Matej
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- Zagreb
How Many Driven Wheels?
Mode: Simulation Mode
Test Circuit: Trial Mountain II, SSR5 Wet
Tires: Simulation tires (T0)
TCS/ASM: 0/0
Mode: Simulation Mode
Test Circuit: Trial Mountain II, SSR5 Wet
Tires: Simulation tires (T0)
TCS/ASM: 0/0
Three completely different cars sharing only one element - four-wheel drive - have been put to the test. Are we going to leave traction issues to Impreza and Lancer Evolution companions or is it possible to find alternatives elsewhere?
Day I
Volkswagen New Beetle RSi '00
(4WD, 218hp, 1156kg)
Volkswagen New Beetle RSi '00
(4WD, 218hp, 1156kg)
If you endorse steroids in sports, you may just be one of 250 lucky buyers who bought VW's craziest product of that time - the Beetle RSi. The way I see it, the car was built merely to emphasize launch of the New Beetle (it is loosely based on Cup editions that ran as part of promotional campaign), which is why performance-wise it isn't really notable. In Gran Turismo 3 though, things are different as the RSi is much lighter than reality advises, leaving reasons to question what it could really do.
Frankly, I was surprised. Understeer is highly concealed and the body is rigid enough to transmit plenty of feedback from the road. The 4Motion four-wheel drive system takes part in car's rotation only for fraction of a second, usually it just allows the car to keep the momentum of going sideways before all four tires regain traction and that is all. That is why it is necessary to break the traction on the rear axle when approaching a corner and rotate the car with weight transfer as much as possible. That may prove to be difficult as the RSi is more adaptive to grip driving style. Well, the good thing is that it doesn't allow understeer to interfere when applying throttle, so I think that it offers a good compromise overall, especially on wet surface.
The 6-speed gearbox is great and exhaust sound brilliant. I have enjoyed driving the RSi, it is hard to deny it. It may look ridiculous, but in some very sensitive domains it performs better than more powerful cars. Great!
Day II
Audi S4 '99
(4WD, 253hp, 1510kg)
Audi S4 '99
(4WD, 253hp, 1510kg)
Here it is, one of the earlier Autobahn performance cruisers made by Audi. We have driven this car quite a lot and I'm sure many of us will confirm how interesting selection of colors used to be very efficient factor in recruiting new buyers. Captivated by its charming presence, the buyers would often forget about its limitations. I certainly won't.
It is said that permanent Quattro four-wheel drive system should have advantage over automatic 4Motion system, but in this game these differences don't have any effect. As far as operation is relevant, it is actually the opposite. Upon applying throttle on corner exits, the car tends to pull outwards, much like FWD cars would. Understeer also becomes pronounced on corner entries (the front axle often can't endure pressure), reducing chance to initiate rear end sliding. In lieu of keeping the car on rails (as I would expect) and applying slight 'let's pull inwards' force, the Quattro system on this car has been compromised a lot by overly relying on front axle, which reduces qualities of its cornering abilities and blends the S4 into bottle of repetitiveness. The chassis isn't too responsive either, but I never expected it to betray grand tourer standards anyway - don't forget this car was primarily built for high-speed cruise missions where comfort is still very important factor.
All in all, I expected more from the S4. I remember the 2.8 V6 A4 model from Gran Turismo 2, that car really had qualities recognized by Quattro owners. Therefore, I would recommend installing VCD thing - try fixing that distribution if possible. On the plus size, the V6 powerplant is a quality aggregate; linear range of torque from low to mid-rpm range allows for quick dashes in drag races without usual reving. I just wish it was louder...
Day III
Toyota Celica GT-Four '95
(4WD, 243hp, 1380kg)
Toyota Celica GT-Four '95
(4WD, 243hp, 1380kg)
Although it was never a welcome guest in courtyard of various Impreza and Lancer Evolution guardians, the Celica GT-Four is the closest thing you'll get to WRC road-going genes if you decide you actually need some.
The 4WD system found on the Celica is by far the best of the three. It does not lean to understeer and it often allows for mild throttle-steer modulation as on FR cars. True, the Celica can drift through corners, at least on these tires and on this track. Clearly a level above what the RSi had, let alone the S4. The chassis feels soft in comparison with the RSi, but that could be the weight difference taking role in deception. I noticed it is actually very sophisticated, allowing for tight cornering line while retaining enough weight on both axles to let you feel limits of the tires.
The Celica does have one problem that we like to point out when dealing with it - general speed. Without 6th gear around the engine struggles to pull from lower revs, even if you keep on shifting manually. That is why installing Close gearbox is very helpful and cheap method to salvation. Plus, I noticed that the body doesn't allow tires to enjoy roaming out of control for too long, the body will suppress sliding activities quickly. It could be downforce (it can be fully adjusted in the game!) playing role of an electronic stability device, but it may be the weight of the body as well. Minor portions of understeer are usually unpredictable when they decide to appear and on wet surface the car has tendency to roll away, even though I tried to be extremely pedantic with throttle modulation. Pih!
Nevertheless, today the Celica was fun and even if it had several problems, at least it is easy to tell how to fix them, where to start.
Final Standings
Volkswagen New Beetle RSi '00
Toyota Celica GT-Four '95
Audi S4 '99
Volkswagen New Beetle RSi '00
Toyota Celica GT-Four '95
Audi S4 '99
Conclusion
I think I would opt for the RSi. Sometimes I run away from 5-speed turbocharged cars that suffer from lag and below average exhaust sound. None of this issues exist on the RSi, which is why found it to be enjoyable machine, something different for me. The Celica would certainly receive points if I had to select a challenging car because, frankly, you do have to know how to drive the Celica in order to bring its best. As for the S4... well, it seems that colors do affect buyers. After spending some time with it, I didn't find anything else that would encourage me to return behind the wheel of that car once more. It could be Simulation tires, poorly modeled Quattro system or soft undercarriage. I don't know what it is, but whatever it is (and I'm quite positive that all it is), it negatively affects my verdict.
Lap times - all three cars can hit 1'49 easily, but all of them won't be as consistent in achieving identical times. The easiest learning curve goes to the RSi, even amateur drivers should keep on seeing close lap times. The soft configuration of the S4 can negatively affect lap times unless you learn to keep the weight steady. The Celica is not much better either - before you learn how to shift gears and how to get along with sliding, lap times may vary quite a lot.
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