Beater or Sleeper? GT6 Car of the Week Thread

[OGGamer]

I just did the TT in this thing... I'm pretty sure I saw @OGGamer blow by me. He wasn't in a car, he was speed walking.

Me? Speed Walking? That's one step removed from running and it will be a cold day in Hell before anyone sees me engaging in such foolishness.....I can only think it must have been the hippie drugs man

 

[Baron Blitz Red]

I can only think it must have been the hippie drugs man

Well there IS supposed to be testing going on, and as the unofficial Quality Control Inspector...

Oh oh, I think I've said too much... (running footsteps, slamming door, tires screeching)

Cheers

 

[OGGamer]

A TT in a VW "camper van" as they are known on this side of the Pond.

An interesting experience and I may have been able to coax the old air cooled girl around a little bit faster but the biggest problem with this week's TT was not the weather, the useless stock tyres, the uncontrollable power or tendency to slide like a very slidey thing....nope, my biggest problem was losing the will to live as I watched the speedo needle nudging towards 60mph.

Seriously though, I really like this pick because, unlike most of you COTW racers (aside from @Baron Blitz Red probably) these things were still available brand new in the showrooms when I was a kid. As my dad was a lifelong VW owner, the local VW dealership was a visit that I looked upon as a real treat and though we didn't go often, when we did, I was allowed to play in these things provided I behaved impeccably while doing so. I loved climbing in the sliding side door and being able to walk around inside a car - it just seemed so cool.

My colour choice is also a bit of nostalgia inspired selection as the first family car I remember was dad's 1950's VW Beetle, registration number 777 DKR, which was a similar drab olive colour. She was slow and basic but that car never once let us down in all the time he owned her and my road trips in that old bug remain some of my fondest childhood memories, as are the times I sat in her in our garage pretending to drive and occasionally daring to honk the horn by pressing that wonderful wheel centred black horn button with the Wolfsburg emblem in shining silver.

OK, misty eyed recollections over.....here's the lap. Please try to stay awake at the back.
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[Obelisk]

I tried to stay awake...I fell asleep. So much for paying extra for front row seats.

 

[McClarenDesign]

 

[Cowboy]

The Review
by CowboyAce57

The Sambabus T2 and Gran Turismo

The T2 bus made its first appearance in GT5. Most of you remember that this was featured in one of those Top Gear challenges. I am not expecting much from this, so please bear with me if this review gets boring.

The Looks

One of my favorite looking Volkswagon vehicles out there (you can't spell Volkswagon without swag). It's one of the most noticeable designs even to non-car people. It's got five row seating for when you have a party on road trips.

Under the Hood

The T2 packs a whopping 33 HP @ 3,500 rpm and has an interesting 60.7 ft-lb of torque @ 2,000 rpm. It carries a 1,192 cc rear placed engine and naturally aspirated and weighs only 1,095 kg.

Acceleration Test

0-60: 44.146 sec
0-100: N/A
400m: 24.834 sec
1,000m: 48.566 sec
Top Speed: 82 mph (est.)

The T2 had pretty slow acceleration, but hey, it's not a racecar or even a sports car. As you can see in the stats, 100 mph isn't possible and the top speed was established at 82 mph on the downhill slope of Route X.

Road Test

More like road trip. Anyways, I decided to drive this on a quite challenging track (in my opinion), the Matterhorn Rotenboden. The first hill was a real struggle. In fact, it got stuck so I had to reverse up the hill. Though on the way down, a nice cruise changed the mood, and it made me feel a little bad for not using this in any of the online cruise rooms out there. It even handled great and the rear engine had no negative impact on driveability.

The Verdict

Hmm, what do I say about a 33 HP slow driving machine? This particular car gets a sleeper rating because I have one of these as a drift car, and I must say it is very fun to use. I even seen a couple in the 350pp quick match that was over the summer. Or in short, this just makes a perfect cruiser for people just looking to enjoy the scenery.
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*Note: No diesel fumes were emitted in the making of this review.

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[Obelisk]

How did I know you were gonna make a Dieselgate reference?

 

[McClarenDesign]

How did I know you were gonna make a Dieselgate reference?

Because predictable pop culture references have become predictable?

While we're at it:

 

[Vic Reign93]

Well seeing as we're showcasing the VW Bus, I think it's time I introduced you to my good buddy, Don Joewon Song.

He's the leader of the Forza Horizon 2's Apex Racing club and one the fastest drivers I've seen.

