GT6 Duel of the Week #70: The Grand Finale (well, not really)

I'm too lazy to write it would be the Aston for me

 

GT6 Duel of the Week #40, Aston Martin DB9 '06 vs Jaguar XKR Coupe '10 Review/Comparison

Two front-engine, luxury GT cars with the same country of origin, made by companies with decades of experience crafting bespoke exotic cruisers for the customer that can afford them.

​

For the first round, I took these cars back to where the dueling began. The Eifel Sprint. It starts out on a downhill series of varying corners and the straightens out to a long sprint part, then a sharp turn approaches just before you power your car up two uphill straights. Both cars seemed easy enough to drive, but the DB9 has less understeer so I prefer to drive it over the Jaguar.

Times:
Aston 2:18,684
Jag 2:19,150
Gap: +0.446

Looks like the Aston just slightly beats out the Jaguar here.



I lined them both up on the 4,000m strip to test their acceleration and top speed. Oddly, neither of them seemed to top out on this course. The Aston was slow off the line, but the Jaguar has low top-end acceleration.

Times and Speed:
Aston: 50.758 seconds @ 301km/h
Jag: 49.431 seconds @ 311km/h

Looks like the Jaguar beats the Aston in raw speed and POWAAAAAH



For paint chips, I'm giving this round to the Jaguar, it has some very odd chips going by the names of Botanical Green and Spectrum Blue. some very strange effects, almost a matte-style finish on a solid chip. The Aston has 20 paint chips, but the two on the Jag just make me forget about all of those.



The Jaguar wins for chip quality, not quantity.



For aero parts and customisation, the Jaguar only has one aero option unique to it, and only has standard wheel sizes. The Aston has way more aero parts that somewhat make it look like a DBR9 or some sort of race car. It also has a nice addition to that in the form of two extra wheel sizes. The Aston wins easily here.



For tuning, these two are exactly the same, except for the fact that the Jaguar has the addition of supercharger tuning, so it produces wayyy more POWAAAAAAAAH.

The Jaguar wins for tuning.



For sound I'm going to pick the Jaguar, the Aston has almost racing-car sounds, but it doesn't compare to the Jaguar's jaguar purr of a soundtrack. The deep growling sounds like some gigantic cat's grumble all the way to the top of the revs.

The Jaguar wins for sound



For design and styling, I'm giving this to the Jaguar, it has a chisled face with amazing vents, and the taillights are nice to look at too. The roofline is neary perfect and the overhangs are just the right size. I like how the pre-facelifted version of the DB9 looks, but I liked the post-facelift version better.



Well, I can certainly say both cars never show up online outside of specific categories. They're too heavy for the most part to be competitive against any KTM or Rocket. So both are not practical for racing, but for drifiting, I'm giving the vote to the Jaguar, it seemed more excited to slide when I was driving it earlier, and it has a supercharger, so It has more potential to break free from the confines of traction.



So with the rounds counted and the total scores in, the JAGUAR XKR takes this week's vote for me.

and the verdict is...

ASTON DBS and DBRS9 for GT SPORT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


AND THE XKR GT3 and F-TYPE!!!!!!!!!!!



​

 

@MrWaflz55 which f type is that?

 

Just the regular base coupé.

 

Hope everyone had a nice Easter. Today we have an Aston and a Jag, which are two of the most recognized companies from the UK. I'll start with the Aston. The DB9 packs a V12 producing around 500 HP, yet weighs less than its competitor. On the track it was a nice pleasant drive with no sudden suprises. Despite the weight, it finds a way to balance out quite good and is stable in the corners. There are a few aero options as well.

The Jag. We had the XKR-S some time back, but this time we have the more toned down coupe version. Only it's toned down a little bit. It takes a bit of skill to get the most out of this one, with a brick feeling coming into most corners. Wierd sounding car it is too, with a more throaty sound. Exterior options are about the same as in availability like the DB9. In the end though, my choice is.....

The DB9

Both cars tested at Silverstone International, no aids except ABS 1.

DB9: 1:12.839
XKR: 1:14.677

And the votes:

DB9: 6
XKR: 2

And the almost unanimous winner is.....

The '06 DB9 Coupe!!!

Congrats to G_ASHER for setting a winning time of 1:11.584 in the Aston and a time of 1:11.598 in the Jag! So with that, if you have any suggestions for future weeks, feel free to start a conversation with me.​

 

@Cowboy I counted one more vote for the XKR from @Draggon so I think the final score should be 6-2 instead of 7-1

 

Actually what happened is that I thought that you voted for the DB9, but at a second glance I noticed that you went for the XKR. Fixed

 

This week I went a different route with the types of cars. It's something we haven't done for a while one here, so this week's duel is.....

