Fifteen years ago, if you told me that a movie about car loving criminals would spawn nine sequels, I would have laughed at you. And if you told me a year ago that I’d be testing a vape mod that resembled a Honda VTEC engine, I would have laughed even harder. Well, thanks to about a trillion dollars in ticket sales, I’m eating crow about the “Fast and the Furious” series. And for the most part, I can say the same about the Augvape V200 box mod. (I should admit that another staffer here believes the Augvape V200 looks like a telephone junction box.)

Much like the engine that inspired the design, the V200 is meant to be lean, streamlined, and free of nonsense. In that sense, Augvape’s latest delivers. It’s not a fully featured vape device, and it has one major flaw above the hood. So, if this one caught your eye, definitely keep reading to see if the V200 is the next mod you want for your collection.

Once again, the V200 is designed to look like a car engine. Which means that – unless your Kia is rocking particularly ergonomic four cylinders – the shape is more about looks than comfort and functionality.

To that note, the V200 is an attractive device for those into automotive sports. For starters, the spring-loaded wheel used to adjust wattage and settings is unique, and nicely-integrated into the design. Plus, given the limited features of the V200, it works well for its intended purpose. (More on that in a bit.)

The rest of the tall, motor-inspired look is authentic, with jutting engine compartments, jagged dips and valleys, and a rock-solid zinc alloy construction throughout. Those seeking some padding or ergonomic cutouts, please move along – it’s metal on metal here, kids.

That said, in some hands, the Augvape V200 might be just as comfortable as that leather-wrapped DNA Mod on the shelf. I just don’t happen to have those hands and struggled with this throughout my weeklong testing. Ultimately, comfort needs to be a consideration before purchasing this Mod – period.

Another noticeable design feature is the surprisingly subtle fire key, which blends seamlessly into the top of the black frame above the OLED display. On several occasions, I had to remind myself to press this key, and not the shiny silver adjustment wheel. And in retrospect, I wish Augvape had changed the design to make the oil cap wheel the firing mechanism, and “hiding” the adjustment buttons instead.

The 0.96-inch display was surprising, just from its simplicity. With so many “speedometer-styled” displays making the rounds on Vape Mods, it’s odd that a device built around car culture wouldn’t include one. Perhaps Augvape wanted the exterior design to be the star of the show – which I respect. However, as an overall experience, the stock OLED display is a little underwhelming.

Still, as a functional screen, it works, with all pertinent information on display, clearly and legibly.

Finally, I loved the bulletproof, wheel-hub designed 510-connection, but wonder why a hefty, burly vape Mod like the V200 wouldn’t be made a hair wider to accomModate 30mm tanks and RDAs. The 28mm width can easily handle most of today’s most-popular atomizers, but given the nature of the design, it just seems like a missed opportunity.

Like I’ve alluded to several times, the Augvape V200 is about as stripped-down as Modern vape devices get… at least those with more than 40 watts of output. Instead of trying to cram endless features, Modes and adjustments into a Mod themed around pure power, Augvape went with the flow and made the V200 a wattage/voltage-only vape Mod.

That’s right, in a sea of Mods sporting interminable preheat adjustment curves and support for 19 types of coil materials comes a Mod that just wants to crank. No temperature control, no TCR, no foolery – just power.

And you know what? It works really well. Despite my earlier request for switching the fire key and adjustment buttons, the in-place system works better than expected. Using gentle taps of my thumb, I quickly changed wattages as needed, with a no-nonsense “round number” approach that I found really refreshing.

(Honestly, I’m all for options. But if you can tell the difference between vaping at 51 and 51.6 watts, you might need additional hobbies.)

The “hidden” fire key is nice and responsive, even though it sits flush with the face of the V200 display. It has a fairly deep throw, but near-immediate response capability, which was noticeable from the V200’s powerful preheat and ramp-up time.

Bottom line: The Augvape V200 Mod might not be the most ergonomic machine out there. But the fire key isn’t the reason why.

However, the lack of comfort does take its toll after a while. No matter which grip I used, I struggled to find a truly “natural” way to hold and operate the V200. It never HURT, mind you. But it never felt quite right, either. And before long, I found myself looking to grab other more comfortable Mods from my collection.

Power is the focus of the Augvape V200 Mod, and it delivers in a big way. Not only does the Mod hit 200 watts without a drop of elbow grease, but it also ramps faster than most – if not all – of the comparable Mods in my collection.

Thanks to the onboard “V-Mode” setting, the V200 proved to be among the quickest-ramping devices around – even at top wattages. In our preview, we didn’t notice much difference between the V-Mode and the (already quick-ramping) standard wattage Modes.

However, like any good engine, the V200 needed a little “break-in” time before hitting full stride, and now I can say the V200 would definitely be a hit within power-hungry vaping circles.

This performance boost is most evident north of 100 watts, where many dual-18650 devices begin to stutter under heavy use. Instead of faltering, the V200 just adjusts on the fly, smoothly and surely getting to the desired power level. Still, even at more conservative wattages, the ramp-up is still noticeable, and my 60-80-watt draws felt more substantial as a result.

Another positive from a week’s testing? Almost every atomizer I own – tank or dripper, sub-ohm or mouth-to-lung, old or new – vaped like a champion on the V200. And again, I think the V-Mode has a lot to do with it. On paper, this seems like another power-boost enhancement, but in practice, it seems like it’s a smoother way to deliver power to an atomizer, without excessive heat or random fluctuations. Intentional or not, it’s impressive.

Yet, with all this wattage and ramp-up boosting, the V200 never becomes too warm when using it, even at 200 watts. I imagine the deep grooves and cutaways help this heat dissipate… just like the Honda VTEC engine itself.

Finally, battery life on the Augvape V200 is average, to above-average, with a pair of freshly charged 18650s giving me five or so hours of performance. I imagine this number would go up without V-Mode enabled. But I don’t see that as a viable use of the V200, and I doubt you will, either.

As a showpiece, the V200 definitely has the goods to stand out on any shelf. But is that enough reason for vapers to buy one? That all depends on how much they want a Mod that resembles a high-performance car engine, how comfortable they are holding the Mod, and how comfortable they are with a wattage-only setup.

While there are some notable limitations here, and some severe hindrances to comfort, there’s also no denying just how well the V200 handles the functionalities it DOES offer, and how well V-Mode enhances a standard wattage vape experience.

Score: B

AUGVAPE V200 IS AVAILABLE NOW AT ELEMENT VAPE