Top Tech Tuners Super Smashing Shootout
Yes, it's here! It's time for the first inaugural...shootout of any sort in this car reviews section! For this, we're tackling the ever popular branch of tuner cars - which we will also be venturing into for the first time. For this test, we've sorted out a fixture between four totally different tuner cars. Here they all are...
Representing the classics, the Grand Touring Garage 1970 Ford Mustang Trans-Cammer...
For the road tuners, the High End Performance G37...
For the drift machines, the AEM S2000...
And for total 🤬 insanity, the HKS CT230R.
So then, it's time to compare these 4 vastly different and unique tunes. Who will come out on top? To compare, I'm comparing all 4 through different categories. I also tested them on the Top Gear Test Track, with laps with totally default settings on them, acceleration using the in game timer (and my rather inaccurate at times eyes) and top speed down the main runway. But first, the general comparisons.
Performance
Mustang: Massive stats, but it's not all that great. The Mustang will easily get to 600bhp, but to cancel all of that out, the Mustang had a huge 1721kg. Of course, this would just scream one single line from Jeff Gordon...
"REMEMBER!!! The car is heavy."
However, when you drive the Mustang, the acceleration on it is very nice. I'd like to see what could be done with less weight, but this'll have to do. However, the 5-speed gearbox you find in this is very odd. You get very quickly through the first 4 gears, with little difficulty. But then you shift up to 5th and it goes to lengths higher than even an NBA basketball center player could ever reach. It goes a LOOOONG way up the RPM gauge. However, this isn't all bad, since after getting through the first 4 gears quickly, you have the long 5th that boosts speed. Odd call, but good call, GTG.
G37: Not bad at all. 489bhp is plenty for this car. The 1450kg weight looks a little high, but in the end it doesn't matter because the acceleration is very nice in this as well. Also this does get a normally-ratioed 6-speed gearbox with the right amount of power throughout all of the ranges. The top speed of the G37 also tends to be rather good, as I found out when racing it as an AI on Daytona Speedway
It takes a while to get going there, but once it does, its speed is really very fast. It's not quite at the Mustang's level but it is certainly good. G37 passes with merit.
S2000: Not as good as the first 2. It is lighter by a long way, but less powerful by quite a bit as well. However, AEM's objective was to make a drift machine, and make one of those too powerful and it'll spin out, but make it too heavy and it won't drift much. So in the end, AEM's way of it makes more sense. The transmission is pretty normal as well, although for a drift car you would expect it to be a bit shorter to allow for more unique and possibly at the end of the day faster drifts. But when you aren't drifting in it, you're usually OK with the tranny, so I'll give it a pass. But more power might be appreciated in the long run.
CT230R: Terrifying. Close to 600hp in a 1068kg car is almost overkill. Just consider this - it's almost 700kg lighter than the Mustang and has nearly as much power. Just consider that.
The tranny really makes the CT230R absolutely scream its way through everything. It is only 5-Speed, and it's only a Close-Ratio, which might make you go 'LOL WUT' at first. However, the gears are very short, and what this gives the CT230R is some of the fastest acceleration in the GAME. Never mind among tuners, in the GAME. It could probably even match some LMP's off the line, I kid you not. The drawback to this is a very limited top speed - you can't even hit 180 with these settings. In that case, you should buy a Fully Customisable Transmission and have a go with a few tunes for it (there was a whole shootout for the car, you can find one). But even so, the CT230R is a simply super-speed package that, I trust you, WILL beat an S2000 GT1 Turbo on twisty tracks. And remember, this thing is 4WD...
Handling
Mustang: Quite a surprise. Even though you must REMEMBER!!! The car is heavy., the handling is actually pretty smooth. Through low speed corners, it's not much of a problem at all. High speed corners are still easy as well, but it is outclassed by the G37 in this class.
G37: My pick. The G37 can hold anyone's line really well. This is partially because the G37 has less weight, and also because the ride height seems to be lower too. The catch is it seems to be better at high speed rather than low speed - it will get through the Follow-through perfectly, but sometimes goes a little wide at Hammerhead, for example. But that's not particularly common, and the G37 thus is my favourite for this category.
S2000: The S2000 is at an obvious disadvantage because unlike the other 3 cars it comes on Comfort Softs (to assist drifting) and therefore general handling gets compromised. However, even with these tyres, the S2000 doesn't handle badly at all. It does slide a bit at low speed whilst turning and can understeer a little at high speed, but it is certainly not bad at all.
CT230R: Not good. For some reason, the 4WD seems to encourage much understeer on this thing. In the slow corners, it's hopeless. In the fast corners, it still understeers. However, chances are the acceleration out of the corners is so brutal that it won't matter at all. Worst of the bunch here, but I don't actually care myself...
Traditional Mustang territory - smoking the tyres.
