Car Reviewing

[NormanVauxhall]

There is any news or update about the next car comparison?
I'm very curious about it.

[Cheeseman]

That moment when you realise how long you have gone without doing anything car review related, let alone check the forums properly...

So I am here and I am posting on the car reviewing thread. "Does that mean the car comparison is done?" you ask. The answer is no, and it never will be. Sorry chaps, but we are now into the open beta of the update to the Steam version, the version of the game that came out after I started the comparison, so there is no chance of me being able to get photos, get the information I didn't have etc. What I can do however is give you the results!!!


THE EXTREMELY LATE RESULTS TO THE 3RD COMPARISON

8TH: Cottam Arabella IS
Unfortunately, Pleb, your executive car came last in this test with an average three stars, like a couple of others. This, in all honesty, surprised me as I was expecting a similar result to the glorious, fast and fun Vector you sent me when car reviewing began. When I got to the scoring I constantly noticed that the car was designed to be more of an all rounder than the Vector, but the areas that improved didn't improve enough and it sacrificed a lot in many areas. There were some decent points, plenty of which got four stars, such as reliability and interior quality, but when compared to the rest it was just rather mediocre. That, plus when you factor in that, along with six other cars in this comparison, it pushed the budget to the limit, it ended up placing this in last.

7TH: ManHell Takir P
One of our forum's favourites when it comes to car design, Razyx, sits in seventh place. Yet again, I thought that this would have been one of the cars sitting in one of the top spots, but it turns out I was wrong. This car had some seriously strong points, but there were also some extremely weak points. I couldn't get my head around how quickly the car could be thrown into a bend and how much lighter and more agile it felt than a car of it's class, the acceleration rivalled 500+ bhp sports cars (and it had a V8 that sounded awesome), and it seems pretty damn reliable. The driving aspect was truly amazing, and I have to say now that if anybody was looking for a fun executive car, the Takir P would be the one to get. Unfortunately, the car didn't do the executive car bit very well. The ride was rather bumpy, refinement was quite poor and equipment, quality and safety were not up to scratch. Because it did the bit that is most important when it comes to executive cars rather badly, it ended up being placed in seventh, yet again with three stars.

6TH: Halfix D'Azur 2.8T Highline
It was very tight between seventh and sixth (0.01 seperated the two), but the Halfix D'Azur, a creation belonging to willempjuh, just managed to get that one place higher. Unlike the ManHell, this car didn't have its ups and downs, but instead just did a half decent job at everything. There wasn't anywhere where it was really bad (however safety was quite poor), but there wasn't anywhere where it performed really well either. Admittedly, handling was good and the refinement was almost worthy of five stars, but not quite, but everything else was rather average, and when compared to the rest that simply wasn't good enough, meaning that this had to make do with sixth place, just.

5TH: Daiki Throne
The first thing that always springs to mind whenever I think about this car is the extremely odd looking front end it had on it. It was elongated and pointy with massive grilles and vents, making it look like it didn't run off of fuel but instead it consumed small children. It was one strange thing. The Daiki Throne, created by forum user Urbanliner, offered a very mixed package, but there were some areas where it was an absolute cracker. If you wanted something reliable, the Throne was the one to get. The list of good things doesn't end there though. Safety equipment was great, it had one of the best interiors, the standard equipment list was huge and the ride was very comfortable. It was a shame really that it didn't perform that well, got through fuel (and children) rather quickly, and handled like a boat, because otherwise this would have been a contender for the top positions. That being said though, this four star get deserves to be in fifth.

4TH: Conan S Wagon
Don't go thinking that the S Wagon is sporty. Oh no, that name is very deceiving. What conan has created, however, is a very good executive wagon indeed, and it deserves its four stars. Even though it is clear that this was made to be an all rounder, it is clear that there were some areas that were forgotten about when it came to making this car which is why it is found in fourth, and not in higher up positions. That being said, the ride was sublime, only the occasional whisper from the outside world could be heard in the cabin, it was capable of nearly 50 UK mpg and it came with a fair deal of equipment as standard. Unfortunately, with a great ride comes rather awful handling. Just like with the Daiki Throne, it felt a bit boat like in bends. The biggest flaw, however, was reliability, which, when compared to rivals, was seriously below par, and that could mean some hefty repair bills if you plan to keep the car for a good while.

