My FH5 Log: Junkyard Dogs

The Forza Horizon 5 American Automotive series update is littered with old-school American cars out from the junkyard and into the Horizon Mexico playground, a swarm of flies attracting a cesspool of vintage American cars.

As the American Automotive series update is wrapping up, let's check out the cesspool of old-school American cars that littered through the Horizon Mexico playpen.

The Wet Season playlist brought us the fifth-generation Plymouth Belvedere, the only model to come with the 426 Chrysler Hemi Engine and the one that scored Plymouth's podium sweep at the 1964 NASCAR race in Daytona, with one of them driven by the legendary Richard Petty.

The Storm Season playlist brought us the first-generation Pontiac Firebird, the first chapter of Pontiac's equivalent of the Chevrolet Camaro, as well as the second-generation Chevrolet Nova, in Super Sport trim with the Turbo-Fire 327 cu in V8 engine producing a power output of 350hp while mated exclusively with a 4-speed MT.

The Dry Season playlist brought us the Pontiac GTO "The Judge". Known for its funky logo and stripe decals, The Judge is powered by a 6.6L V8 Ram Air 3 engine that produces over 361HP of power output while mated to a Hurst shifter, heavy-duty suspension, wide tires, and a rear spoiler. It is the ultimate sports spec car made before the GTO was laid to rest.

Lastly, the Hot Season playlist brought us the fourth-generation Lincoln Continental luxury sedan, the first in the Continental lineage to feature suicide doors.

I've sent these junkyard dogs on a short trip through four new sprint races introduced in the American Automotive series update; the Línea Costera Sprint, the Aeródromo Sprint, the Marigold Sprint, and the Vista Del Mar Sprint. These four new sprint races will serve as the litmus test for these American vintage cars to flex their muscles as they scat through the competition in style. Want to see these dogs in action? Let's roll the tapes...

What do you think? Do these scavengers make you fall in love with old cars? I bet you are because your gut tells you to have fun with these junkyard dogs fresh from being junkyard scrap and into the Horizon Mexico sandbox but wait, there's more.

As it turns out, the vintage prize cars from the American Automotive update weren't the only stray dogs littering around the Mexican landscape. In fact, there's one junkyard dog to end them all...

What you're looking up here is the DeBerti Shop Rod, which is included in the game's American Automotive DLC Pack. Based on the 1961 Ford Econoline, it's been stripped off, lowered, made it right-hand-drive, and jammed with a Coyote engine paired to a Reid racing 4L80-E transmission with an ATD reverse manual valve body, producing 850hp of power output.

I got to sample it on an oval track to see if the Shop Rod from DeBerti is the hot rod in a van body. Let's roll the tape.

It's a hot rod, alright. A hot rod in a van's body.

This latest cesspool of old-school American cars proves that a game like Forza never stops jamming old cars to younger players who never heard of them. There are Gen Z players out there and showing them old cars is like slapping dog poo on their faces. In the end, this is how they roll.

When sleeping dogs lie, they'll come back to cause havoc another day and these junkyard dogs proved their point. We can expect more junkyard dogs littering around Horizon Mexico even before 2023 ends and 2024 begins and what a living nightmare our Gen Z players will experience.

The fun's just getting started...

My FH5 Log: Ross Noble

The Rossion Q1 and the Noble M400 are basically two sides of the same coin but when you drive these two noble works, the differences proved their worth.

Having obtained the Rossion Q1 from Forza Horizon 5's American Automotive series update's Hot Season playlist, it's now time to explain what's all about the Q1's connection with the M400.

Beginning with the M400, one of the DLC cars in the game, it picks up where its M12 predecessor left off. While most components are derived from the M12, the M400's 3.0L V6 twin-turbo engine produces 21% more than the M12, delivering 425hp of power and 390ft-lb of torque. With its lightweight bodywork, it has a power-to-weight ratio of 400hp.

Now, let's talk about the Rossion Q1, which I recently won at the American Automotive update Hot Season Playlist. The Q1 is basically a re-skinned version of the Noble M400 but with a few alterations occurring inside and out. Using a South African-made Noble chassis before assembly in Florida, the Q1 features a new fiberglass body, a concealed roll cage where the M400 was previously exposed, new suspension, and a turbocharged V6 3.0L engine sourced from Ford, producing 450hp of power and capable of going 0-60mph in almost three and a half seconds.

Having familiarized with the two visually similar noble works, it's time to find out which side of the same coin is superior. Could it be the M400 or its Q1 carbon copy? Let's roll the tape and find out.

And now the results...

