Beater or Sleeper? COTW! [Closed]

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SPD Writes Car Of The Week: Week 24 - TVR Griffith


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Enter killer British car company's newest take under new management.


That thread title says Week 23? I nearly forgot about Week 24 now that we're approaching week.. tuhwenty fayhvee..

With a strong showing of whatever cars they have, TVR launches itself into this week's spotlight with the 2nd generation Griffith. A car that, with the high scoring looks and the low price, unfortunately hasn't been even sold proper yet. Meaning it's unlikely your average muggle in real life could have a test drive.

Yup, it's about as bare as it goes for descriptions. Still, if we look at some facts, there are hints of something special that has been made. A RWD sports car with 480 horses coming from a Cosworth modified Coyote V8. I love me a good Coyote, and this car has been heralded as one of the cars with the best sounds in Horizon 5. Not to mention it's also just as well designed: a balanced 50-50 distribution from 1.2 tons, with the legendary Gordon Murray behind the overall design.

That latter bit I recall making a status about as a TIL. I mean, it's definitely a find, right? This nearly piece of vaporware would be his most recent work before we get to the T.50. Who's it gonna be to claim dibs for it's first major game appearance?

Speaking of games, the Griffith only appeared in one other game from my end, and it's The Crew 2. Nothing too notable on that regard, really. This is just one obscure car with it's representation just being in games. Sort of like the Franchi SPAS-12, only that it's not an auto shotgun.

The second Griffith is placed down in early S1, with a PI of 825. And when it comes to notable rivals, it's only the 992 911 Carrera S being available a few PI down. Everything in its class of Modern Sports Cars are really too weak to keep up with a Coyote powered beaut like this. Not to mention it's one of the best sounding V8s in the game.. to be fair, there are a lot of good sounding V8s in this game.

Now to the economy! As the final DLC car in Horizon 4's Car Pass before the infamous Barrett-Jackson car pack, there's not much to say about the Griffith when it comes to the quid. But here with the Mexican peso, you can buy it off the Autoshow for 105,000 credits, which is chump change, of course. Any luck in the Auction House, and you can get it as low as 59,000 credits there. You can see the difference, so yay for the Auction House to be the place for a fresh one. It hasn't been the case the past few weeks. In the garage with my name on it, I have 1 tuned to the top of S1, so I'll fetch another real quick.


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Unusually, the 2nd gen Griffith comes in only OOPS it's not Ferrari's Bright Red, so let's take it back to the time where the words Chameleon is the coolest thing on your car paint job.


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To prepare a flight test for this prospective engineering marvel, the Griffith has us head to another Street Scene scramble in Carretera Chase.


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This German powerhouse special just got outmatched by an Italian Job! What? What do you mean the MINI isn't Italian?


"After skirting around the ancient city of Teotihuacan, this route joins the highway for a high-speed battle to the finish next to the Horizon Street Scene outpost."

In more than one way, I guess any event located around Teotihuacan has me interested. With the exception of the drag race, of course.

The track has you go around the roads north of the pyramids in speedy fashion, then to the highway in even more speedy fashion, reaching the Street Scene outpost to top it all off.

And I'm actually quite a fan of this track. It emphasizes the speed in Street Scene events. It's a powerbuild's best friend, especially where the notable highway portion allows them to smoke anything that isn't them.


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A most unusual history: the Griffith is named after a man who wanted to dethrone the AC Cobra to become the super sports track car of the 60s. Has that translated to the modern one well?


- I guess it's obvious we begin being inside. I'm a big fan of what's being offered here, especially those big, lighted up, imposing buttons off the side of the main screen. It has a kill switch! Of course I'll mention my favorite button: the vanity flipper, something I like to abuse in the NA MX-5, though it's more for the headlamps for that car while it's the rear spoiler in this. And unlike most modern sports cars, the Griffith has a manual gearbox rather than a sequential one.

- Let's head out to the launch. I'm expecting with a Coyote to be something rather loose. And for this game, it's not loose at all. Push it all the way down, and don't forget to shift at 50 MPH! My often point for this is at 8100 RPMs.

- It doesn't take a few turns to say that Gordon Murray body gives the car the sort of handling I see in the Viper months back. But in this car, there's hardly any sense that the Coyote is in something that would normally carry a Coyote. More like a.. uhh.. is there a lightweight sports car with another animal as an engine?

- But it's not a car that wants to kill you, even though a TVR is most definitely that kind of car. No jittery movement, no severe reactions to uneven terrain, not even terrible cases of oversteer in tight turns. It's quite refined. But still watch your throttle in lower speeds. The traction overall is pretty nice.

- A track like this has me note the car's high speed performance. Even though it's got that nice rear wing to help, the car likes to go wide. So proper braking and disciplined turn manners will help. Misusing the brakes give a lock up to the rear, but I haven't experienced anything notably bad about it.

- As a car without aspiration, the top end isn't too good. The similarities with the VX Viper come out once again, even though we're more a Mustang anyways. On the flipside, the car's lower acceleration is both excellent and stable.

- When it comes to the track, you have no Barry R to protect you and there are ample places to throw the car off the road. The Griffith however should try to stay on the road, and while it can turn, it's not usually grippy if you're sweating away in higher paces.

- Then we go to the obstacles. The only threat is the metal road barriers. So, stay away from them. They're notable on the road by the pyramid, and of course the highway portion.

- Speaking of that highway portion, in comes a dilemma of asking yourself when to swap lanes. Do it as early as possible, best case being before that aforementioned barrier.

- The whole gimmick on the track car combo comes in what gear you want it to go through this portion of the track. Yes, it's another week where I go and promote the use of the manual gearbox. You stick at these speeds not turning so well, or lower it down a bit and get that turn taken good. I find the latter my often course of action, even at the final turns by the outpost so that I don't brake. This car works with you being nice and gentle with it, and it doesn't mind you pushing it at all.

The car is fun and fine. The track is fun and fine. The issue is, while it's all fun, it's just fine.. Nothing really to motivate me to push since it's not too difficult. Let's reword this: it's fun, but it's just fine. Actually double thinking it for that one award, but nah. It's close though. This is a well done combo, regardless.

How fine is the best run of my own? Well..


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That Griffith's best flight under SPD cruise control looks like a solid 2:26.670.


The entire premise has me achieve a flagged time, like with the Skyline R31, and I tell myself: SPD, you're the sort that can unflag that with the snap of your finger. So I went and I did. It's a good car, though I'll come clean: I don't quite know how to snap my fingers.


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Considering the conundrum I'm in with my life, Gran Turismo 7, and the vague but interesting nature of this TVR, I don't think I'll be hosting anything big this week.

Instead, let's have a ride with the green, S1 road ready one to the specified EventLab. The name's Run, Griffin's Run, and let's take the code out for reference, like last week: 237 802 198

Griffin's Run is definitely not Griffin's Griffin, so already it's a better name than last week. But what it offers perhaps would be a different beast altogether. My only major gripe is the lack of Barry R once again. It's a recurring thing in Horizon it seems.

But what's with the S1 Griffith? Just a general amp up, I say. With 75 PI to fill in, there's new tires, additions of significant power and weight upgrades, and a more focused race transmission. However, all this stuff makes the car way more unwieldy in general: maybe an intentional thing to say it's tributing the TVRs of old.

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The Griffith may only come in Russian Red, but I do believe inside is a more civilized British Green. The only red I want is them TRON lines out back, wow.


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This leveled up TVR landed a time of 2:17.855.

And with such a difficult but rewarding drive done, let's fini-


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Oh for crying out loud. yes i edited it and made it red

There has been mention of a very notable name all over writeup. No, it's not Rambo Lambo..

AHAH!

I'm laughing at myself again. It's a joy for me, though I can guess it's a bit sad for you all.

For real, that name is Gordon Murray. So, let's welcome an iconic car who needs no welcome.





McLaren F1


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I've made it my mission so that Halling It/Ass plays in your head with the car around.

The original hypercar of legend, the McLaren F1 made headlines as a car that's a few generations ahead in terms of time. In terms of the COTW, I've only mentioned it when comparing it with the Cosworth powered Supervan 3.

Now, all the McLaren has to do is see how close can it get to that 2:17 mark. And surprise again: this is going to weigh in the Griffith's final verdict. Since this is one of my most driven cars in top S1, I am familiar with the car's ins and outs, thus have the sort of perfect tune for my tastes.


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Even though this is the Griffith's proving grounds, the McLaren hauled away a time of 2:16.897.

So, what does this 1 second ahead time mean for the Griffith? Well, it's not a bad thing. Let's see how I'll discuss this in the verdict.

Though, the McLaren F1 would earn the kind of praises from me akin to an open top car should I do an interior review. Bah gawd, God as my witness.. what a sight.


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So..

What is the TVR Griffith? It is..

The preservation of the special Coyote powered soul in form of a purist's British sports car

Hmm, there's a bit of thought in this, but I'll stick with Neutral.

I had a lot of fun in this challenging, purist sports car. What kept it away from Sleeper is that I've made comparisons. That being with the VX Viper in terms of performance, and the McLaren F1 in terms of namesake.