That means that we are now moving up into the top three cars! All three cars got four stars, and all of them offered very different packages meaning that they appealed to three different kind of executive buyers. One took the all-rounder approach, another took the comfortable and luxurious approach, and the other took a sporty approach. If you want a car that is one of these three types, then the car it matches to is definitely the one to buy. There can be, however, only one winner...

3RD: Rennen Amethyst
titleguy1 has managed to get himself up on the podium with his comaratively small and cheap yet fun and sporty Rennen Amethyst. In fact it is so cheap that, if it wasn't for the significantly cheaper price, it would have ended up in last. There are a number of areas where, because of this, it seemed rather poor. It seem more like a standard family car on the inside due to a lack of equipment and upmarket materials, but everywhere else was either just average or exceptionally good. It may not have been the fastest car to get up and go in the comparison, but once it had got going it did not stop. The performance was amazing, and the same can be said for the way it corners. On top of this, running costs were reasonably impressive and you should be just fine if you do decide to have a little crash, or a big one if you prefer (which some may do when they find out that the model we were given was in a beautiful shade of lilac, which I don't believe to be the executive car buyer's first choice).

2ND: Ardent Iroquois LS-T
I remember back when Ardent gave us a little cheap car to compare with seven others, and it didn't perform well simply because, well, it felt extremely cheap, almost to a point where I feared touching the plastic just in case it fell apart. The Iroquois has saved VicVictory and turned the company's image completely the other way round, proving that they are seriously good at making upmarket cars. There is not a single area that is flawed, but instead the worst of areas are simply good instead of great. If I had to be picky, it could have been a bit more reliable and the ride could have been that little bit smoother but other than that it was a great car. Performance, handling, refinement, equipment, safety, interior quality... you name it, it was pretty damn good. One thing that certainly shocked me was that this was a 330 bhp car that only got through one UK gallon of fuel every 54 miles, meaning that you will save yourself a lot of money in the long run if you plan to own this a long time. A truly magnificent car, but not euite as much as the best car in the test.

1ST: Znopresk Zephyr Limited
NormanVauxhall and Znopresk strike again with another great car, but this time they have won. This is the best executive car money car buy and it sure is clear why. There were a few areas that were a little bit poor; reliability could have been better, and it was far from the most engaging car to drive, with rather mediocre performance and average handling. What it did magnificently was be MORE than an executive car. This may be priced, sized and go like your average car of this class, but on the inside it puts most luxury cars to shame. Sit inside and you are sent into a luxury paradise of wood, leather and all the creature comforts a car could ever have. Owning this car for just a few years will make you live longer, because driving this car is so lovely and so relaxing. Stress disappears the moment you sit in the massive leather chair and turn on the massage seats, and that is when you realise that Znopresk has made something quite amazing. This would easily be a five star car if it wasn't for the fact that the Amethyst, although worse, is so much cheaper.


So there you have it, the summarised version of the comparison. At least you got something in the end, and I am really sorry about what happened.




"So what about now?" you ask. Well:

Car reviewing is back up and running again! Send in your cars to get them reviewed! There have been a couple of changes, the biggest of which is the refinement category being no longer part of the review as there is no longer any use in having it, so it will be great to see how everything works now. So get those cars in ASAP!

As for comparisons, I am not going to start them again until I am sure that everybody on the team, including myself, has enough time to get one done, so for now there isn't one.

Now, from you lot I want one thing: suggestions. What do you want to see appearing on this thread? What changes do you think should be made to the reviews? Ask me anything, and I will try and get back to you ASAP.

Thanks

[USDMFTW]

My question is, how long will they be going for, and will they actually get completed, i love building cars, but alot of the entries never get reviewed, we need to keep these going with a larger review team were everyone can work around time issues and get some done. People dont want to submit cars that they spend extra time on and wind up not getting that car reviewed.

[strop]

Perhaps we need some kind of vetting process to match supply. Either a quota, or... Dare I suggest a voting system?

[Cheeseman]

alot of the entries never get reviewed, we need to keep these going with a larger review team were everyone can work around time issues and get some done. People dont want to submit cars that they spend extra time on and wind up not getting that car reviewed.

