It's about time I did one of these again-- wait the last review was only a month ago, relatively speaking this is early for me then, might need to check my watch....speaking of timely, welcome one and all and this time I'll be reviewing the month delayed technically 4th car of the February update (I don't count it in the Jan update because of the £4,500 watch buy-in early access) with the BULGARI VGT (or BVLGARI for stylisation I guess)
First of all, and it is going to bother me...but this car already failed in the eyes of many because of it being announced in the January update - but was only buyable to most of us 'peasants' - the people that actually play the game in the February update, I'm not sure who made this baffling decision over a VGT - a type of car that already will have trouble gaining audience due to the ill perceived perception of most of these wonderful concept cars...but thankfully those dark times are behind us, with its sleek retro 70s/80s inspired looks and speedster open top flair, looks wise this car genuinely does not disappoint personally, though it does come in only one colour - stainless steel/aluminium from the 'factory' (weirdly it was advertised in the promo photos in a bright yellow too, yet that isn't available) thankfully the livery editor can fix that at least if you want some colour, and in addition those barchetta stylings and open top thrills with no roof in sight allows this car to be a wonderful car to drive in PSVR2!.
Also this car has pop-down headlights, a unique take on the usual 80s/90s trend of pop-up headlights, and I think it's pulled off pretty effortlessly here, so in my eyes we are already off to a good start looks wise!
So let's get down to business on how this looker performs - with a 1 ton exact weight, 394bhp power from its mid-mounted motorbike inspired NA V4 that revs all the way to 9.5k and a 192mph top speed down SSRX with an engine that peaks early on torque but peaks late on power output, meaning tou have a large window to shift gears in - so this thing absolutely punches well above it's weight BUT it's brakes somewhat let it down here due to them being more like road car brakes - and yes while this car has downforce (implied at 150 units on the front and back) it is still a slippery customer on its default sport hards and will spit you out if you don't drive it in a refined manner, but at least its actuslly classified as a road car unlike some VGT's that are strangely not in that category (LOOKING AT YOU VOLKSWAGEN, MINI[?], MITSUBISHI AND SUBARU...oh and FERRARI AND LAMBORGHINI FOR NOT BEING RACE CAR CLASSSIFIED).
So, how does this thing drive you may wonder. Is it a worthy experience or is it one best viewed from afar? Well I have good and bad news, but mostly good - it has fantastic acceleration and you can pretty safely short shift in the mid-high rpm range too, and this thing - brakes notwithstanding - responds to your steering inputs pretty directly too, a welcome trait compared to some cars, even if it's overall grip level could hamper it somewhat...but as eluded to earlier this car really wants to not be thrashed around as it's very difficult to do big angle drifts in haha. All in all this car is just a hoot to drive honestly, and its also fantastic with wonderful fuel economy too, and slap on some racing mediums (thank to it's incredible tyre life management) and you got yourself an effortless contender for WTC700 LeMans too!
Sadly as I must mention this to be as complete and thorough of a review as possible - in custom/arcade races it can only race itself, meaning your races in custom mode will be one-makes
But at the end of all this praise....was it really worth waiting an additional month for a car that will not blow everyone away? Personally I'm not so sure, as much as I enjoy this vehicle, it leaves a suspicious aftertaste of what could happen if they push these timed exclusivity stuff maybe a bit too far, this car admittedly won't be topping the leaderboard of anything anytime soon, but for what it's worth, if you want something that is purely FUN then this is your ticket to the fun fair, as this car reminds me more of what the Suzuki VGT tried to emulate than the Suzuki did - the GSX-R4 concept from 2001
(Yes someone already made a Suzuki GSX-R4 livery for it once it was available in February, which is hilarious)
So all in all in this extended conclusion that I have probably waffled on for too long over, this car is honestly, a wonderful car to drive that is just pure fun on wheels, even if it is not the fastest thing around it doesn't pretend to be, and it's all the better for it - with its striking visuals, impressive performance figures (but not absurd ones) and drivability thst still requires your upmost concentration, this thing, despite being a 'watchncar' companion to the IRL watch is a proper driver's car, and that I can only be thankful for in the sea of ever increasing EV schlopp in the real world, that there are some companies wlliing to make drivers centric cars first - even if those companies may not be known for their cars in any way shape of form, but sometimes arriving purposely late will kill all attention this car would have had and is now seen as something not worth getting, and anyone who says this car has no uses cannot be trusted, so let me set the record straight - the watch is no longer an excuse, get this wonderful car as the BVLGARI VGT is secretly the best car of February 2024 update.
(I'm getting my mileage out of these photos damnit)
For now though, I'm gonna relax a bit and...oh wait I have more VGT's to review, well I need to continue where i left off from before, so the Peugeot VGT Gr3 will hopefully be next! Unless another VGT arrives between now and when I eventually get to the Peugeot.
So...uhh it happened again, a new VGT had unexpectedly shown up to the game when I least expected it to. Sorry Peugeot VGT Gr3, but until then welcome one and all to yet another VGT review and this time it'll be one very new...yet all too samey - this is my review of the
SKODA VGT - is it electrically charged with substance or as it a flash in the Prague pan?