Looks
Mustang: ...Meh. It is the oldest of the bunch, but it hasn't aged all that well in this department. Granted, GTG have given this a good bodykit, including that huge hood scoop, but it really doesn't look a whole lot different from any other Mustang.
G37: Tied with the S2000. The general looks of the G37 are pretty good, and with a very agressive bodykit I wouldn't say no to this. However, the default adjustable paints are pretty awesome (I'd still go with the matte black regardless). However, there isn't much...on the car, if you know what I mean...
S2000: What your average sick modified S2000 should look like. The car has a very good bodykit, but I think the livery of the car is odd, but good. I'm not sure what the colour of it actually is...let's just say reddy-violet. But mixing it with all the decals makes it look pretty enhanced. The bodykit could be made a little wilder though.
CT230R: Alright, but not changed enough from the original Evo 7. The red paint job looks striking, and the decals look good too, but the bodykit is hardly there apart from the HUGE wing at the back.
Onboard view
Mustang: Pretty fascinating, if I say so myself. The number of gauges in the Mustang you see here would probably blow James May's head off (well, it wouldn't. It'd just give him a fizzing sensation). However, the hood scoop kinda blocks the last of your right hand side view. Slight flaw there, my friends...
G37: Very interesting. In the front there is a lot of tech that seems all pretty fancy, but when you look at the back and you find THIS...
Yes, actual onboard view from the G37.
...you think to yourself "I'm playing on that. Screw the car, I just want this." Of course, you can't. You already are playing on it. Playing it in this G37 would just be confusing...
The G37 is the Inception fan's car, surely. Of course, you can't get out of that spot by using the G37's PS3 in real life, because you can still race in it and the PS3's still there...right, now WHERE WERE WE?
S2000: I didn't really check this out to be honest
you fool.. To be honest, from what I recall, it wasn't too much special. It seemed to be the only one not to have more than about 3 devices in it...although you don't need any if you're driving a drift machine.
CT230R: Alright. It's certainly more than what you'd expect for a 1068kg car - especially considering it's got a computer. Which is also kinda weird because this car isn't road legal so I don't actually know what use that computer has. If only I owned one of these in real life...
But anyway, in a 1068kg car like this, you'd expect the bare red paintwork to be just showing there. But instead, the interior looks rather normal. From the inside it seems more like 1200kg at least. Well done, HKS, for being able to remove invisible weight from a car!
Useability
Mustang: ...Not superb. The Mustang seems to have the right tools to make for a fair race in the Supercar Festival with enough tuning. Obviously the Tuning Car Championship and its endurance cousins would be a good idea, so long as you avoid The UnAmusing Speed Freak. Add the R8 LMS if you're doing the Nurburgring 4h, but don't if you visit the data thread for it. That way, you'll win in everything here easily.
G37: Also not exactly superb. See the Mustang for all info.
S2000: The S2000 is slightly weird. By default, its Comfort Softs don't make it as fast as the equivalent Mustang and G37, but with identical tyres, it can outspeed them both (not by much though...). As a result, the useability of it is virtually identical to the previous two. However, with the extra PP, it might be worth having a (very ambitious) crack at, say for instance, the GT World Championship. The fast cars will be hard to beat, but chances are you won't be left in last. The Suzuka 1000 is also worth a try as well.
CT230R: Vast improvement over the other 3. The GT World Championship is definitely a good call in this thing, and it can beat the S2000 GT1 Turbo in the 3 events it shows up in. Also since the HKS is Japanese, you will have a very easy time in the Super GT. The Dream Car Championship would be a hard battle, but I'm sure you could win it in this.
Reverse donuts...the antidote to boredom.
Pretty neat, if I do say so myself. The engine noise is very, very low, but it sounds like a classic car. The Mustang is also pretty exploitable to further sound variation as well since 5th gear is so long and you drop so much RPM to it. Not the most epic sound, but I think it's realistic.
G37: Classic tuned car noise. This noise isn't realistic at all, but I myself don't mind it. Most other tuned Japanese sedans can get this noise. Most other cars should be able to get it actually...
S2000: Classic S2000 SCREAM. The revs also seem to be a little higher as well, just adding to the experience. However, these 3 are all outclassed by the CT230R...just trust me on that.
CT230R: OK, let me just emphasize on my opinion of how good the CT230R's sound is. This CT230R's sound is probably in the top 5 for all sounds in the WHOLE GAME. That's saying rather a lot. I don't know if it's realistic or not, but I hope it is. Because the only cars that beat it at all in the whole game are the Mark IV, the Murcielago LP670, the LFA and the 787B. All of the sounds they have are very realistic. So to say the CT230R's sound ranks among these is saying a lot. The sound of this thing is an UNBELIEVABLE, high pitched scream that sounds like the god of fire yelling before he hit puberty. Even though the short ratios don't let you hear it in a whole lot of detail, the sound is still just epic. This deserves one very good
.
