Master_Yoda
(Banned)
- 4,010
i will!RICHARDOHelloI was wondering if someone could do a review of the Celica XX2800. I'd do it myself but I'm too busy to write a full review. Thanks
Test Drives
- Thread starter Kosheen
- 129 comments
- 5,830 views
Listed below is the start of my search for the greatest car on GT4 (without driving aids, and all on Arcade Mode):
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Lotus
Elan: has 163 BHP/tonne and, despite having been made in 1962, is the best-handling Lotus. Point the wheel wherever you want, and it will follow with minimal fuss and tyre squeal. However, it only reached 100mph on the long straight, so made the slowest Lotus lap-time of 1'53.993. However, I award this a close second for its handling ability.
Elise Type 72: the joint best looking (all Elise models have the best styling of the Lotuses), and handles brilliantly. Though not quite as smooth as the Elan, it still corners with little fuss and does the job pretty well. However, the Type 72 more than makes up for this small handling difference in speed, putting it almost six seconds ahead at 1'48.273. It made 111mph on the back straight, and has 159 BHP/tonne making it, paradoxically, less powerful than the Elan. Oh well.
Europa Special: though not the worst designed Lotus (that joy comes later), it is pretty mad. It actually looks like it has rivets poking out of the sides, which doesn't bode well for a great time. It has 179 BHP/tonne and, bearing in mind that this is a car the size of a slipper, it promises thoroughly psychotic handling. And believe me, when I first drove it it nearly sent me spinning into a concrete wall. And that would have been even less pretty than the car in uncrashed form. But once I stopped pushing quite so hard, it made a reasonable laptime of 1'49.371, and actually got up to a respectable 112mph on the straight.
Elise 111S: maybe it was the garish blue paint, or perhaps the aerial sticking proudly from the roof, I thought this car looked distinctly worse than the Type 72 from earlier, or the 111R I had to drive directly after. However, it isn't so much of a brute to drive, since any handling problems can be corrected even with unbelievable ease. Still not quite as good as the Elan though. 191 BHP/tonne allows it to get to 119mph, and achieve a laptime of 1'44.652.
Elise 111R: this was it. Undoubtedly this was the best looking Lotus I had driven or would drive that day. It seemed to shout "Look at me! Look at how fast I can go!" like some hyperactive toddler. Around the track I have to say that the handling was near-perfect (though with a slight hint of oversteer), and managed 125mph, and a time of 1'42.230.
Motor Sport Elise: remember when I said about all Elise models being the best styled? Well I lied. This is one of the most boring car fronts I could ever imagine. But the back looks like Sonic the Hedgehog so I suppose that makes up for it. But the styling belied its driving ability - it flew around the track. Though I suppose that's what you'd expect if your car had 287 BHP/tonne and weighed less than a Lego Brick. Its handling is better than the 111R's, but I suppose that's to cope with high-speed corners. All in all, it managed to set the second fastest laptime of the day, with a 1'41.271.
Esprit Turbo HC: not the same Esprit than Bond used sadly, but it's fast all the same. It made a laptime of 1'42.847 which, when you consider it's nearly 20 years old, isn't that bad really. Nor is its value of BHP/tonne, which is a surprisingly high 187. Classic eighties styling though, so one of the most boring shapes on Earth. It did reach a very respectable 126mph though, so it is pretty quick.
Esprit V8: "What's this?" I hear you cry, "A car from 2002 that looks like it came from the eighties?!?!" Ah but it's all too true I'm afraid. The only real difference is a spoiler at the back end. But this doesn't do justice to that V8 under the bonnet. It manages to evoke a massive 256 BHP/tonne, and reached (wait for it) 138mph on the straight. However, it does have some slight understeer, and that design means that it misses out on best Lotus.
Carlton: being a joint venture between Lotus and Vauxhall (the British name for Opel), I really didn't think this would do well. And at first try, it didn't - about halfway round it catapulted me into a wall (alright, so it was at only about ten mph, but I was still fightened of pushing it too hard from then on). So on my next lap I drove like an old lady, but still made a time of 1'44.371, so I conclude that this car just has too much power (277 BHP/tonne to be exact). What's more, it has handling worse than the Europa. It did manage 135mph on the straight though.
Verdict: the car I found most fun to drive, giving a general overview of speed, handling, and looks, was...the Elise 111R
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More will be coming soon.
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Lotus
Elan: has 163 BHP/tonne and, despite having been made in 1962, is the best-handling Lotus. Point the wheel wherever you want, and it will follow with minimal fuss and tyre squeal. However, it only reached 100mph on the long straight, so made the slowest Lotus lap-time of 1'53.993. However, I award this a close second for its handling ability.
