Car of the Week 228: COTY GTS Finale

[Obelisk]

I wish my work schedule gave me room for Tuesday nights.

In lieu of racing (and a proper review), I'll drop my 2¢ on the brand new A110.

I really quite like it. It has a great amount of grip and good oomph under acceleration without being too haywire when it gets close to losing traction. In a way, it reminds of the old racers that they run at Goodwood Revival but with more grip - best run at the edge of traction with one error putting the back out.

It's also bloody quick for a N200 car.

Sleeper.

 

[Rinsky]

Alpine A110 Premiere Edition 2017 (N300)

So last week we tested out the N-300 Civic that had a massive amount of understeer but this week we go completely in the other direction as the A110 has a huge amount of oversteer.

I like some oversteer in my cars as it can make them really fun to drive. And unlike understeer one way to combat oversteer is to go faster and the A110 responded well to being driven fast.

I took the Alpine once again to the GT League to see how it would do in every event it was eligible to enter. I Also do my testing in the most basic way the game allows. 100% completely stock, DS4, automatic transmission and ABS only.
The Alpine had no problems beating every event is was eligible for.

I was really surprised at just how well the A110 did on Sport Hard tires as it still allows you to drive the wheels off of it without losing to much control. It will kick the rear out on you when pushing it hard but you never feel like your not in control as it's very stable even when it's not thus making drifting around corners a breeze.

Online race night really amplified the cars abilities to be pushed hard under race conditions. Everyone was having fun in this car and that made the competition very fast & consistent. I got to say racing with this talented group again makes most of Sport Mode feel like child's play.

The Alpine A110 Premiere Edition 2017 (N300) is most definitely an all around great car. It really doesn't have one feature that stands out as impressive over the others but it's when all those little features come together that makes this car shine. No matter your skill level this car is one you should absolutely own and gets my vote as a great Sleeper.

 

[Baron Blitz Red]

View attachment 766014

A110 Premiere Edition 2017 (N300)

So last week we tested out the N-300 Civic that had a massive amount of understeer but this week we go completely in the other direction as the A110 has a huge amount of oversteer.

I like some oversteer in my cars as it can make them really fun to drive. And unlike understeer one way to combat oversteer is to go faster and the A110 responded well to being driven fast.

I took the Alpine once again to the GT League to see how it would do in every event it was eligible to enter. I Also do my testing in the most basic way the game allows. 100% completely stock, DS4, automatic transmission and ABS only.
The Alpine had no problems beating every event is was eligible for.

I was really surprised at just how well the A110 did on Sport Hard tires as it still allows you to drive the wheels off of it without losing to much control. It will kick the rear out on you when pushing it hard but you never feel like your not in control as it's very stable even when it's not thus making drifting around corners a breeze.

Online race night really amplified the cars abilities to be pushed hard under race conditions. Everyone was having fun in this car and that made the competition very fast & consistent. I got to say racing with this talented group again makes most of Sport Mode feel like child's play.

The Alpine A110 Premiere Edition 2017 (N300) is most definitely an all around great car. It really doesn't have one feature that stands out as impressive over the others but it's when all those little features come together that makes this car shine. No matter your skill level this car is one you should absolutely own and gets my vote as a great Sleeper.

Personally, I'd give @Rinsky 's car my vote for the Livery of the Week as well... I really liked the look of it! Well Done!!!

Cheers

 

[Rinsky]

Personally, I'd give @Rinsky 's car my vote for the Livery of the Week as well... I really liked the look of it! Well Done!!!

Cheers

Thank you for the kind words on my livery.

 

[Baron Blitz Red]

Worth waiting for this French Kiss...

One of the benefits of COTW is getting to drive a car that's been ignored in my garage. Now after not only driving it, but racing it against people I know can put me to the test, I'm shaking my head in disbelief that this was under the radar in the first place.