I am pretty sure I said it a long while ago (I may be wrong), but if anybody wants to do some reviewing, all they need to do is ask. I wouldn't mind having a few more people working on reviewing at all!

If you are interested, drop me a PM saying you would like to do some reviewing!

At the moment I am thinking of a possible way of making car reviewing continue even when I am not about (for now, I am as free as the wind) as cars currently have to be sent to me in a PM and then verified by me. I was thinking perhaps there is a way of allowing people to upload their cars to a folder on some file hosting site and then anybody on the team can download them and review them, but that does mean making it completely open to the public and I am not a fan of that. I'm sure I'll think of something.


One quick thing I would like to add is a little restriction on mods. Until Steam Workshop integration has been fully implemented into the game I will only be accepting cars that use mods from the Community Mod Pack. Once things have been properly implemented I will be happy to accept anything off of there as well as anything that hasn't been included on there that can be found in the Community Mod Pack.

[NormanVauxhall]

Finally the results!
Again Znopresk beat Ardent

Thanks for the review and I'm glad to had the entry at the end.

[USDMFTW]

alot of the entries never get reviewed, we need to keep these going with a larger review team were everyone can work around time issues and get some done. People dont want to submit cars that they spend extra time on and wind up not getting that car reviewed.

I am pretty sure I said it a long while ago (I may be wrong), but if anybody wants to do some reviewing, all they need to do is ask. I wouldn't mind having a few more people working on reviewing at all!

If you are interested, drop me a PM saying you would like to do some reviewing!

At the moment I am thinking of a possible way of making car reviewing continue even when I am not about (for now, I am as free as the wind) as cars currently have to be sent to me in a PM and then verified by me. I was thinking perhaps there is a way of allowing people to upload their cars to a folder on some file hosting site and then anybody on the team can download them and review them, but that does mean making it completely open to the public and I am not a fan of that. I'm sure I'll think of something.


One quick thing I would like to add is a little restriction on mods. Until Steam Workshop integration has been fully implemented into the game I will only be accepting cars that use mods from the Community Mod Pack. Once things have been properly implemented I will be happy to accept anything off of there as well as anything that hasn't been included on there that can be found in the Community Mod Pack.

just make an account on this forum that every reviewer has access to, and have people pm that account with the car files

[Jakgoe]

At the moment I am thinking of a possible way of making car reviewing continue even when I am not about (for now, I am as free as the wind) as cars currently have to be sent to me in a PM and then verified by me. I was thinking perhaps there is a way of allowing people to upload their cars to a folder on some file hosting site and then anybody on the team can download them and review them, but that does mean making it completely open to the public and I am not a fan of that. I'm sure I'll think of something.

Dropbox is the simple solution, with Google Drive also being an option.

[Urbanliner]

The first thing that always springs to mind whenever I think about this car (Daiki Throne) is the extremely odd looking front end it had on it. It was elongated and pointy with massive grilles and vents, making it look like it didn't run off of fuel but instead it consumed small children.

Well, at least small children stay away from scary things!

[Cheeseman]

Well here it is, the first review of the new and improved car reviewing.

2015 Mactori 197 GT-Stradale “Tourna”

Quick Stats
Engine: 3.4-litre (3398 cc or 207.36 ci) twin-turbo V8
Power: 878 bhp @ 8700 rpm (655 kW)
Torque: 534 ft-lb @ 8500 rpm (724 Nm)
Top Speed: 160.8 mph (258.8 kph)
0-62 mph (0-100 kph): 3.7 seconds
Weight: 1928.5 kg (4251.6 lbs)
Fuel Economy: 13.7 UK mpg (11.4 US mpg otr 20.6 l/100 km)
Total Costs: $26052.39

Performance:
Never in my entire life did I expect to be giving a supercar 2 stars in performance, but there are so many reasons why this is the most disappointing performer ever to appear in the supercar class. To start off, the turbo lag is absolutely atrocious. Between 1000 and 6000 rpm, this engine pulls about as strongly as your everyday family hatchback, not something you expect from a car which claims 878 bhp. Beyond, 6000 rpm though, the absolutely massive turbos spool up really rather suddenly and send the car off at warp speed. It is so sudden, in fact, that it is almost uncontrollable. This isn’t helped by the rather odd gearbox. It may be a twin-clutch, 8-speed, sequential gearbox, but the ratios are dreadfully spaced. The first four gears are extremely short, and the final four ratios are too widely spaced apart, further causing drivability problems. Bearing in mind this car has a total of 878 bhp, it doesn’t seem to be able to exceed 161 mph, which is also rather disappointing. That being said though, if you really do want to scare yourself and your passenger, this car is the perfect car for the job.

