all the more crucial to make the most of the low down torque.

Compared to its petrol powered counterpart, the 120I, it's heavier, but more powerful and has 20pp more.

It retains a near 50-50 weight distribution and the handling shows this by being responsive and agile.

Drawbacks? It's not a performance Diesel like we see these days so it's quite slow in a straight line, but it goes to show how far performance has come for Diesels..

Emissions are another thing for some cars though. :sly:

Deciding on the verdict for this was tricky, what can you compare it to?

Being the only road car with a Diesel engine means comparisons to petrol cars can be done, but it's not easy.

So to wrap up this review at the crack of dawn over here, I'll say the BMW 120D is Neutral. :)
 
The BMW 120d
The only diesel road car in the game..
Circuito di Roma.jpg
This week, I went for the Crystal Topaz Perlacent, pinched off the Cebera Speed 12

First thing's first. Being a diesel, I was half expecting expecting smoke. A LOT of smoke.:yuck: You ever given a diesel a good ol' stomp on the motorway? Nine times out of ten you see a massive black cloud of soot in your mirror.

Apricot Hill Raceway_1.jpg
If the racing had been this smokey, Baron wouldn't need a smoke break! :lol: (actual smoke courtesy of Vic)

As it seems, PD seemed to overlook this detail, or maybe this diesel's not as smokey as most of the ones roaming New Zealand... anyhoo, on with the review!

I bought my 120d, then let it gather dust all week. I've been busy with real life things, so Saturday was my shot to give the 120d the review it deserves. Immediately, it proved a real handful, the diesel torque and comfort tyres meaning only one thing. Drifting!!! Catching it and recovering is easy enough, though it costs valuable speed and time, so avoiding it in the first place is the way to go. Early braking, delicate steering and generally being a little over cautious will ensure you keep on the pace. :sly:
Despite the torque being enough to slide with, in a straight line it's not actually all that glorious. It's not exactly obvious, even short shifting didn't boost me all that much.

Willow Springs International Raceway_ Big Willow.jpg

Blue seemed the colour of choice for everyone on Saturday, ableit in different shades and tones of course.

The 120d treated me differently every race. On the one hand, it was alright, it was rather tame and boring to drive... But then the very next race, it would be violently sliding every corner, wanting to go everywhere but the racing line! :eek: It was this unpredictability that made me very unsure as to what to think about it. "Now Nismo," I hear you thinking, "Of course it would wrestle you if you had no TCS, ASM or SRF and you were pushing it hard!" And of course, I was trying pretty hard to win, as you do when you're racing. But you see, I was still braking more than enough to take the corner, and despite the near-excessive speed loss, it would still slide.

Willow Springs International Raceway_ Big Willow_1.jpg

Drag races in diesels are determined by who can utilise the torque the most efficiently!

Apricot Hill Raceway.jpg

Cowboy swapped his dirty diesel for a vintage sports roadster

There are some more issues with the 120d. Firstly, it sounds bland. Now, GT6 isn't renowned for it's vehicular soundtrack, but the 120d sounds particularly bleh. It sounds like it's not trying hard at all, and is quite possibly the most boring sounding car I've owned.
It's also quiet. Whilst rubbing panels with the crew, it's hard to distinguish my car's sound from the others, meaning I either short shift or miss my shift completely. Going in-car helped, but didn't fix the problem entirely.
One thing to note about it is the fact that it's a hot hatch. Most hot hatches are FF (Renault Clio, Honda Civic, etc) but the 120d is FR, giving it a point of difference in the hot hatch class.

Silverstone Grand Prix Circuit.jpg

Still a significant absence of smoke, I'm pretty sure it oughta be black with soot here...

Apricot Hill Raceway_3.jpg

Finish line dash

So, where does that leave the 120d?

Well, as stated before, it's super unpredicatable. It looks boring, sounds boring, the handling is pretty touch-and-go, and the super duper diesel torque that sets it apart from its petrol counterpart actually isn't that great. Look at the first picture of this post. I get that standard cars are made up of way less polygons than their detailed counterparts, but doesn't the BMW look particularly grainy? :confused: I wouldn't be surprised if this car was literally copy-pasted from GT4!
At $33,000 it's a relatively cheap option for those just starting out, but after that the only people who will keep this car in the garage are BMW enthusiasts or diesel enthusiasts.
For me, it's a beater. 👎

Buy the BMW 120d if you...
-Are a diesel enthusiast
-Want a RWD hot hatch
-Want a good, torquey slidey machine
-Are starting out in the world of GT

Apricot Hill Raceway_2.jpg
The clutch slipped, I swear!