We had a good battle early on in the games life with us fighting over 1st in the world on one track in A class cars, I once mentioned it to you guys that he was the Lewis_Hamilton of Forza, but since then he's dialled his cars in and picks the best routes and he just dominates now.

But when he's not racing, he's either creating designs for cars or just plain showing off.

Like in the this COTW related video for example.



Simply put, he's the guy who I'll openly admit to being better than me.

 

[RacingOtaku86]

Sorry for not racing tonight. I was just racing with some fellow WRS racers.

 

[eran0004]

The Type 2 VW is actually pretty nice to drive. Rather slow, but it's fun in the corners. The low power means that you have to preserve as much of the momentum as possible, so the challenge is about using as much of the track width as possible and be as smooth as possible.

Another benefit of low power engines is that gear changes become more important. Making a mistake when selecting gear can easily cost you seconds... And I say benefit, because although it's a disadvantage it makes the car more interesting to drive.

Compared to the Type 1 Beetle, which often is a death trap in the corners, the Type 2 is a less ferocious beast. You can still get a healthy dose of oversteer, but not of the kind that suddenly snaps and goes for your throat.

The elevated driver position provides excellent view of the road, and windows all around means that you can enjoy the race in full HD, wether it takes place in front of you, behind you or on your sides. Seatings for nine (or 34, if you're in the mood) guarantees fun for the whole family!

Interesting fact: Although it may look like a box, the Type 2 actually have a lower drag coefficient than the Type 1! Or so Wikipedia says at least...

 

[RobboGTAddict]

I'm doing this as soon as I have free time.

 

[CTznOfTime]

Sambabus 0 to 60 time?


(downhill with tail wind):


requires much more commitment than i am willing to give...

Even the network didnt have enough patience for this camper...

 

[CaddyKOP]

Woodstock Bound

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There's times where I really enjoy driving vehicles. Speeding around bends, getting the perfect shifts, gunning down a motorway. I love all of that, and I do have to say a high-powered hypercar are quite fun whilst doing those things, but I can't deny that low-powered cars can be fun either. The Mazda Miata is a great example. Small, light, and only making around the mid-range of the 100s in horsepower, but holy 🤬 is it a blast to drive. But, not all things with little power are fun. Case in point: The Volkswagen Sambabus.

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The Sambabus is a thing of affection for a lot of people, and I can understand that. The design is as cute as it is functional, and the different colors you can usually see one in are eye-popping to say the least. They're so loved that a pristine example like this one could fetch upwards of 100k at auction. But, it is the exact opposite of fast. The exact opposite of the Skyline used last week. And it's painful.

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I don't want to be harsh on this thing...but...here we go.

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Due to an unspecified event, my usual test track was not available this week. That always makes me happy (quite the opposite for those who don't detect sarcasm), so I decided to take the bus down to Daytona road course...a nice half-oval, half-course track that's about the same size as my favored track. Anyway, I set out on the track and was immediately met with the angry grunts of an air-cooled engine as it slowly pattered its way up to its top speed of around 60-70ish mph. The monotony was real.

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There's no surprise here to know that speed is not the strong suit of the Sambabus. Not at all. It slowly trudges down the ovals like some grandpa on the interstate on Sunday, and if the speed won't make you hate it, the sound will. It's literally furious noises all the time, droning and groaning on to the point where you feel like you might be hurting the poor thing. And then you come to a corner...and oh boy...this is where it gets fun.

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You can break all you want (but the low speed renders it useless) as you step into a corner, but you're bound to end up vomiting in the vinyl floors by around the middle of the corner. The Bus absolutely rolls and plows into corners, probably looking like it's ready to tip over whilst it goes around a bend. The lack of ABS makes it want to stoppie when you hit the brakes hard. And it understeers...god does it understeer. This thing was made to stay as far away from the tracks as possible.

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I eventually managed to heave this thing around Daytona and call it a night as the sun set over the Florida plains. The end time was a painful 4:04.511...something that I could half easily in anything else. I really shouldn't have expected much out of this thing during the test, and I really didn't, but it could have given me something...anything...maybe I'll try drifting one one day. All I know is that I can't see myself trying a race with this.

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The Verdict:
Honestly, I'm really torn about this thing for some reason. Yes, it's slow. No, it can't go around corners, and honestly, it's not very comfortable either (my glutes are still in pain). But it's charming. It's cute...and it seats a lot of people, so I think I'm going to stay neutral and throw it in the stockyard for another day. I can see why people like these things...but they're definitely not made for anything related to racing.

