Beater or Sleeper? FH4 COTW! - Week 34: Third GT's the charm!

[Obelisk]

Hi, everyone! Some of you may remember me as the original curator for the FH3 COTW thread. Well, I’m back! @Vic Reign93 and I are collaborating to bring you the Forza Horizon 4 Beater or Sleeper? thread.

For the new members:

Spoiler: What is COTW?

Car of the Week is an ongoing series of threads across several games where we look at one car a week and decide if the car is a Sleeper, Beater or Neutral. The general format of the thread is a time trial that takes place weekly with the car of the week, and a winner is randomly chosen from the people who enter that week. This is not a serious competitive thread, but we encourage drivers to push themselves as hard as they can to better themselves while learning these cars and testing them.

A short guide on some common views of the ratings:
Sleeper: Cars that exceeded your expectations, cars that live up to the hype given to them by the community, and any underrated cars that surprised you.
Beater: Cars that didn't live up to your expectations, cars that were rivalled by cheaper alternatives or outclassed by equally priced machines.
Neutral: Any car that doesn't really lean towards being a sleeper or a beater. Some people give neutral ratings to cars that have well-known and well-deserved reputations (like the E30 BMW during the FH3 thread).

Ultimately, what makes the car any of these is entirely up to you.

And to kick things off-

Wait, let me take this call. Yo, Vic. Uh huh...yes. ok.

So we have to clarify a few things before we get rolling. Some ground rules and requirements, so to speak.

1. COTW time trials will run for a week as standard. The new winner for car choice will be chosen the Friday prior to every update.
2. All cars are to be tested fully stock unless otherwise specified.
3. Due to how the tracks are used and presented, we have to take faith in the drivers. Present a screenshot or video with your finish time with your post so we can count it. Keep it clean.
4. As above post mentions, we really have to trust you guys. Please don’t cut corners. Follow the blue route line on the GPS, with one major exception.
5. Due to the nature of Course Creator, you will be required to run on the track with the AI. To combat this, we’ve set up “joker” sections for the AI to follow. You should skip the joker sections and just go right for the checkpoint in front of you.
6. In order to access the COTW Blueprints, please follow RMedia Obelisk in-game. You can do this by accessing my Bentley tune on the Storefront. It’s called “lolbent” and has the tags “Average”, “Grip”. Also follow Vic Reign93, whose XBL tag is LinthiumReign. He has two tunes on the Storefront, a Morris Minor tune called “Wheelie Good” and a Nissan Sentra tune called “A Class Gripper”
7. When choosing a car, please choose a car that is not a DLC or Forza Edition.

All that aside, we decided we wanted to kick things off with something British and accessible that’s new to Horizon 4.

What could be better than the…

Image from J-2, posted to IGCD.com.

2005 Vauxhall Monaro!

This week’s Blueprint is shared by me and starts at Broadway Village Scramble, so get at it!

 

[Vic Reign93]

It’s a new layout for us because normally we would use Rivals for this, but due to the lack of proper class leaderboards this is our best solution to it.

So if anyone’s got any questions, let us know and we’ll do our best to answer them. 👍

 

[Thomas2012]

Time for a return to COTW! I like this new format already. Shame there's no proper rivals but still this will do the job greatly. Now the Vauxhall or Holden in Aus Good grunt to power its way through its gears, very easy to slide (Well it'd have to be to be a Holden!) Although not the lightest of cars or even track focused cars, it's fairly well balanced and can maneuver its way through this well created custom sprint. My way of driving through this circuit is using the edges of the road as if they were white lines of a race circuit, allowing two wheels off at most so footpaths become curbs, that's fair correct?


Edit: Forgot to even say my final thought! Neutral!

Edit 2: Seems my car must of had something on it to increase its PI...

 

[Obelisk]

Time for a return to COTW! I like this new format already. Shame there's no proper rivals but still this will do the job greatly. Now the Vauxhall or Holden in Aus Good grunt to power its way through its gears, very easy to slide (Well it'd have to be to be a Holden!) Although not the lightest of cars or even track focused cars, it's fairly well balanced and can maneuver its way through this well created custom sprint. My way of driving through this circuit is using the edges of the road as if they were white lines of a race circuit, allowing two wheels off at most so footpaths become curbs, that's fair correct?
View attachment 781243

Yes, that is fair! Welcome back.

