Forza Horizon 3: Hellcat on High Water

The Hellcats from the SRT lineup have total authority over every other sportscar in the world because of its supercharged 6.2L V8 engine producing 707HP of power, making them the most powerful V8-powered production car ever made. They're even more powerful than powerful V12 Italian supercars...well, just about, but you should really trust the SRT folks elsewhere because in the world where power is the deciding factor, the Hellcats will remember to be the king of V8-powered cars, although a select number of cars can outsmart its royal rumble coming out from the Hellcat's exhaust.





Hellcats are pretty much known to be coined as the Republicans' Veyrons because, in real life, there are two specially-made keys offered on these cars; the Challenger Hellcat and the Charger Hellcat. There is a black key that limits the power to 500HP while the red key unleashes all that 707HP power output in its supercharged V8 engine. In the fantasy world of Forza Horizon 3, that holds nonsense because with cars like these, you are free to unleash all that 707 horsepower in either hell or high water, just the way you like.





Debating which Hellcat is the best, some say it's the Challenger Hellcat because nothing beats a two-door muscle car like it but some would go for the Charger Hellcat, even though they're related to each other. One key factor, I discovered, is that even though the four-door Hellcat is heavier than the two-door Hellcat, it's got slightly better weight distribution, meaning the Charger Hellcat can slightly handle better than the Challenger Hellcat. Still, for all that power, both the Charger Hellcat and the Challenger Hellcat can be very harsh to master because of their challenging handling dynamics that require some expert-level skills to survive one corner after another if they want to stay on the lead against the opposition.

Let's find out which Hellcat is the best by pitting them against each other in the streets of Surfers' Paradise and the winner will have its own special treatment I lined up later. As always, the fastest time wins, am I right? Let's roll!



And now, the results...

2015 Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat (707HP/650ft-lb/4,438lb/57%/6,166cc/A766) - 2:25.979
2015 Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat (707HP/650ft-lb/4,575lb/54%/6,166cc/A773) - 2:24.878

The Charger SRT Hellcat, despite being slightly heavier than the Challenger SRT Hellcat, is the fastest by a second. Sure, they have similar terms but looks like the Charger SRT Hellcat is the Hellcat to rule them all and this means, it's time for the special treatment I lined up for the winner.





Surprise! Our little demon friend will be pleased when she sees this design inspired by Love Live Sunshine's Yoshiko Tsushima. Oh wait...it's Yohane. Not Yoshiko. Sorry. But anyway, let's give this specially-pampered Hellcat some celebratory screen presence it deserved. I got the cameras rolling in!







Oh, don't worry about the Challenger Hellcat because even though it lost the race against the Charger Hellcat relative, I have something else in store for it...except the once-feared Hellcat has been demoted to a mere child's toy. Speaking of child's toy, the Challenger Hellcat's been plastered with the image of Yokai Watch's Tomnyan. How embarrassing to see a uber-powerful muscle car being plastered with an image from a children's cartoon. Welcome to your walk of shame.





It's great to have both of the Hellcats being part of this wondrous experience in the Land Down Under. Whether it is the two-door Challenger or the four-door Charger, they all have one thing in common; to unleash all that seven-oh-seven fury against anyone who stands in their way. It may be their way to have them respect their authoritah but to understand the Hellcats even more than the next driver, it's going to be a challenge because even the hastiest of drivers can get thrown by the Hellcat's rage until the chosen few can unleash its force to be reckoned with. Hellcats are not for everyone but do you got what it takes to unleash them? Do you?

Forza Horizon 3: Clash of American Heroes

The heated debate between Vipers and Corvettes remained to be the forefront of American sportscar hierarchy even though the muscle car wars in America remains to be the hot topic here. With high-performance versions of these cars like the Dodge Viper ACR and the Chevrolet Corvette Z06, with its 650HP supercharged V8, tensions between these two remain as heated as America versus the communist countries of China and Russia combined.



The Corvette C7 Z06 remains a very special place in my books because while this is essentially called the Z06, it remains, to date, as the most powerful Corvette ever made. I was not a fan of the normal C7 Corvette Stingray when it shook the world by its storm because of personal issues I can think of but with the Z06, my attitude towards the C7 Corvette has changed and I like this Corvette a lot as much as the previous C6 ZR1. While the Z06 was inspired from the C7.R racing machine, it remains a dynamic handling machine that is not fit for the faint at heart and you have to be careful and where you're turning the wheel at because even a slight mistake can punish you big time. Who knew modern American sportscars can be very dynamic and dangerous at a hands of an amateur?