The 1991 Acura NSX LM Race Car

vs


The 2011 Renault Sport Mégane Trophy!!!

Been a while since we had race cars on here, so I thought it would be an appropriate time to have these two. This week's time trial will take place at Sebring, made by @NingDynasty. With that, let the battle begin!​

 

Wow... just... wow...

Yet another close duel this week with two MR racing cars. One is based off the winner of the GT2 class during the 1995 24 hours of LeMans (yes I know the base model in game is based off the '91 Acura NSX, but the LeMans racer is where the shape and part of the livery is based off of.) The other is... uh... French. (Seriously, I can't think of anything notable for this car.)

Right off the bat, my personal biases are in favor of the NSX because of my familiarity with the car and the connection it has with being an LM inspired car. But the... the... trials I ran were...

Just... look at the times.

Sebring Trial:
NSX LM - 2:11.894
Mégane - 2:11.876

Rotenboden Trial:
NSX LM - 1:36.807
Mégane - 1:36.612

SSR5 Trial:
NSX LM - 1:25.019
Mégane - 1:24.975

The NSX was very close to the Mégane. All. Three. Trials. Look at the Sebring one! 18 thousandths of a second separating the two!

I feel this is chiefly due to the Mégane being slightly more stable in the corners, but I ran into trouble a couple of times with both. Mindbogglingly enough, during my second lap around Rotenboden with the Mégane, it actually felt different on that second lap for some reason. It honestly felt like the tires got rid of all the grip they had during the first lap. This behavior continued on the SSR5 trial, yet I managed to have both cars finish within at least one second of each other on all three trials, with the widest gap being 195 thousandths of a second.

The Mégane has proved itself to be faster, even if it's just a little bit faster, so despite my preference for the NSX, the Mégane gets my vote.

 

NSX LM doesn't win
Also, the great XE has been bannedhammered again! That didn't last very long, so I forgot about
him already!

 

@Cowboy do you use the default settings when comparing race cars to each other?

 

I think it's up to you to decide how you want to test them

 

Yes.

 

I was thinking of saying. "But the NSX LM is technically American." and then watched him malfunction, but decided against it.

Seriously though, don't proclaim that you're a banned member in your first post, that's how "NOS systems" hung around for as long as it did. Wonder when his fourth account is going to surface. You guys know he'll be back.

 

And the fact that this was the only thread he posted in as well. I guess he wanted a low profile, but that didn't work out

Anyways, moving on...

 

I'm so far behind in the TT it's painful, I see there's a bit of work ahead of me

 

It's Saturday and I'm literally the only one who put a review/vote in.

Wonder if the thread is going to be flooded with reviews today.

 

You have to take time when you test a Nissan V6 against a Honda V6 - But so far the Hondacura is winning -
But the real question is...

Gull Wing Doors Vs Pop-Up Headlamps?

 

I like gullwing doors!

On the track, the Acura seems a lot more planted, and doesn't do any "funny stuff". My TT time is a few seconds better than in the Megane too. So I'm voting for the Acura.

 

Had too much other stuff to do this week so didn't make any testings, and don't know if I'll do it tomorrow as well (I'd need to do a bit of setup on each and to be fair I'm less interested in race cars anyway)

 

Renault Sport Megane Trophy vs. Acura NSX LM GT2

----


Firstly I was not really looking forward to this, That Megane is going to be some Front wheeldrive cup car... but as usual, Ryk is totally wrong. A Mid engined car that only shares badges and front and rear light clusters and a few other trivial parts - The engine is not Megane it came form the Vel Satis, which got it as a hand me down from the Nissan Fairlady ... Body Panels? Custom Made to give the illusion that it is a road going hot hatch. So a racing Mid engined Nissan 350Z with a bit of French va va voom?

Acura NSX LM...

Bity of a Mystery car in the dealership - no power figures, no dimensions, Spooky!

Acura vs Renault America vs the Republique de Francais ... Or is it?
I prefer to think of this as a Honda vs Nissan fist fight as they do the Engines, What does the Renault Megane Road car actually supply to this ... the head lamps and the rearlamp clusters... That is like thinnking an ASL Garaiya is really an Alfa Romeo because it has the 147's rear lights! - Yeah right!

So a Japan vs Japan fight -
Dunlop vs Michelin (Tyres)
Honda vs Nissan (V6 Engine )
Castrol vs Elf (Organic Superlube)
Alcon vs AP Racing (Brakes)


*** I know the feeling, It is the Wheel thing ***
One thing to note with these cars are the wheel nuts.... the NSX has a singlenut the same sort of deal as you get in Formula 1 and other big boy racing series. The Megane has APP forged wheels held onto the hub by 5 individual lugnuts - So if you are planning a "Racing pit stop" then the NSX will have a massive advantage - Even if the Renault fields a crack pit crew from North Carolina, the single nut Hondacura will have all the advantages.

