C-ZETA's car reviews - C-ZETA Awards 2012 - 21/12/12

[C-ZETA]

Your reviews make for great reading, whatever the subject 👍

Thanks much 👍

b-b-b-but GT3 had Laguna Seca in SUNSET!

Yes I know. But sunset does not make a game.

As a matter of fact, daytime is overrated. Nighttime for the win.

 

[krenkme]

Camping with my family, watching the sun rise, and reading your reviews. Today is going to be a good day 👍.

Thanks for making such great reviews, I love reading them (some even twice ).

 

[obsessive rules]

Having a bad morning.

But I read over your old reviews then remember why I like you

 

[obsessive rules]

If your taking requests I got 4 new prototype tunes for you. An exclusive drive
Subaru (I know) WRX STI Shark
Mitsubishi evo 500
(just so you know im neutral in this war, these are rivals though
Ford GT RR edition
Acura NSX Senna18
(so you know the last 2 are not prototypes, they're on sale in my new garage. Rouge tuning production line. The nsx has had one unit sold and the RR has had 1 person driving it, including me )
The last 2 are Commemorative models for Senna and Ratzenburg. Both died on the same race weekend.

 

[trackripper123]

Any more projects in the works C-ZETA? I've read everything you've done twice over now. Still just as good 2nd time round.

Oh and if you have the spare time, I'd really appreciate it if you could review something from my garage (link is in my sig). Just pick whatever catches your eye I guess. Cheers 👍

Happy Birthday by the way

 

[C-ZETA]

Any more projects in the works C-ZETA?

I'm planning something very soon to post here that I'd rather I didn't. But after that, I'll be uploading in big batches if not regular batches. Still, sometimes it's better to hit hard than to hit quickly.

 

[C-ZETA]

Lotus Evora GTE Replica Project​

I don't always do replicas. Though I have done a few very similar forms of cars, at least...

Lotus Evora GTE
Stats IRL
Power: 438bhp
0-60: 4.0 seconds
Max Speed: 167mph
Weight: 1277kg​

The amount of work people can go through to provide great replicas of real life cars are superb. With the idea first brought up by Real Replica Tunes, and taken up further recently by mainstream Marketplace user Outeke (who I was talking to the day before this post no less!), it certainly seems to be a popular form of tuning these days.

Thing is, I don't quite do real life replicas. I usually do something very close to it: making race or rally cars in road form. The list of cars I have done this with is pretty good: Loeb's C4 WRC, the Alpine A310 rally car, Hatsune Miku's Z4, the GT300 458, the Clio Trophy Race Car. I also have a McLaren F1 sitting in my garage based around the epic Harrods Mach One Racing model from the awesome mid-90s of Le Mans racing, not to mention a R390 Road Car built into a pseudo-GT300 Shiden. My rally shootout was based around this whole idea: building road cars into rally-spec racers, and it got some very good entries.

But I have hardly built a genuine replica of a real life car. Probably the closest I've been to such a level is with my 'Alpina B3 Orange' (doesn't exist despite the name), which was like the M3 GTS somewhat, but not really. And besides which, I have the Chrome Line which is an M3 GTS in drag really...

However, I saw Lotus's new road-going form of their Evora GTE (how fitting), and thought of trying that out for a replica. So I set about it all and bought an Evora in Solar Yellow for 100k on the dot. Quite overpriced when you can get a Viper that manages 1000hp for the same after tune-up.

From there, I went to GT Auto without a hitch. I decided not to get an oil change, though I probably would have needed less parts to get to the right power level. But then racing oil doesn't ever come stock with a car - though the GTE did come from one.

I fitted the car up with its available aero parts, with the car now looking very similar to my tune for the Evora.

Then began the actual part fitting. Starting with weight reduction, I fitted a naked carbon fibre bonnet to start with. Technically on the real thing, the bonnet is not naked carbon, but the roof is. So I went with it to get it looking closer to the real thing in some form.

However, I still had to lose some weight, but Weight Reduction Stage 1 was already making it too light. I just went with that and would fit on ballast later, of 59kg. Moving it back by just a single point tipped the weight balance to 39:61, which was indeed the correct number for it.

Getting the car to the right power was a hard task. Without the oil change, I had to fully modify the whole car out, sans exhaust, and I had to put on a Semi-Racing Exhaust even then. I was originally planning the full racing exhaust, since it looked closed to the real exhaust (which is nowhere near what the default model's is: the rear end itself is pretty much a full re-profile), but power came into the equation and I simply went with Semi-Racing.

I went and fitted a Fully Customisable Transmission afterwards to try and get the correct ratios on the car. Surprisingly the standard tranny had the first couple of ratios correct then sort of failed from there. I had to do a bit of trickery to get the right ratios but I got there in the end, barely (4th gear is one point away from its limit with the tune I have on it).

There wasn't much data on the car in terms of other parts, so despite the racing pedigree and all, I left behind the other parts. Suspension though would be a bit of a kerfuffle working out what type to use: it could be said easily that a Fixed Sports Kit would simulate the real thing better next to the stock Evora in this game, but I left it stock. I could well change that at some point in the future.

Finally, the tyres. I decided to base the tyre grades off of the different stats, though I was blindly guessing what to use from them. The tyres themselves are Pirelli P Zero Corsas which I know to be pretty performance-based, but the tyre sizes were different. I ended up with an odd combo of SM/SS front/rear, though these could well be too light grades again. Still, I stuck with what I had, and eventually, my prototype Evora GTE replica was finished.