While the Viper is set to be removed from the lineup after the 2017 model year, the ACR is a heartful reminder that this GTS-R-inspired machine wants to die beautiful with all the best bits from its motorsports experience. It still has a 8.4L V10 engine, which is the biggest engine output for a production vehicle ever made, but it's been rooted to 645HP of power and 600ft-lb of torque. Although not as powerful as the Z06, the ACR weighs 1500kg and it comes with track-honed dynamics to keep it competitive on the road and on the track. While it is slower on the straights compared to a normal Viper, its low center of gravity as well as its massive rear wing keeps it very glued on the bends like an extreme track toy. However, despite its motorsport knowhow, the ACr can be very bravado and it takes guts to master this hardcore Viper at ease. I forgot to mentioned that this car is part of Forza Horizon 3's Alpinestars car pack.



Now with the rivalry between the Corvette C7 Z06 and the Dodge Viper ACR has finally arrived on Forza Horizon 3, I have a better way to see which of these American heroes stand out by giving it a timed lap at one part of Byron Bay. Specifically, the Grand Tour Sprint because it has the words "Grand Tour" on it and it reminds me of...well, you get the idea but let's find out which American hero stands out...



After one go, I have the results. The Corvette C7 Z06 did it in 2:29.850 while the Dodge Viper ACR did it in a shocking 2:23.377. It's a shocking victory that with all that grit unleashed on these American heroes, the Viper ACR stands out against the Corvette Z06 and I have no idea how to sum these cars up.

Since I got no idea how to explain why the Dodge Viper ACR is better than the Corvette Z06, I decided to let these American heroes do their activities on their own and that meant I have to make some adjustments to make sure they're ready for their shooting schedules.







The C7 Corvette Z06 wants to meet up with the other Corvettes but first, it needs to be presentable inside and out, and that meant getting dressed for the occasion. Seen here is a familiar theme I made from the second Horizon game a while back. It's themed after THE IDOLM@STER's Iori Minase but it has been improved to Platinum Stars standards.









The Viper ACR doesn't want to be flashy while it tries to meet up 25 years of Vipers but a slight color change would do the trick. Seen here is the similar ACR that the infamous Chris Evans drove in his first and only season as a Top Gear presenter. Believe it or not, the Viper ACR edges off against the Corvette C7 Z06 with Sabine Schmitz behind the wheel and left the fighter pilot sitting next to her throwing up.



It's a great thing to have this rivalry became part of the American car culture, especially in the Land Down Under on Forza Horizon 3 and while the whole world's waving goodbye on these, seems that the age-old rivalry between the Viper and the Corvette will be consigned to the history books. With the Viper is set to be removed from the lineup and the next Corvette will be different, these cars will be surely a blast to drive 'till the bitter end.

New Chrysler Pacifica

Chrysler has been one of the forefathers of the minivan category since the 20th century and with today's economic climate, as well as the rise of the crossovers, it seems that Chrysler is the only American car company in history to offer a minivan in the USA and now, they're redefining the nearly-extinct category with their brand new Pacifica.

2017 Chrysler Pacifica

The Pacifica name is nothing new to Chrysler. Back in the mid-2000's, the Pacifica name was once used for their lackluster crossover. Now, Chrysler brought back the Pacifica name in an all-new minivan served as a replacement to the Town and Country. Seems that Chrysler really knows how they brought the Pacifica name back very well, knowing that minivans will soon uprise against the pointless crossovers.

Speaking of which, the new Pacifica is nothing more of a punishment for men who ended up marrying a woman, having kids, and stuck at the suburbs for the rest of their lives. Of course, since this is a minivan fit for all the nevers in life, life of being a workaholic dad is a bit of a harsh reality because being a dad means the cars you will be driving are nothing more than multipurposes. Sucks being a married man having kids and living in a suburbs, eh? Anyway, what's what about the Pacifica?

2017 Chrysler Pacifica interior

2017 Chrysler Pacifica interior

Even though the design is a major improvement from the lackluster but legendary Town & Country, the new Pacifica feels like if the Chrysler 200 has been enlarged, perhaps it's gone obese by fate. Inside, thanks to its all-new platform, getting in and out from the Pacifica gets even more generous than most minivans with difficult ways to get through the third-row seats. As a matter of fact, the third-row seating is much more rewarding than most minivans as long as someone ask you to seat in the back and hopefully you don't get stuck in the middle.

