Not easy finding light RWD cars.. I got creative.. :)
For some reason I consider the Caterham a useable road car. Ariel Atom, KTM X-box, Radicals are all just track toys in my head tough.
[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wYyPicy7Bhs"]Caterham Supersport snow road trip " EVO diaries" - YouTube[/ame]

^ See, all season road car! :D

And, maybe with efficient award winning 1l Ford ecoboost engine as an option in the future...
http://db2.stb.s-msn.com/i/E1/A21AB9...833A87559A.jpg
Who said fuel efficient cars were boring and slow...

You are right about the Tesla Roadster. It seems to be out of production. I assumed it was still in production since I recently saw new 2012 models for sale..

I forgot to mention Lotus Exige btw...

I checked some vehicle registration register. Latest 1-series with 1.6 turbo seem to be about 60kg heavier than the 86. Which you would assume considering its size and difference in interior.

We in the frigid north traditionally got the shaft when it comes to car pricing (or pricing for anything but plaid dress shirts and maple syrup, really).

That being said, how much would $24k 2002-2006 dollars be worth today?
I imagine that inflation still pumps it up quite a bit.

The CIVIC SI right now is the same price as the FR-S. The US's SI's are a few thousands less...and we have 13% sales taxes here too :mad0260:

I keep repeating the FR-S is a deal over here, because I've seen the Celica GT-S and RSX type-S being sold for 32 000 $+. The FR-S is just around 26 000$

This is a dramatic overstatement. The guys with the V8 Miatas have been debunking this myth for years. An aluminum LSx motor with manual tranny adds MAYBE 70 pounds onto this car. Sure, the COG is raised a few millimeters, but you really should take a look at side profile of the LS motor the guys at weapons grade are putting into it. With the majority of the mass in the block and tranny, looks pretty freakin low to me.

-Acree

When I first heard this motor made Ward's I was a little on the fence too, because I thought to myself, "does it really deserve it?" But then I started thinking about it a little bit more.

1. Horsepower - From the get-go I always thought this car should have had a bit more power. But 100hp/l is nothing to sneeze at. Of all the naturally aspirated cars I have owned, this one makes the most HP/L, with my Integra GSR coming in at a close second with 94. All my other cars with better numbers were turbo...

2. Torque - It's so easy to focus on that torque dip that you forget how much torque this thing makes below and above that dip. It's a phenomenal amount of torque for a small, naturally aspirated motor. The above mentioned GSR made almost ZERO torque until 6500RPM, and even then it wasn't a ton.

3. Mileage - I was disappointed with the EPA released numbers for this car, especially considering it is direct-injected. But my real-world mileage has been fantastic. I average 29MPG in mixed driving, and I have a heavy foot. None of my turbo cars came close to this figure (except my diesel lol), and only my wife's CX-5 with its SkyActiv motor bests it. That GSR being used for comparison above only averaged 22. That's quite a big difference.

4. Sound...no, it doesn't sound amazing, but it doesn't sound terrible either. when you rev it to redline it screams pretty well. All that direct-injection crap sounds pretty lame, but it does on all DI cars.

5. Bonus. There are a few bonus points I'd give this motor. Being a boxer is a unique touch. That it allows for it to be mounted really low is pretty cool too. Direct injection is worth noting, especially twin injection.

So there you have it. I guess I can see why it deserves an award.

Relax, don't blow up your mind.... I was not in anyway complaining. I was instead making a comment about how one would have to drive to get boring mpg such as 39mpg. I have NO issue with my mpg; instead, I'm enjoying the way my car was intended to be driven! If I had bought a car for its mpg, I would have bought a prius AND been bored to tears!!

My thoughts exactly

while i totally agree with you on that fact. the old miatas have steel blocks and that is the reason why the weight gains are minimal. in fact, most of the excess weight comes from the rear end, brakes, axles etc and not the motor itself. it is true that the lsx is a crazy compact beast motor that really cant be beat.
i fail to see why hp/liter is important at all. for starters, displacement is a totally meaningless gauge of motor. i think the metrics should be hp per cost, size of motor or maybe weight.

I drive a 2005 Echo Hatchback (the Canadian only import of the Toyota Vitz) - I drive spirited, I get 6.5L/100km (~36 MPG). I drive like an angel, I get 5.5L/100km (~42.7 MPG) - that's a massive difference.

My old MKI MR2 got roughly 6L/100km (~39 MPG) when driving like an angel and when I floored that good ol' 4AGE, I got roughly 10L/100km (~23.5 MPG) - I literally could see the fuel gauge drop for hard driving.

Compared to those two, my former IS300 got on GOOD days, 10L/100km (~23.5 MPG) and on bad days I would be hitting close to 12.5L/100km (18.8 MPG) and all on premium!!! Not worth the gas money for the 'fun' of it so I dumped it and got a Vitz instead while counting down when I can buy one of the Toybaru twins.

buddy, you missing one keyfact, this engine was intended to be like that, even Tada San said it..it is intended to be good at stock, but for the people who like more HUMP of it, there is an option to do it.

This is the only engine from the last 3 years i would say, which gives you the freedom without destroying the reliability with easy modification. This thing is like Lego...

First post--and you resurrect a thread that is over 2 years since its last post...well done, sir!

http://media0.giphy.com/media/gRxjhVNfFgqI0/giphy.gif

To be on topic, however, the engine has had its issues (spun bearings, injector blowout, cam position problems), and its interesting to see the opinions of when it just came out .

To argue with a guy who hasn't been here since July 2013!
I guess it means a sure win.

FA20 Engine Wins Ward's 10 Best Engines of 2013
 

Looking back its funny, but I guess the fact it's only on the top ten for a year speaks for itself well. Really good engines usually stay on it for several years.....

The list posted was only for new and innovative engines. No longer new after first year.