Best handling car?
 

How would rank the best handling cars in the sub $100k category?

Cayman?
M3?
GTR?
BRZ/FRS?
Elise?
S2000?
RX8?
RX7?
Evo X?
WRX STI?

youre going to have to define hanlding. also the gtr is a six figure car

Cayman is the best handling street car you can buy in North America, if money is no object.

I love my BRZ which might be the second best but definitely is the best handling street car you can buy for that money, by a very long mark.

this topic is going to open up a can of worms as "handling" is more on the subjective side of opinions.

MY OPINION, you're not going to get a better handling car for the price. you're looking at $50k plus for anything close! the 86 is above and beyond anything in it's price range. you're looking at a porsche cayman if you want a sweet handling car but that's also more than double the price.

the car that i compare the 86 to is the s2000. it's literally like an s2000 in terms of handling but with less power and backseats. the 86 is a better dd though. new vs new, obviously the s2k was more. but used vs new, if you're okay with a 2-seater, i'd take the s2k no questions! i went with the 86 only because i already have a 2-seater, and the 86 fits my needs as a dd.

the best handling car i've been in... Lotus Exige. I'm sure there's better but from what I've been in, the exige is literally a pocket rocket! there's nothing so far that can beat the lotus in terms of handling from my experience. maybe a noble, mosler, or an rcr... i would love to experience those.

Having had an opportunity to drive a 911 GT3 once, I have to disagree. The Cayman is my favorite sub-$100k, but it isn't the best overall. I'd have to imagine the Ferrari 458 would be pretty darn good too (but I haven't driven one).

So BRZ is superior to Evo X when it comes to handling?

New to new.

Would you get a s2k for 35k or a brz for 25K & spend the rest 10k in mods?

The RX-8 is a little better handling than the BRZ IMHO

Damn, now you're really putting me in the hot seat!

It's would be so hard to decide.

The S2k comes right out of the box as a powerful performer. If you're strictly going to use your car as a weekend'er, 3rd car, I'd go for the s2k.

It all really comes down to what your goals are and what you need.

The 86, like I said earlier, it's literally an s2000 with less power and backseats. If you value extra cargo space, the 86 is the one to go with. That's why I went with my FRS.

If I had the leverage to sink $10k into my new FRS vs buying a new stock S2000, it'd be the 86 ALL DAY!

I strongly believe when it comes down to mod vs mod maxed out on both cars, both cars are literally equal. They are so close it's literally a coin toss.

But for what my goals are, I like the 86 more. You can't go wrong with either and that's the bottom line. The end result, I believe, will be the same.

Among those I've actually driven enough to comment on.

1st:RX8(own)-a lot of body roll compared to the s2k and brz/frs but very predictable and easy to drive on the limit, feels smaller the harder you push it. Feels very planted and neutral.

2nd:BRZ/FRS(own)-much better body control than the RX8, feels darty and willing, feels a bit skittish and less planted on fast back roads compared to RX8.

3rd:S2000(autocross and backroads)-good body control and nice steering feel, feels very capable up to the limit but a bit unforgiving, mistakes cost a lot more momentum than they do in either the twins or the RX8. Not as much fun to push on backroads cause it's a bit scarier.

?th:WRX STI(autocross only)-I'm not sure what this car is doing in this company, I autocrossed a friends STi and it felt like brute force engineering, very detached and artificial, a good bit of turbo lag made throttle modulation in steady sweepers more difficult than it needed to be. Steering feels sloppy. Huge power puts a smile on your face when you can use all of it.

Cayman? Never Driven
Evo X? Never Driven

These I haven't driven but have ridden in during autocross, so take these comments with a grain of salt.

M3- Very planted, engine is very strong, felt taught but heavy.
GTR- Monstrous acceleration and good grip, driver didn't seem to be working hard, definitely felt the weight though, bounciness unsettled the car over rough surfaces where other cars in this list were fine.
Elise(sorta...an Exige on Hoo-Hoos)- Huge acceleration, lots of grip, driver looked like he was working his butt off to wrangle it around and was cursing my 6'1" 230 lbs self the whole time for ruining his run.
RX7- (FD) More body roll than I was expecting for such a legendarily good handling car, driver was combating oversteer, and there was some turbo lag that seemed to make part throttle steer a bit tricky in sweepers, felt like an old car though, needed new front dampers.

Watch YouTube videos of ft86 vs rx-8. RX-8 isn't even close.

[ame]http://youtu.be/jImHTWfj8aM[/ame]

No need to watch videos.