The colour on it doesn't look anything like one of the Evora GTE's colours, but I decided to avoid the hassle of searching through the thousands of colours I had to find the right one. Needless to say, the real yellow on the Evora GTE is in more of a "lemon" yellow, for complete lack of a better word. I say that because it just looks more like the yellow of a lemon. This looks more like a sunlight yellow or something, I dunno. I do say that when it is called Solar Yellow, as well...

So anyway, I went to TGTT and tried the Evora GTE replica proto out.

The car overall felt very planted. Unlike most MRs, it isn't really hit with a feeling to slide so much, but it does grip well. Most Lotuses kinda seem to do this in general in real life: with their lighter weight and all that. From what I see, the real life GTE isn't meant to slide, so I guess that's all good.

I also went and tried the car on Route X, which would test the true accuracy of the ratios. My 0-60 time in the car told a very happy story though: the time was 4.06 seconds, which matched the real life time pretty much. Unfortunately, the confinements of the ratios I had to work with meant the top speed was way off, though I somehow think the real thing is limited anyway. The gearbox itself is pretty long from 1st-3rd, before it closes in a little at 4th, then gets a little unorthodox in 5th and 6th as it really closes up.

So overall, I think this first prototype of my Evora GTE replica has been a pretty qualified success thus far. I can definitely tell the drawbacks already: the top speed situation will probably be unavoidable, but I can definitely get the paint closer, and I might get a better idea of what the suspension would be best as. As a note, I also have the rear aero set to the minimum of 5: I don't quite know what would be the true best value for it, but we'll see. So for now, this Evora GTE replica looks like a pretty good concept. We'll just see how it evolves later on in time.

Pictures and writing by C-ZETA

 

[C-ZETA]

Wallbanger's Cafe & Outlaw Motorsports Garage's Toyota Sprinter Trueno GT-APEX '83, "Keiichi Tsuchiya Version"
More Wallbanger material here. Another car hanging around the tuning offices of GTP.

Wallbanger's Cafe & Outlaw Motorsports Garage's Toyota Sprinter Trueno GT-APEX '83, "Keiichi Tsuchiya Version"
Stats
0-60: 6.085 seconds
0-100: 11.917 seconds
¼ mile: 14.232 seconds
1 mile: 34.766 seconds
Max Speed: Not really relevant. Honest
Max G-Force: 0.48G
Drivetrain: FR​

Keiichi Tsuchiya is quite a lad. He made this thing called drifting, a sport designed to eat tyres, make Nob Taniguchi a star and make people argue on this forum.

The stock model of this car is what he used to make this type of driving. It's the AE86, which is being followed on now by the GT86, or just '86'. Or in this game, the 86 GT, confusing the hell out of people.

The AE86 got a lot of real life tunes after the events of Tsuchiya, and it's had a number of tunes in the whole GT series (I say that, as it's been in the series since 1). I had it as one of my main drift cars, but unfortunately, I was (and still am) too sucky to drift it to the max, so I kinda just left it in the end. My finest drift event since then has come in a Peugeot 905, which says something.

This is one of the latest additions to the AE86 tunes pile, made by XDesperado67, and it looks very mint. Literally.

But how is it to actually drive? Let's find out.

You can kinda tell this isn't meant for speed driving, to be honest. The transmission is very short (though it doesn't max out on Madrid - yay! ), and the cornering lives mainly on sliding out. It does this fairly well, though with my ability it was all ridiculously unpredictable as to where, when, why and how I was sliding it. But it wasn't a bad drive.

Thing is...I don't know about you, but I always find the AE86 to be really iffy when fully tuned personally. My full tune was used as a drift machine, yes, but it didn't seem to do that job very...well. And if I'm honest, full tunes don't feel very fast either, nor very good at drifting...I somehow think S.Shigeno's AE86 falls under this category, as that fared horribly in a straight line in testing. Though it was good on a track.

I just don't bond well with the AE86 in general. I don't quite like how it looks stock, and I don't think it's even a terribly good slider stock. It's incredibly awkward, but the AE86 does not seem like a series I can bond with. The new 86 feels as if it could be faster too, if I'm honest. But then the FT86 G Sports Concept feels fast when tuned up...and looks cool inside, too. I'm not writing off this tune or anything, just saying I don't ever feel the AE86 is that great.

But either way, this tune still does an alright job of being a tune. It is pretty legible for an AE86 tune overall, and it's certainly good at giving some fun. But again, I'm just not the kind of person for stuff like this to be honest. I would just end up taking something else I know and trust more.

Final Score: 11/20

Pictures and writing by C-ZETA

 

[XDesperado67]

Thanks for the review...I think...
The car was tuned on Trial Mountain and the transmission was set up to not quite hit the limiter on the straight at the top of the mountain. For top speed testing you'll need to adjust the final gear though I'm not sure how much more it has left to give.
Anyways thanks for giving it a run and hopefully I can find a car more to your liking for your next review.

 

[obsessive rules]

Your replica sounds interesting.
Edit. Man it's so hard to find the suspension setup for the gte, I looked for ages. Grrrrr.
P.s-700th post!!

