Hi everyone! I know it's been a little while since I've posted something here. Truth is, I wanted to take a little break from Assetto Corsa and modding. After months of collecting, installing, testing and reviewing mods, I think I could be forgiven for wanting to pursue other (non-sim-racing) projects for a little while. So what has convinced me to return to Assetto Corsa and start writing blog posts again?
It's a van.
Specifically, it's the Toyota Alphard. Now, those of us in Britain might not be familiar with the Alphard. It's a van produced by Toyota for Japan, some Asian countries and Russia. It's a front-wheel drive, with either a 2.5 litre four-cylinder engine, a 3.5 litre V6 or a 2.5 litre hybrid model. Inside, you'll find space for seven or eight people, and a very spacious and well-appointed interior. And that's the thing about the Alphard; this isn't a budget family-hauler like European MPVs. This is intended as high-end executive transport, for markets that haven't fallen head-over-heels for SUVs. Toyota also produces a restyled version of the Alphard, the Vellfire, to appeal to a different crowd.
As for performance, the Alphard isn't really what you'd call a performance car. The 3.5 litre engine in this particular version produces nearly 300 horsepower, and the eight-speed automatic gearbox provides slick shifts, but the long gearing stifles acceleration, and a front-wheel drive van isn't really going to have the sharp handling of a Honda Type R (especially not when it's roughly the size of a short-wheelbase Transit Custom). It's not particularly light either; the lightest Alphard weighs in at over 1,900 kilograms, and I'm guessing the top-of-the-line Executive Lounge trim with the V6 is going to be a bit heavier than that. So the Alphard is by no means a race car.
All the more reason why I wanted to race it.
A grid of ten Alphards on the small Tsukuba circuit may seem like a recipe for disaster, but it actually made for some good racing. At 1.85 metres wide, they're a bit too big to go three-wide around here, but I had a lot of fun trying to wrestle the big van around and pass the other racers. I've often found that the slower and more unlikely the race cars, the closer and more exciting the racing, and this is a prime example of that. A ten lap race didn't feel boring, and I reckon there's quite a few racing series that could be improved by sticking the top drivers in large, unwieldy vans for a not-so-serious race every once in a while.
So, would I recommend this Alphard for Assetto Corsa? No, I wouldn't. Don't get me wrong, I had fun racing this vehicle, but I cannot ignore the fact that the interior is quite rough and needs a bit of work. OK, it needs a LOT of work. Still, I love the fact that this van is now in Assetto Corsa. There's a lot of supercars, racing cars and classic cars available, but sometimes, you want to let loose with an everyday car. I have no idea what compelled someone to take a large luxury van and stick it in Assetto Corsa, but I'm glad they did and I salute them. If they put some effort into fixing the interior and the cockpit driver (you can probably tell that the driver sits VERY low in these photos), then this could be a great mod.
If you're a similar kind of madman to myself, and are willing to put up with the low-quality interior, then you can download the Alphard from here. That download also includes a modified VIP-style version with massive wheels and slammed suspension.
The Tsukuba I used in this race is a conversion from Gran Turismo Sport, and can be downloaded here.
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