Beater or Sleeper? GT6 Car of the Week Thread

[Niku Driver HC]

After reading all of this...


@McClarenDesign is under investigation for having too much snark.
He will be purged accordingly.

Now watch as McClaren skillfully handles your "counter-argument" and adds even more snark to it. You don't taunt the master without expecting a suitable reponse...

Prepare for my short and sweet review:

The Vibe and Voltz don't really have a special place in the GT series. To me it'e like PD added these two just to get the car count up, but these two are the "performance" versions. I have a thing for the Vibe. It has that mid 2000s Pontiac style, and has the performance to go with it. In the right sense, this could be a sleeper or even a possible troll car, but if you're gonna add a car like this, at least try to put it in some sort of spotlight or somewhere where it could be noticed. So for now, my vote is beater.

Not a bad short review, but one thing is not exactly correct.

The Vibe GT is definitely a performance version of the Vibe, but the Voltz S is far from being the Toyota counterpart to that role. For two, very simple reasons;

• Engine: The Voltz comes with the puny, 1.8-litre 1ZZ-FE engine which cannot surpass the 130 horsepower mark. Meanwhile, the Vibe comes with the proper high-performance (as high as you can get with a Vibe, that is) 1.8-litre 2ZZ-GE engine, coming straight out of a Celica GT-S engine bay and was even used for both the Lotus Exige and the Lotus Elise (!) in more powerful versions. One thing which could give the Voltz more power was the factory optional TRD supercharger, but PD did not implement such an option, so the Voltz gets the short end of the proverbial stick...
• Gearbox: The Vibe comes with a nice 6-speed transmission, which is quite rare for a family SUV-cum city car. The Voltz? Oh dear... that gearbox could not be more American even if you coated it with Burger King Cheese Dip dressing, a 4-speed automatic (in real-life) that takes roughly 4 years to get the car up to racing speeds. And since the engine is barely gutsy to carry the car's weight around, you end up having one heck of a slow package.

So yes, both cars should be spruced up to match the quality feel of Premium cars ingame, but the Voltz should also have the honor of gaining the option of a supercharger if it ever appears in future GT games...

Early edit: Oh, one more thing; get a slightly "chubby" American with aviator sunglasses and an ill-fitting jacket, put him in a Vibe GT and what do you get? Why it's a Car & Driver review of the Vibe GT itself, of course! Watch as the GT lays some serious rubber with front-wheel-drive burnouts;

 

[Vic Reign93]

👍

Mentioning rabbits can bring about a plot like that. My endings are not so climatic.

BTW - Are you guys racing Tues or Wed?

It'll be Wednesday for me, but Tuesday for rest of the majority.

Around 3:30-4:00 AM in the UK and around 10:00 PM in the States.

 

[Cowboy]

Not a bad short review, but one thing is not exactly correct.

The Vibe GT is definitely a performance version of the Vibe, but the Voltz S is far from being the Toyota counterpart to that role. For two, very simple reasons;

• Engine: The Voltz comes with the puny, 1.8-litre 1ZZ-FE engine which cannot surpass the 130 horsepower mark. Meanwhile, the Vibe comes with the proper high-performance (as high as you can get with a Vibe, that is) 1.8-litre 2ZZ-GE engine, coming straight out of a Celica GT-S engine bay and was even used for both the Lotus Exige and the Lotus Elise (!) in more powerful versions. One thing which could give the Voltz more power was the factory optional TRD supercharger, but PD did not implement such an option, so the Voltz gets the short end of the proverbial stick...
• Gearbox: The Vibe comes with a nice 6-speed transmission, which is quite rare for a family SUV-cum city car. The Voltz? Oh dear... that gearbox could not be more American even if you coated it with Burger King Cheese Dip dressing, a 4-speed automatic (in real-life) that takes roughly 4 years to get the car up to racing speeds. And since the engine is barely gutsy to carry the car's weight around, you end up having one heck of a slow package.

Oh, I forgot about the disadvantage of driving the Toyota. My bad

 

[RacingOtaku86]

I might have to sit this out tonight. I keep getting logged out from PSN with error code 8002A548, so I'm not going to risk getting booted mid-race. Have fun, though!