Ride Comfort:
Bearing in mind that this is a supercar and so far it isn’t proving itself to be that good, it very nearly got 4 stars in ride comfort, something completely unheard of in this category, but it had to make do with getting just 3 due to a couple of niggles. If you were to jump into any other supercar, and then hop back into this, you would instantly notice how much smoother the ride is, almost to a point where the creators decided to put comfort suspension on a low-riding, brutal supercar. It is so comfortable to cruise along in that in puts some family cars to shame. Although it is really quite comfortable, the sway bars appear to be quite stiff, meaning that it does corner quite flat. That does not mean, however, that the car can get fidgety over low speed bumps or any large ones at high speeds, but most of the time the car is pretty settled. There is another minor flaw this car has which can ruin the ride: the engine. Although the engine doesn’t normally affect the way a car rides, the cabin is constantly being shaken and vibrated by the engine because of how rough it is.

Handling:
Another important area for a supercar, another rather disappointing result, yet not quite as much as performance. Although it doesn’t have poor levels of grip, most other supercars obliterate this in the corners. You can throw the car into a bend a decent speeds, but it isn’t anything a sporty hatchback or four door sedan can’t do. And because the engine is unpredictable and almost unusable, it means applying the throttle at the exit of a bend almost always ends up in a loss of traction, and if you have feet made of lead, an imminent crash. That being said though, everything else about the way it corners it pretty nice. It feels extremely sporty, it corners really rather flat, the limited-slip differential does the best job it can to help you, along with the driver assists.

Equipment:
Supercar’s don’t generally come stacked to the brim with all the latest tech in order to keep you entertained on long journeys, mainly because you don’t often do long journeys in them but also because that isn’t what supercar buyers need. This, however, seems to want you to enjoy long journeys in an uncontrollable supercar. Although it may not have luxury car levels of equipment, this car certainly puts all supercars to shame, but most importantly it rivals most premium executive cars in equipment. Satellite navigation, cruise control, climate control, Bluetooth… if a premium sedan has it, this is almost guaranteed to have it. On top of this, this car comes stacked to the brim with the latest safety tech and driver assists, both of which you desperately need.

Quality:
Just like with equipment, this car seems to be offering exactly what the supercar buyer isn’t that interested in, because the interior is a really nice place to sit. Instead of going down a route which would mean the cabin materials would give the interior a sporty feel, the 197 GT-Stradale comes with the sort of materials you find in nice executive cars. The dashboard is covered in nice soft-touch plastics and the odd dash of leather, and the centre console is a harmonious combination of rubberised buttons, metal, glass and wood. Down in the less visible areas things don’t get that bad either, however it isn’t as beautiful as it is up top as it makes do with simple, durable plastic, which isn’t that bad, especially for a car like this. The seats are pretty large and comfortable and have plenty of adjustment, as well as being covered in soft leather.

Reliability:
I do hope that you don’t plan to use your 197 GT-Stradale that often, because even during the short test we conducted something went wrong, and the biggest cause of this is that the engine doesn’t get enough cooling, but even then we reckon that this combination of relatively small capacity and massive turbos doesn’t sound like the most reliable combination. That being said, we expect all the electronics to be just fine, but we can’t guarantee anything. If you do plan on buying this, just keep everything crossed when you go out for a drive, because anything that may go pop will be very expensive to repair.