 

[C-ZETA]

BMW M3 Coupe '07 vs Callaway C12 '03 vs Maserati GranTurismo S '08 vs Lotus Esprit V8 '02​

This testing was done using online mode, in Shuffle Race, with the Shuffle Base set to 460 and the Shuffle Ratio set to 8. Track was London, fastest hot lap wins.

So anyway, I went ahead to the Shuffle Mode...to see what we would get to drive.

The first car was...

A black BMW M3 Coupe.

Power: 422bhp
Weight: 1655kg
Price: 92,400 Cr.
Prize: No
Drivetrain: FR

This would be a good base to kick us off on. I mean, what better to start off with than an M3?!

Around London, the M3 was a pretty good drive. I was able to manage a 1:01.818 on the track with it, and it didn't fuss about too much. Despite the twisty track, it managed to keep up despite the weight and power. Even with the FR drivetrain it wasn't much of a handful either. I already reviewed the M3 in some depth in my first Grand Tour (car not track-based), and it did a good job there. You wish it had a bit more power sometimes though. Thankfully the tuning option is always there if you need it.

Same can be said for weight too. It's probably a little too heavy in cases, so best make it looser and all. This model won't be used for any GT2-spec replicas any time soon, but there's plenty to improve on this M3. It's a super easy base for tuning, and it's why it has a large excess of tunes on here.

It's also pretty cheap comparatively for what you can do to it. 92,400 Cr. is not a lot in the grand scheme of things, at the end of the day when you just wanna make the thing go faster.

So we moved on from the M3 to a different car. This time we got...

A Callaway C12, in silver.

Power: 454bhp
Weight: 1480kg
Price: 175,880 Cr.
Prize: No
Drivetrain: FR

So here we have another FR car, but this one is more powerful, lighter, and more expensive. It's also in the OCD right now, if you want a look.

The C12 is based off of the Vette C5, and you can kinda see it in the car. The front bubble area for the occupants of the car definitely resembles the C5 a lot still: certainly the front anyway. The rest though, is all a new body.

The gearing is pretty tall overall, which helped reduce wheelspin in the twistier sections of London where I could stay in 2nd. Overall, the car was still a pretty nice one to drive, proving to be a relatively easy drive in the end. This is a good example of an American car that can actually take corners, which is pretty good.

The laptime this managed was a 1:01.782, just barely beating out the M3. You'd expect the results to be closer with the stats of the C12 - yet the gap was certainly very close indeed. Who knows why it was so close: the track, the setup of the Callaway or something else. The C12 underachieved just a little here.

Still, it gives you plenty of power. 454bhp is plenty when stock, and you shouldn't have to modify this too much ever. The weight is also OK, though you might wanna consider it reducing it some.

The price for one of these is very high, though. To be fair, it does pay off its 175,880 Cr. in most cases, but it is still a lot of money. And considering you're paying that much more compared to the M3, which is nearly as fast anyway...

But regardless, the C12 is a fine machine. It's still in the OCD, though I believe as of the writing of this review it'll be the last day before it gets overwritten by an update. So what are you waiting for??? Get it NOOOOOOOOOOW

But anyway, enough of the Callaway, we now move on to the next car. It is...

A Maserati GranTurismo S '08, coming at us in chocolate brown. **I move away from the review to link a video



Power: 442bhp
Weight: 1780kg
Price: 166,500 Cr.
Prize: Yes (Supercar Festival A-Spec)
Drivetrain: FR

This will make the perfect comparison to the M3 Coupe. Very similar stats overall, same drivetrain, same number of doors. But which is better?

There's only one way to find out...

TEST!!!

The GranTurismo also felt pretty good to drive, with very little difference between the two in terms of overall drive. Yet, the GranTurismo ended up with a slower time of 1:02.491, which was way off the pace of the other two cars tested at this point. The extra weight might well have taken its toll here.

Overall, the Maserati is probably more than powerful enough for most, but that weight is really a bit of a killer. Get it lowered quickly before it's too late!!!

The price is also far too high. This isn't really worth 166,500 Cr. You can win it from the Supercar Festival in A-Spec, but it's not really enough like the cars you even race in that event and even then it still has its flaws.

That's not to say it's a waste - it still looks great and all, but really, you won't find too much use for the car in GT Mode. Besides which, you can just race it anyway normally in Arcade Mode...

So with the GranTurismo failing to beat out the C12 for top spot, the last car with such a hope will be...

This black Lotus Esprit V8!

Power: 356bhp
Weight: 1380kg
Price: 116,520 Cr.
Prize: No
Drivetrain: MR

Again, this provides a good rival in the Callaway C12. The two are very similar forms of base, so we can match those two up together.

However, the Esprit is far different to anything else here. It has less power, but less weight too. It also has a turbo and is MR to differentiate from everything else here.

I think the Esprit looks really striking overall. The wedge, complete with big spoiler, just looks all around pretty awesome.

The time the Lotus set was a 1:01.7...36. Beating out the C12 and M3 barely, and meaning the top 3 were separated by less than a tenth. The lower weight and power meant an easier drive around a twisty course like London, despite the turbo and the MR drivetrain.

The Esprit is very much low on power compared to these cars, and so is a pretty good bet for extra powering up. Despite the lower weight, I would actually also recommend lowering it, because it just seems to be best for the car. It's meant to be a sportster, so why not make it go faster?

So the Esprit is the fastest of this lot, albeit not by much.

