2005 Best in Class [Review 3/9]

[strop]

Certainly I am sensing that the BOSS cars have quite a lot of power in them. But I do feel quite attached to the idea of embodying powaaaaaa. Maybe I should up my ante back to my previous form, like breaking 2hp:kg in a car that was allegedly drivable (this is no longer possible in this build, but may be in future builds).

[Lordred]

You are several happy years into marriage with the person of your dreams. You have a family now, and it has never occurred to you before, but it has set upon you now. The days of the exotic sport car are behind you, and what you really need is something which will fit the family. Enter the 2005 Luton DaVive Turbowagon, the answer to the question you never really asked, not aloud anyways. A sleek looking full size van which promises to not only keep you and your family safe, but afford you the much needed comfort for those long family rides, you know the ones. When the kids are making farting noises and always have to ask how far you are from the destination.

That is exactly the kind of Van the Turbowagon is. With seating for up to 9, and convenient fold away seating, Luton has devised the greatest van in the $30,000 price point. Unlike those 2nd and 3rd gen Honda Odysseys, the Turbowagon has both a meaty six cylinder engine, and robust automatic transmission which doesn’t suffer from inadequate cooling. The worry free powerplant instills a level of confidence that no other family van can. All while returning a middle of the pack fuel economy, with an EPA estimated 17mpg city / 22 highway.

What makes the Turbowagon so safe is how it started life built on a AHS Steel Unibody, and has an outer shell made of durable Aluminum, an active Safety Restraint System which locks all 9 restraints based off the active on-board telemetry, airbags in all rows of seating and a robust support pillar which allows the Turbowagons roof to support the full weight of the vehicle in the event of a rollover, and the list of safety features doesn’t end there. The ABS, Traction Control, and Stability systems will actively adjust power and braking to each wheel to help ensure you stay right side up during emergency maneuvers. These features alone make for practical, safe choice as a family hauler, but the proverbial cherry on top has to be that the Turbowagon has a stunning interior.

The seats, while not leather, are made of a very high quality vinyl, and are perforated so they breath. Each seat has a dedicated cup holder, and each row of seats a multi-port 12v accessory outlet for charging phones or other mobile devices. Dual air allows the whole interior to stay a comfortable temperature in the most severe weather, and the rear side windows have drawable curtains if the sun is too bright. The driver's seat is nearly infinitely adjustable and the automatic telescoping wheel makes getting in and out a breeze. Luton did not need to put so much effort into making this van, but they did. This is not a mere mommy missile, this is a true piece of quality automotive engineering and would be the perfect addition to any family.

We are proud to award the Luton DaVive Turbowagon with the Best in Class: Comfort, and Safety.


2005 Luton DaVive Turbowagon
Engine: 3061cc Inline-Six 5v
Turbocharged Multi-Port Injection
299hp* @ 6900 / 262lb-ft* @ 4300
Redline 7500.

*Use of AKI 90.3 to acheive 299hp, only 282hp using Regular

[conan]

Great review of the Luton DaVive! There will soon be a version which has the same engine but is a panel van for some German traffic lights manufacturer.

[Tycondero]

Sorry to trouble you, but where are the other reviews?

[Lordred]

Not up to my standard yet. I am pecking away every night, sadly, I am not a professional writer, so my muse comes, and goes as she pleases.

go bug Leo about his reviews he has yet to post

[BlastersPewPew]

Update?

[Lordred]

How often do you get the chance to buy a fully stripped down sports car direct from the manufacturer which makes 1000hp, and comes with a warranty? Not very often, But that is exactly what you get from Armada Motors. Opting to make zero profit per car, Armada produced a scant 203 Manta Xtreams, we received unit # 4 for our testing. What makes the Manta tick is really something quite amazing, they really channeled some of the FIAT engineers here, make a car go as fast as humanly possible for as cheap as possible. We have yet to see if the Manta was made purely for Homologation reasons, or if it was the fevered dream of the engineering team, but with the fact that just over 200 were made, we expect to see a few find their way to the race track and have owners of the new Ford GTs scratching their head in dismay as something which could be bought for a fraction of the price blows past them.