Even with the stock SH tyres, it handles extremely well under pressure... and trust you me, I felt the pressure in a few races Tuesday night. She can dance on the edge of losing control, but keeps you going and loving every minute. It has everything you could want and more... looks, performance and that "Je ne sais quoi" aspect that draws you in deeper. I'm in love!

She's a Sleeper and a Keeper!!!

Cheers

 

[JackRyanWMU]

Going to make it quick since I leave for vacation to Montana on Sunday Morning. Good car, quick and responsive handling. One of the best options in its performance class. Bonafide Sleeper.

See you in October!

 

[Draggon]

I'm a bit late with my ( short ) review because I've been putting the miles on my Alpine I had put a tune on as soon as I bought it, and until Tuesday night, I'd never driven it out of the box. I was certainly surprised by what a great little car it is. I really cannot find any faults, and that's a rare thing for me. It's very capable stock, and can be a weapon upgraded and tuned.

I'm looking forward to next weeks victim

The obligatory photo.

 

[Racer283]

Last weeks car the Alpine A110 '17 was pretty fun to drive and it had kinda the same characteristics as the original A110. It produced some close races between all of us and it will definitely be a keeper.

Now onto this weeks car it's the Toyota S-FR Racing Concept chosen by @Baron

Ok... let's start with a "new to Gran Turismo" car and one of the bigger surprises, in my humble opinion, on a number of fronts... and it's not too expensive for those who haven't been playing GT Sport as long as I have.

The 2016 S-FR Racing Concept!!!

Thanks again for letting me pick!

Cheers

 

[TonyJZX]

I believe this has no dash? Its an n400 car and i found it to be very competitive given that its an actual race car given the track doesnt demand power.

I wish they even put in a fake dash like they did in GT6.

 

[Alpha Cipher]

When do the lobbies happen? I'd love to be with you guys whenever I get the chance

 

[Racer283]

When do the lobbies happen? I'd love to be with you guys whenever I get the chance

Every Tuesday at 10pm CST

 

[Alpha Cipher]

Every Tuesday at 10pm CST

Aww I can't join
Thanks for the heads up though

 

[Racer283]

Aww I can't join
Thanks for the heads up though

No problem.

 

[Rinsky]

Aww I can't join
Thanks for the heads up though

You should try at least once. Its great fun between all of us.

 

[Alpha Cipher]

You should try at least once. Its great fun between all of us.

I'd love to but I have school
Hopefully it continues to December though where we'll get a one-month break

 

[Draggon]

Great choice by Baron this week. I love this car!

 

[Rinsky]

Great choice by Baron this week. I love this car!

I feel completely opposite about this car. Not because of the car itself but because how PD categorized it. It basically ruined any N-Class racing near it's class. It's a concept race car and not a street car and doesn't belong with normal road cars.
The car on its own is great.

Oh yeah it also has no cockpit.

 

[Racer283]

I'd love to but I have school
Hopefully it continues to December though where we'll get a one-month break

We plan to keep it going until they pull the plug on the servers.

 

[TonyJZX]

I also feel like this car is an allegory for the whole "GT Sport being delayed" thing.

The S-FR was revealed in 2015 or so and they put it in GT Sport to be released as a game tentatively in 2016.

Then GT Sport got delayed and the S-FR got 'soft cancelled'.

Not surprising since the world market for 1.5 litre turbo rwd targas isnt enough to make money on... to put this into perspective, its not even sure that the GT86 BRZ makes that much money for Toyota and Subaru but like the Nissan 370z they will still make it 10yrs from now since the tooling exists and it probably pays for its own way.

So here we have a stillborn car in what was a perennially delayed game. Its a vignette into that period of time back in '15/'16. Its nice to think of what may have been.

 

[Baron Blitz Red]

Its an n400 car and i found it to be very competitive given that its an actual race car given the track doesnt demand power.

It's a concept race car and not a street car and doesn't belong with normal road cars.