*** Fill me up ***
The Megane has a Standard Racing dual input refueller - but it is mounted on the right hand side - great for most circuit racing but a bit of a pain it you run an Oval or end up at Apricot Hill, Imola, Trial Mountain, Interlagos,....or my chosen test track.
The NSX has basic refuellers on both sides of the cars - Great for any circuit or if you like to fly into the pitlane backwards, just like me!

What other issues have you got Ryk? Well the NSX is broadly a road car turned into a racer - the Megane is a race car - that has been dressed up to look like it started off life as a Road car - that just isn't cricket!


*** Round 1 *** Looks ***

What is not to like about these two? - Gullwing doors, Pop up Headlamps, Big Gran Turismo sun strip, Flared wheel arches, Roll Cages, lashings of carbon fibre, big Silly bolt on wings, Huge Slick tyres, Kenny G on the stereo, no carpets, no leather seats no walnut dash...

These are both racing cars, The NSX has much more road car DNA on show than the Fake Megane, The NSX has pop up headlamps, so looks pretty sleek at the front - It is tough to compare the looks as they are race cars and are built to exploit the regulations and dimensions, But the Megane has GULL WING DOORS - great but this sort of trick means the mass of the door is high - and on a race car you want the weight as low as you can get - sticking a couple of hulking door hinges above the drivers head is not the optimal solution, but you have to admit that it is cool.

I am a bit old fashioned and the NSX ticks alot of style boxes and with its long wide low lines, you can see it is an evolution of a real car. The Mid engined Renault 350Z is very burly and boxey, it has those terrible looking rear overhangs on the rear wheels. That probably reflacts more on the Regulations than the car but it sure is ugly.

After spending a few hours with both cars the Renault 350Z is looking nicer than when I first opened up the garage,but the Hondacura is just better. in Looksand inhow it gets to those looks.

Nissan 7 Honda 10​

*** Round 2 *** Sound ***
The Hondacura is nice enough raspy V6 with a deep clout to it. Not the best engine note I've heard but a good honest sound.
The Nissan Megane MR cup car has bigger V6 so you would expect a slightly deeper note from the pipes... But the car is all Transmission whine with the V6 hidden behind this high pitched note.

Sorry but the NSX is much easier to enjoy the drive, The Endless whine from Megane takes it straight to losers lane.

Nissan 8 (15) Honda 10 (20)​

*** Round 3 *** Stock test ***
Next bit is really about how good the cars are. I Ran a 10 lap shakedown at Daytona Beach doing times That I have already forgotten but I know the NSX was faster after my Set up chops were put to the test.

So let's run each car stock at everyones Favourite Japanese track; Not a Nissan track nor a Honda track, not even a Toyota track. This is a Kawasaki track - Otoporisu... 2.9 miles of ups and downs run at high altitude on Kyushu (My personal favourite of Japan's islands! - In your face Shikoku!)

オートポリス
Megane Trophy - 1m51.896 (8 Laps)
NSX LM - GT2 - 1m51.754 (3 Laps)

The Megane Trophy was good fun, just the right amount of Oversteer to make every lap keep your attention. High speed understeer and low speed power oversteer were issues that you had to adapt to.

The NSX went second and was on the pace right out of the box... and I didn't really have to do much to breeze past the PB of the Renault.

Nissan 9 (24) Honda 10(40)​

*** Round 4 *** Tuning up! ***

This was a run with the stock car tuned without adding any bits, just adjusting whatever it has. So the Engine is untouched and nothing has been bought for the car. (Save a piece of paper and my old slide ruler for me to work out the gear ratios...
A few things stood out.
The Megane has a fixed Front Aero setting...
The Hondacura has a stock Differential - so if you want some major handling tweaks you have to go the suspension route. - Fortunaly I am fine with the NSX's basic pointy handling. (Or you could stump up the credits and by a custom adjustable LSD.)

I ran the NSX first and only 3 laps-
It was more "smooth" and I set a time of
NSX LM - GT2 - 1m50.371

The Megane was more slidy but if you could four wheel drift into corners and balance it on the exit it was a good match with the NSX, however for whatever reason the uphillpart of the track let the NSX pull away ....
Megane Trophy - 1m50.968 (8 laps- Best)

So again the Hondacura shows the Nissan how it is done.