 

[Obelisk]

I might have to sit this out tonight. I keep getting logged out from PSN with error code 8002A548, so I'm not going to risk getting booted mid-race. Have fun, though!

Ditto here.

Plus, editing together a GT montage (my third GT based montage and fifth total).

 

[RacingOtaku86]

BREAKING: PS3 firmware 4.78 is live. You might have to install it first.

 

[McClarenDesign]

After reading all of this...

@McClarenDesign is under investigation for having too much snark.
He will be purged accordingly.

Now watch as McClaren skillfully handles your "counter-argument" and adds even more snark to it. You don't taunt the master without expecting a suitable reponse...

Upon review of the allegations against McClarenDesign, no further action will be taken.

​

 

[turismoslayer]

Party in the turismoslayer household! Picking up a new T300RS tomorrow. Have a one track mind right now, don't care about anything else. Think I just poo'd a little. Will have to sit out tonight but will definitely be joining this weekend.

 

[McClarenDesign]

Party in the turismoslayer household! Picking up a new T300RS tomorrow. Have a one track mind right now, don't care about anything else. Think I just poo'd a little. Will have to sit out tonight but will definitely be joining this weekend.

Congrats!

On a similar note, we've got a man down! I'll be chipping in to bring him back up ASAP. If you can, please do the same.

​

 

[turismoslayer]

There's nothing wrong with the usb.

 

[Draggon]

Slogging thru 4.78 right now.

 

[McClarenDesign]

​

In no particular order:

I would rather give myself a vasectomy on YouTube.
I would rather marry Courtney Love.
Heather Mills, the Sequel
The Official Car of Staying Together Until The Kids Go To College
The Official Car of Going Through The Motions
I have a stronger emotional bond to the socks I wore last week than this.
This is the effing of one's couch.
A slap in the face to every driver.
The Official Car of Professional Home Economics.
It explores a new awful that the Vectra hadn't considered.
It leave less to the senses and belongs more to the sphincter.
The Official Car of No Thanks, I'd Rather Not Drive Anymore
Proof that suicide is, in fact, not painless.
The offspring of Bob Lutz and Ann Coulter.
The embodiment of why Pontiac is GM's Old Yeller.
LIke Pitcher, Oklahoma, it is a space where nothing can be salvaged, nor survive due to toxicity.
Masturbation with a cheese grater is more appealing and enjoyable.

And I had a whole lot more.

 

[RacingOtaku86]

I'm guessing the cars were not great... at all, it seems.

 

[WTFnews]

My verdict on the Vibe GT is that it is a fun car to drive, it has plenty of power to get up the hills on glitch course creator tracks and it has plenty of speed to keep up with cars of its PP and power/weight ratio, the only downside I see it that it still is front wheel drive, so when you do spend the money to upgrade it to arround 350hp and get the weight down to 105x KG it will understeer on the sport soft tires that I tend to use.

The Voltz S on the other side of the globe feels like it has quite some potential when upgraded to 465PP, I personally did a race with it against cars of this PP and using Comfort Softs(!!!) it felt quit grippy for the tires, I even managed to get seccond behind a Honda S2000 and in front of a well tuned Lotus Type 72 (I know it's well tuned because a friend of mine tuned it, and he's rather good at tuning) so I was impressed by this, stock the car feels way underpowerd and feels like it has about as much bodyroll as a plane turning using the Pitch angle.

To me both cas are sleepers when they are upgraded, the Vibe is nutral when stock and the Voltz is just a beater when stock, thank you for your attention and I hope I can get my head arround to make more revieuws.

(Why do my pictures not show up? pls help)

 

[CaddyKOP]

I'm gonna have to come in here and back this thing up.

Oh boy, this is gonna be a long review

 

[Obelisk]

My verdict on the Vibe GT is that it is a fun car to drive, it has plenty of power to get up the hills on glitch course creator tracks and it has plenty of speed to keep up with cars of its PP and power/weight ratio, the only downside I see it that it still is front wheel drive, so when you do spend the money to upgrade it to arround 350hp and get the weight down to 105x KG it will understeer on the sport soft tires that I tend to use.

