Automotive Consumer Review

[The City State Rhydin]

Aims of Automotive Consumer Review
- To promote interest in the automotive market on GE&T
- To encourage and foster competitiveness between rival brands
- To encourage extensive development and detail in all products

Reviews of vehicles by supporting companies shall be listed here.

For comments, suggestions, etc, please visit the OOC thread listed here: ACR

This is the IC - In Character review portion of the Automotive Consumer Review. In this thread you will find reviews of vehicles as penned by impartial journalists. It may be a singular review of a specific vehicle model and or a comparison.

[The City State Rhydin]

Date: Jan 17, 2012
Author: Jan Dia'Nal
For: Automotive Consumer Review

Vehicle to be Reviewed: Hukum Ouno 1.4I Sport
Company of Origin: Beyazgunes Automotive
Website (Storefront): Beyazgunes Automotive
Nation: Astholm

As ACR was asked to review the Hukum Ouno 1.4I Sport at behest of Beyazgunes Automotive, it befell me to actually do the legwork. I have to admit at first look, this vehicle did not set aflame any desire to drive it. As with many vehicles hailing from the Ouno's homeland, the styling is decidedly retro, and more then just retro enough that it's not attractive or even cute to look upon which is a big deciding factor for many of it's competitors in the super-mini/micro cars catagory.

Nevertheless, I was determined to give it a fair shot. The streets of Anhui, a moderately sized urban jungle of narrow side streets, busy intersections coupled with roadways is the testing ground for many a vehicle. As such, was the destination of my adventure in the Ouno. At first glance it doesnt look all that impressive, however inside it's got a modern flair that surprises one. Combination of past and present, though I would have liked perhaps retro styling without having looked as they just took the husk of an older vehicle and welded it to the chassis.

During the city driving, especially in the highly urbanized areas of old town, the Ouno seemed right at home. On the open roadways however it perhaps loses composure when some bumps are thrown into the mix, but the steering is well weighted, communicative and accurate. Surprisingly fun to drive in gravel where perhaps the pizza-cutter 155 section tyres carve through the corners nicely.

Fuel economy is also quite nice. The Hukum Ouno has a fuel economy of 5.6 L/100 km (50 mpg-imp; 42 mpg-US) - urban and 3.9 L/100 km (72 mpg-imp; 60 mpg-US). Which for some customers in less then stable economies and so forth, this makes the Ouno a rather attractive vehicle.

Interior is cavernous, which is surprising because generally the super-mini class of vehicles are fairly cramped. With the seats folded down you can get a fair bit of gear in. Mind you, you cant do alot of furniture or some such, but you can fit groceries in it well enough. I know because I stopped at a supermarket as apart of the test. It's comfortable for tall persons, and old persons with difficult of dislocations and entry in small cars.

There were a few issues though. Firstly, and I couldnt find from it was coming from, but seemed to be behind some paneling in the rear of the vehicle was knockings from undefined parts of the car. Some rattles from the dashboard were also present while driving over somewhat uneven roads. The engine is probably the biggest complaint as it takes a long long time to reach cruising speed. Furthermore, while it's peppy of a sort with just one person, when I had my fellow journalists in the car, loaded down with backpacks and gear alongst with four people and you'll get neurosis.

Summary: Great efficient fuel economy and affordable
ACR Vehicle Rating: 5

Conclusion: While this vehicle is moving in the right direction, and shows the promise of Beyazgunes Automotive, it still has a long way to go in the face of it's competitors.

[Jungastia]

Date: 22nd January 2012
Author: Franc Beaulevoir
Vehicle to be Reviewed: Pantheon Nyjah Hybrid Saloon
Company of Origin: Pantheon Automotive
Website (Storefront): [url=http://forum.nationstates.net/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=105700] Pantheon Automotive
Nation: Machina Haruspex


When Pantheon contacted us here at ACR to review their new Nyjah hybrid saloon, we were expecting a relatively standard vehicle. What turned up outside or St Andrews office was what could be best described as a futuristic wedge. The styling at the recent round of Motor Shows has been received with polarized opinions by show-goers and journalists alike, this reporter falls into the dislike camp.

The shiny key fob presented to me bodes well, it is solid perfectly formed and opens the large canopy to enter the vehicle, something that I dislike, but can see the logic of it, a full size door would make the vehicle impossible to enter into in anything but a large field. The massive width of this vehicle is the most noticeable thing after the three-abreast seating arrangement. It baffles me when what is marketed as a saloon car, has the seating arrangement usually featured on a supercar, which leads me to thing than this is Pantheons attempt at an entrance into the highly competitive supercar market.

The Cockpit, in its size, lacks an intimacy and a heart. The technology is fantastic, and the 6.5 inch satnav screen functions as 90% of the cockpit buttons, on the screen, the graphics are smooth, slick and the functionality is fantastic, a real tour de force. It is only when I attempt to enter in the postcode of the destination, a small town up in the mountains a good few hours away does the system struggle, nothing major, just slow in producing a route. By now the traffic is getting busy for the 8am rush to work and the grand boulevards and narrow winding streets of the Jungastian capital are perfect to see how this car is in busy rush hour traffic and the comfort of its city ride.

I start the car, nothing. As with all hybrid vehicles the Nyjah only starts it's engine when it needs to. We pull out into the busy traffic, and instantly the high shoulder-line causes difficulty on the roundabouts and intersections, the cameras functioning as wing and rear-view mirrors are good, and are clear in their view. The bulk of this car is really noticeable on the narrow hilly roads of the west of the City. On an engine note, the choice of a V6 engine is puzzling, the unit is quite gruff, and those large side exhausts produce an unattractive grumble, a rattly growl. You can feel the hybrid powertrain acting much as a lag-less turbocharger, and the extra push it give you is excellent, and necessary. One has to thing if Pantheon opted for an ordinary inline-4 engine, or a flat six that the upper rev limit would be higher, and giving the car more oomph.

The ride around town was ok, nothing more. The racing style suspension did nothing over the city road surfaces and where speed humps were concerned made me consider a trip to the chiropractors. And furthermore the steering felt removed, lacking in feel, much as the brakes, which felt rubbery, the stopping power was their but the pedal was devoid of feeling.

It was only when we got the car onto the Pigalere Bridge, and the unrestricted Motorway network, did I have somewhat of an epiphany, the suspension glided, and the car got into its stride at a cruise of 120mph, though I doubt it will get close to the 155mph advertised top speed, feeling rather out of go at 130mph. As we glided over the sweeping curves and left all but the hypercars in our wake, it struck me that this was a car of two halves, useless around town and at slow speeds, but excellent on a high speed cruise. We decided to stop on our run at our test facility, and see how fast we could get this car to go. I sat back into the car after a short break, and dumped the throttle into the floor, and the gearbox opened her gates to me, as the speed kept growing, 100...120...130..140 and nothing more, no more gears, no more power. I felt as if with another gear the 155mph advertised top speed would have been achievable and then some.

On the journey home from out speed test, I noticed the gearbox more, it was smooth, the clutch responsive and the clutch had an excellent, easily locatable bite point and was smooth. We worked out the fuel economy on the road home, and were disappointed, the City mpg was a mere 35.4mpg and on motorway 80mph cruise only went up to an average 44.6mpg.

So, to sum up this car. It is poor around town, and the styling is extreme, and the interior whilst being of acceptable quality was lacking in any feeling or emotion, the ride is awful at speeds less than 60mph on anything less than perfect surfaces. However, when you get this car onto the open road and open it up, there is more enjoyment to be had. We would say that the car is more expensive than it needs to be to be competitive in the current market, and in markets such as Jungastia, and many Elysian states the sales prediction is low. Would we advise you to buy this car. Yes. With the caveat of, only if you drive mainly on long distance motorway trips, and live in a very modern wide-roaded city.