By surprise, the Pacifica has concessions of comfort and convenience that will keep you entertained during a long road trip. It even comes with a rear-seat entertainment system with built-in games, apps, USB video & HDMI inputs, and DVD/Blu-Ray player. As for sound, the Pacifica is available with a 20-speaker Harman Kardon Premium Sound System to deliver the best sound quality as you expect from a first-class flight. With so much stuff like these, the Pacifica makes passengers feel like they're on a first class flight. If you didn't consider this to be a family car, the Pacifica makes a perfect chauffeur-driven vehicle similar to Toyota's Alphard, Nissan's Elgrand, and Honda's Odyssey.

One feature that will surprise owners is the new Pacifica stole a certain idea from Ford and that is the one where the rear door can be opened hands-free with the lift of your foot, which is great if your hands are full. However, that hands-free opening isn't limited to the rear door because even sliding doors can join the ease of access bandwagon as well.

Because the Pacifica vows to be the most technologically-advanced minivan in the market, it's been festooned with numerous features available such as the 360-degree surround view camera, forward collision warning, adaptive cruise control, lane departure warning, blind spot monitoring, and so much more. That's a lot of thought goes into that.

2017 Chrysler Pacifica

What about driving? Well, at launch, the Pacifica comes exclusively with a 3.6L Pentastar V6 engine which produces 287 horsepower and 262 lb-ft of torque, while mated with the 948TE nine-speed automatic transmission, and it has an EPA-estimated fuel consumption of 28 MPG highway. Of course, that doesn't stop here because later on, there will be a PHEV variant called the Pacifica Hybrid, which promises up to 80 MPGe of fuel economy. Anyway, as for the dynamics, the new Pacifica feels as nice and cozy to drive as a family car and despite being a minivan, it handles and feels like a midsize saloon. Not too shabby huh, but don't think this is an enjoyable car to drive because being a family mover, the Pacifica is not made to thrash around for fun. This is as serious as a salaryman at work, even with the most clever suspension setup ever made for an American minivan.

Should you buy one? The Chrysler Pacifica starts at $28,595 and if I can think of a proper rival for this car, it would be a Kia Carnival, which starts at $26,400, so it's almost two thousand two hundred dollars more expensive to own but don't mind the pricing because the Pacifica is the first and the last of the American-made minivans to own and don't expect seeing one landing in other countries soon because unlike the old Town and Country, the new Pacifica will be exclusive to North America. So, if you ended up being married, had kids, and stuck in the suburbs, perhaps you may consider this minivan your eternal punishment...minus the eternal part.

Available colors: Velvet Red Pearl Coat, Granite Crystal Metallic Clear Coat, Brilliant Black Crystal Pearl Coat, Bright White Clear Coat, Molten Silver, Jazz Blue Pearl, Billet Silver Metallic Pearl Clear Coat, Tusk White Pearl Coat, and Dark Cordovan.

Photo: Chrysler Group, LLC

Forza Motorsport 6: Night Prowls

One of the cars featured on Forza Motorsport 6's eBay Motors Car Pack is what I believed to be a 21st century take on those classic open-top hotrods. It's called the Prowler, and despite its flaws, it remains a future classic that is very rare to see on today's roads.



Heavily inspired from the hotrods of the pre-war era, the Prowler is a unique roadster featuring a signature chassis, which is different from existing production components, featuring an aluminum space frame.

Powering it is a 3.5L V6 engine which develops 214HP but in 1999, it was replaced with a more powerful version which develops 257PS of power while being mated with a 4-speed automatic.

There is a trivia that since its launch, a Prowler was sealed in a mausoleum as a time capsule somewhere in Oklahoma and experts are looking forward what would a Prowler look like when it was sealed when the time capsule is opened in the not too distant future, when it will be returned to Chrysler.

Although intended to be Plymouth's flagship sports car, the Plymouth brand was discontinued from 2001 and it was sold as a Chrysler Prowler thereafter until the Prowler's production discontinued a year after, with a final limited edition model of 300 cars painted in special Candy Deep Red body color. A total of 11,479 units have been produced from 1997 to 2002.



Although the 4-speed automatic gearbox sounds like it's one of the key faults why the Prowler failed to keep up against most sportscars, it's still a quick car to drive. It's so quick, you might never noticed that there's someone got his clothes stuck at one of its doors and pops up unexpectedly. Quite a surprise, eh?

Imagine if that's you driving in one of these, some guy thinks that your Prowler looks cool and then you explain all about your ride, including the fact that its V6 engine is fuel-injected, and you get off after saying bye to that fellow.

Anyway, enough chitchat for that, because even though its performance is somewhat lacking, the Prowler is one of the good definition of a grand tourer like in the case of the BMW Z8 I drove in-game.