The Voltz S on the other side of the globe feels like it has quite some potential when upgraded to 465PP, I personally did a race with it against cars of this PP and using Comfort Softs(!!!) it felt quit grippy for the tires, I even managed to get seccond behind a Honda S2000 and in front of a well tuned Lotus Type 72 (I know it's well tuned because a friend of mine tuned it, and he's rather good at tuning) so I was impressed by this, stock the car feels way underpowerd and feels like it has about as much bodyroll as a plane turning using the Pitch angle.

To me both cas are sleepers when they are upgraded, the Vibe is nutral when stock and the Voltz is just a beater when stock, thank you for your attention and I hope I can get my head arround to make more revieuws.

(Why do my pictures not show up? pls help)

Upload them using the "upload a file" option and then insert them as thumbnails or full images.

 

[Draggon]

Well, I played with these things a bit, and have a half arsed review. Half beater, half sleeper. Having spent more than a few hours of my life that I'll not get back with that beautiful looking but horrible driving Fiatsco, I found the Voltz refreshing. OK, so it doesn't have enough power for pretty much any hills, it has decent turn in, the suspension feels relatively firm and doesn't roll a lot, the brakes are OK and if you add a little bias towards the rear it rotates well and can even oversteer. All these traits apply to the Vibe as well. More hp works quite well with this platform, and the added weight the Vibe has does not hurt it. The real test came at Midfield Raceway. To make a fair comparison, I lowered the hp and weight of the Vibe to match the Voltz and added CM tires. The Vibe was over a second faster than the Voltz. I tired to push the Voltz, but I couldn't get close to the easy warm up lap I did in the Vibe. So verdict is Vibe-sleeper, Voltz-beater.

 

[CaddyKOP]

Bi-racial Marriage

So, this week, I was actually given the privilege of picking the car to be used for the reviews. Now, I had been seriously pondering what to pick for quite a while. I wanted it to be something a bit different, something no one would expect. I could have chosen by Subaru, but Subarus are generally loved by many. Nah, I wanted something that could really spark up some debates. Possibly even end friendships. I picked the Pontiac Vibe.

I have a history with the Pontiac Vibe, believe it or not. I once nearly bought one. I've always respected the Vibe's nature...it's not really that bad looking of a hatchback, the optional AWD system gives it some extra versatility, and it's got Toyota internals, which means its more reliable than most General Motors products (that's coming from a hardcore GM fan, too). In fact, I've built and driven my fair share of tuned Vibes over the years.

Pictured here are my friend's Supercharged Vibe (right) and my tuned 330-hp track Vibe (left).
​

But let's get on to the backgrounds of the car. The Vibe is a product of a GM/Toyota merger which came about in the latter half of the 20th century. Basically, the two got together to make some cheap economy cars in some California plant, and everyone was happy. The cars that came out of this joint venture have mostly been forgotten as time went on, except for the few people that really love their Geo Prizms and JDM-rebadged Toyota Cavaliers. The Vibe was one of the last hurrahs to come from the merger, being sold as a Pontiac in America, rebadged as a Toyota known as the Voltz in Japan, and giving its underpinnings to the Toyota Matrix. We have been given the opportunity to test out the Vibe GT and Voltz S, and that's a good thing for multiple reasons.

​

The Vibe came with two engines within its lifetime. The stock Vibe and Vibe AWD came with a 1.8L inline 4 known as the 1ZZ-FE, with 120-horsepower, which is what is found in the Voltz S. The Vibe GT, on the other hand, came with another 1.8L inline 4, this time known as the 2ZZ-FE, with a more robust (for a hatchback, at least) 180-horsepower. It really is surprising how different the two cars are, and how much of an improvement that 60 extra horses makes. I've been instructed by my friends to assure you all that the Vibe only received very few recalls in its lifetime, only one of which was involved with the big recall scandal of recent times...and it wasn't even GM's fault (Takata air bags).

​

On the outside, both cars look nearly identical, sporting Pontiac's design elements at the time of plastic cladding along the underbody of the cars. The Voltz is laid out in a unique two-tone red with the cladding painted in a smooth silver-beige, a color option that was not available on the Vibe. The two cars had different body kit packages available in their respective markets. The GM Performance bodykit featured a smoother ground effects package that added some definite sportiness to the overall look of the car. The Voltz received something...I don't know, but there's a custom bumper and grille that's seen on Voltz's sometimes that's very sought after by Vibe owners.