For the former, I find it that for a sports car with a nice beefy engine, the Viper sets that bar quite high, and the Griffith missed it by a bit. Same case with the McLaren: it's a classic supercar with perfection in mind, and the TVR.. you guessed it, sort of garnered a miss for that.

But to say it's a bad car is just not very SPD. To be honest, it is a car with nearly as the prefix in nearly all ways. Nearly into production. Nearly earned the Mark of Zen. Nearly paced with a piece of perfection. Nearly a Sleeper.


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One of my most frequent type of photos in Media with the McLaren F1 include the rain and walking on thin ice driving such a car in those conditions. The Griffith is definitely cut from that cloth, but how about me?
 
We are now at the halfway mark for our first year of FH5's COTW. Incredible. The continued support has been great, and it's been a blast.

First things first: the TVR Griffith got four Neutral and one Sleeper vote. Good work!

To mark the occasion, I've given myself the car choice this week and boy, do we have a bit of a throwback for the veterans of COTW.

It's the...
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2015 Polaris RZR XP 1000 EPS!
That will always be a mouthful of a name.

The Polaris was one of the first UTVs to feature in Forza Horizon, making its first appearance in Horizon 3. And in doing so, it became the first victim of what would become the Forza spinoffs of COTW. There was some early installment weirdness in that, such as a fixation on clean runs, having a leaderboard every week and a strange obsession with trying to emulate @McClarenDesign.

We're going to take this UTV (C 501) around the Caldera Scramble, a risky track at the top of the volcano. Watch out for the lava!

And our EventLab this week is brought to you by @Vic Reign93! It's the Rallycross of Mexico, a complex mixed-surface track around and in the Horizon Mexico base camp. Share Code 111 947 985

Just a fair warning about the EventLab: There is a bug with the very first checkpoint on lap 1 where it might reset you at the start line. This will have zero impact on the two flying laps you're provided with the EventLab blueprint.

Let's give the RZR a warm welcome as it's come a long way from the Outback to defend its reputation.
 
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SPD Writes Car Of The Week: Week 25 - Polaris RZR XP 1000 EPS


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We're digging in dirt with the most tried and tested UTVs of recent years.


As an official partner of Subaru, Polaris has always been making the kind of stuff that makes the man inside tingle of a younger age. Aside from practical machines, they seem to be quite the creator of various off road tools that not only work, but also last good.

Take for instance their strongest representation in any kind of media: the RZR. Pronounced as Razor, the RZR XP 1000 would be their first foray in making a side by side with at least 100 horsepower. And alongside being notably tough for something weighing 700 kilos, it had the kind of back and forth action with rival company Can-Am. It eventually earned itself a turbo to amp up them power figures like how them Americans like in their machines.

It's a bare piece of kit in terms of how I know it, so let's hop on to games. Of course, aside from Forza, the only other game I know this thing is in would be Far Cry 5. And that's the only one that's not an off-roading themed game. So, if it's not obvious, the side by side finds itself represented in games like Dakar, Gravel, Overpass, MX vs ATV.. you get the idea. Any off-roading nut would probably know what a Polaris RZR is.

The RZR finds itself crawling through the earliest sign of C-class at 501 PI. The Can-Am it rivals would be a whole class ahead, due to the fact it's the turbocharged one in the game, while the RZR isn't. If you ask me, the RZR is definitely the sort of car I would like more, and I always want to make it work.

The price of 25,000 credits from the Autoshow means you're able to get a good chunk of your money's worth for a nice starter off-roader. With this price tag, I'm sure a guess on how it's being treated in Auction would be sort of disappointing, but okay, I can find RZRs sold at most common 22,000, and the least at 18,000 credits. Wherever you get it really doesn't matter, no? I have 2, and it's natural they're both upgraded with all kinds of Forza witchery: an A and B class off-roader. It's in the nature of the car so I can make it sort of work.


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Thing is about these UTVs is the lack of a windscreen when they're needed the most.


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To see how sharp the RZR has for edges, we head up high into the volcano to disturb it via Caldera Scramble.


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Even though I couldn't find lava, I found a hot streak of racers hoping to summon it.


"What could be more exciting than rallying on top of a volcano!? Just watch out for those giant boulders, hitting those won't buff out."

Boulders, you say? It won't replace the expectation of lava, but you got me interested in boulder.. reminds me of Mick Foley's overly kayfabe performance as an earth bending wrestling champion slash The Rock knockoff.

But of course it's time to say yay or nay to this dirt path. It's a most definite yay. No roads. Barry R is in good places, and laps are short and fun to try getting ahead with. The best part is how it's very nicely balanced. It is a bit tight, so watch your line when in the heat.

Seriously, the description mentions giant boulders, and there's none of that around. It's like the lava that only appears on one expedition, but infinitely more disappointing.


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The Polaris has been proven to be quite the side by side to rumble with. But is it good enough?


- Obvious start point: the interior. It's not the usual sort of car this week. It's sharp and ridged everywhere. Not to mention the lack of a windscreen does throw me off a bit. They're supposed to keep the dust away from the driver's seat. I'm not very into the off-roading game, so they probably have a reason why.

- You might be thinking I'm going to be also thrown off by the car only having a drive gear rather than a fully working gearbox. I've known about this car being like this for a long while, so it didn't throw me off like the Corvette C1 and that horrid Z33 FE. It tops out quite low, at mid 70s naturally, but I don't think that's going to be a problem unless you're taking the Polaris to Horizon Open. This will be the first thing you have to get rid of.

- The launch isn't something to write about. It might just be the worst aspect of the car. It's sluggish but it won't do you no harm. There's probably a shift point somewhere, but it's best I don't mention it. It's the kind of secret that's protected by some pact, which should it be broken, a destructive rift to an alternate dimension probably would open and destroy this one.

- Surprisingly, the traction on the dirt is very nice. It's got no power, so slipping is just an afterthought. However, don't think that won't happen. It does, and it's especially apparent upon releasing the throttle or braking.

- In fact, the whole time I've been lapping around Caldera Scramble in the RZR was just all acceleration with minor input changes. There's no need to use the brakes. And I have to find out if they're any good, right? Yeah. They're quite good. The weight transfer of the car allows it to give that sort of force the brakes do to a flimsy little thing like this. The brakes definitely work for the tightest of turns, but I'm not sure it can work.

- Now for the first matter at hand: the size. If you off-road in game like me, you'd often like to touch the bare edges of checkpoints with the rear of your car. This car is quite a stubby little one, and it doesn't quite stick its rear out. Not to mention it's quite narrow. Yes, I get the checkpoint missed countdown timer a lot this week.

- To mention the track is to mention how well placed Barry R is this time around. Sure, there's a lot of space on the inside, but it's your fault should you go too deep and miss the checkpoint. But some moments of the best line do want you to be quite in.

- The closest thing I can gather about giant boulders would be the small rocks around parts of the track. It doesn't disturb anyone, but in the RZR it feels a bit annoying. Maybe a placebo, but eh.

- Like certain tracks, the first turn of the track is probably the most difficult. It's because you're fresh in going downhill and bringing the RZR at 90 MPH. So you decide: brake so you can take the turn, but lose pace. Or do what I do, feather as the UTV close in the apex, and do a mini slide that eventually looks like it hugs the wall, only that it don't.

- The whole experience of getting 3 stars in your Polaris relies on 2 things: line, and input. Find the best line, and make sure what you do to the side by side doesn't bog it down too much. That happens when you even drift it a bit. This is a car that hates extremes, so don't turn it all the way, and don't keep your input on the gas 100% at all times. You never know when you find that sweet spot in the turning angle when you lose 1 or 2 MPH.


Seriously, I was expecting a boulder of sorts. Maybe one chasing me like it has for Crash Bandicoot. But it did give the question: have you ever raced a lawnmower? I have, in GTA V, racing down Mt Chiliad and it was terrible. But did you know what's not terrible. This similarly sized car and track combo. It might sound like a go kart track without brakes, but there's more to it, I assure you.

It didn't even take long for me to say I truly had a great sense of getting my lap perfected, and thus this week's car track pair earned the Mark of Zen. And the RZR would be the 7th of the bunch that earns it.

I had a full 45 minute stint with the car. Sounds familiar? Yup, it's just like the VUHL of week 2. Alright, we go to my best time.


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The Polaris shone ahead with a best of 52.191.

It might sound like a one and done go-kart experience on dirt, but it's much more deep than you think. Seriously, give this combo a go; I can't describe it.


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Considering the type of car, I was going to go with a Test. But it can't use slicks. Odd, because a lot of off-roaders can use road tires, and it makes for an interesting road build. Case in point my Mercedes X-Class and Sierra RX3: double dirt metas on a different wavelength.

With no notable rivals for a Throwback, that leaves with only the Showcase.

This week's undertaking would be dubbed Pacific Rim, named after the second entry of the Motorstorm series. With that namesake, it's going to be a roster of A-Class offroaders with a single rep from each appropriate class, with some getting 2.