Summary: Vehicle of two halves that could have achieved higher if more effort had been paid to making it competitive.
ACR Vehicle Rating: 7

Conclusion: Needs a lot of work on town ride to achieve high ratings, and the styling is too extreme for mainstream success. A near miss, but Pantheon's best vehicle.

[Hectane]

Car to be reviewed: Audemars Touring Superleggera TZ3
Reviewer: Lt. Cdr. Aleksander Klarerberg, Hectanian Naval Racing team.
Locations: Audemar's Factory/Chateau, Monte Mare; Silverston Race Circuit, UK; Various Highways in between; London, UK.
Car Country of Origin: Monte Mare

When I was given the task of testing the Audemars Touring Superleggera TZ3, I was a little annoyed. I was supposed to be spending the week testing out the newest iteration of the Hectanian CMI LMP-01, our Le Mans Car. The engine has recently been changed to a 37 Liter supercharged V12, and as I was to compete in the 24h of New London, I wanted track time testing the car. On the other hand, my instruction came in the form of orders, and so I packed my bags, and arranged my way onto a flight out of New London International. I was greeted, after the six and a half hour flight, by a representative of Audemars, in an SL TZ3. I was testing a different one, he explained, one that was not a company car.

Truth be told, when I first saw the TZ3, I was apprehensive. I am not a fan of these Italian light-weight touring cars. I prefer Astons and muscle cars. However, it is a strikingly beautiful car. It swoops like a corvette. The 6.2L V8 is a little down on power, producing 510 bhp @6,000 RPM, whereas GM's LSA produces 580 bhp. The 6.2L LSA, however, is in the Camaro, one of the more menacing cars I know. The TZ3 has a much nicer looking body, and it just gets better once you step inside.

As for the interior, I do have a problem with the steering wheel, as I find it too cluttered, too many switches, like a Ferrari. This is a downside, in my opinion. I find it too easy to change settings accidentally. Other than that, the speedo and tachometer were in good positions, but when I engaged the GPS, it went onto this screen on the center console, a very annoying place to look when driving, especially in a supercar. I will, however, ignore it, because the interior is wonderfully designed. The right amount of wood, brushed titanium, and leather can make up for such lapses, until one crashes a million euros into a wall because they couldn't tell how fast they were going. Ah well. At least it has airbags, and an ABS system.

Test drive: I took my tester at the Audemars factory, and decided to take it to a track day at the renowned Silverstone racetrack. I made the trip in astonishing time, considering I had to drive over a thousand miles to Silverstone. For the most part, the car was incredibly fast, stable, and best for a GT car, not at all tiring to drive. I Made the trip in record time, while running on fumes a few times, mechanically, it preformed beautifully. On silversone, it handled beautifully, when, all of a sudden, i found myself side by side a DBS! When I noticed it was an old racing rival of mine, it was on. I floored it, using my strategy of V8 POWER and left foot breaking. Turns out, those Aston Martin designers do know a thing or two about engines, because the DBS got the best of me in the last straightaway.

In town: The ride was ... okay. It wasn't as appalling as a Lambo, or an AMG Merc, but it wasn't a Volvo, or an AM. The turning circle was ok, about that of a van, but still, better than an Evo. I liked this car around town, because I knew that once I got out of town, I could floor it and have fun.

Summary: Very good car, but I still would love a more powerful engine. That 6.0 V12 is very powerful, with more torque than the 6.2V8 in the TZ3. I love the TZ3, but I really think it needs a more powerful engine.

ACR Rating: 9. I love this car a lot, and I wish that it had won against the DBS. It was better in every way save for 50 torques, but they made all the difference. I really wanted to give this a 10, but i could not. PLEASE LET ME GIVE IT A 10! Put a larger engine, maybe the Ford 5.9 V12, or Anything more than the engine you have now.

Conclusions: If you've got a spare million euros, buy it. This car is an awesome hunk of aluminum and carbon, one of the best you can buy. I rather this over five 911s any day of the week. it is that good.
Aleksander Klarerberg, head driver Hectanian Naval Automobile Racing team

[The City State Rhydin]

Date: Feb 19, 2012
Author: Jan Dia'Nal
For: Automotive Consumer Review

Vehicle to be Reviewed: AEGIS UE Terunt MST Deck
Company of Origin: AEGIS UE
Website (Storefront): AEGIS UE
Nation: The Order of Takhisis

Micro-vehicles in general are a strange breed. Where most commercial vehicles at the diminutive end of the spectrum are based on supermini passenger cars, these tiny models borrow their design themes from large panel vans and or in this case, flatbed cargo haulers, and then miniaturise them. If you ever caught sight of an AEGIS UE Terunt MST Deck being driven through any city, you'd be looking about for the radio control antenna as it seems that small.

The Terunt has been around for a good few years and for much of its life it existed in the modest shadow of AEGIS's mainstay seller, the Jivi. The Jivi is the vehicle that started it all for AEGIS UE and was built by themselves in the Takhisian provisional territories where it enjoys a higher profile than the model it shared a production line with. Part of the reason for this was the AEGIS UE distribution through the local dealer networks of whom focused more on the three-wheeler connotations, while the Terunt was sold directly through the more respectable face of AEGIS UE franchised showrooms.

The Takhisian sector is extremely large in terms of total sales. It will however barely register on the marketing radars of the big commercial vehicle producers but the very fact that Micro vehicles continue to be offered to the international markets shows that it can sustain itself.

The little Terunt displays all the key micro-vehicle attributes. Most importantly, it’s small. At just 1,395mm wide and 3,370mm long, the decker derivative is nearly 550mm shorter and 29mm narrower than a Ford Fiesta van. Despite these tiny dimensions, it can cope with a surprising payload of between 560 and 575kg - that’s over 80kg more than the Fiesta van. The tall, narrow shape of the Terunt, along with the rear tailgate, helps make the 3m3 load area easily accessible without the need for much bending or stretching. The space is uniformly shaped with only slight intrusion by the wheel arches and the engine, which sits under the floor behind the seats. You can also get a surprising amount inside, certainly much more than the average supermini derived van can manage, the load volume of our friend the Fiesta van is a mere 1m3.

Aside from the loadbay, manoeuvrability is the Terunt’s other key strength. The Terunt’s negligible dimensions tell you a lot about its potential for nipping through gaps in traffic, manoeuvring in tight situations and claiming apparently impossible parking spaces. The driver sits smack bang on top of the front axel, which is ahead of the engine, so there’s a great view out of the front to see exactly how much space there is to play with. Large side mirrors help with visibility down the flanks. All of these good points are compromised somewhat by the unassisted rack and pinion steering set-up which is much heavier than you’d expect, given the vehicles size.

You’re faced with a basic and unremarkable panel van interior but shrunken. The flatly-mounted wheel would resemble that of an HGV were it not half the size, while the dinky ventilation controls and the instrument cluster all look standard. The plastics used feel durable and the controls are easy to use but there’s no storage space aside from a decent-sized glovebox and a small vinyl pocket in the driver’s door.

After the initial surprise, you realise that the driving position is reasonably comfortable and even six footers shouldn’t feel too cramped. Add a passenger and it does get a bit cosy in the cabin but on short trips there should be no problem. Even moderately brisk movements by the occupants rock the Terunt from side to on its suspension and there’s always the nagging concern that a poorly distributed load or a big weight disparity between driver and passenger could result in a nasty tipping-over incident under hard cornering.

The steering is very loose around the straight ahead but that heaviness at low speeds turns into a nicely weighted feel for normal driving and the gearchange, although a bit choppy, is smooth enough. The power from the engine is directed to the rear wheels and the tiny 1.3-litre petrol unit in the model we tried gives it. If you really try to make progress, the Terunt runs into its rev-limiter violently but you soon learn to change-up well before that happens.