Q1 - 2m24.461s

M400 - 2m22.943s

Wow, the gap between the two nobles is around two seconds, a noble feat for the two nobles but as stated, the superior one is the Noble M400. Nothing beats the original.

Yes, the Americanized Noble, the Rossion Q1, is inferior compared to the "original" Noble M400 but they've showcased the noble works they've done on the road and on the track, even in Horizon Mexico. They may be two sides of the same coin but they've proved their worth as noblesses.

Noble Works!

My FH5 Log: Lucid Rhythms

Forza Horizon 5 introduced us to some of the coolest electric cars in its roster and for the American Automotive series update, a new addition to its electrified fleet has arrived.

I wonder what electric car is this? I know this is American made but what's the make and model?

Lucid? Never heard of it.

This is the Lucid Air, the fully-electric luxury sedan that served as the maiden voyage of the California-based Lucid Motors. I got this car from the update's Wet Season playlist and I now have the chance to have a word with a superior long-range electric sedan that raked numerous awards and accolades, including MotorTrend's 2022 Car of the Year.

From concept to reality, Lucid Motors' maiden offering, the Air, is a fully electric luxury sedan that features a clean minimalist design, spacious interior, cutting-edge technology, and electrified performance that exceeds expectations. 

At launch, the Lucid Air is offered in base, Touring, Grand Touring, and the limited-run Dream Edition with its electric powertrain bolted to a 900-volt battery pack that produces a massive 1111hp of power for the Performance version while the Range version of the Dream Edition has a driving range of 520 miles in one full charge.

Following the success of the Lucid Air, the flagship Sapphire version was unveiled, featuring a Lucid-first three-motor electric powertrain capable of producing over 1200hp of power, making it the most powerful production four-door sedan in the world. It will sprint from 0-60mph in less than two seconds and has a top speed of over 200mph. It even comes with stiffer front and rear springs, unique damper settings, stiffer bushings, and a unique tuning for ABS, traction, stability control, electronic power steering, carbon ceramic brakes, Michelin PS4S tires developed for this car, and torque vectoring, among others.

The Lucid Air, depending on variants, comes with DreamDrive driver assistance systems with Level 2 and Level 3 semi-autonomous driving capabilities, using 32 sensors that include the world’s first HD lidar sensor on an electric vehicle.

I love how Lucid Motors gave the idea of their own performance brand by turning left just like most American liberals do because blue is the American leftists' image color and for the sake of well-being, the Sapphire transforms the Lucid Air into an impotent superhero that prefers peace through fighting than fighting through peace. Although it has spartan driving manners because of the bulk of its electric propulsion system, it feels just right to drive on the road and the performance really translates to supercar-beating performance. It's as silent as a Silent Suzuka and it gets you in its Silent Scope, the Lucid Air Sapphire will leave you out of the blue.

Having got my lucid rhythms on, it's time to send the Lucid Air Sapphire on a shipyard scenario as curated by a certain Games Master. I will tell you the map code after this but in the meantime, let's roll the tape.

Well, I got choked in the ending but I truly enjoyed how much of an electric performance sedan the Lucid Air Sapphire is. A bottle of Bombay, anyone?

As promised, I'll give you the map code to the shipyard I've played. Its code is...163 247 666. Go search it on the FH5 EventLab library.

Silence is in the air. The Lucid Air Sapphire is what happens when you turn an award-winning electric luxury sedan into a potent high-performance super saloon capable of doing things no electric saloon has done before. Its lucid rhythms made me out of the blue and I'm starting to fall in love with its...resolute atmosphere.

Call it lucid but it feels fluidic.

My FM Log: Global Guts

The Chevrolet Corvette, the Porsche 911, and the Nissan GT-R are the most dominant names in the world of sports cars because of their heritage, performance, and racing pedigree that made them the global superpowers feared and respected the world over.

Here in Forza Motorsport, let's get to know the three kings of the sports car realm starting with America's finest, the Corvette C8 Z06.

By using most of its know-how from the C8.R racing machine, the Corvette C8 Z06 is a track weapon capable of slithering through the road and track with its race-inspired dynamics, available Brembo carbon ceramic brakes, and the Z07 Performance Package.

Powering the C8 Z06 is a smaller but more powerful 5.5L V8 naturally aspirated engine that produces 670HP of power and while mated to a standard 8-speed AT, it does 0-60mph in 2.6 seconds.

With its naturally aspirated V8 engine, C8.R-inspired dynamics, and sleek aerodynamics, the C8 Z06 has evolved from a typical Corvette into a proper purist's sports car.