I've owned both and I know which one drivers better on the back roads. The BRZ moves too much at high speeds from the wind compared to the 8.

Agreed, I own both as well, I enjoy autocrossing the BRZ more, but the RX8 is a much more confidence inspiring street car.

Street car, you can drive a Cayman year round in any weather. Ditto the BRZ. You cannot keep a GT3 on the road in winter and it rides like a race car. The Ferrari 458 isn't a year round driver either, its a weekend car. Neither carries any luggage.

If you want a better handling car buy a Red Bull.

Z06, Cayman

The only reasonable definition of handling for a street car must include a car that can be driven every day, anywhere and in any weather without trying to kill you.

Many "great handling" cars are evil machines useless for road driving and hopeless to drive every day.

If you want to drive a race car, then buy one and track it. If you want a street car that is actually useable daily in all weathers and on any road and handles very well you need a Cayman or a BRZ if you live in North America. Nothing else comes close.

Whether the C7 Corvette comes close remains an open question but given past Corvettes I suspect not. All Corvettes built up to the C6 are hard riding and unforgiving cars you'd be mad to try and drive in winter.

I can't answer this until I lower it, install a front STB and get 225 sized tires. Once this is completed, I'll get back to you...

thats not really a definition of handling. according to the bold, my ls430 is a better handler than my miata, ae86, crx and msp. objectively, corvettes have a way of annihilate just about everything south of six figures. not my personal preference but you cant argue numbers.

Cayman > Elise > 86

My preference at least :). Although I haven't driven either of the higher priced cars I wish I could have the chance :(

Would you say that the increment of perfection among them is marginal?

I guess. But again I haven't driven them so Idk. But I'd assume its more of a law of diminishing returns, just like most things. Those are just my top 3 wanted "drivers cars" thankfully I own one of them so I'm happy :)

EDIT: The way I see it, if we're talking just handling (not outright performance) the fr-s might be 75% of the way to the cayman & elise but overall might be a lot less in overall performance. Is it worth the extra price? I can't say as I haven't owned or driven either of the other 2 I just know I love my FRS and its the best handling car I've driven <40k new :)

I need to scrape my eyes out and cut off my ears. Those are the worst couple of Clarkson wannabes I've ever seen. Drone. Drone. Drone.

If the RX-8 didn't get horrible fuel economy, burn oil like an Iraqi well, and break down at the bark of a seal, I'd be driving one today. Hell of a car. I'd certainly not be driving one of the modified versions, though. The stock setup is sublime.

I'd say Elise, S2000, and Cayman are probably at the top if we're looking at cars with the highest cornering limits. Maybe if you put the same grippy tires on all of the cars, the FR-S/BRZ would be top 5.

My dad has a Toro SS5060. That thing turns on a dime and was below $100k.

The 430/458 actually have a fair bit of cargo space, and a button for a softer ride quality but they don't really make the 100k cutoff.

With proper tires I bet the FRS/BRZ actually would outhandle the Cayman.

Fuel economy sure but your other issues are more of a perceived issue than a real one.

I added half a quart of oil every 1,000 miles between changes.

I never flooded any of my 8's or had any issues. They never saw a mechanic.

FYI I owned an 07 auto and traded it in for an 09 R3. Lost that in a divorce and bought a 09 GT a year later.

The R3 was the best car I've ever driven and the most fun. The BRZ is a very close 2nd but its not as easy to drive at high speeds nor does it have the amazing whir at 9,000 rpms. I also found the transmission of the 8 to be a little more forgiving and I was never afraid of clutch dumps.

The fuel economy of the BRZ keeps it in the game as a real DD.

"Must include" doesn't mean that's all.

Your "is430" (Lexus is that.) doesn't handle at all, in any weather. I assume you mean LS430.

Out of curiosity, why do you think that? Personally I don't agree with that at all.

Out of this list I would arrange them this way:
Cayman/Boxster
Elise/Exige
RX7?
RX8?
S2000?
BRZ/FRS?
Evo X?
M3?

I would add:
Mustang Boss 302
C7 Corvette Stingray

I would remove:
GTR? - costs over $100k
WRX STI? - seriously, this isn't as great of a handling car as you think

The new Corvette is getting rave reviews. And this time those reviews are raving not just about the car's performance, but also about how easy it is to drive the car and how connected to the road the driver feels. We finally have a Corvette that is the complete package and can compete with Porsche in not just performance but also driving feel, driver position and interior refinement.