So...how to begin, with this being a new brand to both the VGT project and to GT as a whole, they sure made a big deal about it, even if it's reveal trailer was...about the same as some other recent ones, being a short overview of it then some shots of it driving around, it almost reminds me of an update trailer they do, it's a bit tame...especially in comparison to the reveal event they had, where they had a variety of drivers take it out for a demonstration race around Spa, which had me concerned at first it'll be another situation of a VGT being awful to drive (not pointing any fingers on which one...yet)...but thankfully we did not have to wait long as it arrived in the April update, thankfully without a £4,500 early access paywall this time!
And then if course it has to share side-by-side limelight with the Sony honda afeela, which feels more like a poor attempt at self sabotage, but also served well for the update as a whole, the past (Chevelle), present (afeela) and future (Skoda VGT) - and if that future is EV hypercars with styling inspired by SUVs...then I'm not entirely sure about it...but let me get into detail about what I just said
The Skoda VGT heavily borrows styling design cues from the Vision 7S Concept from two years ago in 2022, even lifting it's matte green body colour in tow. Which is an interesting choice, because I personally feel the styling works better on the VGT, they done a fantastic job translating it over to a more sleeker design, but this car in general is full of contradictions, the other colour option this car has is based off of what they are more well known for - their rallying career, with a colour scheme reminiscent of the 130RS rather than they're racing heritage which is often forgotten, so my guess is they wanted to focus on that over the usual and expected route...but than the contradictions don't stop here.
Because then after the reveal video...they post a 'full story' video and this brings up a whole load of questions, because at about 1:30 minutes into the video they say it's made to 'perform and compete with the best in its class' which is already a very narrow field of EV VGTs...then the biggest contradiction comes next, and its a doozy - at about 3:53 in the video...they call it a 'full electric racing special' and, when we get to its actual specs, it looks like that on first glance with near Gr1 levels of downforce and racing medium tyres as standard, and 1071 combined horsepower from its EV system with motors housed by each wheel individually with insane torque you come to expect from EV too, it's also not too heavy for an EV too at 1300kg, so it ain't too bad here either, so things are looking somewhat promising arent they?
I thought so too until I saw this;
ITS CLASSED AS A FRIGGIN ROAD CAR, so it's no longer competing with the Jag VGT SV, Audi e-tron VGT or Hyundai N2025 VGT... It's competition is the normal Jag VGT's and the Porsche VGT...but this contradicts what was said in the full story video about it being a racing special, and it definitely does not compete against Gr1 cars well unlike the Ferrari VGT (which as a reminder is also classed as a road car) so this car is once again a bizzare mishmash of things that don't always fit too well together...sums up GT7 as a whole really. But I'm not here to sully the VGT thread with my thoughts on GT7 as whole, I'm here to talk about VGT's and that I shall continue with how it drives!
As for how it drives, well this is where things get interesting...first tihng that immediately is apparent is the active aero flaps on the rear - they are ginormus relative to the size of the car, and the central seating position...with a half closed cockpit priving an additional HUD extension to the car and a large central rear camera just like the Genesis VGT.....yet despite this, only the indicator lights and mirror/camera actually work on it, soo uhh whats the deal with that? Oh well, let us continue to the driving dynamics....OH GOD THE ON THROTTLE UNDERSTEER, IT FEELS MORE LIKE A FWD CAR. But if you can be gentle with your application of the throttle it ain't too bad, this car thrives on lifting and coasting, it's brakes aren't the best, but I've also seen far worse. And my god it's acceleration is great. But with a seemingly hard capped top speed of 194mph (312kmh) with a negligible increase on the downhill of SSRX it won't be winning any top speed records anytime soon, it's not perfect by any means but it also isn't too bad either...and had me thinking where have I seen a high downforce EV before that isn't a VGT....
The Skoda VGT is basically a road legal VW ID.R
it trades weight and downforce for slightly better battery life and speed, both technically have active aero too and Skoda is owned by VW afterall, both are EV concepts with similar goals, and both are loosely referencing concepts - VW's ID range of concepts, and Skoda's vision 7S...AND both have very limited uses ingame so they are a match made in heaven!
Yet I don't care, because besides the contradictions it is a nice car to drive, deficiencies be damned, and it's also a car I thoroughly enjoyed pushing in it's time trial where anyone can try it out for free, like the good old days of GT6 VGT reveals...without getting the car as a free prize of course, but this was the first TT I felt like I could actually push for faster times and be confident in my ability to do so, with the Skoda VGT...a feeling ive never had in many other cars before or since.
This car certainly will not be to everyone's tastes, hell is isn't even to my own, but this thing ain't as bad as all it's issues and contradictions set it out to be, so this one is worthy of being a consideration for your VGT collection, in my eyes.