AEGIS UE offer an extensive range of variations on the Terunt theme with three power options. We tried the 64bhp 1.3-litre petrol engine that can return 34mpg fully-loaded at a steady 56mph but there’s a 1.4-litre diesel with 38bhp that will give you 38mpg under the same conditions. Otherwise, there’s an all-electric model with an 85-mile maximum range. Bodystyles include the panel van, a window van, a pick-up and a tipper with heavy-duty models featuring twin rear wheels and 4x4 variants also offered.

Overall, the AEGIS UE Terunt MST Decker is a specialised product that won’t suit everyone, especially not larger-framed individuals or anyone who is deterred by the micro-vehicle catagory in general. It does, however, have undeniable strengths in terms of its size, manoeuvrability and relative payload capacity.


Summary: For short distance, urban work, it's extremely practical and may be just the job.
ACR Vehicle Rating: 8

Conclusion: The market for the micro-vehicle segment seems to be taking off and with AEGIS UE putting forth serious effort such as the Terunt, they may be well on their way establishing a giant impression into the International Market, especially if the manufacturing quality is kept up.

[The City State Rhydin]

Date: Feb 20, 2012
Author: Jan Dia'Nal
For: Automotive Consumer Review

Vehicle to be Reviewed: CMI build Ford GT40 Mk.II
Company of Origin: Clear Mountain Industries
Website (Storefront): Clear Mountain Industries
Nation: Hectane

In terms of motorsports lore and significance, few cars rate higher than Ford’s GT40, the race car that Henry Ford II built to topple Enzo Ferrari’s domination of the 24-hour Le Mans endurance race. The first GT40 wasn’t successful, but Ford won in 1966 with the Mark II version. Just more than 100 GT40s were built, and each surviving one has become a highly valued collector car easily commanding a seven-figure price today.

Clear Mountain Industries, based in the nation of Hectane, is a company that manufactures a line of replicas, is now offering the CM GT40 Mk II as an alternative to the real thing. To keep the experience authentic, CMI built the new car as close to original as possible, both dimensionally and in terms of construction. In fact, two-thirds of the suspension pieces will bolt right up to the original.

The car we tested weighed 2458 pounds, which is less than an original and enough to endow it with a better power-to-weight ratio than Ford’s own remake of the GT40, the now-discontinued GT.

Consequently, it flies. While the car struggles putting down the power, it still catapults to 60 mph in 3.4 seconds. Ford’s GT gets to 60 a 10th of a second quicker, but as speeds rise, the gap reverses. The CMI replica hits 150 mph in just 15.7 seconds compared with 16.9 for the Ford.

But the CMI replica still has plenty of vintage-race-car hairiness. At triple-digit speeds, the front end gets light, and the car wanders, just like the real thing. The engine note hammers the eardrums, the throttle pedal is stiff, and the A/C struggles to keep up. But quieter engine intakes and exhausts are available, and owners report that the stiff gearbox frees up with use.

Handling is benign (it pulls 1.00 g on the skidpad and safely understeers). The car feels tight and well made, and the ride is surprisingly acceptable. The brakes are strong, but a transmission malfunction prevented our usual braking test.

Summary: Overall, this is a raw car, cleaned up just enough to get it on the street, barely.
ACR Vehicle Rating: 3 (Mainly for promotion and storefront product design, there's nothing but a blurb about this vehicle, so little to go on for a replica)

Conclusion: The market for the replicas might be decent, however poor sales promotion dooms the CMI GT40 MkII before it ever gets a chance to prove itself. Because the company that manufacturers this vehicle is mostly unknown, it's quality is also in question with such limited information about the vehicle itself.

[Hectane]

Car to be reviewed: Diamond Star Automotive Caltara 2.5tdi bluetec 5-speed synchrotec
Reviewer: Lt.Cdr. Aleksander Klarerberg, Hectanian Naval Racing Team
Locations: ACR's headquarters and test track (Or was that the local airport? It was dark and I was tired, I couldn't tell) and the surrounding area (~100mi)
Car Country of Origin: The Mercantile Federal Republic of Aurora Confederacy
Date of Review: 30 December, 2012

When I arrived at ACR's headquarters, jet lagged out of my mind, reeling from the twenty-hour, three planes and a rental car journey, I was actually looking forward to reviewing a sensible car. I haven't done that since… quite a long time ago. The car, for a mid-size sedan, had a very nice interior, reminiscent of the last generation of Audis, and for only twenty-six grand, Ford Fusion money. It is quite torquey, thanks to a 2.5 liter turbodiesel. This engine is, in true Diamond Star fashion, a sleeve-valve, meaning that the valves are in a metal sleeve between the piston and cylinder wall, and rotates or slides to open and close the valves. This allows for a more efficient valve, and therefore more efficiency at high RPMs. They enjoyed a heyday in the interwar era, and were used in several British aero engines, as well as notable luxury cars, from Daimler, Mercedes-Benz, Panhard, and Avions Voisin. They are quiet, but suffer from horrible oil consumption, and without oil, will seize. The valves themselves are also mildly annoying to store, needing to be kept upright on a form to prevent deformation. I was, therefore, looking at a mixed bag. The car had some good qualities, and some bad. The engine is also slightly down on power, with the Volvo D5, an engine praised by certain British car magazines as brilliant. So, unsure how this would turn out, I took the key, and promptly got lost in their parking lot.

Twenty minutes later, having gone back in and asked where it was, I found it, got in, and found the seats comfortable, although a bit firm. Also of note was the amount of LCD displays, at least one per legal occupant, with a nearly mil-spec radio, mated to an excellent, for its price, sound system. The driving position was comfortable, and the interior room quite sufficient, although it was really quite cold before the heater took effect, thanks to a glass roof combined with a cold winter's day.

The engine started quickly, and I let it heat up for a couple minutes, adjusted my seat, and set up the iPod connectivity. The gearbox, an automatic with semi-automatic capability, was smooth, the gear ratios sensible sounding. When I selected reverse and depressed the right pedal, it seemed like the car was propelled by magic, the engine is so quiet. It kept on being silent until 3500rpm, where it was barely humming, and kept humming until its 5500rpm redline.

The suspension was not so luxuriously inclined. It rode hard, possibly due to the cold affecting the pneumatic shock absorbers, or possibly it was just a hard suspension. Once I made it to urban area, the Caltara behaves quite well, having an average turning circle, a quiet engine, and good visibility, save for between four and five and seven and eight o'clock.

The 2.5L turbodiesel gets commendable fuel consumption, highway and city. It also is underpowered. There is no way to gloss over that. This car weighs 3,500 pounds, and has merely 175 horsepower. A Volvo station wagon has 235, for that weight. Sixty more horsepower, more torque, and better acceleration. This is not to say it is unsafe, or a massive problem, but it is something to keep in mind, that you've not got that much power, in a car that weighs as much as it does. This does not inspire confidence, but it's not the end of the world, or an '86 Yugo.

On the track is where the high-tech suspension comes into play. The body roll is almost nonexistent, the suspension firm, but not too firm, but the engine really lets down the rest of the car. I suppose the V6 would fit, but it's not a very powerful engine, this 2.5 TDI. It doesn't fit, I suppose, having a car that is so well equipped, sporty, almost, that has not enough power is nothing new. It's not that it's a bad car for the track, it's that the engine doesn't fit the car.

Summary:
A good car, all around, but it isn't quite right. The engine doesn't fit the suspension and chassis, the market segment is over saturated, the price is too high ($2,000 more than the highest level Ford Fusion/Mondeo), the interior surprisingly good. It's a mixed bag, this car is, it's got a lot of good bits, but some that aren't bad, just that don't fit with the rest of the car. The suspension is making promises that the engine can't keep.

ACR rating: 7.5/10. It's good looking, and has a nice (but hard) suspension, very nice interior, but is quite down on power.

Conclusions: It's a car that doesn't know what it wants to be. It's got the engine for an environmentally friendly, lighter car, the suspension and chassis of an M3-killer, and the interior of a 3-series. I don't know what to think, except that it needs something to be good at. Volvos have safety, Fords have value for money, Lamborghinis have absurdity, but the Diamond Star Clatara 2.5 TDI? It's got nothing. And the market segment is quite full at the moment.