​

So, that's enough about the cars themselves, let's see what they drive like.

Track time!

​

In the way of the Voltz, the straight line performance is rather sluggish. Those 120 horses seem to be struggling to get to where they want to be, and the grinding and screaming noise of the engine doesn't really help either. By the time you get to a decent enough speed, a corner has already appeared, taking it all away from you. Good luck trying to get it up a hill...it'll fight you harder than you can imagine.

​

Things are a bit more forgiving in the Vibe. As I said before, those 60 extra horses do make a difference, as speeding down a straight feels more akin to an Abarth 500 with its lightweight skin than it does a heft Pontiac hatchback. With tuning, the Voltz could improve some, however, so not all is lost with the Toyota. However, the Vibe makes a good excuse if you're too bored of the usual FF hatches around the tracks.

​

Some people say that an underpowered machine makes for a good cornering monster. This is true for cars such as the Miata or Caterham Seven, and it slightly is true for the Voltz. For an FF car, it's actually very nimble, with little to no understeer present. I found myself barely ever having to brake for a big, sweeping bend, and only having to input very little prowess into the tighter stuff. With tuning, I could see this becoming a track monster, easily.

​

And, honestly, the same can be applied to the Vibe. It's definitely boosted by the extra power, but it doesn't really hurt it as much as I thought it would (fears of understeer harm me). It definitely feels more robust, however, and more confident with itself than the baseline Voltz. Such comes from the GT moniker, I suppose.

​

If I could come up with any main qualms about the way these things drive, it's probably everything to do with the weight of the things. They're not exactly what you'd call light, per se. The bodies do roll, a lot, which makes for a very interesting experience from the driver's point of view. At least the Voltz gives you enough time to compose yourself afterwards with its near-anemic speed.

​

On the side of the Vibe GT, I just sort of wish it had a bit more of a defining look to it. Park a Vibe GT and a Vibe base model next to each other and they're next to indistinguishable. This car isn't really that bad at all, though. I kinda see why these friends of mine like it so much.

The ending lap times were as follows:
Vibe GT - 3:46.407
Voltz S - 4:02.892

The only thing slower was the Sambabus. However, the Vibe is only a few hundredths of a second slower than the Abarth 500. Interesting.

​

The Verdict
Call me biased, but I disagree with the consensus that these are just bad cars. They have their issues, yes, but they seem like very easily fixed issues. Honestly, the Vibe is one of GM's best products to come out of the early 2000s, when everything else was just so...mediocre (I'm looking at you, Sunfire GXP). Perhaps it was too little too late, however, with the eventual demise of the Pontiac brand. With all that said, I'm still torn on the two, giving the Vibe the honor of sleeper, and the Voltz goes into the stockyard with a neutral rating for its lack of power, but knowing its tendency to improve with tuning.

I think I might buy one of these things after all.

 

[McClarenDesign]

To me both cas are sleepers when they are upgraded, the Vibe is nutral when stock and the Voltz is just a beater when stock, thank you for your attention and I hope I can get my head arround to make more revieuws.

(Why do my pictures not show up? pls help)

Upload them using the "upload a file" option and then insert them as thumbnails or full images.

This. Oh, and...

Congratulations WTFnews!

Please tell me that we get something better than the-aborted-fetus-of-a-Kardashian like we did last week...

ikr its awfull and it has a sleeper status whut XD

It's the 2000 RUF 3400S!!!

cuz i love Porsches and cuz i own 1

Hey, you don't have to explain yourself to me. I'm just happy to get way from that... thing!

Congrats to @Vic Reign93 for once again nailing the Time Trials, with a time of 2:03.112. This week's "Playing With TTs!" Time Trial event is on the streets of Madrid! Now, if we could just drop the top...

 

[Lewis_Hamilton_]

@McClarenDesign

Risky game with that video and it`s title.

The mods may put you under investigation, all assets and information within your account will be passed on to me in the meantime, where there will be posted in every phone box and toilet cubicle within a 100 mile radius.