So, the Vauxhall Monaro. We got this one in the states as the Pontiac GTO! Classic badge engineering, am I right? Anyways, I was quite surprised by the experience I had in my test mule for this track. It was one of those cars that rewarded you the braver you drove. I noticed that when I flew through a turn a few MPH a little too fast and noticed it had more grip on the rear coming out of that turn, so I kept trying and trying and I found that this car has limits that are fairly easy to touch, but also maintains just enough control on the other side of the limit that it can steer with the gas pedal.

All in, I have to rate the Monaro a sleeper. It is a fantastic, balanced ride that's great for anyone new or experienced in the Horizon franchise. Plus, it's cheap!

This also marks the first time I've been within a second of a fast driver's time. Vic ran a 48.600 in testing this car and track, so I wonder how he'll fare going all out.

 

[Vic Reign93]

Ok before I post my time, I need to clear up something I noticed before doing my run.

Notice the PI difference on this stock Monaro?

It looks like the PI next to the stats is less precise or the one up top is more precise, either way it’s a discrepancy that needs pointing out so times aren’t unfairly disallowed.

Gives us more reason to look closer at each car we test.

Anyways my time.

The Monaro is both a fast and powerful muscle car and cheap and approachable in how it drives.

It’s the most powerful car you can buy for 25K at 398hp with 2nd place being the 342hp ‘95 BMW M5, but that’s also nearly 100lbs heavier too.

It’s forgiving to drive fast and fun when you want to create some smokey donuts.

In terms of PI for your pound, it’s the best non dlc car for 25k or less and the only car better was also a Vauxhall, the recently brought back VX220 Turbo at 717PI and only 20K.

So to put it simply, the Monaro VXR is cheap thrills done right.

Verdict: Sleeper 👍

 

[Jetboy.]

Funny mixed feelings here. You see, this car is fairly analogous to my real-life one, with the literal exact same 6.0L/ 6 speed combo. As my CTS-V has two more doors, however, it weighs some 200 lbs more than this in-game unit.

All told, the track was a nice bit of kit, the rain (just like trying to hustle my hammer in such conditions) was a chore. Definitely felt the car's ponderous weight and slow reactions to input. Still a good set of bones for a decent build. My verdict is cautiously ranging towards sleeper for the pure bang-for-your-buck aspect, and its general potential.

This was my third rip of the course, and there is lousy amounts of time everywhere I could make, but I don't feel too much like fighting with it anymore

 

[Vic Reign93]

I’m sure Obelisk won’t mind if I bring back the 24hrs left reminder so people don’t forgot to put their times up.

Finish time is same as it is in the FM7 COTW thread, Midnight 12:00 GMT on Tuesday. 👍

 

[Obelisk]

Alright. Roll call time!

We had a pretty healthy field of entries for the opening week of this thread, so let's see who came out on top!

Congrats, @Vic Reign93!

Broadway TT:
Vic Reign93: 2:46.183
Thomas2012: 2:48.049
Obelisk: 2:48.827
Jetboy.: 2:51.772

Now, let's get into this week's car.

Imagine, if you will, driving along the road in your project car. You’re cruising along, enjoying the sensation of the tires biting into the road and pulling you along for the ride. Your radio is on, blasting the music coming along the local airwaves, backed by the growl and knock of your car’s ever so slightly mis-tuned engine.

Then the radio cuts the music and broadcasts an announcement to all racers. There’s a new festival happening in Colorado and everyone is invited to show off what they've got. So what do you do? Well, you shift it into 2nd and take off!

You start to see the other racers. They’re all in cars that are similar to yours. An AE86, a Golf, some hot hatches and sports sedans. You take them with little trouble.

Then the more serious kit comes in. Souped up Supras. Corvettes. Vipers. Ferraris. These guys run away from you with little effort, but that’s no problem. You’re all heading to the same destination.

Then you start getting the hypercars blowing past you. Veyrons, Koenigseggs, the periodic FXX (wait, how did he get that street legal?), Reventons… Their tail lights disappear in the light show happening just over the horizon. Their engine notes drowned out by the blaring electronic music.

And then you arrive at the Horizon Festival, ready to prove yourself and be the best driver.

That was the introduction to Horizon 1, and it really was the beginning of this massive experience we have now in the fourth entry. To respect such humble beginnings, we’re going to bring an iconic Horizon 1 car back.


It’s the...

1995 Volkswagen Corrado VR6!


We are taking a step back to the humble, original Forza Horizon and taking a stab at the car that started it all. This week’s custom time trial will be at Arthur's Seat Cross Country, named COTW Blast to the Past. It's a high speed run with some tight turns in it, meant to bring back memories of the original introduction of the original Horizon.