[The peopleness]

Date: 6th January 2013
Author: Yaroslov Mayasnikov, Peoples’ Motor Review
Vehicle to be Reviewed: CMI/Ford Fusion V8
Company of Origin: Clear Mountain Industries (CMI)
Website (Storefront): viewtopic.php?f=6&t=180272
Nation: Democratic Peoples Republic of the Peopleness (The Peopleness)

As I was ushered into the CMI Fusion V8, I immediately noticed two things, first, there was a very comfortable leather seat and steering wheel, and second, the seat belt was actually a four point harness. This could, in a sense, sum up the design philosophy of CMI in building their Fusion, they took all the trappings of luxury sports-sedans, M3’s, AMG Merc’s and the like, and nailed them to the back of an arguably overpowered V8 engine. The problem with this car, I thought as I left the CMI parking lot and onto the open road, is that, while the car has all the right bits in the right places, I still feel that there is a good chance I could get killed in this car if I push the envelope. However apprehensive I was about the car it handled great while on the twenty minute drive to the test track. CMI has a great setup at their testing facility, with all sorts of roads, from their twelve mile straight speed track, to their off-road course, which was extremely off limits during the time I was there. I arrived at the top speed track ready to see if the Fusion could reach its advertised top speed of 236 MPH, especially because this figure was for the stock V8 model, rather than the mind-boggling 2000 bhp S/C variant. When I had changed into the required nomex romper suit and helmet I buckled up and started off on the track. My plan was to accelerate up to one hundred MPH to warm the tires, using the on board display’s tire thermometer function to judge this, then go for broke, and hopefully be faster than the McLaren F1, if only by five MPH. My main concern at this point was the noticeable lack of downforce aids on the car, until some polite chap from the design team told me that there was both a retractable boot lid spoiler, and a retractable splitter. Reassured, I went out on for my speed run, achieving 236.22 MPH. After the morning's excitement I had lunch at the on-site food court, and drove to the test track. At the track, which is modeled on the TopGear test track due to that circuit’s punishing nature, I detected some of the historical CMI danger worming its way back into the car, mainly in the form of an absurd amount of understeer, reminiscent of a '68 Pontiac GTO, to the extent that I’ve driven better handling front wheel drive cars.
Now all this leaves the question, ‘Would I actually buy this car?’ Well, let us look over the features, it costs $132 per mile per hour($31251.37/236MPH), as opposed to the BMW M3’s $337 per MPH($60000/178MPH), so the CMI Fusion is a cheap, fast car. It gets points for that, and also for its mind melting top speed of 236 MPH. Frankly if anyone buys this car they have to be rich, as, though it has good for its class fuel economy, the insurance is absurdly expensive. It gets 29 MPG highway, and a resoundingly mediocre 19 MPG city, but the 25 gallon tank lends a three to five hundred mile range mitigating this fault. The base car is a Ford and is known for its reliability and spacious interior, features which, thankfully, persist in the CMI variant.
PRO’S CON’S
looks good I UNDERSTEERS
fast I overpowered
comfortable I godawfully expensive insurance
cheap for speed I

SUMMARY: Quite comfortable & fast; close to greatness, but falling just short
ACR rating 7.8
CONCLUSION: Worth a test drive, but its insurance costs, dangerous understeer, and overpowered nature mean that this modern muscle car needs work to be a true ‘M3/5 killer’.

[Aurora Confederacy]

(Image)

Pantheon Automotive
115 SW Yalke St
Višegrad Ward, Tver City State
Sovereign Imperium of Machina Haruspex

____________________________________________________________

To: Automotive Consumer Review Panel
From: Pantheon Automotive

We here at Pantheon Automotive would like to have a review by the ACR.
The vehicle we'd like reviewed is that of the Hupma (Noble) Luxury Sedan

Pantheon Hupma

Its name means noble, and well standing by the car I can see why they call it that as its flowing graceful lines remind me of older era cars, however there's just something about that front end as those headlights look lost sat next to that manor house fascade of a radiator grille but that aside, lets have a look at the bit that makes it go.

Whats under there? I wandered, V8, V10, even a V12 perhaps, 4 litre, maybe 5, ha NO, a poor 3.5 litre inline 6, a little engine in a rather big car though I have to say it does look the business with a polished exhaust system, yes that’s right, polished to a shine that is only beaten by the chrome on the grille, do you need that, no, but does it really matter, only to the chauffeur who probably has to clean it but it don’t half look nice. Sat in front of the engine are two of the biggest air conditioning condensers I have ever seen on a car so perhaps we may be onto something here, perhaps not so much a car to drive but a car to be driven in.

Closing the bonnet in any normal car is done with a clunk, not on the Hupma, the bonnet closes with a dignified, almost regal thud, and then it didn’t seem to lock properly, standing proud even at that, I was almost ready to bad mark that down as a bad fit but slowly in front of my own eyes I stood somewhat surprised as the bonnet gently lowered itself down flush with the trim, yes soft close hood on a car, now that’s a new one on me, I have never seen that before.

Walking around to the side of the Hupma, something just doesn't look quite right, I will be brutally honest, with all that chrome, both in the grille and highlighting the bumper, those alloy wheels just don't suit the car as they look like something I would expect to see on a Tambora or BMW, not something that looks like it should be delivering royalty to some classy banquet at a palace, however each to their own, from here I walked around to the back of the car and opened the trunk only to find there wasn’t room for ONE set of golf clubs, The trunk has it seems space for 3 sets, it is absolutely huge, and still contains a fridge, and its carpeted too but not with any old shag pile, but Kashmir carpet and everything fits perfect. Each side of the trunk there are two storage bins, each one with a carpeted door, here I find the usual first aid kits, warning triangles and a canteen cutlery holder with a full regal set of finest cutlery for 4 persons, now I didn’t expect that, so lets have a look inside, and yes the trunk does close, you don’t close it by hand, but you tell the trunk to close by gently pressing it down, sensors in the mechanism do the rest. The trunk just glides slowly shut, closing almost silently, then the sound of, click, as the latches engage to secure the trunk.

As this is a car to be driven in, rather than a car to be driven, lets concentrate for a bit on the back seat area as this is really where it matters, if you’re going to buy one of these you wont be driving it yourself, in fact you probably wont be driving period as driving will be a chore merely to be carried out by lesser folk, so lets take a seat.

As can be expected there is legroom, lots of legroom, in fact probably more leg room that in first class on most airliners, with the foot well carpeted in more of that Kashmir carpet and it doesn’t just look right, it feels right, though I personally would have chosen a different colour as wine stains are going to show up horrible in the light beige, especially red wine. Now the Hupma only has two back seats, not three though in a car like this, you don’t really need the extra seat for that would get in the way of the drinks fridge which will take a 5 litre bottle of finest red wine, and 2 glasses, I presume two glasses as the person sitting next to the chauffeur in such a car will probably be a body guard on duty, rather than a member of some sovereign family. The glasses are nicely engraved as well with the manufacturers coat of arms, and are indeed very nice indeed. Sitting in the seat, I found the controls for the headrest nicely placed close to the electric windows, and there are 2 buttons for this as the Hupma has retractable smoked glass for additional privacy from prying paparazzi which again leans to the fact that this is a car to be driven in.

In the centre is a large monitor for DVD film watching, though even though the cabin is quite large it is in the wrong place, I would find sitting watching it uncomfortable after a while, so Pantheon, if you're reading this, perhaps seat back monitors would be better, however the seats are comfortable, so lets get rolling. Having exited the passenger compartment and closed the door and climbed into the drivers seat, first thing that hit me was just how logical it is laid out and falls nicely to hand. Closing the door it all went quiet, the busy city outside is now just a ghost of a voice as the Hupma is extremely quiet, though with only 3.5 litres up front I'm sceptical at this stage on how it is going to perform, is it going to be underpowered, right now I’m expecting it will struggle, the Hupma is a large car, however on the plus side is 250 bhp, so it may go a bit, so lets see.