However, what I loved about this comparison was how even with the mechanics of the shuffle race, the whole thing seemed to all match up.

The M3 and GranTurismo were comparable, as were the C12 and Esprit. We also had Germany, America, Italy and the UK in the event...which might remind you of something.

"So we put the M3 against the GranTurismo, C12 and Esprit. We go to London to face them and wait for them to set their individual laptimes. If we have a better setup of the car overall, we can beat the three of them."
"Right, so what were the results of that?"
"........My Fuhrer........The M3......."
"........The M3 was beaten by the C12 and Esprit. Their lighter weight provided a better drive on the circuit and therefore, we were outdone by 8 hundredths of a second."
".............................Anyone who has owned an Audi...Mercedes...or VW...leave now"

Also, the Esprit even won on home turf.

All four of these cars are all pretty good in the end. The M3 has a ton of space for tuning up, the C12 is just fast, the Maserati looks good. The Esprit seems to do all of those things well though...I haven't bought one yet still, but it seems like a very good car for using in GT Mode here. But any of the other three will do you well, I'm sure.

Pictures and writing by C-ZETA

 

[Niku Driver HC]

"For England, Colin? Yes, James, for England." That Espirt is kinda dangerous, but it is a good GT, it seems. Too bad PD didn't bother to put the Granturismo MC in GT5, or else... That C12 is pretty much a better looking 'Vette, but it is a good effort.

 

[C-ZETA]

Clueless Tunes' Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG "Betta"
This is Betta. But which is betta?

There's only one way to find out...

DRIVE!!!

Clueless Tunes' Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG "Betta"
Stats
0-60: 3.251 seconds
0-100: 5.680 seconds
¼ mile: 10.470 seconds
1 mile: 24.920 seconds
Max Speed: 234.0mph
Max G-Force: 0.93G
Drivetrain: FR​

Clueless Tunes is mainly operated by Krenkme, who did the wonderful Dodge SRT4 that I drove previously. But he is not the only man who operates in the area of tuning in the garage. The other lad he has to work with is his team-mate and fellow tuner, Theo777, or Zigatan on PSN.

Theo brings a hint of serious tuning to the normally cheery Clueless Tunes, who normally tune wonders such as the Nissan Cube '02, the Ford Taurus...in pink, and the Honda Today. Theo hasn't tuned any of these.

What he has done instead is stuff like a Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution I, a Mazda RX-8 and this, the Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG "Betta".

On first impressions, Midnight Purple III. Good choice. 👍

Anyway, driving this thing is actually surprisingly easy. Given the huge power and the FR drivetrain, and the lack of downforce, Theo has done a good job to keep the SLS from causing a massive accident in the streets of Madrid here.

Even better is the sheer amount of power under the bonnet. There is about 830 different kinds of horse in the engine, and they all have been bred well. This thing is rapid in a straight line - it hits 170 easily on Madrid, which is not a track designed to rival Monza for straight line racing. That said, I was still in 5th doing it - it'd be nice if I could adapt and use the whole 7 gears at some point. Like an F1 racer! Yeah!

Though when you open the taps and actually give this thing an enormous 10000m straight to work with, it certainly does a good job. 234mph is ludicrous - and every time past the 0-60 mark is unbelievable too. So it's a blend of wonderful straight line speed and good cornering. I can certainly recommend this tune very much.

Especially with the Midnight Purple III paint. Trust me - I have it on the stock Skyline which you can only get it from, and it looks genuinely superb.

This is probably one of the best full SLS AMG tunes around here, certainly. It does something for everyone on the track, and works on both twisty roads and long straights. So what are you waiting for? Get it NOOOOOOOOWWWWWWWWWWW

Final Score: 16/20

Pictures and writing by C-ZETA

 

[uMadson?]

the C12 has the best sound of the four. For me, anyway.

 

[C-ZETA]

Dodge Ram 1500 Laramie Hemi Quad Cab '04
Ladies and gentlemen...welcome to...The Biggest Loser...USA!!!

Oh wait, this has already lost. ._.

Dodge Ram 1500 Laramie Hemi Quad Cab '04
Stats
Power: 351bhp
Weight: 2350kg
Price: 37,930 Cr.
Prize: Yes (IA License Bronze)
0-60: 7.666 seconds
0-100: 18.612 seconds
¼ mile: 16.042 seconds
1 mile: 39.787 seconds
Max Speed: 133.5mph
Max G-Force: 0.54G
Drivetrain: 4WD
Possible AI in: Pick-Up Truck Challenge​

The Dodge Ram debuted in GT4, where thanks to a horrifying error in said game involving its hex code placement among cars, was compared against the likes of the Honda S500, the Daihatsu Midget II and the Volkswagen Beetle '49 in the game. My god! So much fun!

Thankfully, the Ram is back to normal now. Though 'normal' is the wrong word for it.

This is indeed the third heaviest car in the game, behind the Jay Leno Tank Car and Land Rover Range Stormer, and also among the top 5 of trollsome cars in this game, coming up alongside mercenaries such as the Red Bull X2010/11, the Formula Gran Turismo, the Jay Leno Tank Car and the Bugatti Veyron. Though the Ram does repeatedly get into fights with the Range Stormer on occasion. Note how I have reviewed all of these in some form sans Tank Car.

But this here is a stock Ram, with a very silly hp output for its very silly weight. But of course, it's a truck, so yeah.

