My Test Drive Impressions

[White Shadow]

Originally Posted by frosty86

This single picture sums up your entire purpose of being on this board
you're welcome to leave as nobody here gives a f*** about your butthurt opinions.
/thread

LOL and I suppose you speak for the entire forum? Sorry junior, but I think you need to take a long hard look in the mirror and realize that you act like a 10-year-old.

BTW, are you still all awkward when someone pulls up next to you in a competing car? LOLOLOL. You got issues, kid. Deal with them and then maybe we can have an adult conversation. Or maybe not.

Okay, I'm done crapping all over this guy's thread. Have fun continuing with your trollish behavior.

[frosty86]

Originally Posted by White Shadow

LOL and I suppose you speak for the entire forum? Sorry junior, but I think you need to take a long hard look in the mirror and realize that you act like a 10-year-old.

BTW, are you still all awkward when someone pulls up next to you in a competing car? LOLOLOL. You got issues, kid. Deal with them and then maybe we can have an adult conversation. Or maybe not.

He picks a name that a 12 year old forum roleplayer suffering from aspergers would pick, puts batmobile and gotham city in his profile, and expects people to take him seriously.
0/10, too easy.
It's like he's not even trying anymore

[White Shadow]

Originally Posted by frosty86

He picks a name that a 12 year old forum roleplayer suffering from aspergers would pick, puts batmobile and gotham city in his profile, and expects people to take him seriously.
0/10, too easy.
It's like he's not even trying anymore

Um...since you brought it up, I'll have to chime in one more time to school you on my forum name. "White Shadow" is an old TV show about a white basketball coach who coached a team of primarily black & latino basketball players. I happen to be white and I coach a team of black & latino basketball players, so "White Shadow" or sometimes just "Shadow" is my nickname.

Okay, seriously now, run along child. Or just keep on trollin' away. But try harder from now on, m'kay? You're really starting to make yourself look like a fool at this point.

[frosty86]

Originally Posted by White Shadow

You're really starting to make yourself look like a fool at this point.

I may be starting but you've already accomplished that from day 1. Cheers.
Lol.. Child telling an adult "child", Now my strawberry sh** sundae is complete.
Also, You must be new to the internet, welcome aboard.

[jmaryt]

you two guys ought to get "married"

[Superhatch]

Originally Posted by FRiSson

You are selling yourself short, if you walk away from the test driving thinking that you know the car.

Personally I don't think you really get to know the car until you get it on track, either an actual track or a more open auto-x event.

Only after my first track event, when I could turn off the electronic controls and really feel the amazing balance of the car and the response the chassis offered was I truly in love with it.

Never going over 4500rpm, having 500lb of people in the car, using a different wheel and tire package, and having full electronics on is not the experience you should use to judge the car.

[whaap]

Something it wouldn't hurt for every one to keep in mind.

You should never argue with an idiot. They will bring you down to their level and then beat you with experience.

[White Shadow]

Originally Posted by whaap

Something it wouldn't hurt for every one to keep in mind.

You should never argue with an idiot. They will bring you down to their level and then beat you with experience.

I know...I got suckered into that one. I learned my lesson though. The forum idiot will no longer bring me down! LOL

[frosty86]

Originally Posted by whaap

Something it wouldn't hurt for every one to keep in mind.

You should never argue with an idiot. They will bring you down to their level and then beat you with experience.

Couldn't have said it better bro but it's too tempting to oust out a blatant amateur troll and put'em in his place.

[nedmundo]

Originally Posted by gmookher

ditto. eps is better executed on the new 3 series and our cars.

I tested a 2012 328i Sport Line, and thought its steering was much worse than the FR-S's or the Focus ST's. It had even less feel than the steering in my TSX, which I found shocking, and yes, I did drive it in sport mode. I drove an early sample though, and apparently BMW had made some adjustments since then. I'll find out Tuesday when I'm scheduled to try a newer one with the Variable Sport Steering option that, according to some, provides better feedback.

Even though I liked the Focus ST's steering, I'm not claiming it actually provides loads of feedback, i.e., information from the road surface. The FR-S might be better in that respect, but I thought the Ford felt more "locked in" on center, which is equally important for my daily driving, but probably not nearly as important in the twisties, where my Acura's steering actually works pretty well due to its decent weight and linear response. FWIW, the FR-S had the only other EPS system I've tried and actually liked. I preferred it to the 3 Series for sure.

One of these days I'll try an ST and FR-S/BRZ back-to-back over some good roads to get a better sense of how they compare, but even based on my relatively short test drives, I thought the FR-S was much more fun to drive overall.

[SOneThreeCoupe]

Originally Posted by gmookher

belong to any rover clubs or boards bro?

LRR forums, but I lurk and post WTB ads occasionally. I don't need to make a thread every time something goes wrong- it's a Rover, stuff goes wrong all the time and it's not terribly complicated.

To everyone else:

People I respect liked the car, so I figured it was right up my alley; a car I could leave relatively stock and actually enjoy the hell out of. I like the way it looks, I like its ergonomics, I think Toyota and Subaru did a commendable job with the chassis and I had only two quarrels with it- the ride and the steering feel. I'd still prefer it over literally any other car out there, but I place a lot of emphasis on ride and steering feel.

It's not about time behind the wheel; thirty seconds is enough to tell you whether or not a car communicates properly. It takes longer to figure out if damping is set up well, which is why my test drive took 20 minutes rather than 5 and never once set rubber on the freeway.

Never compared power to anything else. Frankly, I think it's a good amount of power and the torque was far more accessible than in the S2000. I don't rev out dealership cars- how many of you would like people to say that they hamfistedly redlined your car before you bought it? The engine is literally the least important piece of the puzzle; it can always be molded to fit. Hell, my 240 dynos at less power than the stock 4U-GSE and runs out of breath at 5900rpm. I liked the 4U-GSE's initial power delivery and it made enough power at 4500rpm to satisfy my needs- like I said, I used to own an NA6 and drive 356s every day, power ain't high on my agenda.

It's not about the price tag; the MX-5 has better steering feedback and it's cheaper in base form- but it also makes less power and gets worse mileage, so I understand the compromise that needed to be made. The electric power steering just doesn't need to be so anesthetized.

The TSWs also come in 18x8 +45 for a 5x100 application and based on the way they filled the arches (or didn't, rather), they were not +35s.

PS- Frosty, you having a hard time accepting the fact that people aren't as enamored with your ride as you are? I have 8 years and $30k+ in my ugly, slow 240SX and plenty of people dislike 240s- doesn't bother me a bit. Grow some cojones.

[gmookher]

you dont know any car till you have had it sideways at the track...

[Capstan]

Not sure why people are getting all bent about this review, it sounds like an honest report and the guy appears to have a lot of sports car driving experience.

The steering feedback on these cars is often described as basically 'numb'. If you want to feel the irregularities on the road and the way the tires jump from them on your hands I have to agree, most of that info is not transmitted to the FRS/BRZ steering wheel. Personally I don't find myself wishing for more feedback. I want the car to stay on track without a lot of concentration, steering vibrations are fatiguing for me. Other people may want something different.

[SUB-FT86]

I love the type of steering feedback that lets me know what kind of roads I'm driving on. IF I go over a road that jerks the wheels it had better jerk the steering wheel enough to keep me alert. My RSX is famous for doing this and its the only good part of my car IMO.