 

[McClarenDesign]

@McClarenDesign

Risky game with that video and it`s title.

The mods may put you under investigation, all assets and information within your account will be passed on to me in the meantime, where there will be posted in every phone box and toilet cubicle within a 100 mile radius.

Life is not exciting if lived anywhere but on the edge.

If what you say is true, then I should see an increase in my YouTube vids very soon.

 

[Obelisk]

Life is not exiting if lived anywhere but on the edge.

If what you say is true, then I should see an increase in my YouTube vids very soon.

Too much snark...

I, luckily, already have a 3400S. I can give it a quick review tonight.

 

[McClarenDesign]

Too much snark...

I have not yet begun to snark!

 

[MidFieldMaven]

RUF 3400S '00
3.4L
305 hp / 7,000 rpm
265 ft-lb / 5,000 rpm
1,300 kg (2,866 lbs)
470 pp

It's my favorite of the selection of RUF cars in GT6, simply because it's the only one that has its engine right behind your head, and not in the trunk. I love me some mid-engine cars like the NSX and MR2.

Stock best lap at Mid-Field:


Top speed of 143 mph on the front straight.

Cars within 0.500 seconds:

1:21.274 - 473 - Ford Escort Rally Car '98
1:21.315 - 469 - Lancia Delta HF Integrale Rally Car '92
1:21.407 - 499 - Callaway C12 '03
1:21.461 - 560 - Caterham Seven Fireblade '02
1:21.479 - 493 - Nismo Skyline GT-R S-Tune (R32) '00
1:21.498 - 487 - Nismo 400R '96
1:21.636 - 449 - Spoon S2000 '00
1:21.715 - 474 - Citroën Xsara Rally Car '99
1:21.715 - 454 - Honda NSX Type S '01
1:21.716 - 465 - Renault Sport Clio V6 Trophy 24V '00
1:21.731 - 485 - BMW Z8 '01
1:21.738 - 470 - RUF 3400S '00
1:21.773 - 490 - Nissan C-West Razo Silvia '01
1:21.824 - 466 - Mazda RX-7 Spirit R Type A (FD) '02
1:21.830 - 489 - Maserati GranTurismo S '08
1:21.849 - 489 - Mitsubishi HSR-II '89
1:21.876 - 471 - Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution IV Rally Car '97
1:21.910 - 521 - Cadillac CTS-V Coupe '11
1:21.911 - 480 - Mitsubishi Starion 4WD Rally Car '84
1:21.922 - 518 - Audi RS 6 Avant '08
1:21.933 - 509 - Lexus IS F '07
1:21.939 - 462 - Amuse S2000 R1 '04
1:21.971 - 440 - Lotus Elise 111R '04
1:22.025 - 449 - Honda NSX '01
1:22.142 - 460 - Lotus Evora '09
1:22.147 - 503 - Jaguar XFR '10
1:22.173 - 470 - BMW M3 '04
1:22.174 - 470 - Subaru Impreza WRX STI Spec C '09
1:22.226 - 462 - Mazda RX-7 Type R Bathurst R (FD) '01
1:22.233 - 509 - Mercedes-Benz SL 55 AMG (R230) '02

I highlighted other MR cars for reference. Looks like the '01 NSX Type S and '00 Clio V6 Trophy are identical in performance.

Honda NSX Type S '01
3.2L
276 hp / 7,100 rpm
224 ft-lb / 5,500 rpm
1,320 kg (2,910 lbs)
454 pp

This NSX has 29 fewer horses, 41 fewer ft-lbs of torque, and weighs 44 lbs more than the 3400S, but is equally as quick as the 3400S. NSX feels the most stable and well-balanced of the three.

Renault Sport Clio V6 Trophy 24V '00
3.0L
293 hp / 7,500 rpm
221 ft-lb / 5,000 rpm
1,150 kg (2,535 lbs)
465 pp

This Clio has 12 fewer horses, 44 fewer ft-lbs of torque, but weighs 331 less than the 3400S. Clio feels the least stable of the three during cornering, but turns in quicker thanks to its light weight.