Since I like to swap the drivetrains of my muddy machines, I will have to make the exception of conversions for this specific Showcase. It's the only way these things can work in most cases, especially in A-class.

First thing to cover is that we have a provided EventLab. I was gonna use it, but hear me out. My first view is how the track looked like a 2 year old scribbled on the poor Mexico Festival Site. What we do get however is something that's more on the fun factor rather than a serious track for racing, things like places to use your handbrake and ramps to probably garner an imagination of fireworks flying by the side. So I'll just make use of Caldera Scramble once again.

And as always, we begin with the obvious rival.


UTVs - Can-Am Maverick X RS Turbo R


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Nothing like starting off with an infamous AI dominating vehicle in 4.


In the world of the side by side, it's often said that the Polaris RZR would find itself butting heads with the Maverick X during their prime era of the mid 2010s. So, let's bring that back. This class of car is actually not represented well at all in the game, and for that reason I want this Maverick to set a base time for everyone to follow.


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The Maverick busts its way through the boulderless track to set a base of 44.247.

Just like how it should, the Maverick's drive was overall twitchy and very loose, requiring the correct sort of input to make it work. And when it works, it works. It accelerates pretty well, and turns can be a bit tight when unwanted. Still, a nice dirt runner for those in a budget.


MODERN RALLY - Subaru Impreza WRX STI S203


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If you're reading this, know that I have no fear conquering various dirt paths with this STI.

Next, we have a rally car. Or rather just a car that's affiliated strongly with this aspect of motorsport. My choice in this is the S203 WRX, with the livery that's an obvious tribute to one mountain and sea.


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Channeling my inner dirt racing legend, the Scooby sets the new fastest time of 43.516 in this Showcase.

What it lacks in general oversteer makes up for it in being completely predictable and very responsive. It won't turn too tightly, and the balance is hard to ignore. Plus: this is one purist vehicle that carries no major conversions.


OFFROAD - MINI Countryman All4 Racing X-RAID


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Woo yeah! Who's up for round 2?

Offroad in general is such a weak class, requiring an engine swap just to reach the top of A-class. So here's the recurring Countryman, debuting as an entity to compete rather than the base car I do my track previews with. It so happens to be one of my favorite cars of all time in both 4 and 5, being a Hard-to-find machine that I have 4 of.


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The recurring MINI proves itself to be quite a machine, setting a best lap of 43.551.

The MINI, built for cross country, had one thing going for it: straight line speed. It accelerates very quick and reaches a good top speed as well. To top it off, the handling, while cumbersome, is very good on the whole. To be fair, it is one of my go to cars for A-class dirt, and I have 2 of them that satisfy that quota.


RALLY MONSTERS - Ford Escort RS Cosworth "Cossie V2"


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No, there is no Scottie Tyler here today, my friends.


For Rally Monsters, Hoonigan's Cossie V2 would be the one I select to take on the track. As another unofficial starter car, it's the sort of rally car that's both simple to drive, but also able to give out a few great tricks no matter the terrain.


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Putting away wingsuits as competition, the Cossie V2 strikes a best lap of 43.853.

The main reason it lags behind is because of its obvious handling focus. It doesn't exit the corners very quickly, and it can bog down pretty badly if it slides in. But when it comes to how well it turns, and how excellent it responds to my inputs, that's easily 10 out of 10. It's a starter car, after all!


UNLIMITED BUGGIES - Ariel Nomad


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It's not the beach, but here's one Nomad ready to rumble.

Everyone remembered the time Buggies was one class that was dominated by the Ariel Nomad in A-class, also something it carries over to dirt in general for that class. Nowadays, I don't think the Nomad is in that league again, but let's find out if any lingering effect still remains.


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The Nomad journeys on the scramble to achieve a best lap of 43.841.

While the car can turn very well, it's also so far the most unpredictable machine on the roster. It's a bit bouncy, the car only likes certain inputs, enjoys long drifts into Barry R, and overall isn't stable when you want it to be. It's quick, though, we can't argue about that.


UNLIMITED OFFROAD - Jeep Wrangler Unlimited DeBerti Design


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The last time a DeBerti car came in, it got last place. This time, I promise more than just a consolation prize.

Now for something completely off-road crazy. The choice here from me didn't even take long. Time to say hello to one of my top favorite off-roaders: Brad DeBerti's monster take on an off-roading Wrangler. In both Horizon 4 and 5, it comes as a top of the line A-Class dirt monster, with it being balanced, quick, and quite a beast on any terrain. Without further ado, let's get it going!


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It's the closest thing we'll get to a Beelzebuggy, and it's probably just as demonic, as the DeBerti Wrangler sets a new fastest of 43.458.

Just like a large imposing figure, the DeBerti Wrangler rules the dirt path thanks to a few things. Those being its stability, acceleration, and off-road grip. It will turn that turn when I want it to, brake those brakes when I want it to, and power through that segment when I want it to. If you have a spare Wrangler laying about, I hope I convinced you it's not useless.


SPORTS UTILITY HEROES - Lamborghini Urus


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Months after putting Rambo Lambo in its place, the son has returned.


Back in week 7, Rambo Lambo had to duke it out with its successor: the Urus. I actually have a lot of choices to fill this SUV shaped gap in this Showcase, and the Urus is one stand out.. the other being a Macan. Since it did so well going down the volcano, what happens if it had to flex on the hot seat itself?


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The Urus charges away to a best lap of 43.883.

As mentioned on week 7, the Urus' urban nature makes it less worthy of a dirt machine than it should. But it's no ways bad. The acceleration is fine, and the traction on dirt is great. It's also pretty easy to drive, as it isn't anything twitchy or unresponsive.


PICKUPS & 4X4S: PICKUP - Nissan Titan Warrior Concept


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Who says Nissan can't do off-roaders?


Up next, we delve into a pickup truck. I was going to go get something from the usual bunch of Ford, RAM or Mercedes, but here's a pickup from out East in the Nissan Titan. Any more thoughts of bringing Nissan off-roading wouldn't be preferable, so let's get going.


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And unlike that other off-roading Nissan, the Nissan Titan would go above and beyond, thanks to it setting the new top time of 43.030.

This new top time comes in the form of how large the Titan is. That size helps with getting a much more optimal line for certain portions that cut inside the track. But it's not all cheats and codes from the Titan, as it's very similar to the DeBerti Wrangler: it's got great all-around off road capability, and actually I feel is much more stable, even at the cost of some turning ability.


PICKUPS & 4X4S: 4X4 - Mercedes-Benz G65 AMG


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Coming from the city and into the volcano is one white piece of gangster's paradise.

I know you're all expecting Rambo Lambo. I am too. But since I do expect it to lag behind the Urus, the 4x4 I chose to bring in would come in the G Wagen. Definitely an eye catcher from my part, but will it prove to be more than just eye candy?


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Bringing more than just a status quo, the G Wagen places a best time of 43.755.

The G Wagen's main trait in this run would be if an all wheel drive muscle car was present. It had sluggish handling, likes to kick out the rear, and it's just heavy overall. But it had one thing: more straight line than that of the MINI, who also had a notable straight line presence.



COTW NOMINEE - Polaris RZR XP 1000 EPS


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You can't be me: I'm a Rockstar!

So, back in Horizon 3, there were 3 variants of the Polaris RZR. I'm not questioning why, especially with how limited this thing can achieve in the game. Like we should be able to put slicks, c'mon!

Now comes in the issue with the tiers. Because just about every car is in the 43 second range, tighter than the last time, I propose a SUCCESS or FAILURE for the RZR. The former's for should it be under 44 seconds, and the latter is if it got worse.


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After the Maverick's not so good standing, will the Polaris redeem UTVs without needing the Sierra RX3?


So, about the Polaris.

It did good. Real good.


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How good? How about 42.357 good?

That's 7 tenths faster than the next best, and about 10 seconds quicker than the stock Polaris. It didn't set the bar for being the best, but instead knew it was the best. Well, that's most definitely a SUCCESS unless it's opposite day. What day is opposite day again?

The reason behind all of this? It's all about how the Polaris takes turns. While most cars take the first corner drifting with about 65 MPH, the RZR slices through it at 72, and not only that: it was grippy and responsive. It even took the exit much better than any other car in the Showcase. Combine that with its great handling, excellent traction, and amazing acceleration, the Polaris' only weakness would be top end.. and it doesn't even matter on this track.

Well, with another showcase dominated by the COTW nominee, I'm sure you want to see how the table looks, right?


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And with that done, let's finish this shindig, yo!​


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As a reward for standing out in this week's Showcase, the Polaris gets to do some victory laps around the Rallycross of Mexico. It's actually meant to be the winning car that gets this treatment, by the way.


So..

What is the Polaris RZR XP 1000 EPS? It is..

The wrong kind of car for the masses, but can be made the right kind of monster for the dirt.

When I got into the RZR for the first time in Horizon 4, it's a car that I told myself: this is going to work. Back then, that's quite a hard thing to say.