The Manta leaves very little room for comfort once inside, sure you have some noise insulating mat made of questionable material spread across the floor, and the dash is comprised of a tachometer, boost gauge pyrometer, and absolutely nothing else. For entertainment you are provided with a tortured 3.9L V8 which delivers 745.8kw around the 8100 mark. You could try to whistle a merry tune, but the Manta would smother you with its throbbing ‘almost on life support’ powerplant. Now while the seats may be hard bucket seats intended for race use, they may be the only thing that keeps you safe in the vehicle, for while the Manta lacks any modern safety amenities, it does come standard with a 5-point harness for both driver and, passenger. On the steering wheel is a button, this is not your horn (which the Manta lacks) but instead this is your launch control. While at a standstill, depress, put foot on throttle, disengage clutch, and hold on. You have been warned.

The first four gears are pleasantries with the Manta, if you dare tap into the full potential of the engine under 160km/h you face the wrath of a highly boosted power plant which lacks any true level of control on boost, a steady foot and discipline are required to make the Manta go truly fast. But when driven with a level of professionalism, the Manta is a dream on twisty roads, and the restraint is worth it as you go deeper and deeper into each corner, the Manta performs like an open wheel race car so long as you treat it like the monster is it. For if you relent and allow confidence to error your judgement, you will find a cruel fate to snap oversteer and uncontrollable wheelspin. With a 30/70 weight distribution, once the rear end starts sliding, there will be no stopping it.

Despite its purchase price, the Manta is nothing more than a toy, it is a car Armada most likely made as a publicity stunt and to have a reason on paper why they can enter a race bread car into a production class. With a paltry 9.8mpg fuel economy, and a short one year, 12,000 mile warranty if you bought this car to daily, if it did not kill you, it would ruin you financially. But if you buy it for the right reasons, as a dedicated track car, or a weekend road warrior. This car is the fasted thing you can buy this side of an Ariel Atom.

We Declare the Armada Motors Manta Xtream the Best in Class: Sportiness

2005 Armada Motors Manta Xtream
Engine: 3881cc 40v 90-Degree V8
Turbocharged Direct Injection.
1000HP* @ 8200rpm / 694ft-lb* @ 6700rpm
Redline 8800rpm

*Use of AKI 93.1 to acheive 1000hp, only 961hp using Regular

[strop]

Nailed it.

Also features a Nissan GT-R style restriction on warranty on how many times one can activate launch control

BOOOOOOSCHT

[KLinardo]

So what was the actual sportiness rating?

[Lordred]

80.05 last patch
83.1 this patch

[DoctorNarfy]

It's so cheap and fast, I Expect this car to go through Toyota SW20 Syndrome the second that warranty runs out.

[KLinardo]

If it weren't for the build revisions I would love to see a tuner phase of this challenge. You bought the cheap car with huge potential, now what are the performance upgrades needed to make it better? Like what could you improve with $10K invested over time? I think this would also be great to do again for 2006. Lordred might want to enlist some fellow review writers though.

[Lordred]

If it weren't for the build revisions I would love to see a tuner phase of this challenge. You bought the cheap car with huge potential, now what are the performance upgrades needed to make it better? Like what could you improve with $10K invested over time? I think this would also be great to do again for 2006. Lordred might want to enlist some fellow review writers though.

No, what I need to do is not oversale myself on a competition I am not vested in. That is all.

[strop]

If it weren't for the build revisions I would love to see a tuner phase of this challenge. You bought the cheap car with huge potential, now what are the performance upgrades needed to make it better? Like what could you improve with $10K invested over time? I think this would also be great to do again for 2006. Lordred might want to enlist some fellow review writers though.

This does give me an idea for something I've wanted to do that can come out when build updates are a bit more stable, though: here's your car, now how would you modify it. It's not like this hasn't been done before, but I haven't seen it done very much...

...but I don't have the time to run any challenges myself, I'm already struggling with an article I've been chipping away for over a year.........

[BlastersPewPew]

Nice review!! Cant wait for the others

Once I get my PC fixed I can finally enter things again.