It also has 4WD. This could theoretically make it pretty good offroad, though stock it probably wouldn't make it around the gravel. Modified it might, though!

On the road though, here in Rome, it is actually pretty decent. It gets around corners alright, though it's not epically fast, despite the 4WD system. See, I told you 4WD works best!

Among the trucks in the game, this probably ranks about 4th out of 6 overall. The Silverado literally pastes it on the wall, unless you modify this thing up massively. The Tacoma and SVT, which are generally tied from what I see, also beat the Ram. However, there's no doubt the Ram is a lot faster than that crapmobile convertible, the SSR. Obviously Midget II is in no doubt, though one would love to ram those again with this thing!

But seriously, the Ram is not that bad. It does an OK job stock, though it won't do you too good a job in full on racing. Thankfully, you can modify it hugely, with massive power and a massive weight reduction to go with. This might par the Silverado after both of them are modded even, with the extra acceleration the Ram gets with 4WD. Down a proper straight it'll be close, but who knows. The Tacoma and SVT should keep up easily with it too, though the SSR won't. Of course a Midget II could beat a stock one of these in the Pick Up Truck Challenge...but you'd have to really master fast cornering, and Superspeedway Daytona will be impossible too.

So yes. This Ram is one of the 4 and a half trucks I can definitely recommend to you to try and drive. Yes it might be a bit of a joke character, but still it can be lethal. Buy it. It'll almost certainly be in the OCD at some point in the next x weeks, but for now it's the SSR and Silverado's turns to be in the spotlight, at once. If the SSR could have the roof down, it'd be so much better. Though the Silverado is really 🤬 fast. But why don't PD ever give the Midget II a turn?

Final Score: 13/20

Pictures and writing by C-ZETA

 

[Theo777]

Wow, someone borrowed the Clueless SLS! This was my first truly high powered +800hp tune that needed a comfortable chassis and high top speed for Nurbugring and overall track use. I am glad it gave an enjoyable drive despite the long gearing.
Just like a betta fish... it is as beautiful as it is aggressive.
Thank you for the great in depth review!

 

[C-ZETA]

Honda Insight '99
The original craze of the hybrid, or at least the first to try and bother doing something about the Prius.

Honda Insight '99
Stats
Power: 70bhp
Weight: 820kg
Price: 21,000 Cr.
Prize: No
0-60: 12.241 seconds
0-100: 35.414 seconds
¼ mile: 19.187 seconds
1 mile: 47.352 seconds
Max Speed: 126.2mph
Max G-Force: 0.38G
Drivetrain: FF
Possible AI in: None​

Honda's main hybrid intake comes from stuff like the Insight and...oh wait. Hang on.

*ahem* Honda's main hybrid intake comes from stuff like the current Insight, which is dull, and the CR-Z, which is pretty awesome if I'm honest. But this pre-empted them all. I give you, the old Insight!

Despite the identical name to Honda's modern day sleep-mobile, this actually looks more like it predated the CR-Z. You can see it in the looks, and, to be honest, the overall shape of the two are similar. The shape of the bonnet, some of the sides and the windows bear some similarity to the CR-Z. However, if you look deeply, the Insight seems to bear more similarity to a DC2 on sale at the same time as this.

And of course, the wheel covers make a difference. Oh yeah! Did I mention that? This thing has wheel covers!

Now you see where the Prius TC inspiration comes from.

The Insight overall looks certainly alright, though without being able to see the full pair of rear wheels, it does look a bit more spaceship like. And its technology was spaceship like, back in the day.

Obviously, the hybrid motor is present and all that jazz, built to rival the first Prius model. (Although the older Prius in this game is '02 spec which technically makes this the oldest hybrid, though the first Prius came along earlier IRL.) However, unlike the Prius, this is powered first and foremost by its petrol engine as opposed to being centrally powered by the electric motor and having just the one gear.

Overall, driving the Insight is a pretty calm task. It doesn't fidget about too much, and overall it does a good job in the handling sector. It does feel like it has some power behind it at least, though the times do suggest it is not going to be the greatest thing in the world in terms of getting you round a track. It does though have some torque behind it: though the torque stat is low, the engine was still keeping the car accelerating until a good bit down the straight. I somehow think it doesn't keep in mind the torque the electric motor gives, but it's not like it ran out or anything over the course of the 10000m it was given to travel down.

The Insight often tends to be another one of those cars that gets marked down as being too slow for the game, and, of course, hybrid technology hasn't made a whole chunk of fans even today, some 15 years after its production introduction. But the Insight was the start of the main attempts from Honda to bring it to light, and they have since proven the biggest rival to Toyota's mainstream hybrid cars. The Insight drives well, looks good and has had its general style carried on by the CR-Z, despite the new Insight model, which is more of a 4-door base and more of a rival to the Prius. This'll make for a good enough joke character, although the question of being able to make it lethal remains unanswered by me at least.

Final Score: 13/20

Pictures and writing by C-ZETA

 

[uMadson?]

The Insight looks more like a Civic to me.

 

[XDesperado67]

Properly tuned the SSR is a great truck. Not sure why your down on it. While not the fastest in stock form give it a good suspension and lsd and you can go scaring the piss out of the likes of Miatas and S2000s as they see that monster grill hanging with them around the twists and turns.