Now in Mexico, the results of my little experiment has come to fruition in such a gigantic way. I would never have thought of it, but now I can confidently pick up this little side by side for some real racing. It hasn't come in a while, but it's another entry to my list of top Sleepers. Nobody will expect to be taken out by some side by side. On a trail, sure, but on the scrambles is where they'll fear the little Polaris.

Now I wonder when a newer RZR will come in, or maybe the Slingshot, ooh.

Little warning: I might not be putting up a writeup for next week's car. I'm heading north on holiday for the next couple weeks. The laptop that plays Horizon 5 will come along, but I'm expected to spend more time on my feet.

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Howeee~ I. Am. Fa-bu-lous.
 
@SomePlayaDude Those shots on my track make it look like a well put together deal. :P

‘An artists biggest critic is themselves.’ Kinda how I feel when creating something like that track.

Anyways.

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The Polaris is one of very few cars with a CVT single speed gearbox in FH5, it’s fully adjustable and it’s useful for Playground Games as you only need to shift when going to reverse and vice versa and you’ll always be at peak power.

Yeah it does make the sound drone on holding a certain rpm, But those who know me will know I’ll take odd quirks like that if they provide a performance advantage. :P

The factory Polaris does need more power and a lighter flywheel to really shine with it, but it does reward those who prefer to row through the gears with a PI drop to add extra upgrades too. ;)

As cheap off-roaders go, it’s decently solid and can’t be faulted much for it.

Verdict: Sleeper 🙂👍

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Also got a time on my track too. :D
 
In stock form, the Polaris is a dud for Rivals events, the main culprit being the CVT transmission. However, it is quite stable and grippy for dirt and I saw the possibilities for the cross-country events, which I usually tend to avoid. I just maxed out at C600 and put a racing transmission, and what a difference that made. On that basis, I would rank it as NEUTRAL.
 
"A Mouthful Of A Name"
COTW Week 25: 2015 Polaris RZR 1000 EPS

"Try saying that ten times really fast." My first witty quip (or at least, my first attempt at one) six years ago. Admittedly not my best foot forward. The thread it was a part of, the FH3 Beater or Sleeper thread, has led to this thread through years of a personal journey on here and in my life out here in this hell-scape of a world. I suppose in a way, this thread is a maturation of that fledgling spinoff six years ago. And taking the Polaris out of the garage after six years of inactivity...well, why not? When we were done with the RZR, it sat in our garages, watching all of us grow as people and drivers.

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It beckons you closer. Come relive the memories.

And now it's our turn to see how it's grown with the Horizon franchise.

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Small but ferocious, like a number of cute animals we all adore. Like rabbits. Yes, rabbits. Long story, personal experience. Those little fluffballs will take on the world if they are angry enough.


Coming in at a pretty light 1,530 lbs and pushed around by a rear-mounted 110 HP engine, the Polaris RZR is a UTV that slots in at C 501. Right at the cusp of being a D class car, ouch. Whether this is a blessing or a curse remains to be seen. Regardless, the stat spread sees the lowest of the five base stats at 3.4 and the highest at 4.4 The new to FH5 stat, Offroad, is a whopping 9.3. I have A class offroaders with lousier offroad ratings than that!

The Polaris also has a CVT. Yes, a CVT. You'd think a sharp, edgy, speedy looking UTV like this would use a more sensible automatic with actual gears...that said, I'm not Polaris so I can't judge too harshly. Time to attack the scramble and see if this thing has the "Mark of Zen", as our resident author SPD calls it.

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Ah, Barry R. My oldest friend and greatest enemy. Frenemy? Apparently that's an actual word in the English lexicon now and not just slang...

Being a UTV with a rather small engine, it's not really much of a surprise that it doesn't accelerate all that quickly off the starting line. It grips before it can wheelspin, and you have to accelerate from 1000 RPM to the butter zone that the CVT likes to hold. It doesn't make for a very quick start to a time trial.

That Offroad rating that it has in the stats board is not a joke. The car is firmly planted on the dirt and super compliant with user input. It doesn't actively try to punish you for being brave, but...don't be daft because it can bite you if you overdo it.

In a straight line...eh, it only has 110 HP. 100 mph is your practical top speed on the CVT. It took me about 18 laps to try and optimize my lines but I ended up with this lap:
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52.595.

Which, from looking through the thread, is very close to both SPD and Vic's times. I'll take that.

As for Vic's quite creative adventure through the Festival...
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I could've done better, but this process has taken me a while and I'm quite fatigued.

As for our dear friend, the RZR...

I have to call it a Neutral. It is plenty fast and potent when upgraded, but one bit of a sleeper is that they should at least have some fight when at stock form. With the RZR being where it is, it's not fighting anything on equal footing.
 
I've never been a fan of buggies in Horizon. I'd dread everytime the A800 Buggies Cross country trial would reappear in the playlist in FH4. They're so unstable and prone to rolling or flipping, especially at higher speeds. You have to pray the little death machine won't flip or roll every time you hit a bump in the road. Something that tends to happen a lot offroad. There's something about Horizon physics that just does not gel with buggies for me. Aside from the weird flipping physics in the air, the hyper short wheelbase makes them so twitchy and unpredictable. I'm not sure how people can drive these with any kind of confidence in the game. I'm sure IRL at sensible speeds and with the extra physical feedback they would be plenty fun though.

Buggies should be no higher than D Class machines IMO, but this one is only 1PI over it, so I'll allow it. :lol:

I did about 20 laps then stopped because I couldn't stand the tractor droning of this engine + CVT combination anymore. :lol: Launch is terrible because of the transmission, acceleration is terrible at low speeds but ok at higher speeds. I feel you really need an actual transmission offroad for the extra kick to punch out of tight corners. On the Caldera scramble you only need to brake for 2 corners with the RXR, rest of the lap is pretty much flat out, trying very hard too be smooth and not scrub speed off. I haven't played FH4 in a while but I think buggies are a touch less twitchy in 5, but it just might be the slower speeds of the stock spec.

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A nice and round time of 52.300

The Eventlab track was really fun! Not so much in the Polaris though, as it would do a half front flip everytime I took the jump. Also it has a weirdly large turning circle for such a tiny machine, I had to use the handbrake in the hairpins. I'll come back to the track with a proper rallycross machine next time.

In the end it's Neutral for me, but just barely. At least we got it out of the way so we won't get another buggy anytime soon :D
 
And on that bombshell, good morning. Let's take a look at how the Polaris RZR did on its first appearance in six years!

We have two Sleeper votes and three Neutral votes, so the RZR has earned itself a Neutral rating! That's gotta stink, knowing that you were one vote off being a sleeper...

And now, let's see what our car for this week is - provided by our friend @Nacho Libre! It's the...
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2018 Dodge Durango SRT!

And Nacho has given us some interesting information: The Durango is named after the state in northwest Mexico, which is a sparsely populated desert area that has some forests in it and part of the Sierra Madre mountains,

Our Time Trial for this car, which is at B 666...

...666? Oh good Lord...Anyways. Our track this week is Fuera del Camino (lit. "Off the Road") trail!

And our EventLab this week is provided by yours truly. It's the Durango Squared, taking advantage of the hyper-compressed Mexican geography to take you through the rough approximate area of Durango and the neighboring states along the coast. EventLab code is 105 823 308.

Let's try not to summon Satan this week while we test this car, yeah?
 
Much confusion for me this week :confused:

First off was finding the track. I could not find the trail on the map for the life of me. Searched for dirt trails on the map, with and without filter, to no avail. Thought my game was bugged, so I did the Eventlab first. It was only after searching online that I found it's where the Trial is this week. :lol:

Then came actually driving the car. I don't drive SUVs in the game much so I didn't have a point of reference, but the Durango felt incredibly heavy. Sliding everywhere, no turn in at all. I wondered, just how heavy is this thing. Then I realised, it's not on offroad tires! I was expecting a SUV to be somewhat good off road. But not this particular SUV, it's from Dodge's SRT division. It was made for the track. And boy does it show on the trail, it's almost undriveable. You can't carry any speed in corners. Even the AWD doesn't save it. If you don't plan on turning, speed and braking is decent considering the size and weight of the car.

On roads it's okay, just feels like a big SUV with a lot of power and decent brakes. But this car is really not an offroad vehicle, it's somehow even worse than the RWD R32 from a few weeks back. I only did 3 runs on the trail as I'd already spent a couple hours on Monthly rivals with the weird handling SF90, and I had my fair share of rivals for the week.

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3:18.376

But then I was curious to see what an offroad spec of it would be like. So I added rally suspension and Offroad racing tires, and nothing else. No tuning either. Bumps it up to 680PI, just 14 more. And lo and behold, it's completely different beast. Wasn't any worse on the road, but off road it was night and day. And most importantly it was fun to drive.

Grip, what a concept!


And after the same 3 runs, well the time speaks for itself:

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Almost TEN seconds improvement! For only 14PI.

Same thing for the rather lovely hilly Eventlab track that runs through many a river.

Before:Screenshot (136).png

And after the 14PI bump: 2:25! Nine seconds improvement.

So anyway in stock form it's a full on beater if you only count offroad performance, but its road performance saves it. NEUTRAL.

