Matt Farah just said he lost his bag at the airport that had his 86 footage from Monticello. Very unfortunate, I hope he gets it back. The Smoking Tire review is one I am specifically looking forward to.

I linked the podcast but it didn't work, just check out the smoking tire podcast from today if you want to see him talk about it.

Damn, his was going to be the first one I was going to check out.

Yeah, same. I've been watching Matt and nowadays Zack too since 2012. I like several car channels but they are my favorite.

I'll be looking for Savage Geese because he owned a 1st gen.

I would love to see his too. Wasn't sure if he was in on the test drive.

In my opinion Savage Geese and Throttle House will have the most weight to throw around. Let's not forget Savage Geese is an s2000 fanatic so his thoughts will be crucial. James from TH owns an ND Miata.

Edit: I like Farrah.. but he frequents crazy expensive exotics. I think its only natural to build a bias. Not his fault the average price of the car he's in is +80k but that's the reality

Let's not forget our forum brother from Everyday Driver

Agreed, I am looking forward to the ones who have had a 1st Gen, an S2000, or even a Lotus Elise. So that pretty much includes Savage Geese, Everyday Driver, Engineering Explained, even looking forward to Matt Maran. Bummed about Matt Farrah though that was one I was really looking forward to as well.

Just listened to Matt Farrah's podcast from yesterday. Very favorable review and spoke highly of the driving dynamics and new engine/torque delivery. Talked about compliant suspension while cornering very flat. Only downside he mentioned was the removal of knee pads.

Basically said they did not mess up the chassis/handling and improved the one weakness of the car.

Teaser posted today: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4tR31eEW0b4


Apparently not from last weeks Monticello event since doesn't look like US spec premium trim (no extended ducktail)

Also RHD isn't US spec ;)

So much for the embargo. it'll be interesting to see if Toyota blacklists him for a podcast....

I'm looking for comparisons to cars you can currently (or will soon be able to) buy new - specifically the ND2, and the upcoming Z. A comparison with the current FWD king of the hill, the CTR, would also be interesting.

Rightfully so…in terms of a “driver’s car” it would definitely be interesting to hear how it compares to all of those. If I remember correctly (not really directly referencing a source) journalists/reviews generally favored both ND’s (which really is a fantastic driving machine) over the 2 twins (13+/17+).

The biggest comparison I’d personally make though is with the BRZ tS. What a treat it would be if both cars drove better than the tS.

I'm not going to hang too much weight on Savagegeese's opinion, he seems to be very negatively bisased towards this platform since he supercharged his and all of a sudden his car became a basket case. I don't think his exposure to the platform is anywhere close to what a typical owner will experience over the life of the car. It's not fair to hold a grudge against the platform after you increased the engine output far past what the car was designed to hold.

TheTopher is another good one. And a former BRZ owner

Never forget savage geese made videos about how modern cars suck, had what he wanted, ruined it with mods and sold it.

An opinion from someone like that isn't worth much.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Udv-A4RnEEI

Did you see this recent one? The Perrin exhaust on the BRZ is so good.

I'm bringing mine over to Perrin for a cat back as soon as it comes in. They have one on order too but I have a feeling mine will get here first :)

Perrin did a lot of tuning on my first gen FRS, those guys are among the best in the business. 10/10 would work with them again.

I think he is passed that - the FRS really launched his channel, he had so many problems as a first adopter of modding (like many did), and so that certainly flavoured his own views.

But you look at his views since then, and he is really quite complementary of the last view 86/BRZs in stock form.

Personally if the car feels like its matched its chassis dynamics with its power and its tires I could see him posting a glowing review.

I'm far more interested in the BRZ vs gr86 reviews this time around, they do seem like completely different cars at the limits.

savageese's opinion or any good journalist will have a much wider perspective of cars than your average car enthusiast. you don't get on a ft86club forum.

I have an nd2 RF, have grown to basically hate it.. to the level of not understanding the cult following.. So perhaps im in the minority. Came from a '17 brz with tomei headers and tune, which i miss. I plan on waiting until next summer to see if a '22 PP becomes available. I'd gladly elaborate on what nags me about the nd2 vs brz if you'd like

I completely agree, but if you've seen his follow up videos as of late i think he became a little self aware of his own undoing of his 86. He's acknowledged his previous mistakes with his s2000 and had a more well rounded opinion of the brz in his s2000 vs 86 vs nd2 video

A picture is worth a thousand words
https://www.instagram.com/p/CSp1Dk-nLsi/

The Straight Pipes were clearly loving the car

NA first drive days for GR86 first week of August
 

As a three time Miata owner (one of which being a ND RF) I’d be interested in hearing why you hate the ND2 coming from a BRZ. I’ve never even driven one of the twins, but am pretty interested in the GR86.