 

[Giygas]

Quickie:
DLC Car Pack 3​

Most Average in Pack: Aston Martin V12 Vantage '10
Most Disappointing in Pack: Lamborghini Aventador LP700-4 '11
Most Wrong in Pack: Mini Cooper S Countryman '11
Most Electric in Pack: Nissan Leaf G '11
Most Bonkers in Pack: Volkswagen 1200 '66

Pictures and writing by C-ZETA[/CENTER]

For me, the drive from the aventador was a bit predictable, seeing how the lp640 doesnt fare any better, and it certainly isnt an lp670. What really pisses me off about this car is that theres barely any races you can send it in ingame and not have it either completely smash the competition or get severly stomped on. arcade mode doesnt fare any better. Not only do you get standard-fare supercar competition(all of whom are underpowered), the lead car is also the mclaren f1, making it impossible at times to have any real fun.

 

[C-ZETA]

Renault 5 Turbo '80
The rally version was terrible. But is the road version better?

There's only one way to find out...

DRIVE!!!

Renault 5 Turbo '80
Stats
Power: 163bhp
Weight: 970kg
Price: 74,500 Cr.
Prize: No
Drivetrain: MR
Possible AI in: Tous France Championnat, Gran Turismo Rally Beginner​

The Renault 5 Turbo was one of the world's first truly explosive hot hatches. The Golf GTI was the original, but this one moved like lightning, no less because of the mid-mounted engine and the rear wheel drive.

But of course, you'll know that I drove the rally version of the Renault 5, the Maxi Turbo Rally Car. While this is not exactly a Maxi Turbo, being just a Turbo instead, you'll know that I found the 5 Maxi Turbo to be completely hopeless at anything that even looked like a corner. Or a straight.

But will this suffer the same fate?

Well, it won't.

The 5 Turbo is still a little bit slidy, certainly - anything MR or RR would be, even with just 30hp in the case of RR. But it certainly is not difficult to drive, with the light level of overall power giving you good control of the 5 Turbo.

I even think it looks pretty great as well. The overall shape is very cool already, but then the hood has a lovely scoop in the middle, then on the sides you have a huge great TURBO pasted on the side, along with a super-smooth looking set of intakes, and also some fresh looking wheels too.

Another thing to mention are the colours. There are only two of them, but they're both pretty cool. The blue you can get this thing in, Olympe, is probably the better looking colour, but this red paint is called 'Grenade'. Pretty cool, pretty badass and all. Though a colour called 'Grenade' would be more accurately painted an army green or grey.

The only real question mark with the Renault is the power. There's not as much of it as you would quite like with this Renault, if I'm honest. There seems like enough but sometimes it doesn't get down the straights with quite the speed you want it to. Also, the slidiness in the corners means it can be hard to actually take the corners, or get round them with speed.

But even so, this was Renault's first true crack at a hot hatch and it led them on to many great things. The Renault Clio Williams was truly awesome, and the Renaultsport range has since become the best range of hot hatches today. Granted, the Twingo isn't too fast, and the Clio is too good for my taste, much like the Volkswagen Up or, actually, the new Ford Focus ST, but the Megane is my favourite hot hatch on sale today, for so many different reasons. I can thank this for being its father.

Final Score: 14/20

Pictures and writing by C-ZETA

 

[alaingeronimo87]

I wonder how will the Renault 5 stand out against the Peugeot 205 T16. The 205 is great, but I never tried the 5 yet.

 

[C-ZETA]

Toyota Tacoma X-Runner '04
Toyota's truck is a contender for least used of the lot. But does it deserve such a title? Let's go off road to find out.

Toyota Tacoma X-Runner '04
Stats
Power: 249bhp
Weight: 1687kg
Price: 24,520 Cr.
Prize: No
0-60: 7.228 seconds
0-100: 18.130 seconds
¼ mile: 15.644 seconds
1 mile: 38.964 seconds
Max Speed: 142.2mph
Max G-Force: 0.56G
Drivetrain: FR
Possible AI in: Pick-Up Truck Challenge​

Toyota's truck in this game is the second least powerful truck in the game to start with, but also the second lightest in the game by a huge level - some 500kg lighter than its nearest competitor, the Ford SVT Lightning. Of course, the Daihatsu Midget II manages to have a full 8 times less HP but is better off to the tune of approximately 1,100kg in weight.

Toyota's Tacoma isn't really the most popular there is, mainly because it isn't made by any of Chevy, Ford or Dodge. Indeed, the Silverado is faster, the SSR more ridiculous, the F-150 more loved and the Ram more used for trolling. Even the Daihatsu Midget II outdoes this in the bought specs.

But is there any good behind Toyota's truck at all?

Well, rather than taking it for a drive on the road, we shall instead drive it off of it, despite the FR drivetrain.

And off road, it does a good job at being able to be driven. It is nice and loose, yet still able to be controlled and not a truck that will exactly cause a huge accident and result in some enormous fire.

Also, there is something to note in the event this shows up in, the Pick-Up Truck Challenge. Previously, the trucks were all kept stock, meaning the Silverado absolutely cleaned up, whilst the Tacoma was left to try and fight the Ford while staying ahead of the Dodge and leaving the SSR well behind.

However, since the first version of the event, the specs have now been changed to make the trucks all equal. The event is now based around the Ford, so while that remains stock, the Silverado has been toned down to nothing now, whilst the SSR and Ram can keep up. But it's the Tacoma that benefits from it the most, with it looking like the fastest of the trucks now in the event.