The special space-wadet-offroad-spec is a sleeper though, I think I'll try to build it to B class.
 
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You can also access the route from the Pause Menu by going to the Online tab, selecting Rivals, then Dirt -> Fuera del Camino.
 
Ok the Durango, another of my Mexican-related picks, I'll start with the good: The engine has a good punch and is torquey and smooth, so the launch/feel is quite good. As for the suspension, the SUV is very composed overall, both on and off the road with a touch of understeer and no roll. But with the good comes the bad and its the WEIGHT, which you will notice in the sharp corners if you are not careful with the base brakes, which are just adequate. This is compounded with the base tires, so the Durango will tend to slide.
My times were around 3:29, and I lost many runs precisely due to mismanaging the braking in spots, which sent me straigth to the barriers. However I saw potential so I built a B 699: less weight (obviously), race brakes, and most importantly off-road tires, sacrificing some road comfort for dirt grip, and with that I lowered my times by 11 seconds (3:18 something) and the Durango felt so much better to drive.
So, I'm declaring the namesake of the northern Mexican state, which roughly translates to "Valley surrounded by water and hills", a NEUTRAL: a meh base platform that can and will improve with a few tweaks.
 
SPD Writes Car Of The Week: Week 26 - Dodge Durango SRT


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Yessir, a muscle car. Just like how SPD nominates his nominees. What? What do you mean this isn't a muscle car. And what do you mean that this isn't a certified SPD nominee?


You know, I've personally said: SPD you need some time off the computer and go back to your roots this week. That's what this week is for: heading up to Malaysia for some R&R.. and paying my respects to my late aunt who passed due to an infection.

But oh crud: it's one of my favorite SUVs in the Forza series, and even one I don't mind owning. It's too bad I have eyes elsewhere for an SUV. No, don't make any guesses.. I'll just tell you one of em's a Subaru.

As a more modern SUV, there isn't much to talk about to here. But let's make sure the words SRT at the end means that this isn't the kind of SUV you'd swear by your manly, swamp dredging side with. Also, due to carrying a pretty iconic and reliable V8, you can't even swear your soccer mom side with. It makes me question the presence of things like the Durango Hellcat.

In reality, the Durango is personally introduced to me only in Forza, as far as I know, and the real reason anyone would get one is because it's got a 6.4L 392 HEMI in it. There are a whole roster of cars I take an interest to because of this engine, exhibit A: the 300C, and exhibit B: this thing. Though, the Cherokee does exist and is oddly more popular on my end, so I guess this is the week where I'll find out why my guts go for a Durango over the Cherokee.

The Dodge Durango settles in the latter end of B-class with an oddly thematic PI of 666. Its brother the Cherokee finds itself a few steps higher, and funny enough: the Durango has a proper rival in the X5 M, that has about the same PI. Though, I do wonder if they can split up the Sports Utility Heroes so that there's an off-road and an on road partition. This Durango settles at the latter, for sure.

For only 70,000 credits, one can nab yourself a Durango, should it be the UK or Mexico. Sounds simple, I guess. The Auction house sellers have it most commonly at the 39 to 49,000 credits range. This is once again another car where it doesn't matter where you get it; it's still affordable. I have 2. One for A-Class road, the other's A-class off-road. Believe me, the latter one's a bumpy ride, even if it does chug a thousand horses.


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While all my Durangos are striped, I didn't give a hoot and downloaded's someone's attempt at them. They're uneven, sadly.


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Even though it rhymes with Rambo Lambo, the Durango would have to show off its HEMI wavelength through Fuera Del Camino Trail.

Yes, I got confused, so here's the SPD tip so you don't have to be: the Trial so happens to be on this event for the week.


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The bigger they are, the harder they fall. I've no intention of rolling over those kind of sizes today.


"Narrow and twisting, this dusty trail will test the mettle of any rally driver. Keep your eyes up and looking ahead, so that you can get the car ready for the next corner in plenty of time."

A rally trail. This'd be good.. the thing is, the Durango SRT is a street beast, so I guess it might be interesting, hmm..

To be honest, when dirt trails are a hit or miss, this one's.. really on that odd position where you can't truly decide. It's a total mixed bag when it comes to the experience. There's road. There's dirt. There's tricky dirt. There's Barry R. It's tight, but also has portions where you swear Barry needs working on. I want to like it, but I'm still not quite sure what to say.

If there's something to merit, I'd say it's one of the few good events that involve going on the streets of Guanajuato. Though, it's bare, and not in a tunnel or the center of town.


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So I went on the Internet and found this: the Durango actually is named after a city in Mexico. To be honest, this was on the announcement post, but I at least etched out that it wasn't a made up name.


- I'm disappointed. Oh! Sorry. I mean I'm disappointed with the interior. It's sporty, and akin to the Dodge Viper earlier, we have a few places where things light up quite nicely. We got paddle shifters in addition to a fetching automatic. But what's with the disappointment. Well, remember the facelifted C1 Corvette? I mentioned my love of red leather, and thiS car is supposed to have this option. It shouldn't even be the option: it needs to be the standard. Dirty barnacles!

- If you're expecting something that's unique or adding to character in the launch, you'd probably be disappointed. You have 475 horses going to all 4 wheels in a 2 and a half ton body, through an 8 speed gearbox. The Durango probably is considered something that'll fly off the start line. My magic point of shifting is at 7000 RPMs.

- Holy crud, these are bad brakes! Wait a second, not it's not, SPD get your shrimp together! With all this weight, do watch out on your braking, because it 1) when done super sudden it will lock up the rear pretty nasty like, and 2) Barry R sends his regards. Not only that, but it locks up even at the slightest angle of turn. You gotta get this input down proper, or else. They're still usable, at least, but maybe bigger Brembos can help.

- The gearing gives me a mixed reaction. It's 8 of them bad boys, and it's not placed oddly. It's the amount of power that throws me off. It feels weak at most cases, because putting down the throttle while in a certain gear usually doesn't give oversteer. We need this oversteer in the dirt.

- Now comes the first issue: just like the R31 Skyline, this car's general setup is way too stiff for off-road. I did hint this earlier. SRT does mean Street and Racing Technology, correct? This is also just as notable on the road portions: the car does slide often. So you gotta decide: turn hard but slide, or turn not-so-hard but understeer?

- There are cases of me gearing down drastically and causing the car to bog down.. which is odd, this is a powerful car.

- With all this weight, I expected otherwise about the handling off-road. It's pretty good, even though it's not intended for this at all. Do be wary of how the suspension just jitters about.

- To the track. Now, when it comes to some of the traits the track has, it really wants you to learn the road, because there's like 4 different parts where suddenly there's a 90 degrees corner, and it'll mess you up if you don't prepare yourself for it. This is a car you want to prepare yourself for at all times, so you'd have to doubly prepare.

- Even though it's a 2 and a half ton demon, the Durango doesn't like interacting with the various obstacles around, especially the lamp posts and stone fencing. I guess it's obvious the rule is to stay away, even in such a car. Perhaps when the Unimog gets a round, we'll see how much of the roster should adhere.

- The whole overall Durango run will have you treat is mostly like the Bone Shaker: be on the ready and anticipate it's every move. You'll want to be 2 steps ahead on the car's sluggish handling, and not forgetting the track's 90 degrees turns making tribute to the Spanish Inquisition.


It's another conundrum with a road going vehicle getting tested off-road. Nothing it can't handle, but it's definitely not the optimal testing method. The Durango has been made apparent as something with the power, but not the finesse. Not giving anything away, but maybe next week we get something in that regard?

Anyways, not to be confused with some delicious dangos, the Durango does have a best run on this trail.


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It's definitely not earth shaking, but I got a 3:19.464.

Essentially, I got a flagged 3:17, but I gave up. The weaker link between the two comes to the track and how much Barry R's vigilance is tested within. Yes, I definitely had trouble getting a clean time when the track's 3 minutes long, and me taking 2 sessions on my out of country holiday. I've had less trouble putting golds in La Sarthe's Circuit experience, if that's a comparison to make and consider.



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Out of the DRT, now to the SRT.


Now, earlier I mentioned the presence of an A-class road Durango, just as SRT intended. That does mean it's Test time!

If anyone's new here, a Test would be a measure of a lower end car's performance at where it matters the most: A-class road on the Horizon Mexico Circuit. And the only major other rule is that I build the car without conversions. The time to reach would be 1:07. The purpose? To see if it'll hit or miss in the biggest competitive realm of all.

For the Durango, I'm positive it's just the amping up of everything. New sports tires, loss of weight, race parts. You name it. Just no Forza aero or any of those engine conversions, blech. I opted to add a supercharger to it, but it's that potent, not actually requiring it. The final numbers has the HEMI pump out 637 horses, 593 foot pounds of torque, while carrying 4126 pounds. Sounds a bit heavy, but that's what the Test is for: seeing if all that heft would bring it down.


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The recipe including high power in an AWD drivetrain usually means it'll work. But can it work in a company known for muscle?


Down to the SRT core, the road ready Durango puts a best time of 1:08.504.