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At least VW didn't have to lie about emissions to get this one sold. (I'm so sorry)

 

[eran0004]

@CaddyKOP Perhaps a Grand Prix circuit isn't the best test venue for cars like this Try it at Streets of Willow, it's a lot more fun there!

 

[McClarenDesign]

Sorry I missed yesterday. I had been losing a lot of sleep lately, and asked my daughter to wake me up an hour before. Needless to say, that didn't happen. I spent nearly all of yesterday in bed, but I'm back, and ready to announce next week's winner.

 

[Niku Driver HC]

Sorry I missed yesterday. I had been losing a lot of sleep lately, and asked my daughter to wake me up an hour before. Needless to say, that didn't happen. I spent nearly all of yesterday in bed, but I'm back, and ready to announce next week's winner.

Well, getting those lost hours of sleep comes first, you wouldn't gain much from racing with a tired mind, now would you?

As for my absence, I had to attend TIRE's Race Of Champions, since the quarter-finals were waiting for me. Sadly, I was eliminated after said quarter-finals, but at least I enjoyed my brief time in the event. Then came Duck Game, and well...

...Duck Battles were way too fun to pass by, if you catch my drift.

Can we at least hope to see a slightly faster car this time around for COTW? Nothing against the Samba, but you really needed to wring every last drop of perfomance out of it to make racing fun...

 

[Baron Blitz Red]

Can we at least hope to see a slightly faster car this time around for COTW? Nothing against the Samba, but you really needed to wring every last drop of perfomance out of it to make racing fun...

Without tempting Fate too too much (although she does like temptation), there's a very high chance ANYTHING would be faster than our last victim.

@McClarenDesign , glad to hear you're ok. You had a few eyebrows raised at your absence.

@Vic Reign93 , I'll gladly join that table any day!!! Thanks for even thinking of me.

Cheers

 

[Niku Driver HC]

Without tempting Fate too too much (although she does like temptation), there's a very high chance ANYTHING would be faster than our last victim.

Cheers

You never know, there is still one other Volkswagen from the WW2 era that we may be forced to drive if all goes to someone's evil plan... Tempting fate is not one of my favorite hobbies, if you catch my drift.

 

[Baron Blitz Red]

@Niku Driver HC , actually there's 2 WW2 vehicles from VW, and I own them both. There is a reason why I said "there's a very high chance" .

As for temptation with the sisters, it can be fun if you do it right.

Cheers

 

[McClarenDesign]

@McClarenDesign , glad to hear you're ok. You had a few eyebrows raised at your absence.

Yeah, again I apologize for my absence.

I tried to stay awake...I fell asleep. So much for paying extra for front row seats.

Congratulations Obelisk! Your lack of insomnia inspired me to miss yesterday's race (don't ask how much sleep I lost, the total amount of sleep I got last week was still in the single digits) and has won you the coveted prize of selecting our next car!

Wwwwwha-?! How did I win?

It's a very scientific formula involving posts and content created, the previous performance of Sauber F1 Team, the previous winners chosen, what Baron wore the day before, how many kittens Vic has/has not kicked this week, my personal choice of illicit substances at any particular moment... and then I just pick someone.

That happened to be you. Congrats!

...I think...

O...kay. Let me have a quick peek in my garage first. I use a lot of obscure cars.

Do the...

It's the 2009 Toyota Prius G! As an added bonus, we're also throwing in the Prius Touring Car!

It's the car that does 3x more damage to the environment than a Hummer! While I have about 20 more things to say about this car, I think I'll leave this one to the professionals:

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Congratulations also go to @Vic Reign93 for once again cheating his way into a top spot with a time of 3:49.274. This week's Playing With TTs! is at the Circuit de Catalunya (courtesy of JFeixasNix) in the Touring Car!

 

[Niku Driver HC]

Of course, Fate has beaten me to the punch, once again... The hybrid that saved very little of our planet and perfoms averagely in every aspect compared to the ever more evolved Diesel-based cars, and somehow, the car that took the GT300 category by storm in Super GT.

...Although that last one was more due to previous work done with the Supra and SC430's racing version, than actual hybrid perfomance; even Toyota knew that using such a system would flop miserably...