Now, let's get to know the Nissan GT-R NISMO, the ultimate version of the soon-to-be-legendary Japanese sports car that was known to be the best Heisei-era JDM sports car. 

The result of Nissan's trial and error struggle to create a supercar that can compete against the world's best supercars, the GT-R NISMO, first launched in 2014, features track-honed aerodynamics akin to its GT3 racer and an improved 3.8L V6 Twin Turbo engine producing 600PS of power output, capable of lapping the Nurburgring Nordschleife in 7:08.679. 

This is the 2020 Model Year GT-R and for this update, the GT-R NISMO features front fenders from the GT3 racecar, a new carbon-fiber roof, and improved dynamics. 

It is said that the improved GT-R NISMO lapped Tsukuba in less than a minute.

Lastly, the Porsche 911 GT3 (992), which is the better version of the 992-spec Porsche 911.

The 992 911 GT3 is a real, no-nonsense sports car with real, no-nonsense performance drivers who can get hooked for more. Race-inspired aerodynamics aside, the 911 GT3 is powered by a 4.0L flat-6 engine that produces 510PS of power and 470Nm of torque while mated to either a 6-speed manual or a 7-speed PDK, which lets the GT3 accelerate from 0-100kph in 3.4 seconds, which is slightly quicker than the previous model. 

It's got a double-wishbone front axle for the first time in a 911, a five-link rear axle, larger brakes, and extensive use of lightweight materials, among many others.

With such improvements, the new model lapped the Nurburgring Nordschleife in 6:59.927 minutes, which is an improvement from the previous GT3.

Now that we get to know about the three sports car kings, it's time to take them to the ideal playground to flex their muscles; the Yas Marina Circuit. It's been recently added to Forza Motorsport and I got the chance to bring them there, which is good timing for me because this weekend, the F1 23 season finale will be held there.

Yas Marina's changed since I let their predecessors loose in FM7 a couple of years ago. Although some of the familiar bits got changed, it's still the Yas Marina the world knows and enjoys. It's still the ideal playground for speedo boys to let their sports cars rip through the most technical corners in style.

Anyway, with the C8 Z06, GT-R NISMO, and the 992 911 GT3 gathered at what's known to be the final venue of the F1 season, it's time to settle which side of the globe is the best.

America, Europe, and Asia. Which one is the best? Let's find out with a one-lap time attack around the recently-added Yas Marina track in Forza Motorsport. Let battle commence.

And now the results...

C8 Corvette Z06 - 2m14.234s

GT-R (R35) NISMO - 2m19.394s

911 (992) GT3 - 2m20.282s

It looks like the Americans were the superior ones this time as the C8 Z06 trumps the GT-R NISMO and the 911 GT3 by a long shot in the revised Yas Marina track.

I guess the engineers behind the C8 Corvette were wise about transitioning to a mid-engine layout at the beginning and with the Z06, it's capable of tackling down the world's best, even though this isn't really its final form, if you catch my drift.

This Vette's got guts and it managed to show the world it's capable of taking all comers in the same way its C8.R equivalent crushed the final LMGTE AM Class title in style. GT3, here we go.

Welcome to the new world order.

Buick Encore GX (2024MY minor change) and Envista

The facelifted Buick Encore GX and the first-ever Buick Envista signaled the new era of Buick because these two crossovers are the first to don the new Buick look and logo. Let's take a look.

2024 Buick Encore GX

Beginning with the Buick Encore GX, this big minor change is the first to wear the new Buick look inspired by the Wildcat Concept. Although seeing the new Buick logo is the scariest thing to do, this new Buick look really means business for this $25,600 crossover.

2024 Buick Encore GX

2024 Buick Encore GX interior

In addition to the heavily revamped styling and the slightly revised rear design, the facelifted Encore GX features a premium Avenir variant with glossier details to ensure this is the top-of-the-line model. The interior layout has been heavily revamped for this minor change and the Avenir model, comes with a BOSE premium 7-speaker audio system including an amplifier, panoramic moonroof, and an Avenir engraving on the front seats, among others. Despite numerous revisions, it can still accommodate up to 50.2 cu. ft. of max cargo capacity, making it capable of almost everything.

The Buick Encore GX still comes with a choice of ECOTEC 1.2L turbo mated to a CVT capable of 30 city / 31 hwy fuel economy and the ECOTEC 1.3L turbo engine mated to a 9-speed AT with 155hp of power and 174lb-ft of torque. Yes, there's 4WD offered but no off-road tuned suspension in sight, meaning the Encore GX is best to be driven on the road rather than off the road because there are no special bits that make it well-behaved on dirt.