Compared with other 470 PP cars, the RUF seems to be the fastest, but not by much. M3 '04 and a pair of STI's are less than half a second slower.

1:21.738 - 470 - RUF 3400S '00
1:22.173 - 470 - BMW M3 '04
1:22.174 - 470 - Subaru Impreza WRX STI Spec C '09
1:22.386 - 470 - Subaru Impreza Sedan WRX STi Spec C (Type-II) '04
1:24.775 - 470 - Chevrolet Corvette StingRay Racer Concept '59

Considering the kind of company this car is in, I can't call it a beater. It is the only convertible in the trio, which means a less rigid chassis. A Boxster with the 3.4L engine and the top down could be quite the sleeper.

 

[Obelisk]

I have not yet begun to snark!

 

[Niku Driver HC]

Well look who it is, it's the Boxster! You know, the entry - level model built by Pors...

...oh dear, nearly got into trouble with that one. The kind of trouble that got people like Hideo Kojima in a very bad place against not - so - kind companies such as Konami. Fortunately RUF's status as a separate company prevents COTW from having to settle any legal issues within a public court. You never know, since most people are not allowed the honor of using "true" Porsches in many vídeo games...
Although I will side with Lewis on this whole video thing; it's fine to make fun of weird text speak, @McClarenDesign, but moderators might not take too kindly to sour language in any given comedy answer. Just my five cents, don't take it too close to heart.

As for the not-Boxster, I do have a particular fondness for the first generation model, so I am looking forward to drive it.

 

[turismoslayer]

The Voltz? I will undoubtedly, with out a doubt, not second guess, stand firm, hold my ground, will not retreat on my decision to call this, for a lack of better words due to rules and regulations, a bonifide beater. I didn't hate the Vibe, but I didn't like it either. In its defense I didn't really compare anything next to it besides the pitiful Voltz, which by that comparison, makes no difference. The Vibe is also a beater.

 

[RacingOtaku86]

I'm coming back for this car!

 

[McClarenDesign]

If it were often, I'd understand.
If there was malice, I'd understand.
If there were more people drawing attention to it, I'd understand.

I'm not worried, and neither should anyone else.

 

[Obelisk]

A serious review...? (no images)

Obelisk's Reviews week 1: [redacted brand] [redacted model]
AKA @McClarenDesign mid-life crisis car.

So, this week we're driving a [redacted brand] [redacted model]. Or in other words, the RUF 3400S.

First things first, cosmetics. It's an aftermarket [redacted], so it'll look like one. I'm fond of the body shape of the car in the maroon-pink color, but it has some...interesting color choices. The headlights fit with the flow of the body, and the soft top complements the maroon with a nice shade of black. The wheels bother me, though. It's like meeting an attractive woman and then discovering that she has extremely hairy legs. I'm OK with it, but it bugs me a bit.

Moving on, performance.
This has got to be the strangest MR car I've seen. It has a weight split of 54:46. In other words, the front of the car is heavier than the back of it, where the engine is. You think they stuffed Fat Bastard in the front trunk or something. The car itself has some pretty decent stats, with 305 HP from the engine and tipping the scales at a modest 1,300 kilograms. That bizarre weight balance actually helps! During my runs at Madrid, I found that the [redacted] had remarkably good handling, and the front-heavy nature of the car really cut down on the snap oversteer MRs are famous for. The only downside to the handling is that it understeers a bit too much and the brakes are kinda pathetic. I wonder if the SLR McLaren took its cues from this [redacted].

I put down a lap time of 1:39.774, which is a considerable lap time. I feel, though, that the 305 HP engine is a bit anemic. The acceleration was a bit sluggish, and the high speed performance barely fared better. The thing is, it's a [redacted], so it's gotta have a redeeming factor somewhere. That happens to be in the parts shop. Slap a wing on it, switch out those wonky wheels with a set of sport wheels and dump some serious credits into the body and enfine, and you have a car that can rival GT-Rs.

This week, I'm giving the RUF 3400S a Sleeper rating. It may be a bit weird stock, but it's a monster in sheep's clothing.

Oh, and it's also the car of choice for hairdressers having mid-life crises (Like @McClarenDesign is right now).

Have a good day everyone!