And maybe hopefully I'll get the Peugeot VGT Gr3 review out next time
Sooo...I was going to do the Peugeot VGT Gr3 review this week, but then I remembered it would be a bit pointless to do since there'll be physics changes next update, so I might hold off on that until after the racing genesis review, I'm so sorry this car has taken so long to finally get a review
In the meantime here's a cool scapes pic of the Peugeot I did alongside the VW VGT Gr3 which im desperately hoping improves in the new physics
So uhhh...better late than never I guess...? Damnit even Hollow Knight Silksong (no I'm not getting the game, just thought it was funny to reference) beat me to it in time since i posted a new VGT review...so let me try to make up for that by doing a dual review, Between the Peugeot and Volkswagen VGT Gr3's - the oft overlooked cars of the brands that have alternatives within the same brand itself. And because I don't know what I could say about each one individually that would carry a whole review segment...
First off in the blue corner is the French mid engined super scalpel of speed, the Peugeot VGT Gr3, with it's downtuned half a 908 engine (V6 instead of V12) engine outputting 542 horseys by default, this 3.2L growler is sure to prove it's worth out on the track under the capable hands of a good driver!
Meanwhile in the red hue-d corner is the Bavarian blitzer, the Volkswagen VGT Gr3 with it's perfect 50:50 weight distribution and VR6 powerplant pushing out 551bhp this 3L crop top oozes style and potential!
Similarities within this pair of vehicles include:
Drivetrain conversions from 4WD to MR
Increased weight and overall driving dynamics compared to their non grouped counterparts
An additional more prominent spoiler, presumably for more downforce
However things drastically diverge from there in terms of difficulty of driving and my overall feelings on these cars
First up is the Peugeot - it's V6 doesn't inspire much excitement with it's enginenote, but it's hard not to deny with the results and what it can produce out on track as it is FAST, which is funny because I recall this car being mocked mercilessly for being incredibly slow under BoP conditions in GT7 updates prior which I always felt was unfair. While it is a turbo car you do have the usual torque drop off at the tail end of the RPM but this car just keeps on pushing forward with ease with a ~180mph top speed under BoP, slicing through the air yet maintaining remarkable stability through the corners - this car is very beginner friendly with how unwilling it is to snap out on you and is incredibly cooperative...downsides? No cockpit view meaning it is pointless in PSVR2 unless you want to be rpm blind while guessing your shift points with it's monotone engine sound...it's also the only car in a grouped class with this fatal flaw!...now I see why it could be mocked...
Could be, being the keyword for the previous statement...as this Volkswagen is a prime demonstration that this should be contender for worst in class, not the Peugeot. It is THE POLAR OPPOSITE to the Peugeot in driving dynamics, it's also awfully slow with a ~168mph top end...but it does have a better engine sound and a 7 speed gearbox....with a power curve that could make baby's weep as it peaks so unbelievably early in torque but not power with is delivered with an unfathomable delay cadence...it is also an INCREDIBLY snappy car to drive despite the power issues...if you wanted a car just like Max Verstappen's early F1 2025 car...this may as well be as close as you bloody get, this thing is just so unpredictable..it oh so desperately wants to decapitate it's occupant (it wants to slide out during the slowest corners of high speed ring for goodness sake) - this car is a very vain attempt of a handling style car that wants to kill you, without remorse
In terms of use cases for both these cars, like the Suzuki VGT and Toyota VGT before it these cars are within the Gr3 grup meaning they can be used in those events and racing categories online - but the question is quite simply should you...and all I can say is this - the Peugeot VGT Gr3 is the only VGT Gr3 from GTsport with a new livery, which to me means they see it as a viable alternative to the RCZ Gr3....the Volkswagen and Toyota crucially didn't - so you kind of have two choices - want a car that in VR decapitates your head and leaves you to guess it's RPM with reduced HUD or a car that WILL WILLINGLY decapitate you via it's snappy driving dynamics? Hard to say but I know which one I'd prefer - I'd put up with the Peugeot!
Ooooon the plus side it's not all bad for the Volkswagen! If you do some questionable mechanical surgery you can put it's engine in a much better home, Cars deleted scene style! By transplanting it's engine into a car that doesn't want to kill you... coincidentally in another french car, the only thing this swap can kill is its front tyres after all! And now I'm concerned I've angered every GTi fan imaginable with this...not my fault the VGT Gr3 is an axe murderer, it's a car I want to like and was good in GTsport (ON ONE TRACK - Daytona oval) before being comically nerfed in its setup and potential, I know it should be better than it is currently and what's pains me most about the Volkswagen, the Peugeot was only considered bad I feel because nobody chose to use it in the first place - it actually has a capable speed now and has always been stable and easy to use in GT7 which is a lovely factor to consider if you wish to stick to the more fantastical Gr3 cars over the IRL GT3s.
If I can recommend any of the Gr3 VGTs, first place would easily be the Suzuki if you can handle it's early shifting required, then a tie between the Peugeot and Toyota...the Volkswagen would be dead last through factors mostly beyond its control.
Im not sure how to wrap this up but the recent Spec III announcement and recent VGT additions (especially one of them...hoo boy) this year has revitalised my interest in the game a little more outside of my postings occasionally in the weekly challenge thread...and I have felt I have neglected this corner of my forum activity form too long sooo..yeah, I do wish to do this a little more when I can!
)