Have at it!

 

[FastBud]

Bugger forgot to post my time thanks for bringing COTW back to Horizon 4

 

[Vic Reign93]

The track was a little on the long side for a C class car, but not too outrageous.

The Corrado VR6 with its 178hp 2.8 V6 was good for up to 140mph on the coastal road and was somewhat decent in the twisty section early on despite 58% of the cars 2734lbs kerbweight being at the front.

And of course it’s V6 noise is one for the automotive audiophiles out there, VW does make some good sounding V6’s like the R32’s V6.

Just add the ATS rims and a Centrifugal Supercharger and it’ll feel like you never left the first horizon festival all the way back in Colorado.

Verdict: Sleeper 👍

 

[Obelisk]

View attachment 783372
The track was a little on the long side for a C class car, but not too outrageous.

The Corrado VR6 with its 178hp 2.8 V6 was good for up to 140mph on the coastal road and was somewhat decent in the twisty section early on despite 58% of the cars 2734lbs kerbweight being at the front.

And of course it’s V6 noise is one for the automotive audiophiles out there, VW does make some good sounding V6’s like the R32’s V6.

Just add the ATS rims and a Centrifugal Supercharger and it’ll feel like you never left the first horizon festival all the way back in Colorado.

Verdict: Sleeper 👍

How did you manage a 4:40??? I:m having trouble reaching the 50.xxx mark.
Disregard. Figured it out. I need to clean up the first 48% of the course to shave a bit more time off.

 

[Vic Reign93]

How did you manage a 4:40??? I:m having trouble reaching the 50.xxx mark.

Just followed the route as normal(minus the joker section) and kept my foot to the floor all along the coast, kept it in 4th all up till near the castle and went back down to 4th for the uphill section at the end of the beach.

In a lower class car, keeping momentum is crucial, especially on a fast part of the track.

If need be, I can try and record a run for you. 👍

 

[Obelisk]

Just followed the route as normal(minus the joker section) and kept my foot to the floor all along the coast, kept it in 4th all up till near the castle and went back down to 4th for the uphill section at the end of the beach.

In a lower class car, keeping momentum is crucial, especially on a fast part of the track.

If need be, I can try and record a run for you. 👍

No need. I figured that out when I noticed the Corrado felt too slow. I'll throw my time up later (i accidentally cut a corner early on).

 

[Thomas2012]

Sadly I never got to experience FH1 nor this little beast back in the day. (May have to pick up a cheap xbox 360 to do so.) The Corrado is honestly a cool car which I think i recall Top Gear calling a future classic, although that may be a stretch, on FH4 it’s certainly a sleeper in my eyes. Handles fairly well and has the engine that’ll surprise you! Awesome car, might have to try doing some builds on it after this weeks COTW

 

[Vic Reign93]

A small change of plans for now, @Obelisk asked me to announce this weeks car and track and he’ll tidy up anything I miss or don’t have on hand.

Anyways this weeks car is again from the hosting country of Britain, but unlike week 1, this ones abit more.. Exotic.

It is the..

2012 Ascari KZ1R!!

This ones worth a bit more chunk of change compared to the Monaro at 240,000Cr, but it’s definitely packing the specs to justify it.

Powered by a 4.9 litre BMW V8 making 520hp and 398ft-lbs of torque, it’s sent to the rear via a 6 speed manual gearbox and is pushing a car that weighs just under 3000lbs.

It’s the most hardcore Ascari you could buy, but it’s not the most hardcore Ascari that was made, that honor dear reader, belongs to the Ascari A10 in all its yellow and offset double black striped glory.

That made 625hp, was 70kgs lighter and had a 6 speed sequential manual gearbox, but that sadly never went into production despite being for quite some time, the fastest car around the Top Gear Test Track.

With only 50 KZ1R’s built, it’s a rare sight, but it’s now back in the Forza series and ready to race.

Speaking of which, This weeks route is at the Astmoor Heritage Circuit starting point. 👍

Obelisk will be back later to tidy things up abit more with the times etc.

Best of luck people.

 

[Obelisk]

This is a good example as to why we have two people behind the scenes on this thread! I got screwed with a late shift at work and didn't get enough time to pull my lap time off my gaming rig before running off to work, so I couldn't make the post.

Onto my take on the Corrado!

First of all, that 5 cylinder engine is glorious in every sense of the word. It was able to push this little box to ~142 MPH in my rush up the beach. As for the handling -- I love how grippy this little car is. Just disappointed in how inept it was at keeping the back straight over a few of the crests and tighter turns by Arthur's Seat. This thing, quite justifiably, deserved its role as the starter in FH1 and comes back in top form in FH4. Sleeper.