Running Costs:
Another diabolically poor area is running costs, and this is even to supercar standards. Nowadays it is nearly impossible to find a new supercar that doesn’t manage 20-25 UK mpg when driving it normally, but you will be lucky to be getting the official claim of 13.7 UK mpg with this car. You are more likely to be looking at under 10 miles for every gallon of fuel you put in, which is horrendous. Admittedly, most supercar buyers can afford this no problem, but getting through this much fuel nowadays is almost unacceptable. We are talking around £40 of fuel for every 100 miles. On top of this, expect to fork out an arm and a leg every single time you get this serviced, and that will be rather often if you want to prevent the inevitable failure of something mechincal.

Safety:
After reading about how much of a death trap this car is, you should feel somewhat reassured when I tell you that this car is about as safe as your average Volvo in the event of a collision. Every single imaginable safety feature is available as standard on this car, from a large number of airbags, to automatic braking systems and blind spot warning systems. On top of this, there are all the driver assists you could ever ask for fitted as standard too. So in the event of you have a (likely) collision, you should be able to walk out relatively unscathed.

OVERALL:
FOR: Glorious interior, lots of tech, high levels of safety equipment
AGAINST: Does everything a supercar should do well dreadfully

This car is very strange and I was amazed when the scores came out saying three stars. I suppose the great interior and high levels of equipment seriously boosted its score, because otherwise this is a rather appalling supercar. If you are interested in a supercar that is scary and uncontrollable but comforts you with leather, then look no further, but don’t blame me when you end up upside down in a hedge.

[titleguy1]

Hello, and welcome to another review by titleguy! Who doesn't love 2 reviews in one day? This week, we tested out the
Venisi Strada 2/6,
a medium-sized sports car that goes back to the basics.




---Statistics---

3.5 liter (3506 CC) Turbocharged Inline-6
345 HP @ 5900 RPM
402 lb-ft @ 2900 RPM
3055 lbs.
22.1 MPG
5-Speed Manual, RWD
0-60 in 4.6 seconds
1/4 Mile in 12.9 seconds

---Performance---
The Strada, being a sports car, has a lot going for it here. There is a bit of turbo lag, and the turbo hits you in the face with all of its 400+ lb-ft of torque. Even with this, acceleration is decent but not the best. Honestly, though, it’s more than you’d ever need in a car. Powering the Strada is a turbocharged 3.5 liter inline-6, producing 345 HP and 402 lb-ft. For what it is the engine has crazy amounts of torque, which is why it feels like train, plowing through everything. While power is modest, the engine is very responsive and reacts quickly to a jab of the throttle. And, being an inline-6, the engine is as smooth as butter, maybe smoother. The car is not easy to control, however, and is very hairy to drive. Of course, it’s not near the worst or most difficult car to drive, but it still isn’t easy. The gearbox is a 5-speed manual; in this day in age, it is quite outdated. I wouldn’t complain if it was geared well; but the gearing is especially terrible in the Strada, as the car barely reaches its greatest potential in top gear. When in 5th gear at 75 MPH , you hear the engine droning over; at least your engine is in the powerband, and can get up and go quickly. In the end, the car has the torque of a tank in the shell of a car, and probably as difficult to drive as well.

---Ride Comfort---
Around town, the Strada is a surprisingly comfortable car. While it does have fairly harsh suspension, it is understandable for this type of car. Around town, the suspension isn’t great, and bumps are usually felt as least a little. The tires also diminish the ride quality at low speeds, and you can really feel the bumps through the steering wheel; this isn’t a very pleasant experience for most. On the highway, though, it becomes much smoother as you travel faster, and on/off ramps are smooth with the little body roll this car has. There is no vibration from the engine, which allows for a car that is very good for a cruising. All in all, the Venisi has stiff suspension that does get better as long as you drive faster.

---Handling---
The Strada really shines in the handling department. First off, toss your Strada into a corner, and you’ll immediately be flung into the next direction; the G-force is strong enough to tear off your face. Of course, the Strada is a handful to drive, and constantly transitions into oversteer when you decide to go into a corner. It’s very controllable oversteer, and can be easily corrected, but it does not make for an easy car to drive. It certainly is very fun to just watch your car gracefully slide around the next corner, but it isn’t going to be great. The Strada, being a hardcore sports car, lacks Stability control, and traction control can be turned off a little too easily; when you turn it off, you’d better be careful! Overall, the Strada is an extremely fun car that is suitable only for people with experience.

