Quote:
Originally Posted by i dunno
I think as BMW moves away from driver engagement, other companies will fill that affordable driver's car segment. Offerings like the BRZ/FRS, Genesis Coupe, next-gen IRS Mustang are signs that automakers still take interest in sports cars. Since Toyota debuted the LFA, they've seemed to pay more attention to the driving experience also. Cars like the new GS and IS may still have outdated powerplants, but everyone seems to rave about their handling characteristics and steering feel. My friend's dad actually just bought a new GS F-Sport.
I think Honda has a chance to take part in this too. No one can say for sure yet, but the new NSX might inspire them to create quirky fun to drive cars again or at least have some NSX engineering trickle down into the rest of the line. Even now, they might not have the most exciting line up, but some of their offerings still have that old Honda DNA. My brother has a manual Honda Fit, and the way it drives feels like those old Honda engineers are still at work. The communicative steering has great on center feel, and weight builds up nicely and progressively. The engine is weak, but eager to rev and play. Gearing is short but perfectly spaced to match the engine's personality, and the stick shift is still Honda slick. Honda has always been very good at making the different driving interactions very harmonious. They definitely have the engineering chops to make something awesome, but I guess they just don't feel like it yet.
I think we'll still have driver oriented cars in the future, but they won't come from the automakers that we're used to seeing.
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There is real life, then there is reading magazines.
If I lived my life by mag reviews, I would have bought a FRS/BRZ. How many are excited about that car by what they read...how many drove one.
I went right out-and drove one. Instead of financing an F30, I could have saved myself a car payment and bought one. I grew up on Mk1 and Mk2 Sciroccos, S13 240SX and a first gen CRX SI, I am all about simple, light, sporty cars. This was going to be the return!
Guess what, it left me cold. It had plenty going for it, but I just knew that version 2 or an update to the car in a couple of years was going to remind me how bad somethings were missing from me being an early adopter.
You bring up the IS, which it's true. Lexus got smart and cared more about driving this time around.
So we have seen two tests:
1) IS350 vs MSport 335=335 loses by a point. It's posted everywhere on the forums and people use it to prove their point
2) IS250 vs MSport 328=328 handily wins. It's pretty quiet. Why? Because the 328 is a 4 cylinder and although it has closed much of the gap that existed between the E90 N52 and n55, it opened up the chasm that it's a 4 cylinder and does not belong.
So we want to turn our shoulder to BMW and look more to Lexus now. But BMW can still slay the challenger but that is not as news worthy. So lets have you guys line up and buy all those automatic predator looking IS250/350's because of that first test loss. I bet they won't run out and buy N20 328s for beating the IS250 because an 4 cylinder has no right to be in a BMW 3 series. So it's a lose-lose.