Also agree on Mark’s latest video featuring the 86. Didn’t sound like he was bashing the platform at all to me.


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True enough, but these guys tend to be cheerleaders for whatever car they are in atm, at least based on my partial sampling of their reviews.

Thanks, I'd love to get your take. Test drives of the ND1 left me with 2 negatives, wind noise top up on the highway (even with the RF), and the unappealing engine/exhaust sound.

I feel like the world needs more of this. If we all got back to enjoying cars instead of finding a million ways to tear them down, we'd all have a lot more fun. ND? FUN. Gen2 BRZ? FUN. Nissan 400Z? Probably going to be FUN. Mustang, Camaro, etc... All FUN.

They did legitimately like the first gen though, I think they reviewed all the special editions of the 17+ BRZ lol.
I think Savagegeese liked the 86 with all the 17+ tweaks but definately did not like the engine. It seems like he'd never modify one again.

Let's hear about the ND.

That one SavageGeese guy in particular is kind of a moron... Speaks with absolute authority about how the 1st-gen NEEDS and oil cooler to be tracked, which it doesn't... He installs cooler in his car, but then oil never gets remotely warm in the winter. De-installs it for cold months, re-installs for track season and now it leaks. Kinda laughable but of course he takes it personally and holds it against the car.
In s2k vs ND miata vs 86 video he makes a big deal about non-adjustable strut front suspension when simple camber bolts and offset top mounts will get you as much or more camber as S2000 and ND anyway. Which it does need for trackwork, but it's not as big a deal as he makes it out to be. Then the engine, he says "it doesn't like to rev, doesn't feel free to rev *like the Miata [ND2]". This is objectively wrong. Either FA20, particularly '17+, likes to rev more than the ND2 Miata which has torque falling off above 5000, while '13-'16 FA20 torque is remarkably flat up to 6500 and the '17+ FA20 builds more torque with revs up to that rpm. Which is why both FA20s make quite a bit more peak power vs. ND2, the FA20 breathes better at high rpm.

Anyway, we'll see what he has to say I guess but I do not rate him as a useful source of good info...

A good reviewer should be able to point out a car's flaws and compromises without being a Debbie Downer. A "reviewer" who never discusses these is no longer a reviewer but an influencer, a virtual extension of the manufacturer's marketing department, and loses any real credibility in my eyes. Who could give much credence to a review of say any current Camaro that did not point out its external visibility issues?

That said, obviously context matters. In a comparative review of performance cars driven on track I'd let that one slide. But first drives of a new vehicle need to take as broad a view as possible to be really useful.

I believe there will be good reviews from journalists but also better reviews from past owners who have modded/lived and have tried the 2nd gen.

There are some who will note the various differences and be able to pinpoint the finer details in the handling/chassis changes.

One thing in Savagegeese's favour is that he appears willing to revise his opinion in the face of new evidence and experience. He recently reviewed a C8 convertible and had a far less critical take on it than he had on his first drive of the C8 coupe. He looks at this apparent contradiction head-on rather than ignoring it, frankly discussing the differences, and tries to find a plausible explanation as to why he found the two to drive so differently.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=16LK_XlqNZw

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aGe5Yz5V-Xs

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JHO5EHFQxN8

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QaR843im04A

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wbmvq0xhIjU

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eUoVCgD1aOU

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t2xhOTFc2jg

Throttle House at ~10:37

"The breakaway characteristics are not quite what I remember them to be"

"I ended up in a four wheel slide almost off the track. Don't really know why or what's going on there."

Damn. Maybe that's the suspension differences we were seeing in the Japanese reviews? I am curious what they will find in the BRZ review.

i would like to hear randy pobst's opinion on the car's on-track characteristics than some of these amateur drivers.

I really think it's just the stickier stock tires. He's the only one to mention this in everything I have watched so far.

Boy they delivered!

https://youtu.be/QaR843im04A

lol carlos lago made it seem like being told not to drift (after he was caught drifting) was a big deal. wonder if that skewed his opinion about the car a little.