Also, a funny coincidence, I took this photo of our race at Twin Ring Super Speedway..

Twin Ring Motegi Super Speedway.jpg

...which bears a stunning resemblance to an image I took years ago, back in GT4...

IMG0192.JPG


Same track, same corner, same general movement of the cars! Just different games and cars!

ONE MORE THING
@Baron Blitz Red decided to do a race at LeMans to commemorate the race, so most of us donned M3 GT2s (except for Vic in a Mark VI racecar) and we had a play, pics of that..

Circuit de la Sarthe 2013.jpg
Circuit de la Sarthe 2013_1.jpg
Circuit de la Sarthe 2013_2.jpg
 
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...I'll give it a sleeper rating because I think and other people have said that this is an underrated car that's fairly easy to tune and tamper with.

Congratulations Cowboy, you're the next contestant on The Price Is... waitaminute...

Sorry about that, but I think you know what to do from here. What'll it be?

Hmm, looking through the list of previous cars, it looks like that it's been eight weeks since the last American car was on here...

fd8c3b5c27ca5ff5864e7192efd28a09fa39593e1a393b568d1d9f43471048db.jpg

It's the 2013 Mustang Boss 302!!! Sorry there isn't a car pictured above, but I've spent too much time looking at photos taken by those that don't know the difference between a Shelby and a Boss, so this is what you get. I regret nothing.

To celebrate the Ford GT going like hell once again, this week's Time Trial is at Le Mans! Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go pass out until Monday.
 
Ok, first of all, allow me to explain my sudden leave of absence after only one race yesterday; after the race at Silverstone, I was asked by my parent to come with both him and my mother to a thing known as "Marchas Populares" in my hometown of Valongo? What are these "Marchas Populares", you ask? Well...

*activates Tourism Guide mode by bonking back of own head*

Well, the Marchas Populares are a tradition created to celebrate something known as Festas Populares, normally around June and July. They're musical parades, where a group of people (who may or may not be part of an association, it depends) wear colorful costumes to showcase their hometown and district with an accompaning singer who sings a folk song while the group dances in a specific area. Think Carnival in Rio, but with not as much disguising and whatnot. In fact, I think I can provide visual proof of this;



There you go, a fine example of what a Marcha Popular is. And you can also see one of my hometown's main road arteries (yes, I do live in a rather small town. It's not the ATL, I'll have you know)... In fact, you should all visit Valongo, a fine city with the fine tradition of classic bakery!

Oh dear, the mode is malfunctioning again, excuse me. *DDT's himself on living room floor* Ok, that's better. Long story short, I was out seeing tradition happen, which is why I didn't get much racing time out of the 120d yesterday. But to be frank, even with only one race done, I can safely say the 120d isn't really that good. Sure, you get a nice FR drivetrain and a good front/rear weight distribution, but these good ingredients are then ruined by a coating of turd polish. It's a lumpy turd; the power delivery comes early, which is nice for standing starts, but the lack of top-end grunt is so obvious that not even short-shifting can quite save the day for the Beemer. Couple that with the Comfort-spec gearbox and the awkward Bangle-powered design and the 120 can't save its own hide from a Beater rating. I do not hate the BMW, but it hasn't warmed its way into my heart either.

In addition, the Peugeot 206 RC goes quicker, handles better (despite a FF drivetrain) and has more grunt. You know what I'd pick given a choice between the Beemer and Sochaux's Lion... At the very least, we got a Mustang now, so that automatically gets a Sleeper rating simply because it will be a much more entertaining car than the three lumpy turds we got (yes, I count the IS300 and the Altezza as separate cars, sue me). Mainly because it's tuned to handle tracks, unlike its Shelby counterpart who is tuned for d-waving contests at traffic lights and nothing else...
 