This comes rather down to the low weight, I find. While power is low, enough to make its PP supposedly identical to the SSR when stock, it has a low enough weight for you to actually be able to get it round corners. Obviously 1687kg by itself is not even slightly light, but for a truck, it's pretty awesome. I imagine this is probably the easiest of the trucks to use stock, with the possible exception of the Ram with the 4WD and all, but then that has a stupidly high weight. Of course the Midget II does put the Tacoma's values into touch but it's clear that the Tacoma is the faster truck.

Personally, between the 6 trucks in this game, your favourite will largely come down to personal feel. If you want your truck to be as quick as possible and make the world explode, get yourself a Silverado (available in the OCD right now). The SSR doesn't have much use now that you can't take the roof off like in GT4, but it is still there and it looks...different, I guess, so if you want to not drive a convertible, get yourself an SSR (also available in the OCD as of this review). Obviously, if you are 8, you will have a Ram. If you are a Ford fan, you will take the SVT. But if you just like a good drive, the Tacoma will do you just fine. It has some good looks, drives well even off road and will probably be OK on the road too with its low weight and low power. It's also a fairly cheap truck too, at just around the 25,000 Cr. mark, and with tuning can be made even lighter and be put to a strong 560bhp.

Of course, if none of those fit you, just get a Midget II. It'll probably be a great accomplice for you.

Final Score: 13/20

Pictures and writing by C-ZETA

 

[C-ZETA]

Ford Focus ST '06
We give you, a less chavvy hot hatch than people somehow make it out to be, but still a very orange and bulky thing.

Ford Focus ST '06
Stats
Power: 226bhp
Weight: 1430kg
Price: 32,000 Cr.
Prize: No
0-60: 7.089 seconds
0-100: 17.257 seconds
¼ mile: 15.499 seconds
1 mile: 38.440 seconds
Max Speed: 148.3mph
Max G-Force: 0.51G
Drivetrain: FF
Possible AI in: FF Challenge, European Championship (yes...you might well think that too), GT Rally Beginner​

I haven't driven the normal Focus ST a whole lot, if I'm honest. For the most part, I have always preferred a drive in a Megane, Golf or Delta. The hot hatch world is under-represented in this game, but even so I still haven't driven this Focus enough as I should probably.

The problem is, the new Focus ST has now arrived and is going into production soon. I do not like it to be honest. It is, supposedly, even better than the Golf GTI is today at being an all-rounder, and I do not like that. I'm sure that it is a good car, but I am not one for change at the top of this class. I'm not sure Vauxhall will be too happy either, as their GTC VXR has started being made at the same time as this and has been ousted slightly. And that isn't too bad if I'm honest, though I would personally still want a Megane RS these days...

But whatever. Enough of real world problems. This is GT5, and the Focus we have here is the last-spec Focus ST. The previous-previous Focus-spec RS and ST170 are here too, but the previous RS seems a little meh in this game and the ST170 isn't that perfect if I'm honest.

But what of this Focus, the Premium? Well, the orange paint is pretty wild, that we know. It is a little bit odd in some cases but not buying your Focus ST in it is kind of an injustice, if I'm honest.

But what of the actual driving? Well, it's not too great. On the gravel anyway, it doesn't really seem to be able to brake very well. Through the corners it can be a slight push as well, although the FF should be fine on the gravel. People have called in recent times for hot hatches to move to 4WD, and the previous Focus RS was one of these. VW adapted it to their Golf a while back but those hot hatches have never been a match for the GTI models. Or at least the V and VI weren't anyway.

I also am not a true fan of the looks. The Focus in general only ever has looked that good in the form it first was built in, where as this particular gen of Focus looks awfully bulky. It kinda shows here, and the weight of this ST is seen to be a high 1430kg. The new Focus has a kind of mixed look set: the new ST looks very huge as well.

One thing that the Focus falls short on as well is the powerband. It is kinda odd with the turbo on it. It does take a big toll on high speed, high RPM points, as I found on the speed test at Route X. In 5th gear, once it reached the high revs, it was strangling itself trying to get to 6th, then when it did finally shift, it all of a sudden found new power and started surging straight up again. Not a particularly easy thing to live with if I'm honest.

This Focus is not really a bad drive, but you can do much better in terms of hatchbacks or even general FF cars. Something like the CR-X del sol is a good bit more soulful (no pun intended.), a Prelude is probably a lot faster, a Mirage would handle better, and the biggest hitter, the Lantis, would do the whole thing better. The Focus really is rather outnumbered here as an FF, although there isn't exactly much wrong with buying one. Just, I'm telling you, there is better out there.

Final Score: 9/20

Pictures and writing by C-ZETA

 

[C-ZETA]

Clueless Tunes' Spoon Today G Type-R​

​

So you think this is just another silly tune? Well then sorry, but you are well and truly wrong this time.

Clueless Tunes' Spoon Today G Type-R
Stats
0-60: 9.816 seconds
0-100: 30.677 seconds
¼ mile: 17.768 seconds
1 mile: 45.232 seconds
Max Speed: 106.7mph
Max G-Force: 0.38G
Drivetrain: FF​

The Honda Today is one of the slowest cars in the game normally. And it comes from the 80s, which is a bit of an embarrassment. I mean, surely the car had been developed enough to be able to make everything then at least remotely fast...right? Still, this state of affairs allowed Krenkme, our fellow Clueless Tunes friend, to take it on board and try and tune it himself. Knowing him, he'd be able to turn this into another one of his general hilarity tunes...surely?

