And that is totally fine, but for some people the fun is the challenge of driving the slower car fast. ;)

My only problem with driving a slower car fast is that it feels like you're stressing out the engine(N/A 4 cylinders suffer from this badly) and the NVH sounds and feels terrible in daily driving. I hope the boxer 4 is a smooth engine.

Which is perfectly fine. "Fun" is so subjective to each individual that we would never get an agreement on what constitutes it anyway. :happy0180:

Wow.....

After reading this thread, I have to admit I am a bit... well... lets just say taken back.

To each their own..

Personally.. I have had MANY sports cars, ranging from 200hp to 1200hp. Corvettes, 911's, GTR's, Supra's, GTO, several DSM's, Miata, Civic Si, even a Focus...

I have hundreds of track hours over the last 20 years, I have made hundreds of passes down the 1/4 mile, and yes, I have taken part in hundreds of highway pulls and other street races. Yet, your average large pickup (this is Texas), or kid in a 150hp civic drives much more like an ass than I ever have.

How you drive is not determined by what car you have, but what car you have does determine how you can drive.

As of yet... I have not found a point where a car had too much power for the street; Nor has a car ever accelerated too fast, broke too hard, had too much grip, or a high enough top speed... Anyone is free to disagree, but that does not make you right.

As for how much money I spend on gas? Well that is my business.. if you don't like it, you can suck on my high octane leaded exhaust gasses.

:thumbsup:

yeah but practically all the sports cars built today are about power. the miata and now the frs are the ONLY sports cars not about power. they were designed to be different from the start, to buck the trend, they were advertised as such, targeted towards people that want to buck the trend.

if you are into torque, plain and simple: more cylinders than 4 is ideal for you. 4 cylinder engines are just not built for low or midrange, if you build a 4 cylinder for torque you sacrifice top end horsepower like in the ka24. so what you want is something with more cylinders, but you can't stick an engine with more cylinders in a lightweight compact car like the miata or the frs without using expensive materials like the 6 cylinder exige or evora.

if this car was built for torque and horsepower, it would be just like all the other sports cars on the market today. if horsepower is what you want, why not just buy what's already on sale now? the new z's lighter and more compact than the old one. the domestic pony cars are heavy but a good value as far as horsepower per dollar.

this car was built for balance, something that a select few find even more important than power to weight. and it was built for that small minority of people who "get it." the reason why it wasn't built for people who prioritize torque, power to weight, and power to dollar is because there are plenty of options on the market for people like that already!

I too have owned many Bugatti Veyron's, lambos, and zonda's. I always drive at 2000mph and have years of non stop track experience. It's always the kid in the 90hp ricer civic who drives like an idiot. Also I spend millions of dollars on gas every year at my oil refinery in yellow stone park. =p

Lovely!
I was waiting for something to come along to be a signature :D

Eh... yes and no.

Balance can be found and obtained without pushing into super car territory, or without sacrificing overall performance. Balance can be found at any performance level, high or low.

If you were take the FRS/BRZ, exactly how it is now but put the turbo charged version of the same engine making 280hp and a flat 250 ft/lbs torque curve in the car you *might* increase the curb weight by what 50lbs? Are you really going to sacrifice balance and handling just because it has more power? No.. you're not. Sure you will need some suspension tuning, increased mechanical grip, and better brakes, but nothing outrageous.

I had a great balance in my Supra when it was set up in road racing trim. It put 600hp to the tires, had a flat torque curve from 3000 rpm to 8000rpm and was an absolute joy to drive.

50 pounds if it's done by a private shop that doesn't design and test it to meet all worldwide emissions standards and to last 100,000+ miles of driving in numerous weather, conditions, and environments.

In reality, a turbocharger means more cooling (larger radiator, piping, oil cooler(s)), larger wheels and tires, transmission upgrades (synchros, input/output shafts, driveshaft), various suspension upgrades, many of which involve greater weight like half-shafts, calipers, rotors, larger master cylinder.

Then you have to meet low-speed impact requirements which may require additional reinforcement in the front to protect the additional hardware.

So now you have a 3200 pound car with 280 horsepower that is essentially another direct competitor to the 370Z in both price and size.

Hmmm hadn't thought of this before, I guess that's usually one of the problems with 4 cylinder engines...6 cylinder engines are noticably smoother.

It's been a while since I've been in a Subaru, but I remember that a 2002 WRX sounded very smooth at 7000rpm. Or maybe I was just really terrified of how fast the car was going :bellyroll: From the videos I don't think this car sounds too harsh at high rpm, but I question the noise pipe philosophy as it seems to make the car very loud...I think a lot of people will toss that thing out.

.

This discussion reminds me of an advertisement Porsche did for the 944 Turbo: http://944turbo.net/wp-content/uploa...ifferences.jpg

http://944turbo.net/wp-content/uploa...ifferences.jpg

I love the rear transmission on those.

i'm not saying balance can only be attained without a supercharger or turbocharger.

let me rephrase from my earlier post. this car is all about balance AND low cost. yes, you can add boost to this car and have a lot more torque and hp with minimal weight gains. and the car would cost $32k. not to mention all the added maintenance cost that boost demands. so what's the point, when there are so many other alternatives at that price point, like the 370z, genesis coupe, the domestic pony cars, etc etc.

no, the things that distinguish this car are awesome balance (as in low weight, compact dimensions, extreme low center of gravity) and inexpensive msrp (and a hardtop, to distinguish it from a miata).