Someone made a comment about which would you choose, a $25k BRZ or a $35k S2000. Can we pleeeeeease stop typing nonsense like this? Outside of the S2000's initial release in 2000 nobody paid MSRP for these cars. You could easily get it for several thousand less. A more fair statement would be comparing a $27k BRZ to a $31-32k S2000 (new to new).

:sigh:

Having driven both I'd say not. The Cayman has a mid engine after all.

Having driven both I can assure you that the BRZ is a lot more fun to drive.

The tires on the BRZ are basically for kids to drive on. The grip available is just insufficient to match the suspension dynamics so the rear of the car steps out far too easily.

That makes it really fun to drive until you realize that's a pretty slow way to drive, then you fit a set of proper tires.

I expect my BRZ to handle much better on a set of Pirelli P Zero Sottozero winter tires which must go on before it snows here. Probably before Sept 15!

I predict a buyer's market for plus two upgrades to our local Prius owners.

I don't think it's fair to compare the two given the price difference.

Does the BRZ has good handling? Absolutely. Is it the best? Nope. Does it out handle 90% of the cars on the road? Probably.

Cars I've driven more than 1,000 miles in order of top handling to worst.

2009 RX-8 R3
2009 RX-8 GT
2013 Subaru BRZ Limited
2007 Mazda RX-8 GT Automatic
2014 BMW X1 M-Sport on Summer Performance tires.
2014 Mazda CX-5 Touring
2008 Saturn Sky Red Line
2013 Hyundai Genesis Coupe 2.0T

And the list gets worse and worse from here with a few other SUVs.

This is just based on my experience with driving these vehicles for at least 1,000 miles.

Agreed.

By the same accord you could compare a new BRZ 27k to a new R3 at 24k in 2009/10. Mazda heavily discounted them due to poor sales.

^^^

Nice reply. I partially agree. I've driven both cars hard and at 8/10ths or so (since public roads) and the Cayman definitely handles better. And given equal tires I still think it would handle better. However, I also think the Cayman S is more fun to drive.

-faster acceleration
-superior exhaust note (stock or modified)
-engine screaming at you from over your shoulder

I disagree with people that say the Cayman S's performance is "not accessible enough" on the road. We're still only talking about a 325 hp car. It's performance is definitely accessible - in my opinion at least, since it's a somewhat subjective statement:thumbup:

Interesting topic by the OP for sure.

Replies just show you how subjective handling is.

I daily a 458 italia, it's nothing but a joy. The car acts like a normal car, comfy and is easy to get in and out of.

Regarding luggage ? Yeah you can't fit huge bags in it but can make trips and drives with some if you want to.
I carry food, and shit load of random things around in it and never worry.
Here's an example of the front compartment and I was cleaning the fabric as some sticky sugar syrup spilled from dessert :)

This question is probably beyond the scope of anyone to answer objectively on this forum for a couple of reasons:

1) You really need to put the cars on equal tires (e.g., the RX-7's OEM tires are 20 years old now and tire technology improves fast; FR-S/BRZ comes with AS/summer touring tires; Elises and Evo X's come with very aggressive street tires). I doubt anyone has tested all of these cars on equalized tires.

2) You need to test these cars in various settings -- track, street, skidpad, slalom, etc. Not many people have this depth of experience in all of these cars.

3) You need equipment to objectively measure certain attributes such as steering response, feedback, body roll, bump compliance, etc.

This is why, when you see magazines do "best handling" comparisons, they often bring in pros with proper equipment to remove some of the subjectivity from these kinds of comparison. Short of that, I would listen to the opinion of anyone who's tracked all of these cars extensively and know how they feel at the limit.

Yeah good point. And since the Twins have been out for over a year now I say it's high time for Car and Driver to do another "Best Handling" issue!:thumbsup:

Going back a few comments, who said the 911 GT3 "can't carry any luggage"? Are you kidding me? You can fit A LOT in a 911.:bonk:

wtf is a woman going to do with a R3!!!!!!!!!!

!@#$%^ woman :mad0260:

What? & I thought that anyone who owned a 458 italia simply had a "bloke"in a cargo van follow them everywhere!

First off, we need to define "best handling".

Is it the highest cornering speed? Corner entry speed? Corner exit speed? Steering response? Stock trim only? How the car subjectively "feels"? Are we equalizing tire compounds? Sizes?

A last generation Viper ACR will decimate in more or less ALL of the above categories except perhaps subjective feel...


I've tested most of these on more or less equalized tires :D