With the engine running, the only indication to this is the rev counter goes from zero to 1000rpm, so sliding it into drive I set off, as can be expected, the near 2 tonnes of car takes a second to get moving but once moving she picks up speed and responds to the throttle nicely and the power steering is nicely weighted giving excellent feedback to my hand though no nasty surprises. I spent around 15 minutes driving around the cobbled streets of the old town area, and 15 mins of cobbles should rattle any rattle and make any loose panel squeak, there was none of that, not even a ripple in the glass of water sat in the cup holder. Taking to the open road I gave the claim of a 7.2 0-100km/h a test and got to around 100km/h in around 7 and a half seconds so she not only looks the part, but goes well too and cruising at 120km/h on the orbital road around the city, there was very little road or engine noise, meaning my stereo could be played nice and low.

I will give this car a rating of 8 on style as its let down by the alloy wheels, but on comfort, 10 on this one. would I buy one? when I win the lotto I will get back to you on that, however if I was given one would I turn it down, oh hell no! if you are royalty, this MAY be the car for you.

[Hectane]

Car to be reviewed: AFK Automotive AFK-Saab 9406 1.8T 170 SE
Reviewer: Lt.Cdr. Aleksander Klarerberg, Hectanian Naval Racing Team
Locations: ACR's Hectanian Branch, the CMI automotive proving ground's Le Mans Circuit de la Sarthe 'Old Mulsanne' test track (it's a 1:1 replica of the actual track), and the city of New London, Hectane.
Car Country of Origin: The Metropolitan Borough of Astholm
Date of Review: 9 January, 2013

For the first time this year, I received orders to review a car. It's not the best, being seemingly the only journalist available to ACR, but I don't mind too much. I like the 9-3, the car that the 9406 is based on, but this export model of a license built copy is not nearly an actual 9-3.

When I saw it in the lot, I was amused. AFK/Saab had not mucked up the styling of the 9-3. I've driven a 9-3 Turbo X substantially, which may influence this review slightly, and knew what it looked like, avoiding last Sunday's… issue. I had high hopes, knowing the Swedish mantra of safety, and goodness, hopes which were not backed up by the interior.

It's not a bad interior, for a £19,405 car, but for what seems like a Saab with a crummy suspension, it's A. cheap seeming, and B. A great bargain. You have leather upholstery, poplar wood trim (isn't that a symbol of death?) and a chilled glove box. The disturbing thing, when reading the equipment given standard, is that it has "Front fog lamps, cruise control, an on-board computer, arm rest…" on it. you have to tell me that an arm rest is standard, that a ECU is standard? It's a bit cheap seeming, in this humble journalist's opinion. This is not to say that the interior looks bad, or cheap, just not what I expected, with the Saab badge, etc.

In terms of the driving mechanics, I would say that it is a car. It drives like most other front wheel drive cars, although the quirks have crept in through the cracks. The engine sounds nice, and provides enough power, via a five-speed manual, to propel the car to 145, thanks to the 9-3's original relatively aerodynamic body (it's no Nissan Cube or Scion iHateCarsAndAmAHipster [Actually, it's the Scion xB -Ed.]), and the high rev limit on the engine. If you were expecting a Swedish sedan that will comfortably and safely transport you and your family, this is not it. The ride is hard and bouncy, a topic we will get to later, and the midrange acceleration that is a hallmark of the land where the torso/lap seatbelt and automatic ratchet were invented is not there. The car starts accelerating slower around 70, with a bogging down around 75-90, as you have changed up and are getting into the turbo. It also does not steer as nicely as, say, a Volvo, the wheel being less comfortable, fake leather, and having an uncomfortable seam running down the inside.

Despite claims in its homeland of "Bland Styling", the 9406 is a good looking car, if you make it lower, as it should be. It's a Saab.

At the speeds you actually go when it says 65 or 70 mph, [80 -Ed.] the car understeers quite badly, an inconvenience when you have a racetrack to your self, but a danger on a highway, and considering the availability of aftermarket parts in the USH, this is not a feature I want. It does not safely understeer. I don't even know what safe understeer is, because all the understeer I've encountered, the really bad stuff, ended solely when the car was either going on a straight, or in a pile of tires, smoking, or upside down in a hedge. (Those were a CMI Ford Fusion S/C, Pontiac GTO Judge, and a souped-up Lancia Fulvia, respectively) I do not like understeer. You can't do anything about it, unlike oversteer, where you counter steer. you can't steer harder, because it makes it worse, and you can't go straight, because there's a wall. Or some kittens. Or a 5.0 litre Range Rover driven by a millionaire's wife, who, at five foot two, can't see over the steering wheel.

Anyway, about the brakes: Don't use them too vigorously, as they fade quite fast, and also, the ABS isn't very good. Above 100, hard braking causes them to lock, and they don't work, causing an automobile-thing in front of it contact session at about 90 mph.

The ride is OK, but a bit bouncy, and a bit hard, like a school bus, with some subtlety, some toning down, but it's not very good in town, and off-road, I'd rather be in a Ford F-150 than this. Actually, I'd take an F-150 over this any day of the week, but that's another story, if someone sends in an F-150. At high speed, however, the 1/2 ton's 15+ inches of suspension travel and soft dampers smooth the ride, whereas the god only knows what this has, because it's got a sump guard or something similar, and I'm lazy, but whatever it is, it's banged to be both bouncy and hard, nearly at AMG Mercedes levels, simultaneously. And there's a jittering rattle above 95 that won't go away.

Summary: It's a good car, but nothing more. It is advertised as a step up from the Ford Mondeo, but the Ford Mondeo is a better car. It's got more power, All wheel drive, and more dealers to get spare parts. And no stupid sump guard thing. And is cheaper. And has not been put two more inches off the ground by some bureaucrat or other to make it off-roady. I'd rather have an actual Saab, anyway, rather than a cut-price version thereof.
But hey, you get what you pay for.

ACR rating:5 It's a boring, meh-ey car. The body is also writing checks that the underneath bits can't cash. I'd still get a Mondeo, because it's better looking, anyhow.


Notes transcribed from three laps of the CMI track:

Interior looks good.
Engine is powerful, good sounding.
Outside looks good.
got bogged down about 75-90
Understeers quite badly above 80
3rd tops out at 94
accelerates slowly above 3rd
5th tops at 142 or so
shakes and is not so good at steering 120+
does NOT turn under breaking
braking hard at 110+ causes ABS malfunctions
five gears
front doesn't grip well
doesn't steer so well at 80.
Will not go around a 90 degree corner at 50+
It's a good car, just nor for racing.
good acceleration from 65-75
good mid range accel due to turbo
doesn't steer under braking.
ride is firm, bouncy at high speeds, not soft enough in town.
jitters and is unstable at 80+
Nearly no turbo lag
Ride could be significantly better
You CAN drift it…
Unsafely understeers under braking, and going into corners with too much speed.
'Decent' amount of power

[Aurora Confederacy]

Car to be reviewed:CMI Phantom Griffon
Reviewer: Alex Hall, Magazinja Autotechnica
Locations: Rhydin City Old Town area and nearby race track
Car Country of Origin: The United States of Hectane

Date of Review: 12 January, 2013


Yesterday I had a phone call from the editor, “you're doing another luxury he said to me”, so I grabbed my bags, jumped on a plane and flew over to Rhydin for yet another luxury car.

Arriving at the offices of the magazine, the keys were duly handed to me by the secretary on the desk so off I went to the car park to find it and it didn't take long. My first impressions of the car were mixed, surely this review should be in black and white, and yet despite the fact I am in a shirt, I feel like I should have a top hat and a jacket with tails, for it looks like it came from a time when the fastest flight across the Atlantic took 24 hours not 9, however lets have a look at it.