As for the times...

Congrats, @Vic Reign93!

TT:
Vic Reign93: 4:40.764
Thomas2012: 4:43.925
Obelisk: 4:44.892

Our winner for car selection this week (The KZ1R) was @Thomas2012!

 

[Rv650]

I'll try to join in on this. I always prefer to drive my cars in stock trim.

 

[Vic Reign93]

So the KZ1R, nicely balanced through the turns, gets stopped sharpish when you stand on the anchors and puts all those 520 horses down to the road rather nicely.

Throw a few extra handling parts at it and it could serve you well in S1 road events. 👍

Still need to get around to putting a A10 paint job on it.

Verdict: Sleeper 👍

 

[Obelisk]

Proud of this run. It's a culmination of an hour's worth of practice. I am just a hair under Vic's time, too!

So, the KZ1R. This car is quite an experience in that it's deceptively fast. Holds the road well, goes like stink and actually launches fairly decently (a major gripe I have with RWDs is their launching is usually less than stellar). It's a Sleeper.

Before someone asks, the slight mishap in turn 3 did not take me off track. I still had the outside tires firmly planted on the tarmac.

 

[Thomas2012]

Wow! what a car the Ascari is. Beautifully balanced and grippy through the corners! You'd almost imagine 4WD dominance as non existent if you drove the Ascari, definitely a contender for my new favorite car. I knew it'd be relatively quick but wow it felt like a rocket ship through this well crafted circuit. Sleeper status 100%

 

[Obelisk]

Dang. Vic's gonna be salty about that one.

 

[Thomas2012]

Dang. Vic's gonna be salty about that one.

Just wait for it, Vic will come back with plenty of time to spare

 

[Vic Reign93]

I’m less of a get salty type of guy and more of a get even type of guy.

If you’ve got anything left @Thomas2012 now is the time.

 

[Thomas2012]

View attachment 785705
I’m less of a get salty type of guy and more of a get even type of guy.

If you’ve got anything left @Thomas2012 now is the time.

Only because I love this car!

 

[FastBud]

Bugger @Thomas2012 now I’ll have to have another go

 

[Obelisk]

Guess I'm a tad late on the announcement! My bad.

First off, our Time Trial!

Congrats, @Thomas2012!
Standings:
Thomas2012: 2:45.887
FastBud: 2:45.899
Vic Reign93: 2:46.601
Obelisk: 2:49.544

Impressive win by Thomas, with fierce competition right behind him. ...And then there's me in the back, cruising along. This track sure is punishing to less experienced players.


Anyways, onto this week's car!

Congrats, @Jetboy.!
What do we get this week?

It's the...

2016 Cadillac CTS-V!

A modern example of the finest in America's muscle cars, the CTS-V comes packed with 640 HP's worth of V8 power and 4,134 pounds of American steel to lug around the roads of the UK. Our Trial this week is at the Greendale Club Circuit starting point, and as an added bonus the blueprint is set to Summer to let you all really wring out the performace of this car.

Will the CTS-V plow* its way through the UK, or will it get recalled?

*We at COTW headquarters are not responsible for any damage to cars, objects or drivers during attempts at driving this course.

 

[FastBud]

Ramdom question is the blueprint uploaded as i’m Unable to find it ☝️

 

[Obelisk]

Ramdom question is the blueprint uploaded as i’m Unable to find it ☝️

Uh...

*checks*

Yes, actually. Did you forget to follow me?

In order to access the COTW Blueprints, please follow RMedia Obelisk in-game. You can do this by accessing my Bentley tune on the Storefront. It’s called “lolbent” and has the tags “Average”, “Grip”. Also follow Vic Reign93, whose XBL tag is LinthiumReign. He has two tunes on the Storefront, a Morris Minor tune called “Wheelie Good” and a Nissan Sentra tune called “A Class Gripper”

 

[FastBud]

Yes I’m following normally you appear in friends blueprints but not there !
So I thought I’d check your creative hub not there either Out of interest mine says you have 13 shared is that right ? Or my Horizon being moody

 

[Obelisk]

Yes I’m following normally you appear in friends blueprints but not there !
So I thought I’d check your creative hub not there either Out of interest mine says you 13 shared is that right ? Or my Horizon being moody

I'm not sure what's going on. @Vic Reign93 had the same issue, and that was resolved by following me in-game through finding my tune.