I liken it to the Toyota FT86 Sports G Concept car shown in GT6... it was considered a "Tuner" car that had about 70ish PP above the normal 86 versions, and was kitted out in a similar style. On the flip side of things, even the 86 Race Car Base model had lower a PP value than the "normal" 86/FRS/BRZ versions.

Cheers

 

[TonyJZX]

I feel like GT6 was released at the height of the GT86 release so it had heaps of them. Not sure if they were showcased properly in events.

Now it seems there's still like a lot of 86s in GT Sport but again, not much actual events to run them.

That white GRMN edition? What for?

 

[Baron Blitz Red]

That white GRMN edition? What for?

https://autowise.com/the-toyota-gt86-grmn-finally-got-more-power-but-for-an-insane-price/

Cheers

 

[Racer283]

If anyone would like to do the races tomorrow I can set the room up. Also I would like to have a back up host incase I can't make it on time or if I for some reason my internet fails we have someone that can run the room. Usually for me it will be once a month where I will be running behind and can't have the room open by 10pm.

 

[MidFieldMaven]

At Suzuka East, the S-FR Racing Concept ties the Nissan GT-R Nismo, stock vs. stock with low 55 second lap times.
At Tsukuba, it ties the Alfa Romeo 4C Gr.3 Road Car and Ford GT40 Mark I with low 61 second lap times.

Incredible car with fantastic handling in-and-out of corners.

 

[Baron Blitz Red]

The Toyota S-FR RC... a concept that should have been reality!

When I was given notice that I would be picking this week's car, I wanted to showcase something new to the series of Gran Turismo. Just fresh from loving the new Alpine, I wanted something to match it. Having used this car before in the Career portion of the game, my mind was made up.

There's not much to gripe about this car... maybe the looks of her, and it could use some better brakes in my opinion. Besides that, I thought it more than worthy of giving the COTW group a taste of her in the slim off-chance that some of you may have virgin S-FR RC's in your stables. It's more than just capable of being an agile corner carver, as the handling is spot on for most technical tracks. Whatever time you might lose in the straights can EASILY be made up in the twisty's. And for the price of her, I can't see anyone NOT being impressed with her... at all.

I was surprised by how much I enjoyed this car, and hopefully some of you were as well.

Sleeper and a Keeper!

Cheers

 

[Quonceito]

The Toyota S-FR RC... a concept that should have been reality!

When I was given notice that I would be picking this week's car, I wanted to showcase something new to the series of Gran Turismo. Just fresh from loving the new Alpine, I wanted something to match it. Having used this car before in the Career portion of the game, my mind was made up.

There's not much to gripe about this car... maybe the looks of her, and it could use some better brakes in my opinion. Besides that, I thought it more than worthy of giving the COTW group a taste of her in the slim off-chance that some of you may have virgin S-FR RC's in your stables. It's more than just capable of being an agile corner carver, as the handling is spot on for most technical tracks. Whatever time you might lose in the straights can EASILY be made up in the twisty's. And for the price of her, I can't see anyone NOT being impressed with her... at all.

I was surprised by how much I enjoyed this car, and hopefully some of you were as well.

Sleeper and a Keeper!

Cheers

I was racing with this exact car just last night in my good buddy's Hawksters lobby. It was certainly the first time I had gotten behind the wheel of it and I have to admit, it's a really, really fun car to drive.

I wouldn't say it does any one thing "great" but I will say it does everything "good". It's very stable and easy to manage.

(Figured I would comment since this is such a coincidence of my first drive and nowing seeing this post in less than 24 hours)

 

[Rinsky]

This weeks car is the Love it or Hate it

S-FR Racing Concept 2016 (N400)

I'm not a huge fan of where this car is located within the game. After all it's a concept race car placed in the N-400 Class among regular Road Cars that stand almost no chance against it.
It definitely belongs in the Gr.X class with the rest of the Concept no cockpit cars.