Firstly, she's not a small one, almost a full 2 meters wide, and 5.4m from nose to tail, and that hood, its huge, measuring 2.5m meters from grille to wind shield, so what's under there, a 3 litre motor like the Hupma, a 6 litre like a Rolls Royce, no its a tad bigger though not much, only by 31 litres or so, I mean really 37 litres in a car, that's like 3 times what is in a VLT C4 or a Diamond Star Mjolnir, and they are commercial trucks, this is a car, actually its more like the drawing room of the local manor house that just happens to have wheels. The give away to the fact that the devil himself lurks under the hood is the exhausts, twin pipes, chrome of course, measure 170mm in diameter, and they are straight bore pipes so what ever you do don't drive past a funeral, you may wake up the dead.

The hood opens up butterfly style like on many classic cars which makes access of the monster of an engine easy, giving access to all the vital bits like a SUPERCHARGER, as if 37 litres, and 2,500hp wasn't enough already, they have given it 3,500hp. That's almost 3 times that of most trucks, and the torque, 5,000 torques, I will say that again Five Thousand of them so if you need to move a small planet, use this to do it.

so before we move off let us pray...
Our Father, who thou art in heaven, just open the gates and get the kettle on, amen!

Behind the large wheels lie double wishbone suspension units with active hydraulic dampers, so it has some sensible features, however, you don't buy one of these for that, no no no, that would be logical, and sane, how can a car with 37 litres and 5,000 torques be sane, though with those figures, it may be a little lively and a bit thirsty, but hey you have spent $1 million on a car, the fact that is is a tad thirsty wont bother you, you probably own an oil field or two. And then there are the brakes, 480mm ventilated disc brakes, so as well as plenty of go, it looks like its going to have plenty of stop ability.

Seeing where you're going as well, that wont be a problem, it has two world war 2 searchlights for headlights, so you may actually illuminate the space station when it passes overhead, so lets get inside shall we.

Inside the Phantom its a different story, its quiet, though that may be because of the insulation that is needed to keep you from hearing Beelzebub up front, a walnut and leather dashboard with all the right dials in logical places, and the seats are gorgeous, sliding electrically into the desired position, putting me in a perfect position to see over the bonnet, and a gear lever with 6 speeds on it, though that may be 6 differing degrees of tyre smokiness because this WILL wheel spin, in first, second, third, fourth fifth and sixth and will you care? If you do, then you're name is probably E Scrooge.

Starting her up, well, its not just turn a key, well you do that to start with, then there's a whirring noise as the fuel primes, then a light comes on, telling you to press the start button and that's what I did. Starting takes a second or two as the starter motor cranks over the big lump, then it lights, and by god WHAT a noise, I now feel like I should be wearing a flying cap and goggles, and this thing should have wings with four thirty calibre machine guns in it. It shakes rattles as she idles, but with a weight of just under 2 tonnes, most of it the engine that's hardly surprising, and if it didn't, then I would be worried.

The clutch is a little heavy, and so is the steering though not too heavy thanks to hydraulic assistance, which it needs as the front axle has almost a tonne over it thanks to Beelzebub up there. Once onto the road, people were looking, probably due to the noise from what up front but what a noise! Keep your Aston's, Ferrari's and V8 Americana, Beelzebub, I think I am beginning to like you, though with the noise this thing makes, perhaps Poltergeist would be more fitting because this car sounds like it has an attitude! Around old town, the Phantom has all the visibility of a 1930s car, the mirrors are too small, but they're probably only there as a legal requirement as what ever is in them will stay in them, especially when you put your foot down, kicking Beelzebub up the groin, which I was tempted to do on so many occasions, and temptation with that noise is hard to resist, could I resist, not a chance. Just the slightest pressure on the loud pedal, and things disappear, sometimes, especially if they are boy racers in hotted Golf Gti's in a cloud of smoke, bringing on a new meaning to “gone in 60 seconds!”.

On the track, which is the only place you will want to use this, or even be able to use the full performance, It dispensed a standing quarter mile in 9 seconds, yes 9 seconds, 9 smoke filled seconds, and when the smoke had cleared, there were 6 sets of black lines, the gaps only there because I changed gear and when I did cross the line, 1500rpm was all it was giving me, though I was doing 110 and still spinning the tyres, which is fun, frightening but fun. Taking it slowly around the track to learn it first, then the Phantom behaves itself which is dull and boring, but that's what luxury cars are thanks to a smooth, dignified ride and when driven sedately, that is what you get, a dull, uneventful ride which is what you expect from a luxury car, however you have 37 litres up front, which would be a waste if you drove it like Miss Daisy, so please don't. Drive it with vigour, for its not a car, its a Go Kart, a bloody big Go kart! Which on the second lap, that's what I did, and Beelzebub rewarded me with tyre smoke and tyre squeal on every corner as I tipped it in and booted it, power sliding will never be the same again, EVER, especially when you can do it in ANY gear.

Approaching corners, the brakes are effective, bringing the Phantom from speed to a dead stop quickly and with little fuss thanks to large disc brakes and ABS, however the tall tyres do not offer much in the way of grip so she does under steer, however there is a cure for this, dab the brakes, opposite lock and more right foot and power slide your way out of trouble which is ok for a track, however PC Plod may not like this and book you for driving like a hooligan!

Now to the real world and off the track for a nice steady country drive, as invariably when you take the phantom to a track day you are going to drive it there. The road from the track to old town, here I picked the Phantom up is not bad, its a winding A-Road, though there is also a motorway you can take, but lets keep off the motorway, for the Phantom, which as I said earlier looks like it was built before Motorways.

Driving sedately down the lanes, its more refined character comes out, the Steering is relatively precise, though the large wheels up front do make for a vague steering, however 18” Momo alloys would not look right on a car like this. Keeping her below 1200RPM is actually easy once you get used to the Phantom, however, even when driven slowly the burble from that cathedral of power is never far away just urging me to floor it but no, not here Beelzebub, I have to return you in good condition, not wrapped around a tree.

Coming behind a tractor, there came a chance to overtake in highway conditions, normal procedure is to down shift and floor it, with the Phantom, you don't need to, simply pull out and accelerate and Giles with his mobile roadblock will soon be getting smaller in the mirrors, and when you do need to change gear, apart from the heavy clutch, gear shifts are relatively easy as the gearbox is well engineered, and you can change quite easily without using the clutch pedal, so long as you balance the engine speed with the ratios, and do this on a down shift, when you blip the throttle to match engine speed to road speed then there is that devilish burble that makes you grin, and your wallet cry!

The verdict:
On the plus side,
Its comfortable,
Goes like a cat that's been kicked in the groin and landed on a hot plate
Sounds gorgeous
Has enough room to swing a tiger, (growls like one too)
Its well screwed together,


On the negative side:
Fuel economy, the 100 gallon fuel tank means this puppy only has a 700 mile tank range, though with 37 litres that is to be expected but if you have just brought a car with an engine bigger than most big rigs, you probably don't care about that

Too light, with 3500hp, it could do with a little more weight, the traction control can not cope, however that can work paradoxically as it is immense fun to drive!

Heavy clutch, due to the fact the engine has so much power, to protect the clutch the springs on the Phantom have some serious strength, and even then the clutch can slip when its warm.

