Confessions of an Automationeer, Part 176: Arch Rivals

Confessions of an Automationeer, Part 176: Arch Rivals

My recent deep dive into a pair of small but powerful (and track-focused) mid-engined junior supercars from the mid-'00s had me thinking about applying a similar idea, but with a pair of front-engined road-biased sports cars from the same year as the subject of the comparison. This time, the two entrants will be the AAA Crossbow (blue) and HPG H350 (green). Both of them are built on all-aluminum platforms (body and chassis), and they also have big naturally aspirated engines up front, driving the rear wheels via the classic combination of a six-speed manual gearbox and a helical LSD, while 4-wheel independent suspension (dual wishbones up front and a multilink setup in the rear) help keep the wide high-performance tires (245/40R19 front and 265/35 R19 rear for both cars) planted at all times, especially when combined with 4-wheel vented disc brakes. And given that these cars are meant to be driven daily more of the time, both of them have full premium interiors and sound systems (complete with satellite navigation, a full set of front, side and curtain airbags for both occupants, and even the full suite of driving aids - anti-lock brakes, plus fully defeatable traction and stability control) as standard equipment.

Above and below: The AAA Crossbow (blue) and HPG H350 (green) were built mainly with one purpose in mind: take the pace and presence of a larger front-engined sports car and squeeze it into a smaller, lighter package for the discerning enthusiast.

Mechanically, however, the similarities end there: the AAA Crossbow's engine is a 400-bhp 4.0-liter V8, whereas the HPG H350 instead has a 360-bhp 3.5-liter straight-six. The former places less weight over the front wheels; the latter counters with even more smoothness, thus yielding extra comfort (41.2 for the HPG compared to the Crossbow's 40.0). However, the Crossbow is narrower than its six-cylinder rival, which may explain its superior drivability figure of 73.1, whereas the HPG can only muster 71.1. On the other hand, the HPG has a higher safety score (55.8 versus 53.4 for the Crossbow) and weighs just 1225kg (although the Crossbow only weighs 5kg more), while being slightly more reliable to boot (82.1 versus 81.7). Finally, the Crossbow's V8, though less economical (returning 22.4 US mpg on the combined cycle compared to the HPG's 23.5), provides it with a superior prestige score of 59.0 (for comparison, the HPG only managed 57.8).

In short, although the Crossbow and H350 are quite small on paper, they have big, lusty hearts under their bonnets - enough to make anything from the class above stand up and take notice. They may not be as overtly sporting as the mid-engined cars I discussed previously, but they are almost as fast, and more comfortable to the point that they can even be considered for daily use. This may not be the last you will see of them, though - I could add a fully detailed 3D-fixture interior to either (or both) of them if I feel like doing so.