Nissan 9(33) Honda 10(40)
------------​

I don't really feel like going on more. The Hondacura NSX GT2 - has to win this.
The one thing the Renault has going for it is the Nissan engine behind the driver! And maybe the cool doors - or the Much closer to the centre line of the car seating position...

So that age old question has finally been answered, Which is better Gull wing doors or Pop-up Headlamps...

Pop-Up Headlamps win due to the Rule of Cool.


(In case you were not sure, the Track that I ran at was Autopolis.)

--- And the Megane doesn't really have proper gull wing doors - just ones canted upward so you can get in due to the pretty high door sill.

http://www.caradvice.com.au/89788/renault-megane-renault-sport-250-review/

 

You know what, I'll start with the Mégane this week. A French car with a Nissan powerplant, that's an interesting combination. The Mégane Trophy is a slower touring car but fast in its class, being dominate in the 550PP range. On the track its a tad squirrely, wanting to push the corners hard with little mercy. Overall the car is good, colors and everything, driveability is pretty decent. Aaannnd it costs only 100K.

The NSX. A formula car for the road, a mid-engined bat outta hell from Honda. The NSX has a different character from other cars, it has that supercar attitude that makes you want to drive it. This time we have the LM version, a racer with attitude. The car felt more stable and forgiving than the Mégane, but not by much. It could handle most situations just fine, you just need the right driver. The NSX has the advantage of being paintable, but costs over 100K more than the Mégane. My vote for this duel goes to.....

The NSX

Both cars tested on Sebring, no aids except ABS 1.

NSX: 2:12.429
Mégane: 2:10.535

And the votes:

NSX: 3
Mégane: 1

And the winner is.....

The '91 NSX LM!!!

Congrats to @ThrasherDBS for getting the winning time of 2:11.894 in the NSX, and congrats to @Cowboy for setting the winning time of 2:10.535 in the Mégane. Nice duel this week, though the next few weeks will probably be road cars. If you have any suggestions, send them my way!​

 

Wait a minute, I actually won with one of the vehicles?

That's a first. Then again, I guess it's easier to win if you only have two or three competitors rather than five or six.

 

This week we're heading back to good ol' Murica. These cars have a good deal of power, but lack a bit of cornering ability. This week's duel is.....

The 2004 Pontiac GTO 5.7 Coupe

vs


The 2005 Chrysler 300C!!!

FR vs FR, power vs power, GM vs Chrysler, should be a good one this week. This week's time trial will take place at the famed Laguna Seca, which obviously suits this match well. With that, let the battle begin.....​

 

Two pretty different cars here : a sports coupé and a big sedan. Here are my lap times on Trial Mountain (comfort softs, ABS 1) :

Pontiac GTO 5.7 Coupe 01:42,884
Chrysler 300C 01:43,285

Surprisingly, the Chrysler is not so far behind, much less than you would expect by looking at both cars. The Pontiac's balance is more set towards understeer, whereas the 300C surprises with a lively rear end on entries. It doesn't have great cornering speeds, but it's pretty fun to drive actually. So even though the Pontiac is faster, I'll vote Chrysler on this one.

I also have good memories of racing a tuned version at 550 - 600 PP on Le Mans, which literally obliterated the fastest supercars in the Hunaudières (blasting between a Ford GT and an Enzo with a 300C has no price). I think I made a few people rage quit with this

 

Took a break last week, but I'm back now with stat charts.

Looks like the GTO will take this one, but the 300c may surprise me.

 

Those must be the specs from the dealership, because after purchase the GTO gains 2 hp at a peak 300 rpm's higher than at the dealership, while the 300C loses 1 hp after purchase, and its peak is 100 rpm higher.

Pontiac GTO 5.7 Coupe '04
5.7L
352 hp / 5,500 rpm
365 ft-lb / 4,000 rpm
1,690 kg (3,726 lbs)
468 pp

Chrysler 300C '05
5.7L
339 hp / 5,100 rpm
390 ft-lb / 4,000 rpm
1,878 kg (4,140 lbs)
456 pp

So both have 5.7L V8 engines. The power edge goes to the Pontiac, with 13 more horses than the Chrysler. However, it is also down 25 ft-lbs of torque. And then there's the weight. Being 188 kg's (414 lbs) lighter than the 300C, the GTO should easily be faster at Mid-Field Raceway, right?

Well the GTO is actually 1 mph faster than the 300C on the longest stretch, while its minimum speed through Turn 1 was 2 mph slower. Surprising, to say the least.




I had more fun in the Pontiac, but the 300C belies its weight.

 

But i thought that the GTO is just a rebadged Australian car rather than a true 'murican?

Gonna do a test drive soon.

 

The GTO is a rebadged Monaro, I think.

 

Yes, it's a rebadged Holden...