You may find that its abilities hadn't been used properly at first but you'll be able to unlock its hidden potential beneath its bespoke chassis as I shall now demonstrate by driving round Daytona's road course...at night because it's like referring to the AC/DC song Night Prowler. Shazbot, Nanu Nanu...



Can't believe this is the first time making an impression with this future classic in the nighttime but I'm very glad that this Prowler really is a great car to enjoy it the more you use it to find its hidden potential beneath its hotrod looks.

Fiat 500X vs. Jeep Renegade

Through the years, the Fiat 500 has been one of the city cars that became an unforgettable car icon since the VW Beetle and the Mini, and its evolution is what keeps the 500 an Italian car with such quirky history. Sure, every purist knows that all good 500's has to be three-door but with the introduction of the 500L MPV, they believe that is witchcraft and it's a sacrilege for the 500's identity and if that wasn't enough, here comes another 5-door 500, only this time, as a crossover.

2015 Fiat 500X

Meet the brand-new Fiat 500X. On paper, it looks like a Fiat 500 that's taking the blue pill and made it larger than the pensioner's erection, but even though this is a biggie compared to its high-value target, the Mini Countryman, the 500X is just one of the fine examples of why active lifestyle vehicles, no matter how big or small they are, are the IT thing of the century.

With prices start at 17,500 Euros, there are two styles to choose from such as the City Look, which offers a choice of either a 1.4L turbo petrol engine or a 1.6L turbodiesel engine, or this; the Off-Road Look, which comes with the same choice of engines as the City Look, only this time with the added 2.0L diesel engine exclusive to this trim. While most models come with a manual gearbox, some models do come with a 9-speed automatic gearbox, a first for Fiat, which is somewhat too much for a small crossover like this. That's like stuffing a sandwich it some unpeeled apples and that's a lot of cogs to handle for a small car.

What about driving? On the city streets, the 500X still feels like a city car despite its sizing, and it feels not half bad on the open roads. It may not be a sporty car to drive but it's still essentially fantastic for an active lifestyle hatchback. Its 4WD system is as odd as a fictional novel you bought at a local petrol station because it feels like a front wheel drive but in dire emergencies, half of the power goes to the back. Hmmm...

2015 Fiat 500X interior

Although it's a small crossover, the 500X still has some ample room fit enough for your garage sale shopping from one suburban to another, which is good for active lifestyle enthusiasts who want to spend the rest of their day off go out and do stuff rather than watching TV. It accommodates up to five people, which makes the 500X as convenient as the 500L MPV.

The Fiat 500X may be a decent active lifestyle vehicle but it doesn't feel like an active lifestyle vehicle even if it has 4WD. There's another issue with the 500X because thanks to this crossover, it spawned itself its American cousin...

2015 Jeep Renegade

2015 Jeep Renegade interior

Welcome everyone to the all new Jeep Renegade. Like the Fiat 500X, it's a compact crossover that can seat up to five people, comes with an optional 4WD and the standard 1.4L petrol engine but the one thing that differs it from the 500X is the Renegade comes with the optional 2.4L MultiAir Engine, as seen from the Dodge Dart and the latest Chrysler 200, and then there's the offroad-worthy Trailhawk model, for $24,995, which has the best 4x4 capability in its class.

As a result, this particular Renegade could be the ideal active lifestyle vehicle for the job; made to picking up friends and family, doing things straight from the bucket list, and overall, this crossover can go places where no other compact crossovers can't. As for the interior, it looks as rugged as a female soldier who forgot to put on her jacket. Now that's an adventure!

But there are some flaws for the Renegade and one of them is the styling because here's the scenario; if you park this one next to the smaller Suzuki Hustler, you can see that they're both similar from the front and back and if you have problems with your eyes or when you're recovering from an eye surgery, chances are you might mistake them both. There's also another flaw and with prices start at $17,995, it's a sheer sign that you can't afford Jeep's greatest hits such as the luxurious Grand Cherokee, the offroad-favorite Wrangler, and the horrifyingly ugly Cherokee which has the face of a certain video game baddie that eats the little good guys. Lastly, there's this; the Renegade is made in Italy, just like the Fiat 500X, so when you're having your little 4th of July BBQ party, your neighbors might see your Renegade, saying that's not an American car, it's Italian, and yes, that's true...sorta.

The Fiat 500X and the Jeep Renegade are relatives but even though they come from the same womb, they still behave differently because while the 500X is designed to be more of a city car rather than being an outdoorsy type of car, the Renegade is a crossover built for their everyday adventures. It's going to be quite a long-term job to decide which one but a little heads or tails might decide the outcome.