The Encore GX comes with Buick Driver Confidence as well as available safety & driver-assistance technologies but the Avenir variant comes with its signature Technology Package which comes with Adaptive Cruise Control, Rear Camera Mirror† with rear camera washer, and HD Surround Vision.

2024 Buick Envista

Now, let's get to know the first-ever Buick Envista, a coupe-crossover that is yours to drive for $22,400 plus additional costs, which is cheaper to own than the Encore GX.

2024 Buick Envista

2024 Buick Envista interior

Think of the first-ever Buick Envista as the fancy version of the Chevrolet Trax Crossover because even with the Wildcat-inspired looks, the similarities are all over the Envista apart from the fact that the Envista is cheaper to own than the Encore GX. 

Still, with its coupe-crossover styling, the available Avenir variant with glossier details, Ultrawide 11" Diagonal Infotainment Screen, wireless smartphone connectivity, seating for five, and 42.0 cu. ft. of max cargo capacity, it's no surprise despite being less spacious than its Chevrolet Trax Crossover equivalent, it still works and feels just like it.

Just like its Chevrolet Trax Crossover equivalent, the Buick Envista is front-wheel-drive only and it is powered only by an ECOTEC 1.2L turbo engine that produces 137HP of power and 162lb-ft of torque. Mated to a 6-speed AT, it has an estimated combined fuel economy of 28MPG city/ 32MPG hwy.

In terms of safety, the Envista comes with Automatic Emergency Braking, Forward Collision Alert, IntelliBeam Auto High Beams, Following Distance Indicator, Front Pedestrian Braking, and Lane Keep Assist with Lane Departure Warning as standard. Available extras such as Lane Change Alert with Side Blind Zone Alert, Rear Cross Traffic Alert,† Rear Park Assist, Rainsense front wipers, and Adaptive Cruise Control, as well as an automatic-dimming outside driver mirror for the Avenir variant.

These two new crossovers signaled the new era of Buick because they were the first to don the new Buick look and logo. Although the new Buick logo is scary to look at, the Wildcat-styled nose and improved features really made a statement about the two. The question is, which of the new-era Buicks will you drive?

Photo: General Motors

My FH5 Log: The Commander

By the moment the Chevrolet Corvette C8 stepped into the world of Forza, fans got the taste of what's known as The General's first mid-engined sports car that rewrites the rules of what a Corvette can do on the road and on the track.

Sure, being a mid-engined Corvette is treason to its heritage but hey, it never hurts driving the C8 Corvette, even in Horizon Mexico.

I've already tried both the Stingray and the E-Ray, the one from the start and the other as a reward for those who purchased the new Forza Motorsport video game for the Xbox Series X and S consoles and Windows PCs. With Forza Horizon 5's American Automotive kicked in, here comes the C8 Corvette that slots between them.

This is the Corvette C8 Z06 that I just won from the American Automotive Wet Season Playlist for 20 points and this Corvette is as Republican as, let's say, Republican Space Rangers!

Anyway, what's it all about the C8 Corvette Z06? By using most of its know-how from the C8.R racing machine, the Corvette C8 Z06 is a track weapon capable of slithering through the road and track with its race-inspired dynamics, available Brembo carbon ceramic brakes, and the Z07 Performance Package.

Powering the C8 Z06 is a smaller but more powerful 5.5L V8 naturally aspirated engine that produces 670HP of power and while mated to a standard 8-speed AT, it does 0-60mph in 2.6 seconds.

To see if the C8 Z06 has the stance of a Republican Space Ranger, I took it on an EventLab creation penned by Subie156. It's called Midtown City Circuit, and we've been joined by some other goodfellas who can't wait to take a crack on this right-wing supercar made in the USA. Let's roll the tape.

For an American-made supercar with an old-school V8 engine that is small but powerful not just the normal C8 Corvette but also its predecessors, the C8 Corvette Z06 showcased its right-wing dynamism in the face of adversity. Hey, how about those Republicans?

The C8 Corvette Z06 truly is America's answer to the Porsche 911 GT3 because of its naturally aspirated V8 engine, C8.R-inspired dynamics, and sleek aerodynamics. It's a real purist's car worthy enough to wave the American flag in the face of the planet. With all three variants of the C8 Corvette present in FH5, the question now is, which one is the best? Find out soon but in the meantime...

Guess these guys are off to watch a football game today. This reminds me, I need to be off too because I'm preparing something special soon. Watch this space.