Oh, but don't just take these words for it, I have a few more which you can read. Digging this one up from my early review days in this website;

https://www.gtplanet.net/forum/thre...eviews-scion-fr-s.215557/page-12#post-6893948

 

[MidFieldMaven]

Toyota Prius G '09
1.8L
97 hp / 5,000 rpm
105 ft-lb / 4,500 rpm
1,350 kg (2,976 lbs)
357 PP

Best lap at Mid-Field on Comfort Softs:



Cars within 0.500 seconds:

1:34.241 - 364 - Nissan Fairlady Z 280Z-L 2seater (S130) '78
1:34.243 - 383 - Citroën Xantia 3.0i V6 Exclusive '00
1:34.249 - 362 - Nissan Silvia Q's (S13) '91
1:34.329 - 375 - Renault Avantime '02
1:34.334 - 361 - Peugeot 206 CC '01
1:34.338 - 357 - Mazda Roadster 1600 NR-A (NB) '04
1:34.422 - 357 - Peugeot 106 S16 '03
1:34.488 - 357 - Toyota Prius G '09
1:34.576 - 373 - Honda S800 RSC '68
1:34.661 - 359 - Nissan Silvia Q's (S13) '88
1:34.673 - 362 - BMW 507 '57
1:34.708 - 362 - Volkswagen Golf IV GTI '01
1:34.732 - 353 - Mazda MX-5 (NA) '89
1:34.741 - 359 - Toyota Sprinter Trueno GT-Apex (AE86) '83
1:34.755 - 355 - Nissan Bluebird Rally Car (510) '69
1:34.825 - 354 - Suzuki Swift Sport '05
1:34.836 - 357 - Alfa Romeo 147 TI 2.0 Twin Spark '06
1:34.843 - 358 - Mazda Eunos Roadster (NA Special Package) '89
1:34.864 - 398 - Lotus Elan S1 '62
1:34.889 - 377 - Alfa Romeo 166 2.5 V6 24V Sportronic '98
1:34.937 - 354 - Fiat Barchetta Giovane Due '00
1:34.966 - 355 - Peugeot 307 XSi '04
1:34.981 - 356 - Honda CR-Z '10

Let's play a game. What other hybrid car is almost exactly 5 tenths of a second slower around Mid-Field than the Prius?

That's right. Honda's spiritual successor to the CR-X, the CR-Z, is in fact slower than the Prius. Its top speed on the straight is 108 mph, while the Prius reached 112.

 

[McClarenDesign]

 

[Niku Driver HC]

Let's play a game. What other hybrid car is almost exactly 5 tenths of a second slower around Mid-Field than the Prius?

That's right. Honda's spiritual successor to the CR-X, the CR-Z, is in fact slower than the Prius. Its top speed on the straight is 108 mph, while the Prius reached 112.

It may be the slowest of the two, but by no means is the CR-Z the least fun car to drive. First of all, a proper manual gearbox and secondly, a chassis that is actually responsive and not simply dull and understeer-y, unlike the Prius. Yes, you can argue that all the "ecological baggage" is weighing the CR-Z down as well, but at least you can still drive one with a somewhat honest smile on your face...

Not to mention that the CR-Z also has a Spoon version; a car with slightly less in the tree-saving department, but with far more in the driving fun one.

Also, going by your lap times, the answer is not only Miata; when even a poor man's convertible (the 206 CC) and a blue collar hot hatch (the 106 S16/GTI) are faster than you, Peugeot proves that buying a Prius will only make its owner look like even more of a tool...

 

[Baron Blitz Red]

View attachment 489019​

Sorry @McClarenDesign , but everyone knows that you gotta be in the black to be ahead of the game...

I'm still jealous of not getting red chrome YET in any of the TT's so far!!! 🤬

Cheers

 

[Vic Reign93]

Sorry @McClarenDesign , but everyone knows that you gotta be in the black to be ahead of the game...

I'm still jealous of not getting red chrome YET in any of the TT's so far!!! 🤬

Cheers

"Be in the black to be ahead of the game"?

Where does that put this then?

 

[CaddyKOP]

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+10 points for Regular Car Reviews. I don't see very much about them around here and that makes me sad.

On the subject of the Prius...I mean, I guess it could be worse... Maybe I'll end up loving this thing.

 

[Obelisk]

Oh, yeah... I have an old video of a Prius sitting around somewhere. I bet that @McClarenDesign won"t find it until Thursday.

 

[Vic Reign93]

+10 points for Regular Car Reviews. I don't see very much about them around here and that makes me sad.

On the subject of the Prius...I mean, I guess it could be worse... Maybe I'll end up loving this thing.

Oh believe me, if RCR has reviewed a COTW pick you can safely bet that video will show up here along with any relevant videos from Petrolicious, Best Motoring etc.