Would I buy one?
Its a great car, just not my personal style, however it is tempting, thanks Beelzebub for entertaining me with that V12 burble.

overall rating: 8

[Hectane]

Car to be Reviewed: Diamond Star Tambora
Reviewer: Lt.Cdr. Aleksander Klarerberg, Hectanian Naval Racing Team, aided by RADM. Joseph Vandermur
Locations: CMI 'Road Atlanta', CMI 1.5 mile oval track, CMI 12 mile straight "SuperSpeedway", the city of Brooklyn, Hectane (It's called Brooklynsk in Hectanian. -Ed.)
Car Country of Origin: The Mercantile Federal Republic of Aurora Confederacy
Date of Review:15-16 January, 2013

Today, I'm in a Diamond Star Tambora, a V12 supersports saloon, designed to rival the Mercedes-Benz S65 AMG, the Bentley Mulsanne, and the Rolls-Royce Ghost. It therefore needs to be good looking, excessively luxurious, quieter than the Sahara Desert at noon, in the summer, more capable than a Volkswagen Phaeton W12, and fast. The old adage of the loudest part of the car being the clock at 100 miles an hour must be true. It must be as comfortable as any Rolls Royce, as smooth, sedate, and reliable, too.
So I took my boss along in the back for the road test, and spent two days testing.

When I first saw the Tambora, I thought it was nice looking, seeing as it was parked nose in. It's not actually that bad of a grill shape, as there isn't one, it just worries me about overheating issues, which they tell me don't exist. The back is quite good looking, with gills behind the rear wheels, six (SIX!) exhaust pipes, and nice-ish tail lights.

On to the driving and interior: Around town, with the suspension set on contort, it is like not moving, it's that smooth. Except that it can shelter the passengers from the earth-shaking and noise effects of a column of twenty tanks driving past at high speed, or a minor earthquake. The seats are incredibly comfortable and supportive in the front, and according to my boss, more comfortable than the seats in his house in the back. And they kept him from spilling a glass of soda while going around a sharp corner at high speed. The in-cabin entertainment system, a complicated, probably quite expensive, multi-output thing that I don't understand, it's so complicated (coming from an F/A-18H pilot, that's no small comment). It's described as having a "bi-matrix" center screen, which apparently shows me (driving) the GPS and driving-related information, and the passenger a movie or the radio setting. This may become a problem, if the driver wants to set the radio station, which required moving my head nearly into the passenger's lap. The bluetooth connectivity worked well, thankfully, and the voice recognition worked as well as any other. The only problem with the sound system is that to make full use of the cross-linked sound system, one needs to have bluetooth headphones, which are expensive. It also brings fuel economy down by 10% when turned on, something not appreciated. The loss increases with more features being used, such as the built-in video screens in the back, and the four-way ipod connectivity.

The interior is tastefully decorated, thankfully, much like the German competition, and the air conditioning is incredibly capable, reaching Volkswagen Phaeton levels of comfort, build quality, and technical brilliance. The rear-seat wine cooler, however, may bring some unwanted attention from the authorities, depending on your locale's open-container laws, or lack thereof.

The six-speed automatic with a flappy-paddle system is as smooth as the sleeve-valve engine, providing electronically limited, smooth, acceleration. The traction control, however, when pushed to the limit, is not as effective as one might wish, causing understeer, which then, seemingly randomly, breaks into backwards-in-a-cloud-of-smoke oversteer. This is not a problem at highway speeds, but if one is being chased by baddies who have a relatively fast car, it might become a problem. The six-liter supercharged sleeve-valve V12, however, will almost never become a problem. It has the power to escape from anyone, unless the attackers have a car that is faster than 211 miles an hour. Which they won't, because most cars that go that fast cost over £100,000. You will, however, win a late-braking competition, thanks to 17" ventilated discs.

And the passenger(s) won't spill their drink in the process.

Around a track is not where this car shines. With the traction control off, the tires turn to smoke, but with it on, you understeer sufficiently that you will die. In a straight line, it is reminiscent (not, thankfully, closely) of the Hammerhead Eagle iThrust, of BBC's Top Gear: It is not planted, and occasionally the on-board computers will decide that you aren't in enough danger, at 195 miles an hour on a 110 foot wide straight track, and touch the brakes, or steering, and you will be in a minor tank slapper, which it will make worse. Or, when you need to brake, it will decide that, because you turned the traction control off, you don't need ABS. It doesn't tell you this, so when you stomp the brakes to stop, it thinks you are crashing, and, because you are now crashing, the brakes lock, and don't unlock until you are fully stopped, in this case, 75 yards from the edge of the track. This gives it a stopping distance, from 211mph, of 575 yards. Nearly a third of a mile. Not the best.

Around town, at low speed, however, this car becomes brilliant. It has a relatively narrow turning circle, and is designed, with the driver aids firmly on, to be the best of it's class. It may not have the looks of a Mercedes, or the prestige of a Rolls, but it's faster than either. And quieter, smoother, and more powerful.

Now we come to the main attraction of the Tambora: The six-liter, 810 horsepower, 1,100 lb-ft, supercharged, sleeve-valve V12. It is the smoothest engine I have ever seen or felt. You really can balance a coin on it's edge on top of the engine and run it through the whole rev range without it falling over. It also is quieter than just about everything else, being as quiet as most cars are in sitting still in a mild breeze when it's at 150 miles an hour, the engine at full chat. There is just no noise in this car.


Summary:
If you need a car that can do 211 miles an hour, in complete luxury, this is for you. If you need a car that can handle well in luxury, not as much. It's wonderful at low speeds, but above 125 miles an hour, it becomes very prone to understeer, violent oversteer, and other unwanted handling characteristics. The sleeve-valve engine is not something to disregard, however, due to its inherent being better than any competitor.

ACR Rating: 8/10 It's got an ugly front, murderous handling characteristics at high speeds, and insane traction control (although we were told that a software patch will fix this later this year), but it's not actually that ugly, the interior is brilliant, the drivetrain mostly brilliant, and the quiet and inherent smoothness of a Sleeve-Valve engine.

Conclusions: It's brilliant. Just don't drive fast on a difficult road, or on a track, if it can be avoided. And know your open container laws. Or look at the traction control switch.


Notes from several laps of the CMI 'Road Atlanta' test track, as well as a high-speed banked oval (1.5 miles), and a twelve-mile straight track.

Don't touch the hand brake; you'll roll. (I did. Several times)
It loves tire walls: it hits them all
understeers, than snaps and kills you.
brakes ineffective with TCS off
No drifts. Unsafe.
docile and understeer and then kills you w/ uncorrectable oversteer
no sharp corners
6-speed flappy paddle
it will get into a tank slapper very easily, and then you're backwards in a cloud of smoke
settled at high speed in straight lines, below 175
top speed 211 MPH

[The peopleness]

Date: 20th January 2013
Author: Ioseph Pekarev, Peoples’ Motor Review
Vehicle to be Reviewed: Volvo XC-70 CMI 390
Price As Tested: £50975.61
Company of Origin: Clear Mountain Industries (CMI)
Website (Storefront): viewtopic.php?f=6&t=180272
Nation: Democratic Peoples Republic of the Peopleness (The Peopleness)

Frankly when the Editor was handing out the keys to this weeks of reviews I was slightly less than excited. The bland ‘Golden Ash’ station wagon that I found in the lot did little to lift my spirits. there were small differences on the car denoting its sportiness, such as a rear wing and air dam, but the detail to finally lift my spirits was the CMI badge on the very useful rear tailgate. As I got in to the quite comfortable leather seats I noticed a few more controls on the wheel, but most notably the Aston-y rumble that escaped from under the hood as I started off for the open road. In city driving the infotainment system politely told me to lower the select-a-boostTM until I followed the instructions, lowering the boost to zero, lowering the standard 700bhp to a reasonable 400. There was a hint of the usual CMI lunacy but the sheer weight of the volvo kept a lot of the problems in check, at least for now.
Out on the open road the XC70 behaves like almost nothing else, one moment it’s all calm and collected, peacefully plodding along at 70mph, but if you tap the throttle suddenly you are going 150mph. The most intriguing aspect of the car is that the 6.4 liter V12 delivers the noise of a Grand Tourer, but the Volvo body lends the feeling that even if I go flying backwards upside down into a tree at 150mph I’ll be fine.
I finally arrived at the PMV test facility, in Vodnagrad and refueled the 18 gallon tank. I put the car into track mode and was amazed by the deep rumble that emerged from the tailpipes. With a flip of a switch I was driving a totally different car. The acceleration was astounding considering the sedate behavior on the road, and the weight of a full two tons. Somehow the V12 manages to make this sedate estate sporty, flying through the straits like an AMG Merc. The hitch comes in the corners, where above 120mph, the Volvo behaves like a beer barrel on a roller skate, sliding along oversteering until you catch it into a power slide and then it slides for miles. Overall the handling is sedate at highway speed, but violent at speed.
The interior of the car includes everything but the kitchen sink, though the controls on the steering wheel are not arranged the best, and the pedals seem designed for someone wearing an EOD suit. The trunk has a cargo capacity of about 70 cubic feet, and the fold flat seats increase this by 30ft^3. Heated seats are a must on this car, and the radio is great. There are few ways to get a better interior for this low a price, and the mixture of speed and comfort is, dare I say, something Rolls Royce should aspire to.