Elise Type 72: the joint best looking (all Elise models have the best styling of the Lotuses), and handles brilliantly. Though not quite as smooth as the Elan, it still corners with little fuss and does the job pretty well. However, the Type 72 more than makes up for this small handling difference in speed, putting it almost six seconds ahead at 1'48.273. It made 111mph on the back straight, and has 159 BHP/tonne making it, paradoxically, less powerful than the Elan. Oh well.
Europa Special: though not the worst designed Lotus (that joy comes later), it is pretty mad. It actually looks like it has rivets poking out of the sides, which doesn't bode well for a great time. It has 179 BHP/tonne and, bearing in mind that this is a car the size of a slipper, it promises thoroughly psychotic handling. And believe me, when I first drove it it nearly sent me spinning into a concrete wall. And that would have been even less pretty than the car in uncrashed form. But once I stopped pushing quite so hard, it made a reasonable laptime of 1'49.371, and actually got up to a respectable 112mph on the straight.
Elise 111S: maybe it was the garish blue paint, or perhaps the aerial sticking proudly from the roof, I thought this car looked distinctly worse than the Type 72 from earlier, or the 111R I had to drive directly after. However, it isn't so much of a brute to drive, since any handling problems can be corrected even with unbelievable ease. Still not quite as good as the Elan though. 191 BHP/tonne allows it to get to 119mph, and achieve a laptime of 1'44.652.
Elise 111R: this was it. Undoubtedly this was the best looking Lotus I had driven or would drive that day. It seemed to shout "Look at me! Look at how fast I can go!" like some hyperactive toddler. Around the track I have to say that the handling was near-perfect (though with a slight hint of oversteer), and managed 125mph, and a time of 1'42.230.
Motor Sport Elise: remember when I said about all Elise models being the best styled? Well I lied. This is one of the most boring car fronts I could ever imagine. But the back looks like Sonic the Hedgehog so I suppose that makes up for it. But the styling belied its driving ability - it flew around the track. Though I suppose that's what you'd expect if your car had 287 BHP/tonne and weighed less than a Lego Brick. Its handling is better than the 111R's, but I suppose that's to cope with high-speed corners. All in all, it managed to set the second fastest laptime of the day, with a 1'41.271.
Esprit Turbo HC: not the same Esprit than Bond used sadly, but it's fast all the same. It made a laptime of 1'42.847 which, when you consider it's nearly 20 years old, isn't that bad really. Nor is its value of BHP/tonne, which is a surprisingly high 187. Classic eighties styling though, so one of the most boring shapes on Earth. It did reach a very respectable 126mph though, so it is pretty quick.
Esprit V8: "What's this?" I hear you cry, "A car from 2002 that looks like it came from the eighties?!?!" Ah but it's all too true I'm afraid. The only real difference is a spoiler at the back end. But this doesn't do justice to that V8 under the bonnet. It manages to evoke a massive 256 BHP/tonne, and reached (wait for it) 138mph on the straight. However, it does have some slight understeer, and that design means that it misses out on best Lotus.
Carlton: being a joint venture between Lotus and Vauxhall (the British name for Opel), I really didn't think this would do well. And at first try, it didn't - about halfway round it catapulted me into a wall (alright, so it was at only about ten mph, but I was still fightened of pushing it too hard from then on). So on my next lap I drove like an old lady, but still made a time of 1'44.371, so I conclude that this car just has too much power (277 BHP/tonne to be exact). What's more, it has handling worse than the Europa. It did manage 135mph on the straight though.
Verdict: the car I found most fun to drive, giving a general overview of speed, handling, and looks, was...the Elise 111R
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More will be coming soon.
- 40,875
You missed two key Lotuses: Esprit Sport 350 (clears up the understeer problem completely, and it weighs less than the Esprit V8) and the Elise Sport 190 (same as the 111R, but lighter, faster and torquier). Otherwise, great write-up. 👍
I'm thinking about doing one for a certain mid-engined car. Is that okay?
I'm thinking about doing one for a certain mid-engined car. Is that okay?
- 270
**cough cough** how was my report?
Sorry TW didn't realise I hadn't said - it was very well written, and I like how it went into depth that wasn't in GT4, like the interiors and so on. This research is a good thing.
Sorry for the rushed review,
Kosheen
PS Bought those 2 Lotuses so I'll edit the report to include them sometime.
Sorry for the rushed review,
Kosheen
PS Bought those 2 Lotuses so I'll edit the report to include them sometime.
- 270
thank you kosheen