Well, it does actually look rather serious to start with. I mean, it isn't exactly called "Cheesy TV News Show Today", is it? I mean, this happens to be both a Spoon and a Type R, when it wasn't one to start with! There isn't even a Civic or Integra you can really do that on, to be honest.

But whatever. The actual point of a tune is to drive it, to see if it is any good. So...why not do that?

Now, you're probably thinking this will just be merely a car that is a general laugh to drive with the slowness but light weight of it all making GT5 think that it will be able to compete against high level sports cars because of the PP system and because the tuner put it on RS. But this isn't actually on RS...it's on Sports Hards. Which shows Krenkme clearly isn't actually doing this for craps or giggles.

In fact, this damn thing is hardly just a car. It's more of a compact demi-god of a car, because this does something that hardly anything that should do in this game does. Not be fast...but be just so much goddamn fun that you all love it.

The Mark I Golf GTI was renowned for being a fun little thing despite having hp in the range of the 110s. In this game, it isn't fun to be honest. You only truly get it for the name here.

Building one of the 1998 Mini Coopers in this game to a Mini Cooper S Mk2 1275S spec does not do the trick either. In real life, it was very much like the Golf eventually became: not great because of speed, but great because of sheer fun. And rally victories, of course. But I could build one of the old Coopers to the correct spec and I probably wouldn't have much fun there either.

This does in this game what the previous two could not in this game, or what the previous two do in real life. This thing is so, so, so, so, so much goddamn bloody frickin' fun..................and it has 80bhp. And it isn't turbocharged either. See what I mean???

Even though it doesn't go like hell, the cornering just defies most belief. This is effectively a slow motion Alfa Giulia TZ2 - it handles in pretty much the same way to that, with pretty much dead perfection. Plus, the racing exhaust on the Today gives it one bloody hell of a soundtrack too.

Krenkme also made it looks pretty damn nice too. He did jack the rear ride height to not quite the minimum, but close. In fact, the settings do look a little unorthodox for a car of this level, but clearly, Krenkme knows his facts because those unorthodox looking settings clearly do a bloody ton for the amazement this car brings me, and surely should bring you.

The new wheels on it are good looking too, in what I take to be Sunlight Yellow. You can't actually paint a Honda Today, but if you find one in Greek White, it'll look just as alike as any Championship White you've ever seen on a Type R.

The Today itself is obviously slow, but because it is pretty recent compared to classics of the same speed, it really is as cheap as chips in this game. The price for one of these is a miniscule 6,700 Cr. for one of these. A full tune does cost a great deal more, but trust me when I say it's worth it when you put this one on.

In fact, the Today was from memory, possibly the cheapest you could buy in the last game. Some might have come close, but the Today was easily the cheapest you could get then. Often, Todays in GT4 would show up for a price as little as 2,344 Cr. back then. That was cheaper than a racing exhaust even then...and it still is now. The Today still stands as the third cheapest car today, but the Midget II is now cheaper and of course there are the karts which are priced at just 5,000 Cr.

So then, how good is this tune from Krenkme? ...Stupidly good, that's how good. This defies the typical slow car expectation from a tune and actually manages to serve a real purpose: not in speed but sheer fun. As a matter of fact, the lack of speed is not going to be a downside in this case. The only slight comment is the fact that it took a full tune to get something this good, but then the AdrenaTune HKS CT230R is a tune too and look how that's done with me.

In fact...

This might well be around Top 5, overall, for things I have driven in this game. Perhaps, with the total neutering of the FTO STC by PD...maybe top 3. Very possibly.

Obviously the CT230R will give more of a thrill especially with the extra speed, although this is very similar in properties to the Alfa Giulia TZ2 as a general favourite. It handles well while not managing to be fast. Overall, I think it's very close between those two. There probably is something I have driven that I do know is better than this Today, but I don't know what they are right now. But to put this Today along the lines of such wonders as these, really is saying something.

I seriously, seriously urge you to try and find any sort of Today. No matter what the colour, even though you can't paint it. Get this tune on it, get in the thing and rejoice in its previously impossible ability in this game. Is there anything that can manage to do the same thing in any sort of form? ...Who knows. Probably one of the best I have driven this year. If not, the best...there's still 5ish months to match it though. Come on lads, what have you got?

Final Score: 19/20

Pictures and writing by C-ZETA

 

[krenkme]

Wow. That's all I can really say, wow, and thank you

For a tune that started out as a joke tune for a mini-shootout prize, it has taken on a life of its own. I am very happy that you enjoyed it, and amazed that you liked it that much. If you don't have one of your own, you will very soon

Thanks again, you are too kind

 

[TCSTigersClaw]

Great reviews! I cany stop reading ! Possible Ibiza Cupra review??? hot hatch comparison or something!

 

[obsessive rules]

Any reviews in the works?

 

[N05TALG1A]

Hi, I'm new here and wanted to say, love the reviews, I love reading them but you'll of heard this gushy ran stuff before.

Great work Zeta!

 

[Onboy123]

No, you are not new, look above you. Strange how you share the same place and PSN ID, huh?