Pros: comfortable, fast, Select-a-Boost, sensible, safe
Cons: corners are tricky, pirelli tyres aren’t great for city, a bit too much power

Summary The most sensible car that CMI sells, a better car for half the price of the E-63AMG wagon.
Rating: 8.5 2nd in class (CTS-V wagon won)
Conclusion: startlingly good, compared to CMI’s last foray into sensibility, the Fusion V8, which was less than stellar. The only flaw is the oversteer, which is moderate.

[Aurora Confederacy]

Date: Jan 20, 2013
Author: Gavin Thompson, Magazinja Autotechnica
For: Review of Celsan Fulgo3 Automotive Consumer Review


Specification:
Engine: 1.6 litre Turbo Diesel
Output: 128bhp

Test location: South Sands

Receiving the call to test the Celsan Fulgo 3, I had no idea what to expect, Celsan is not a make sold in the Aurora Confederacy and so I had no idea what the model was, nor had I even heard of it, however sat on the flood lit docks across from the huge nuclear power station that dominates South Sands bay with its 6 nuclear reactors was the car that I had to test.

So lets see what this is all about, firstly the shape, its nicely sculpted and very modern looking so first impressions at least are promising, however, though the rear lights, with that red strip in the middle, I'm not sure about that styling feature. Celsan say this is a mid size motor, however its size straddles two areas, larger than a Focus, smaller than a Caltara, so that may play against it however its price is hopefully going to be competitive, price this car in the same bracket as the Caltara or Vectra it may be too expensive so only time will tell.

The key had 3 buttons on it, door lock, door unlock, tailgate release so that's a nice feature, however the -15 centigrade meant that getting into the car was a bit difficult to start with as the tailgate and doors had frozen solid, taking a but of prising to open, however I persisted and managed to wrench the tailgate open from its icy grip.

The trunk is large but lacks tie down points, access to the tail lights is easy as they are situated behind two panels, though with cold fingers in bulky gloves they are a tad fiddly to get off their clips. Attached to the top of the tail gate is the warning triangle, though in minus 15 degree cold, getting it off is also fiddly.

The tyres, low profile tyres on 16 inch rims, yes they look nice BUT their stiff side walls which are dedicated to sporty handling won't suit the cold conditions of some nations, particularly the Aurora confederacy as they wont get up to operating temperature and so be very stiff.

Having opened the doors and climbed in, the first thing that hit me was the amount of black and grey plastic, with a chrome surround to the radio console which breaks up the acres of dull grey plastic and fabric. Tucked away in the passenger foot well is the bonnet release, so this vehicle it seems is designed for the right hand drive market rather than the European left hand drive market, though again the polar conditions were playing havoc here making the release a bit stiff.

Once that was open and the bonnet held up with the support bar, the engine, a small 1400cc 4 cylinder engine lay across the engine bay rather than in an inline layout to drive the rear wheels, this is however expected for the Fulgo, who's name is a little too close to the English word “Vulgar” for some people, is Front wheel drive, for here in this country, All wheel drive is king.

So how's it drive, well lets head up to Longyearbyen to find out.

Turning the key the dashboard lit up momentarily with all manner of coloured lights, presumably this is a test program, however the lights went out leaving just the usual 3 reds and the glow plug light. Turning the key another notch and the engine clattered into life in a way only a diesel engine does. It took a few minutes for the heaters to start to warm the cabin and start to defrost the windscreen, so perhaps a heated front windscreen would be useful here. Turning the switch to turn on the lights revealed the illumination pattern, and yes this has these modern HID lights, which do a good job of looking good, and throw out enough light for others to see you, however they don't inspire much, nor illuminate much more either, however they are bright, just not focused in the same way traditional lights are.

Once the windows had cleared it was time to head off.

Finding the way out of the huge car yard that is part of the import and export complex gave time for the engine to start warming up and once warm the heaters do push out some heat, they just take a while to work though bare in mind that it is minus 15c. Tapping the brakes brought the ABS into life, so that's a pleasant surprise, and its effective at what its meant to do. Turning onto Magnox drive I headed past Diamond Star and South Sands Nuclear power station entrance gate and duly floored it, and yes wheel spin, LOTS of wheel spin, so don't expect traction control, it has none except your right foot, and those tyres don't help in conditions like these, they are too low profile.

On the road the diesel engine gives plenty of audible grunt and it does sound like its a goer, however when cold, the Fulgo3 has is not the quickest car off the lights, in fact its quite sluggish, though after a few miles the temperature gauge had started to move towards the middle as the 4 pots put heat into the block, and sure enough as the engine warmed up, performance improved. Though I have to say, despite the pudding pie performance when cold, the gearbox on the other hand is a different matter, each of the 5 speeds is easily found, and reverse is a lift up collar, across and down from First gear and goes in nicely so its not all bad, and once the power steering fluid is warm, the steering is light and precise, though in minus 15C conditions, things are never going to be free flowing as the fluids stiffen up significantly as things get colder.

One thing I must say about the Fulgo3 is the stereo system, its front loading RDS AM FM stereo system is simple to operate and so easy to use, however there is no satellite navigation system, Celsan GIVE US SAT NAV when you release this puppy! Moving through the gears and thus onto the Terra Link motorway for the long drive up to Longyearbyen, the Fulgo3 performed admirably with no unpleasant squeaks or rattles so its screwed together pretty well and over a long drive it is comfortable, though I found the drone from that engine a little annoying with the stereo turned off.

After leaving a 40km/h limit due to road works on Terra Link 1, this gave me the opportunity to see what roll on acceleration is like, and this is where the Fulgo 3 shines, though not volcanic, the acceleration is brisk, reaching the 80km/h speed limit from 40km/h in around 10 seconds, not bad for a car of this class, not the best, not the worst, however I did not go over 80km/h on this test as the Terra Link is set at 80km/h for the winter speed limit and average speed cameras time you between cameras, so preventing me from seeing what the Fulgo3 can do when pushed hard, however it is comfortable with plenty of travel on the seat rails for both driver and passenger seats, and being slightly larger than the Focus to which it rivals, rear legroom is also better, as it will comfortably seat 4 adults.

Before leaving South Sands, I took the liberty of noting down how much fuel I used on the 200km drive up to Longyearbyen and a quick calculation revealed a not to shabby 50mpg, yes its a little spartan with no air con, no traction control and acres of plastic, but for a simple family car, the Fulgo does exactly what it says on the tin and gives nothing more, nothing less, you do get electric windows, electric sun roof and electric mirrors as standard, so how's it score?

On the whole the Fulgo 3 is an average car, so I will give it 6 out of a possible 10, yes there are better cars, and there are worse cars, but the Fulgo 3 is an average car but is well built and comfortable for long distances, just not exceptionally so but after all this is a family car for average blue collar workers, so if its value for money you want, this should be on your list of vehicles to consider.
Overall score 6.5/10