My testing for this car went a little different this week as I felt no need to test it in every GT League event it could enter. Like I said above it's a Race Car and easily wins those events against regular Road Cars.

This is not a powerful Car and seeing that it sits in the N-400 Class there are other cars with a lot more power on tap. But with downforce of a 100/200 it can definitely hug the corners with ease and makes up the time for it's lack of HP.
That is until you drive it completely stock with SH tires which makes the car develop quite a lot of understeer and push throughout. I think everyone was a little surprised by how badly it handled with SH tires, all while knowing a simple tire upgrade would really changed this cars abilities.

The car proved to be great come online race night and once again we found ourselves in close tight battles in every race. About half way through our night we decided to upgrade to SS tires to do away with the cars understeer. Not only was the car much happier so were we.

If your the type of person who likes a challenge in GT League or Online against multiple types of cars within a specific class (N-300 & N-400) then this car is not for you.
If your the type of person who likes to win by a mile in GT League or Online against multiple types of cars within a specific class (N-300 & N-400) then this car is definitely for you.

The S-FR Racing Concept is very friendly to people of all skill levels and setups. No it won't make you an alien, but a person using the DS4 & Automatic Transmission can still put the pressure on against someone using the same car with a Wheel and Manual Transmission.

My vote is Sleeper
I just wish it wasn't such a one trick pony.

 

[Quonceito]

View attachment 767811

This weeks car is the Love it or Hate it

S-FR Racing Concept 2016 (N400)

I'm not a huge fan of where this car is located within the game. After all it's a concept race car placed in the N-400 Class among regular Road Cars that stand almost no chance against it.
It definitely belongs in the Gr.X class with the rest of the Concept no cockpit cars.

My testing for this car went a little different this week as I felt no need to test it in every GT League event it could enter. Like I said above it's a Race Car and easily wins those events against regular Road Cars.

This is not a powerful Car and seeing that it sits in the N-400 Class there are other cars with a lot more power on tap. But with downforce of a 100/200 it can definitely hug the corners with ease and makes up the time for it's lack of HP.
That is until you drive it completely stock with SH tires which makes the car develop quite a lot of understeer and push throughout. I think everyone was a little surprised by how badly it handled with SH tires, all while knowing a simple tire upgrade would really changed this cars abilities.

The car proved to be great come online race night and once again we found ourselves in close tight battles in every race. About half way through our night we decided to upgrade to SS tires to do away with the cars understeer. Not only was the car much happier so were we.

If your the type of person who likes a challenge in GT League or Online against multiple types of cars within a specific class (N-300 & N-400) then this car is not for you.
If your the type of person who likes to win by a mile in GT League or Online against multiple types of cars within a specific class (N-300 & N-400) then this car is definitely for you.

The S-FR Racing Concept is very friendly to people of all skill levels and setups. No it won't make you an alien, but a person using the DS4 & Automatic Transmission can still put the pressure on against someone using the same car with a Wheel and Manual Transmission.

My vote is Sleeper
I just wish it wasn't such a one trick pony.

I'll agree on the no cockpit view. That was an adjustment for me. I only drive inside.

 

[Rinsky]

I'll agree on the no cockpit view. That was an adjustment for me. I only drive inside.

Same for me about 98% of the time

 

[Baron Blitz Red]

I'll agree on the no cockpit view. That was an adjustment for me. I only drive inside.

Same for me about 98% of the time

I'm a bumper cam guy, and have been for over two decades now... I'd be lost without it tbh. Here in GTSport, it also gives me the advantage of a rear view mirror. Definitely a plus in my humble opinion.

Even though I've tried other ways, I'm also using a controller and using automatic transmission still, to this day. I know MT is usually faster overall, but it's still a point of pride that I can hang with some people using a proper kit (wheel, MT, racing rig). I'll admit though, my way has lost its edge here in GTSport, as the spread has gotten larger, depending on the person of course.

Cheers