Price
Mustang: Absolutely laughable compared to the others here. The price tag for this is absolutely head-cracking. Granted it is a classic, but
725,000 Cr. of classic?! Rip-off. Get an offer going instead.
G37: Not horrible, but still a bit higher than what it could be. 200,000 isn't terribly big, but just trust me when I say you can find better things out there...
S2000: And hey, look what I found! The AEM is the cheapest of the 4, at 100,000 Cr., which is half that of the G37 exactly. With Sports Soft tyres at 8,000 Cr., the S2000 automatically gets to the G37's level. So you can get a car that's 92,000 Cr. cheaper than a car that's virtually on the same competitive level. The G37 was just rendered completely pointless...
CT230R: Compared to other cars with similar performance to it - that'll be Super GT cars, this thing is a total bargain. At 260,000 Cr., it is 10,000 Cr. more than the equivalent S2000 GT1 Turbo, but 10,000 Cr. is the approximate equivalent of 'nothing' in the land of Gran Turismo. You can also buy it before the Super GT even unlocks, so never mind the legit Super GT's - this can trounce them for not far off 1/4 of the price. Bravo!
Test results:
Lap time (bear in mind this is from a Top Gear classic standing start as opposed to a rolling start):
1. CT230R - 1:13.6. Understeery as hell, but the acceleration is so much on this car that it trounced everything else.
2. G37 - 1:18.1. Very smooth lap. Got through most corners pretty much to my line.
3. Mustang - 1:18.5. The point when I discovered that the Mustang wasn't actually that heavy-feeling. Got through the lap with most lines taken pretty darn well.
4. S2000 - 1:23.1. Tyre grip loss is the other's gain for the S2000 unfortunately. Even so, the car wasn't bad to drive at all.
Acceleration (probably inaccurate, I had to get my eyes and the speedo dead on...
)
1. CT230R: 3.4 seconds. Short ratios + 4WD = almost arcade style boost off the line.
T-2. Mustang: 4.4 seconds. Dead on with the G37. Shorter first ratios and big power help, massive weight does not.
T-2. G37: 4.4 seconds. Well rounded ratios and lower weight help it match the Mustang. Would be improved with more power.
3. S2000: 5.1 seconds. Again, struggling with worse tyres. With matching tyres I would expect about 0.2 off of the Mustang and G37. Less power kind of drags it down a little.
Top speed (measured from the '07' marker at one end of the runway to the last 'X' marker at the other end.)
1. CT230R: 164mph. Acceleration gets you to 150 very quickly. Can't remember if it was at the red line, odds are it wasn't.
2. Mustang: 149mph. Extra power helps much in the long run, as does the first four short ratios followed by the long 5th to boost the top speed.
3. G37: 147mph. Power deficit hurts it against the Mustang. Lower torque is a result of it. Lower weight helps at first but the G37 doesn't seem to have good enough stock ratios.
4. S2000: 145mph. Last, but not by much for once. Since tyres only really affect your top speed at the start, the S2000 was able to use its low weight to not get hogged up by the tires much. Lack of power and torque hurt it a little but downforce setting and tranny setting probably helped it get closer more than anything.
FINAL VERDICT!!!
4. Mustang. Granted, despite the heavy weight it isn't that bad to drive and it has some relatively clever ratios, but the price gives it a huge punch to the face over the other cars.
3. S2000. Stock, the S2000 simply can't match any of the other 3. It is meant for drifting, but that's not what this game's ALL about. Still, it destroys the G37 in value, but to get that result you need to modify it, which removes the whole reviewing a car stock thing.
2. G37. Very good car to drive. The handling is the best of the bunch, and it's got good looks and a nice onboard view too. But in the end of the day, it can't compete with the sheer insanity of...
1. HKS CT230R Simply the best of the cars. I don't care if the handling is terrible when stock, you can just find a tune around the forums to cure that. The acceleration of the car is literally fatal to anything around it, the price is almost too low for the speed and the sound of the damn thing is just a bloody bulls-eye. So then, the moral of the story is...go insane with a tuner car.
Well, just as long as you're not in an S2000 GT1 Turbo.
Final Scores
Mustang: 15/20
G37: 17/20
S2000: 15/20
CT230R: 19/20
Now if you'll excuse me, I'm off to beat another track record.
although to be fair mine is based around Sports Hards. 
The actual handling itself isn't that brilliant, but one key feature of the GT by Citroen helps it out enormously in this statistic - downforce as stock. This helps severely, and while looks of the car can't be improved through modification (thank gods for the Race Car! 
) and it's just such an annoyance. Screw you, obnoxious speedometer. 
👍