---Equipment---
Although the Venisi is advertised as a medium-level sports car, it lacks in equipment where others may surpass it. For starters, the infotainment system is quite basic, giving you the type of equipment you’d expect in something more akin to that of a hatchback. It works fine, and is miles better than systems like Cadillac’s CUE system, but it is still quite old and not what many expect. There are not many driver aids, as well, as this is geared toward a more experienced driver. So, you get ABS, Power Steering, Traction Control, aaaand that’s about it. The safety is decent, if not a little outdated, but IIHS has performed crash tests on it and the results were mostly good. Interior quality is much the same as the infotainment; It isn’t the worst, but it still isn’t good. The car feels like a Honda Accord or Volkswagen Passat on the inside; there might be some design flair, and it may be well-built, but the feeling is still disappointing for the class.

---Quality---
The interior quality, as mentioned before, is not great. The Strada’s interior is composed of many plastics found in midsize sedans, and don’t feel as upmarket as they should. I’m not saying that this needs to be some Rolls-Royce of a car, but it should still feel decent enough to go against cars like the Audi TT. The center console is very Italian, and looks very sculpted and detailed, but touching the plastics make you realize that corners were cut to make the car cheaper. That said, it isn’t supposed to be a luxury car, but at the same time, it should be.

---Reliability---
The Strada, much unlike other Italian cars, is actually quite reliable. On our 250 mile trip, nothing broke, and nothing went wrong. Of course, a few owners have reported small problems in the past 2 years, but the problems weren’t abnormal for cars in general.

---Running Costs---
The Strada’s running costs aren’t exceptional. Of course, it isn’t bad, but it isn’t amazing. Fuel economy, at a stoic 22.1 MPG, isn’t what you’d call brilliant, but the 3.5L turbocharged inline-6 is probably the cause. The Strada’s economy also is fairly average for the class, so it doesn’t really matter anyways.

---Safety---
The Strada’s chassis holds up decently. Around corners, if you can ignore the untamed beast, a somewhat wobbly chassis begins to appear. The chassis is very light due to the Aluminum construction, but at the same time, it doesn’t hold up as well as planned. Of course, the safety equipment is decent for the class, and driver assists are composed of less than you think. However, in the end, the Strada is a fairly safe car that won’t disappoint too much if you end up heading straight at a wall at 40 MPH.

---Overall---
Pros: Handling that’s akin to a Jaguar F-Type, good reliability, back-to-basics character.
Cons: An interior fit for a midsize sedan, driving that’s a little too difficult for most, not enough driver assists.
Verdict: If you want a fun, fast, good-looking sports car, and don’t care too much about interior quality, this is the ride for you. Just make sure you’re prepared to not crash.

Our staff was very pleased with this car around the track. But, on our 250 mile road test, they felt it was a little too… much, for a lack of a better word. Around town, it was a little too bumpy, and it wasn’t easy to drive. However, the car remains a top choice as a driver’s car, and should certainly be considered if that’s what you’re going for.

[Dolehof]

Nice thread. How do I submit a car for a review? I would be happy to send you my latest GT to take for a spin.

[USDMFTW]

Nice thread. How do I submit a car for a review? I would be happy to send you my latest GT to take for a spin.

Read the op for all the info you need.

[USDMFTW]

Hello, im USDMFTW and ive had the privilege of joining the car review team. For my first review, we get away from the performance group of cars and look at something more practical and luxurious. Today, i bring you the review of the BKOO Minivan by Conan, this one featuring the "Luxo" trim package. A good aggressive looking van with rather docile performance.





---Statistics---
Engine: 3 litre v6 NA
Power: 176hp @ 6200 rpm
Torque: 194 ft-lb @ 3000 rpm
Transmission: 8 speed automatic
Top Speed: 152.7 mph
0-62 mph: 10 seconds
Weight: 4179 pounds
Fuel Economy: 32.4 mpg(US)
Total Costs: 19760 + 2092 per year

---Performance---
You are probably wondering how a van achieved 4 stars in the performance category with a 0-62 time of 10 seconds. Not everything is about raw acceleration, but about the usability of the power available. The 3.0 litre v6 engine produces power very early in the rpm range and has a flat torque curve through the mid range. At the high end torque drops off while hp stays strong from 4500 rpms to redline, I just wish the engine had more power available in general as 176hp for 4179 pounds will be an issue for any uphill roads. Also, the top speed is quite high, but be prepared to find a few miles of road to attempt to reach that. A well tuned turbo engine would have been nice here to give it a more competitive stance in the acceleration department as attempting to pass someone at highway speeds requires alot of room compared to other cars in its class.