Gran Turismo 6: Goodwood 2015 and SRT Tomahawk

Coinciding with this year's event, the Goodwood Hill Climb on Gran Turismo 6 has been updated for 2015 and to match this year's event, a sculpture featuring the Mazda 787B and the LM55 Vision Gran Turismo has been featured. With this year's Goodwood FoS kicked off for the weekend, looks like this will be the ideal place to showcase some of the cars appeared from numerous updates but first, let's bring our very own VIP guests...



Well, this is one of them. This is the latest addition to the Vision Gran Turismo lineup; the SRT Tomahawk.

The Tomahawk Vision Gran Turismo is the two-decade vision of Chrysler's Street and Racing Technology division to deliver performance unlike any other. It's a single-seat MR-AWD (midship-engined all-wheel drive) created on a purpose-built composite chassis and designed around an aggressive powertrain. It's a hybrid racing machine armed with a 6.98L V10 engine and two Pneumatic Power Units; one is a Variable-Fin Quad-Stage in the front and a similar one connected to the V10 engine. This is the most powerful of the Vision GT cars because of its over-thousand HP of power output and that's not the end of the story because the Tomahawk comes with three versions;



This is the S model which is the entry-level version and considered as a beginner-level machine suitable for those who want to get to know more about the SRT Tomahawk in the first place before getting ready for more advanced versions like the GTS-R and the X versions. Despite being an entry-level model, it still has insane power-to-weight ratio capable enough to outpace even the feistiest of the racing machines.



Next is the GTS-R model, which is a track-focused version of the Tomahawk with increased power output, reduced weight, and increased handling grip. Because of such improvements, the driver needs to wear a special G-suit, provided as a gift after the update, to counteract the physiological effects of extreme lateral g-forces. The GTS-R's aerodynamics are enhanced with a dual-element version of the active rear wing and to avoid any high pressure buildup in the wheel wells, each of the four fenders in the car is vented.



Lastly and notably the most extreme of all the Vision GT cars, is the Tomahawk X. With over 2,000HP of power output and the cornering force of a fighter jet, this is the ultimate vehicle for the chosen elite because its performance completely shattered the laws of physics as well as the human reflexes.

The biggest party piece of the X is the low-drag mode and when you hold down the R1 button, all of the X's panels are retracted and seal against the body. This is handy when you're going on the straights and catch them by surprise.

With the three Tomahawks introduced, I sent them to the Goodwood FoS to see which one is the quickest but a word of warning for these three is because of such inhuman performance, drivers need some precise skills and talents to master the Tomahawk trio. Whichever Tomahawk you're driving, you need to be very careful about handling with Vision GT's most powerful machines because there might be some run-offs and run-offs can be very messy and painful if you're not careful. Anyway, not time for advice-giving because I managed to set these three some lap times round the Goodwood FoS and here are the results;

Tomahawk S - 0:44.304
Tomahawk GTS-R - 0:36.074
Tomahawk X - 0:32.117

Based on these results, it's no wonder why these three are like stages of manhood. You started off as a boy, then you work your way up to become a real man. Useful bit of science there but this is no Problem Solving here, this is the appliance of science with the SRT Tomahawk. You start mastering the essentials with the S and work your way up to master the extremely difficult but highly amusing X.

Anyway, with the Tomahawk trio done their thing, it's time for the other cars to let loose and enjoy Goodwood like they never done before!



At the end of the day, here are the lap times they've posted at my very own GT6 Goodwood Festival of Speed;

TS030 - 0:45.140
Concept 2020 - 0:48.300
DP-100 - 0:46.029
GT-R Nismo - 0:51.074
FT-1 VGT - 0:46.065
M4 M Performance - 0:54.625
VIZIV GT - 0:49.924
Chaparral 2X - 0:38.354
Infiniti Concept - 0:50.781
LM55 - 0:40.356
Clubman VGT - 0:49.157
LF-LC GT - 0:45.510
Alpine VGT - 0:47.464
Alpine VGT Race - 0:46.954
GTI Supersport - 0:45.604
Z11SN - 0:47.313
Peugeot VGT - 0:43.112
GT-R LM NISMO - 0:45.148

You know what, these lap times didn't matter here. What matters most in Goodwood is the pride of the cars themselves and it's a great way to represent a carmaker to a much greater audience for the greater good. That's why the Festival of Speed is made; not just for setting lap times but also impressing the crowd with its own visuals, vocals, and dances.