A bit on the slow side, and it's mainly come to the way I've tuned it: it's relatively safe, and quite understeery. A front Forza aero package will be recommended, and maybe that supercharger add on would work. Let's put it away to finalize this week.


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Since this week's EventLab: Durango Squared, is an off-road adventure, I think it's proper I briefly glimpse on Durango number 3.


So..

What is the Dodge Durango SRT? It is..

Dodge puts a HEMI at something that didn't need it, but sort of deserved it.

This one's a Neutral. Not too special, didn't impress in the performance areas, and there are others that I know can work. It did have a HEMI.. but its direct PI rival: the BMW X5 I feel is a better car overall for A-class road.

This is after all a car I really like in Forza, being introduced to the idea of it working due to the game. Shame I didn't have time to compare it to the likes of the Cherokee this week. I'm not supposed to have a write up this week, but looks like SPD's good at sneaking stuff like this when he can, eh?

There's another Sports Utility Hero I have my eyes on to appearing in COTW, and it's not exactly rocket science for you all to figure out what.


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Should I be one to dictate future Forza considerations, how about something to the likes of Scapes? I have 3 Durangos, after all.
 
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This is what you get when your parent company is regularly high on something. These insane feats include a hellcat-swapped minivan, and I wish I was joking about that. Anyways, that's not the focus of this review - the Dodge Durango and its demonic 666 PI rating are. And boy, this is an interesting one.

The Durango is a 5,500 pound hunk of American steel being pushed around by a 475 HP, 6.4 liter engine mated to an 8 speed gearbox driving all four wheels. It all sounds pretty decent on paper, but with the rumblings in the thread from other writers and drivers...I'm not certain. Let's see how it goes.

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On the road, it's decent. Acceleration is nothing to write home about, and handling is about what you'd expect for a 'roided out SUV. It's decent. Offroad, though...it's a bit of a mess. This thing feels like it's on summer tires, which are most certainly ill-suited for this kind of terrain. At least you can get it to rotate pretty much on the drop of a hat, which is always vital in a dirt race such as this one.
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It's not a bad drive. I just don't have a lot to say about it. As I used to do, I'll kick it up to B600 and see what happens.
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Mainly some offroad kit and a bit of power and weight work to pad the remaining PI.

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Yeah, not bad. Overall, I'd have to call it a Neutral.
 
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I agree with the general consensus that it’s not as comfortable off road as it is on road to drive, but it does handle the on road stuff solidly well despite its size, weight and it’s brick aerodynamics. :P

Another candidate for the Hellcat swap or a perfect canvas for your own Hellcat build. :D

Verdict: Neutral

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👍
 
SUVs aren't really the kind of cars I like in real life, but I do like them quite a bit in games. In Forza and Assetto Corsa, at least. The Durango looks more like a minivan than an SUV to me, though :lol:. Whenever I'm driving it I'm thinking of this

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...with a muscle car front end.


What I like about this car is the performance, or the (relative) lack of it. The car feels heavy and it doesn't stop on a dime. I think it's pretty good on gravel roads, but it doesn't like proper offroading.

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Overall I really enjoy driving the car in stock form, my car has 26 victories so far and I bet there's more to come. The Dodge Previa is not super quick, but it's not terrible either. It's a decent sports utility van.

Neutral
.
 
Really brief update as I had another case of "Obelisk blows a Thursday due to rabbit antics" - had to rearrange my office AND bedroom to move my rabbits into the same room.

And I could've used the Durango for that. :irked:

Speaking of, the majority voted Neutral this week. Nice work.

This next week's car is brought to us by our resident Playa and it is the...
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Ford #25 "Brocky" Ultra4 Bronco RTR!

Bearing very little resemblance to the factory car, this Bronco is a wild offroader.

Our test track this week is the Airstrip Cross Country Circuit!

No EventLab available at the moment. Feel free to use last week's EL as a test track, however!

As always, let's rip up the tarmac.
 
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Bit later than usual, but here we are. :P

So the Ultra4 “Brocky” Bronco, built for the Ultra4 4800 class at the ‘King Of The Hammers’ Off Road events.

These events combine desert racing AND rock crawling all in to one gruelling race so you do need something with power, big tyres, large and flexible suspension travel, gearing for blasting across the fast desert sections and also crawler gearing to help climb very rocky an rough sections.

Suffice to say, you ain’t exactly able to just turn up with a normal jeep or Tacoma and expect to do well. :lol:

Packing a 600hp Ford Racing 427 V8, sending power to all 4 wheels via a 3 speed Automatic gearbox, it’ll do about 130mph on any smooth surface and get pretty close to that even when blasting off sand dunes.

If 600hp ain’t enough, you can boost the stock engine to over 1100hp, but you can go much further with the right engine. :drool:

Engine swaps include the 6.7 Powerstroke Diesel, the TVR Speed 12’s 7.7 V12 and 2 7.2 V8’s.

Why 2 7.2 V8’s you may ask?

Well ones the tried and tested Racing 7.2 V8, but the other one is quite special as it’s the same one from the Formula Drift Mustang’s making 1000hp naturally aspirated. :bowdown:

Annnd you can also add some boost to it, to the tune of nearly 1900hp. :eek:

Yeah it can become quite the off-road monster with the right setup. ;)

As for its factory performance, handling’s decent, the 3 speed is adjustable if you want more speed and it’s well behaved on jumps and landings.

All in all, it’s a nice Sleeper in its chosen field. 👍

Verdict: Sleeper 😉👍
 
SPD Writes Car Of The Week: Week 27 - Ford #25 "Brocky" Ultra4 Bronco RTR


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It's been due since me nominating the Viper, but it's time to say Brocky has arrived.


Quick thought: I was going to get a drift car into COTW, and was ready to have one of the RTR Mustangs on board. But lucky for maybe a couple of you that have a strong hatred for drifting, I decided to slide away. I feel it's better if I have a say in nominating something that has a discipline that anyone can do, and I'm quite sure anyone can do the extreme off-roading the game offers. It's something I really enjoy to do in Horizon, even though it's not realistic. And Unlimited Off-roads so happens to be my favorite class, where I just about like every car within except for THAT thing. So, it now all lies to a game of choice.

And that's a choice you don't have to worry about. Say hello to a 2016 SEMA show entrant in Brocky.

Having entered the King of the Hammers off-roading spectacle back in early 2016, RTR psychopath Vaughn Gittin Jr. decides to make his mark on his second run around in 2017 with this. And don't be fooled by the overwhelming size: this is boulder climbing territory, and you need these big shocks and tires just to compete. For Brocky: those are covered by King Springs and Nitto respectively.

Thanks to Vaughn's connection to Ford, it finds itself powered by Ford's legendary 427 V8. Based on the very engine they developed back in the 60's for NASCAR racing, I found it interesting now one you can swipe off a few online shops. The body is also custom made and tailored by Jimmy's 4X4, and obviously one can see it's based off the first generation Bronco. With some upgrades, it pumps out a naturally aspirated 600 horsepower to a 2 ton body.

Once part of Project CARS 2, Brocky now finds its way to Horizon Mexico. And its position on the PI spectrum has it lie on the center of A-class: at 748 PI. Any close rivals in this PI would come in the form of the 2 Jeeps in this class: the Hellcat powered Trailcat being behind by 4 PI. And just ahead by 1 PI is Brad DeBerti's Wrangler: one of my favorite cars in the game that I've made apparent a couple weeks ago.

Now, once again with the Supervan months ago, we have something pretty pricey. As a sort of modern racecar, Brocky can be yours for a sum of half a million credits. I'm positive it's better on the Auction House, and what do you know: the most common price there would be around the 352,000 credits range, and it can go as low as 282,000 credits. Obvious you hunt in the Auction House for a spare, but you do what you please. I have 2. 1 that I think I bought, the other gotten for free thanks to a seasonal event ages back.


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There's no rocks to climb, and certainly no boulders to worry about, but Brocky will have to contend with the rough and tough nature of the mostly flat Airstrip Cross Country Circuit.


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Before Brocky has to take on the strip, it'll have to take on a miniscule duel with the big old MINI. And this is my first time running this place at night: it's surprisingly decent in terms of lighting.


"A unique Cross Country experience, this abandoned airfield is very flat with rough surfaces that were once paved, meaning you can rip around at surprising speed."

So, how do I feel about cross country in general? It's a steaming mess of inconsistency and having your car muck about when you least expect it. So when I first ran into the airstrip circuit, I had a sigh of relief. It's a speedy track with tiny portions of elevation, and most importantly: no big jumps or completely unsettling terrain to watch for.

The description is pretty accurate actually: cars leaning to being an impromptu dragster can come in more preferable, but after a few runs with such a dragster named the MINI, I beg to differ. Some of the turns really won't catch you when you go too wide, and the best of laps I can make don't have that problem. It's probably one place you want to practice your Cross Country machines, but I'm sure a good EventLab can suffice.

We do still have some Cross Country gimmicks such as obstacles and foliage, but it's at a minimum here at least.