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Real quick review....I tested the 120d plus a few other cars at Midfield to find something comparable, and to perhaps give my limited talent a little help to be competitive. The BMW M Coupe seemed to be a good choice, and had a lot more grip. Unfortunately for me I quickly found the increased grip to happen mostly at the back end, and the understeer caused it to plow through the corners while everyone else drove away. If I had to choose between the two, its the diesel.

Verdict, sleeper.
 
BN7u2bh.jpg


Well the past couple of weeks, we tried out some people movers. Rich people movers, as BMW and Lexus aren't exactly cheap. Most recently was the 120d... not exactly a wagon, not exactly a crossover. I guess it would be good for long road trips, made longer as it's SLOW. Stock, it's slow for top end speed, slow to go through the gears, slow to get revs up or down. Knowing this, I won't be brave enough to try the other 120... cause if the Turbo diesel is this bad with way more torque, the 120i is probably Samba bus material. Yet another Beater Motor Works car.

Which makes the Lexus look that much better in the long run. I had way more fun with a (cough) station wagon than I did with all of last week's experience with the whatever it is. The Lexus had more speed, more get up and go, and way more fun to try and forget that you're in a station wagon, and it didn't need a turbo to do it.

It also had much nicer handling over all. I chose the Lexus over the Toyota just cause it was less embarrassing. Amazing what a simple L does for mindset. Overall, I was pretty surprised by it... Sleeper it is!

Cheers
 
@Cowboy
Hmm, looking through the list of previous cars, it looks like that it's been eight weeks since the last American car was on here..

What??? :confused: It wasn't that long ago we reviewed the C2 Corvette, surely!!!

*checks list*

Wow, that went fast! :eek::eek::eek:
 
Well boys, I'll be offline for the next couple cotw, but thought I'd share the following: Look what I found on the streets of London :) Would have been fun to take it for a spin if it weren't for: traffic, narrow streets, and a plethora of busses and trucks sharing said streets! Just a little out of my element here :)


120d_mv_small.jpg
120d_side_small.jpg




...now we are renting a Ford Mondeo (Fusion in US) station wagon diesel 6spd manual which reminds me off the past couple cotw - quite a nice cruiser, but certainly no sleeper!!

Good luck to all the next couple weeks on cotw!
 
As well as the usual COTW goings-on, could I ask a favour of anyone who can spare the time?


As part of my Media Studies assessments, I'm writing an article that could be featured in a magazine. I have the freedom to do whatever I want, so in order to ace this, I decided to do what I already do once a week... A car review! :D

"What does this have to do with us, Nismo? It's not our education!"


Well, part of my plan is that after I'm finished giving the facts, stats, review and my general opinions, I'll have a column containing some other drivers' opinions on the car. They may back up what I've said, they may contradict me, but either way the idea is to give the reader some brief "extra opinions" as well.

And the car I'll be doing this feature article on?
MP4-12C.jpg
The 2010 McLaren MP4-12C! Only because the P1 isn't on GT6 :(

Now, make no mistake, this is not what I'd choose if I got chosen to pick the car of the week again. I have another car in mind for when that happens, and it would actually ring true to my name for once, Nismonath5... ;)


I'm not asking for a huge review, like what we typically post on this thread. Just a couple of sentences either praising or criticising it. Please inbox me your mini-reviews, I'll be needing any responses by June 27th, which is when I'll be starting to finalise everything.

Much appreciated if you guys can help me out, as I said, only if you can spare the time and actually want to. Cheers! :cheers:
 
I'm not asking for a huge review, like what we typically post on this thread. Just a couple of sentences either praising or criticising it. Please inbox me your mini-reviews, I'll be needing any responses by June 27th, which is when I'll be starting to finalise everything.

Much appreciated if you guys can help me out, as I said, only if you can spare the time and actually want to. Cheers! :cheers:
I have six days to write a couple sentences about a McLaren 12c? Gonna be tough (joking).

I'll see what I can do 👍
 

Now, make no mistake, this is not what I'd choose if I got chosen to pick the car of the week again. I have another car in mind for when that happens, and it would actually ring true to my name for once, Nismonath5... ;)

Oh Awesome... another Japanese COTW inbound :rolleyes:

Sounds like a really cool idea. I will see what I can do to help! :cheers:
 
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