---Ride Comfort---
The ride is great, you could drive over a former minefield and probably not notice it. The ride is smooth as butter and highway cruises in this van are sublime. Your whole family can enjoy the smoothness of the ride too, you could even play a gameboy without issue in this thing. It was very close to earning a 5 star rating here, but the body roll was very noticeable even at normal corning speeds, giving that odd rotating feeling to passengers. Also, the tire profile would cause some bumps in the ride. Fixing those two issues would be an easy 5 star rating. Even by saying that, the ride is still much better than a majority of its competitors by a long shot.


---Handling---
For what it is, the handling is rather good, in fact its well above cars that even considered sports cars. The body roll causes minor issues, but throwing this vans weight into a corner will not cause you to lose control. Instead, you will have minor understeer but a very controllable and predictable chassis, which will correct out most driver errors, as well as the driver aids assisting in the controllability of the van. Don't expect to be beating any sports cars in a race though, as the near 4200 pound weight supported by 205mm front and rear all season tires sound like a screaming child during cornering at high speeds as it looks for more grip.


---Equipment---
Being the all out luxury trim, this van should have almost every box check marked, and it does. You get top quality materials and a very generous navigation system with a 10inch touch screen and an 8 speaker 500 watt stereo system. You also get dual climate control, heated seats and heated steering wheel and, of course power everything and a very well layed out instrument cluster with a digital display in the center that is configurable to your liking. You also get the latest safety equipment, including backup cameras and collision detection systems, more on that later. All driver assist options are standard besides launch control. A well earned five stars here.

---Quality---
Want quality? You got it here, uses near best materials and great craftsmanship, sitting in the plush seats will make you think you're on cloud 9. It uses genuine wood panels and inserts and leather material all throughout the cabin. The steering wheel has a nice soft touch to it, as well as the rest of the leather in the interior. The panel gaps are almost unnoticeable and no rattles will occur from loose panels a few thousand miles later like cars from the 80s.

---Reliability---
You will not have to worry about the chance of this van leaving you stranded. The engine is rock solid and will give almost no trouble throughout its life. All of equipment is solid and will only have minor issues well on down the road. Small issues may arise from the advanced technology and electronics, but other than that, its a solid 4 stars.

---Running Costs---
Apart from the purchase cost, this car will not destroy your wallet with repairs and fuel cost. In fact, this van is almost 10mpg(US) above any other van in its category. General yearly upkeep is on the expensive side but is not nearly enough the offset the aforementioned excellent fuel economy. Our combined test showed a jaw dropping 32.4(US) mpg which rivals some economy cars sold in the current market.

---Safety---
As stated previously, you get all of the newest safety equipment with all driver assist. Even if you do manage to be in a wreck, you will be safe thanks to the front and side airbag systems, if you even manage to get into one. The automatic front and side collision detection system and lane assist system could prevent a crash from occurring by controlling the car. We found those systems to be working well and always braked or stayed in its lane during our testing.

---Overall---
What it did well: It offers generous fuel economy while providing excellent passenger comfort and safety.
What it did wrong: Not enough engine power for our taste, a bit expensive compared to the competition, minor body roll issue.
Verdict: It came very very close to 5 stars in this test, but did not reach it due to minor issues. If your looking for a family hauler that wont break the bank on running cost, will offer excellent safety for your family, wont breakdown and will not hurt your rear end after a long trip, you've found it here. I would personally wait for a turbocharged model to come out before i would purchase one, but if you can handle the lower acceleration compared to the competition, by all means, there is no other choice in today's market.

[conan]

BKOO (Bob & Kenneth Omologato Office) is very proud of the Minivan Luxo they've produce, son. And is now planning about putting it's Modern OHV V8 Motor into one to see if it's a viable option to remedied this car's performance deficit.