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I'm actually quite hyped about the Bronco getting reprised and represented fully in a video game, but I question why I didn't pick the starter civilian Bronco.. oh well, let's take Brocky out for a spin!


- Let's talk about interior, and due to its boxy overall guise, Brocky feels a bit cramped. This isn't the Bronco you can buy, so I don't see it as a real issue. I'm more concerned about the fact there isn't a visible speedometer and all. 2 mirrors, sure, but I always wanna know how fast I'm going.

- Launch wise I say is pretty dull and heavy. There's a reason for this that'll be the next point of interest. To me, I would shift at 7400 RPMs. No wheels spinning, I sort of understand due to the nature of rock climbing needing grip and power above all else.

- Now to why the bad launch: 3 gears. Now, this isn't the Z33 FE, but it would probably be the car's only completely low point, if it even is. The main difference between these 2 cars is that Brocky has a smooth sense of power, and this goes to all 4 wheels. That means it'll put that power in this transmission, and I have no fear to put it down when I need it.

- Brocky has good grip over all surfaces. Brocky also is okay with you sliding its big Nitto tires around. Brocky however doesn't like it going too far, and will spin out. So be nice to Brocky.

- Since it's a race car, Brocky shouldn't have any braking problems, or stupid nasty suspension issues. It does bounce a bit after a good jump, so that's something to think about in the more harsh cross country locales, like Foto Final.

- Caution for driving line users: the first turn has you veering straight into a pile of barrels.. actually, this track is full of these barrels. Well, not full, rather it's enough to warrant a point on this analysis. Brocky, even though is a 2 ton maniac, doesn't quite like colliding with these. Other cases of this happening I recall being at the ramp, and also by the fast left hander after the first banked turn.

- The track description is pretty accurate this week. It's all about speed. So I often find myself getting laps done with Brocky stuck at the final gear. And this Trackmania style of the lazy but completely input reliant cruise is.. well, it's actually pretty fun! Seriously, it might be a combo I made up, but sometimes I amaze even myself.. yes, this sounds completely dumb.

- So how do we tackle this flat airstrip track with one rock climbing Brocky? To put it simply: it's to do with getting a line that works with minimal issue from the obstacles, and also taking the track properly with Brocky on third at all time. If you're thinking of bringing Brocky to a whole new level of competitiveness, the gears have got to go up, and you should try lightening up the car.


Since I'm feeling a little extra nice, let's go ahead and give it the Mark of Zen, but argue the fact that I'm giving it to too many cars these days. But before I even argue it, let's say me putting bold letters on that small statement means it's staying. Yes, Brocky would impress me for a car with 3 gears, and got me a full half hour stint at it. Brocky would be the 8th car with this small but kind of meaningful stamp of approval from myself. This is a combo I made up, so you're welcome to judge me on this.

One thing you can definitely judge me about is that yes: I'm giving myself an excuse to run Brocky around so I can love it more, and probably drive it more often than most of the Unlimited Off-roads. Brocky is one car I've been sleeping on, and it's mainly thanks to other in class machines I've tend to favor towards, like the DeBerti Wrangler or the Rally Fighter, or the Baja trucks, or even the Sports Lorry: my take on the Tankpool FE.

Maybe we can judge my best lap.


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And Brocky is here for a best of 58.692.


Just like a few weeks before, it was all about chasing a flagged lap time. My initial goal was to just whack on a time under a minute, but unintentionally I put it under 59 with a bit of Barry R having a whiff. For that, I'll shave off an extra second. And I mention this because apparently that's the journey that gives it the Mark of Zen.


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Super surprise: no SPD event this week. I've a lot on my plate these days, so I think it's fine with what's already written.

So..

What is the Ford #25 "Brocky" Ultra4 Bronco RTR? It is..

A drifter's first smart take on getting the tires not to smoke up a rock.

So far, when anything has the Mark of Zen, it's a Sleeper.

So far, when anything desperately needs a tune to make relevant, it's not a Sleeper.

And so far, as long as I have it bolded, it's definitely that. I'd probably argue otherwise, but it's something I never thought would impress me. Okay, maybe it's definitely not top sleeper material. I'd like to prove that if this thing can equip slicks. Besides, it's quite the canvas. I never knew one can swap in the drift RTR Mustang's engine in anything.


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There are various things I find Brocky to be such a beach, but nothing to be a total crab about at least.
 
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Ok, for the "Brocky" I feel a Rivals event is not the proper way to assess its performance. I did post a clean (and unremarkable) time though. So I switched to the cross country race to measure it against other similar vehicles in the A range.

In all kinds of racing, traction is essential and that is more critical in dirt/cross country events, specially on the higher difficulties where as you know, the IA will rubberband you to death if you slip but for a moment.

I'm happy to report that the "Brocky" lives up to its offroad rating of 10, as it excels in putting down the power to the ground, with excellent body roll control. However, it is rather underpowered against rivals that in average have 20 or more performance points (and remember, the rubberbanding), so I will most likely change or modify the engine and bring performance to A800.

It is a very enjoyable SLEEPER.
 
Brocky feels like a fitting name for this little offroad machine, not quite a Bronco, but with the recognizable headlights, grill and tailights, not quite not a Bronco. Bronquito could be another name for it here in Mexico, though that might lead one to underestimate this exceedingly capable off roader. It was made for the most extreme terrains you can drive on, and handles them barely breaking a sweat. Case in point, if you ever need to climb up the mountain yet find the roads too pedestrian? Just drive up the side of it, its nothing Brocky can't handle.

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Offroad means off road.

The most important factor for CC racing in Horizon is how cars handle jumps and landings IMO, it's where you can lose the most time and where things can quickly go wrong. I'm happy to report Brocky handles them as well as any other. The relatively compact body and big chunky wheels stretching out from it means the weight is mostly contained towards the center, so it doesn't tip or roll in the air like some offroaders. With jumps handled, you can concentrate on driving when the wheels are on the ground.

Speaking of driving on the ground, launch is fairly tame due to the gearing, and with only three gears it tops out at about 205kph, which is fine for CC circuits but you'd need a new gearbox for point to point races. Stability in the corners is good, but you do need to keep the car on the edge, not indulging too much in slides, or a little slip becomes a big slide, which is easily caught, but you'll lose precious momentum. And the airfield CC circuit is all about momentum.

You can keep it in 3rd gear all the way through, lifting occasionally and braking only for one corner. Most of the lap is about the right line to keep the speed up, avoiding some obstacles and punching right through others, and especially using all the banking to turn without lifting. Bankings are the tricky part, finding just the right moment and amount to lift to maximize speed without sliding, for the absolute quickest time. Seems easy at first but hard to be perfect. After a few laps you get into a flow on this track with this car, and it's quite enjoyable. There are no big braking zones or tight corners, so flow-breaking encounters with Barry R are relatively sparse.

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As no one would take this machine to road racing, off road performance is all that matters. It's a no brainer, definite Sleeper. Does what exactly it says on the tin.
 
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Coming in right at the middle of A class, this extreme offroader that's branded as a Bronco...barely looks the part. It's more akin to how NASCAR stock cars are the same shell and chassis (essentially) and just bombarded with different stickers to vaguely resemble their road-going counterparts.

It's also, interestingly, pretty heavy and large despite looking demure in general...almost like the Flemish Giant* of offroad vehicles.

*a breed of rabbit, with the largest one in the world being documented at 49 lb/22 kg and measuring 4'3" (1.3m) long.

That said, it's built that way for a reason. It's a heavy-duty offroader, and it shows its abilities quite well on the course set out for us this week.

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It's kind of a no-brainer Sleeper.
 
My weeks have become increasingly busy with a normal workload and medical stuff coming up everywhere, so I haven't been able to do much in terms of EventLabs.

Just a reminder that I welcome all eventlabs. You can repurpose any existing ELs you've made into one for COTW. The rules are in the first post of the thread.

The Bronco scores a flawless Sleeper score this week. Incredible.

Now, @Sutuki wanted something more obscure to be featured and has chosen the...
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2014 Morgan 3 Wheeler!

Harkening back to the original 1911 model run, the Morgan 3 Wheeler is one of the more eccentric car choices in FH5. It's a tripod, with one lone tire in the rear, and it also has a V2 engine in it.

Our track for Rivals is the Los Jardines Circuit.

Good luck, gents.
 
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Certainly a car for lower classes if you’re keeping it Rwd. :P

It’s low weight helps with initial turn in, but lean on the skinny front tyres too much and you’ll run wide with understeer.

The V Twin engine is nice and bassy like you’d expect and if Abarth(and the rest) get back to FH5, I’d like to see this engine as an option to swap in to the classic Abarth 695, same 2 cylinder layout, just bigger, more powerful and still within the cars original character. ;)👍

It’s not too expensive(But they can be got for 6k at Auction.), fun, quirky and totally impractical under normal circumstances.

Happily, this is Horizon Mexico, the impractical can become the Meta with the right tune and skills, take the Reliant Supervan for example, a steady right foot can make a 668hp Rwd death trap an absolute rocket in B Class. :drool:

So yeah, a fun and cheap 3 wheeler that doesn’t topple over when looking at a corner is a nice and slow Sleeper. 😁👍
 
As a wise man once said "If my grandmother had wheels, she would have been a bike". But what do you get if you put bike wheels on a car? That's the question we'll be trying to answer on COTW this week.

Though calling this a car might be a bit of a stretch, it's missing a wheel for starters, and the engine is from a bike too. Are we sure this shouldn't be called Vehicle OTW? :lol:

First thing you notice driving this car is the noise from the S&S V-twin engine up front, making around 100bhp, and with the car weighing only 544kg that should be plenty. Unfortunately the tires are too skinny, and not all of it is converted into forward momentum. Not that you'd want that much forward momentum, there isn't that much grip to save you come a corner.

There seems to be a narrow band of optimum grip, between understeer and and oversteer that you have to manage to stay in. It's not snappy or unpredictable on the limit though, you have to time to correct mistakes. Once I got the lines right, it was pretty easy to be consistent within a few tenths on the track. Which all makes it quite engaging to drive, even at low speeds. And that's a good thing because low speeds if where you'll spend all your time driving it, as it's really not fast. :lol:

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It's perfect for this week's Eventlab though! Had a blast around the tight city circuit, almost felt like a go kart track.

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So what do we get with a bike-tired car? Plenty of fun, not much speed.
I'm glad we have it in the game, it's different and fun, especially for cruising around the map. It's too unconventional to be competitive in racing though, so I'd say Neutral.
 
SPD Writes Car Of The Week: Week 28 - Morgan 3-Wheeler


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Make your salutes to a car thing that was given a few lemons too less, and still managed to make a good sweet lemonade.


I'm late with this one. And probably also a bit less in terms of content. But it's still fruity, I hope.

After some runs in what we can say is not asphalt is a car with a threesome to present: the first generation Morgan 3 Wheeler. Powered by a Harley's V-Twin from S&S Motorcycles, the Morgan actually hit the market by 2011, but had a more substantial re-release about 3 years in, which is what we got here. With only 82 horsepower, the car's performance would come in through the car just going at a puny 1200 lbs, which is about 6 of me. Again with me as a weight basis, eh? I guess I'll get used to it. I do weigh about 85 kilos.

Based off the 3 wheeler Morgan of the 30s, the main reason we have a Morgan like this is how cars, or maybe vehicles, were considered for taxation. The 3 wheeler was classified as a motorcycle, so it was not as heavily taxed as your usual 4 wheeled machine. There were more Morgan car types in the past that made use of 3 wheels, but the one that got revived is the 2 seater variant. And with a 5 speed from a, uhh, I guess an NC Miata, the three wheeler was definitely a unique prospect of performance. I wouldn't even say a Miata can make do as a comparison.

There's not much else to say rather than it's the only Morgan we got here in Horizon Mexico. And look at it: it would be calculated by the ends of D-class, at 488 PI. Headlining for performance in its class of Cult Cars, the Morgan is a car that can actually break the mold and reach the edge of S1. Which is odd. Forza's weird conversion logic really shows its glaring flaws here. How do you visually distribute power on the front through those tiny tubes? And don't get me started on the engine.

After a wallet's hit from our usual budget in Brocky, this Morgan can be yours for 50,000 credits off the usual Autoshow. What's that? Did someone say Auction House? Why, sure! Over there, it's your for at least 13,000, and common ground goes at the range of 13,000 to 16,000 credits.

When it comes to the SPD garage, I have 1. But it's a mixed bag of conversions. How about a quick side note for you head: can you guess the purpose? No pressure: this'll be unfurled by the end.


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Oh, a haiku, here?
We will run through the circuit
at Los Jardines.



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Pushing down a track for lightweights is a heavyweight MINI. Funny thing: the MINI weighs in at a solid 2669 lbs. Definitely the class lightweight if we say it competes with other bigger badder SUVs.


"A compact circuit around the modern settlement of Los Jardines. Short straights followed by sharp corners will favour lighter, more agile vehicles."

Before anyone questions my haiku skills, if it can be defined as such, Jardines is pronounced similar to sardines, except due to language ruling differences, the J is spoken with a H sound.

So, the track already states its bias for the lightweight and the nimble? Would it add to the Morgan's performance?

If you ask me, what remains of this licensed car themed post apocalypse Mexico sure reeks a lot of green grass. I've been thinking we haven't seen the end of nature around these parts. Still, better than Guanajuato.

I don't have much issue with Los Jardines in particular. It's a nice flowing circuit with a few technical parts, such as the many 90 degrees turns and a chicane at the end. That last chicane's just a prime example of Barry R's excellent positioning, by the way. Not too tight, but still exhumes challenge.


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While I usually have my share of fun in Los Jardines in big powerful cars, the Morgan is something else, obviously because it's a 3 wheeler to start, but does having a deficit of tire be this car's own death in fire?


- This week, we have an open top machine, so I'll be doing the interior in a more serious sense. In fact, in a car like this, I usually just use the interior view rather than the hood cam. The car makes you feel like you're in the open road, blazing down the roads in a hair flinging fashion. It's got a nice theme of old sensible British RAF flair with a modern touch. And the view is spectacular. The issue: well, no windshield means you need to cover your face proper.

- Launch is bleh. Expected from a low powered car. But it's still a swift little machine in general. I say the car should shift fine at 5700 RPM, but I usually do it late by 6000 RPMs.

- Of course with a tire less, we get a different sort of handling than your usual Miata. This time, it's a car that has solid turning, but with a nasty case of understeer at the deeper angles. Though, if there's something that it really loves, it's a turn with the throttle loosened. This is one nice sweeper.

- It's got no power, so there isn't much when it comes to spinning the lone rear wheel. It can happen upon turn exit in certain speeds, but they're no threat to its stability in general. Go ham with the car, sure, but it's not a braindead driver's ride we got this week.

- Brakes? Like it's ever a problem. They do bias a tiny bit to the rear, which is able to muck up your turn if you do it really suddenly. By the way: don't put your foot strong on the brake and turn with this car. It's a nasty thought.

- When it comes to obstacles, there's that straight before the chicane. It goes without saying to a car like this 3 wheeler about going into even the smallest of foliage and road markers.

- As they said, they got it a Miata's gearbox, and it shows. If it's the NC's gearbox they got, I can see where the acceleration comes in. They're nice low gears for the Miata, and works just as well here. It also has the same downshifting issue with said Miata, so watch your gearing.

- Off-roading is.. okay, I'm actually not expecting grippy.. but pretty nasty otherwise. Shoo. Put away that idea of getting the car on the mud.

- To the track, my obvious first tip: dodge everything. The 5 D's of dodgeball apply here as always. Go ahead and look that up, I'm not Rip Torn. But in racers terms.. try not to go too wide. This car's bound to do that, because of what it's got on: some skinny little britches.

- So, the final chicane usually messes up anyone's lap in the higher classes, so I give kudos to whoever thought of making it this wide so that maybe some C-class cars can take it.

- Thing is, the discovery phase of this car's traits has to be quite the fun one. So my final advice for drivers willing to make a Morgan named racing handicap is to enjoy. It's not fast, but it makes for a rear happy ride with imaginary training wheels. And if you so happen to make some results in one, you have my approval to flex those racing muscles.

Okay, opinion time: unique, but not exactly the kind of car I would take lapping. The Morgan is definitely one of the chosen gimmick cars. Like most racing games have gimmicky cars, so it's not exactly groundbreaking.

Let's go to my best effort with this thing.


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This wacko Morgan on Los Jardines with SPD behind it has effort written on it in the form of a 1:10.343.


To be honest, I just didn't have time to play with this Morgan. Maybe it's my interest in Horizon 5 just waning away. But don't be fooled: It's a super fun toy, and I can see that just seconds out of my home of Horizon Baja. If not the track, just taking the Morgan out for a drive around mini Mexico as is would give you that impression.


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And now: a cow pretending to be a man an issue.

To start: a Throwback isn't going to go so well with how bare we have cars in D-class. If I had to get the car to Test specs, it's not going to be possible without an engine swap. And I'm not sure how to exactly theme a Showcase.

Let's finish. Before you boo at me, it's not that I've gotten lazy and rotten. Rather, It's that I have my personal resources allocated at much more places. I'm working a full time job now, and yes: that also means I don't even have much time to put in a certain driving simulator.

So..

What is the Morgan 3 Wheeler? It is..

A classic case of identity crisis, but even with age, still finds itself to be the life of the party.

Well, it's only missing performance to start off. Nothing to worry about on most cars, but oops: no custom chassis and suspension stuff. So it's unfortunately limited. Sorry pal.

But while it's no question just a novelty, it's a well executed one. Not a half bad Neutral, if I say so myself. Really needs some of those important body upgrades. It's the only thing holding back its bona fide Sleeper within.

Now, how about that 1 Morgan I already have? I'm not sure what you guys are expecting, but here we go:


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So, what does this look like? That's right. It's a dirt build. Without the changeable suspension, to say it's a bumpy ride is just understating how much I don't recommend this action.
 
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