| Oilers99 |
04-28-2012 10:04 PM |
GTI vs MX5 vs GC vs Civic Si
Having preordered an Argento frs mt I decided a bit of test driving was in order. Here are my thoughts on those four test drives, and my hopes for the FRS:
GTI - Beautiful car on the inside. Finishes and equipment looked great and the driver information display was the nicest of the four cars. The seats were comfortable and heated. Headroom and even the backseat were great. The seating position and steering wheel seemed good, with excellent visibility albeit with an elevated seating position. This same seating position felt slightly ponderous on the road, however. Body roll was minimal but the car felt as if it was fighting to stay upright and fighting to stay constant during hard cornering. It went where pointed, with lots of grip and little drama, but still felt strained in doing so, as if I could feel the front tires contact patches struggling moreso than the rears. Still great fun to drive, with smile inducing torque in the midrange and a nimble feel. Felt much faster than an 02 1.8t I previously owned. This car is practical, efficient and powerful. My second favorite car of the group after driving all four.
Civic Si - My current vehicle is a Prelude, and I've had great luck with Hondas in the past. To me, this car lacks the character and feel that have made previous Civic Sis so fun to drive. it does have something previous Hondas have lacked, however, plentiful torque. The power band seems very useable and the engine revs freely with little engine lag, but the Honda character is lost. Revving past 6000 rpm just doesn't bring the same urgency and tone in he engine, as it thrashes it's way to a lower redline that Honda aficionados will be used to. The car handles well, but rolls and tips on its way around corners while delivering little communication via the drivers seat of the pants or steering wheel. To me the car felt like a powerful, well built family sedan with two doors. Give me my old prelude any day. My third favorite of the group.
Genesis coupe - A powerful, attractive car with little communication to the
driver, I felt as if the Genesis coupe was more akin to Mustangs and Camaros than civics or GTIs. It's a fun car to drive, yes, but the limits of the handling were completely foreign to me. I felt as if challenging an off ramp too aggressively would be scary, as the limit of handling would be difficult to anticipate. Power was excellent, and I found myself gunning the accelerator often to feel the seat of the pants feel only torque can bring. The steering wheel was my least favorite, and felt less meaty than any if the thers. The seating position is nice and low, with high side sills but seemingly good visibility. The interior felt excellent to me and attractive, gone are the days of cheap plastic and clicky switches in Hyundai products. The aesthetic appealed to me almost as much as GTI in fact, with nice leather, heated seats, and an attractive center console and radio, hvac controls. Still the car lacked character to me, felt heavy and difficult to wield. The transmission was less smooth than any other vehicle, and shifting just wasn't as fun. Count me out. My least favorite of the group.
MX5 GT- What a fun car. The interior was well laid out, but lacked the class of the GTI. Sliding down the power hardtop, I accelerated out from the dealership with a smile on my face. Sitting low to the ground, I felt connected to the car and the contact patches so much more fully than in the other cars, as the steering wheel, suspension and shifter worked in unison to communicate every nuance in the road. The steering wheel is thick but small, the seats comfortable and the engine note pleasing. Speaking of the engine, this model sported only 168 HP. It was enough. The speed garnered is, to me, so much less important than the communicative feel of the car. I felt the speed so much more fully at 60 kph than I did at 90 in the GC. True, the open air helps this feel, but it's more than that. The car just does a better job of speaking to the driver. Cornering was flat, acceleration brisk out of corners and the shifter was a joy to manipulate. The car felt composed over bumps, while conveying each one in a way that allowed me to feel the stresses acting on he suspension and brakes. It was as if even when pressed hard, the Miata was never stressed or strained. Just so much enjoyment in the drive. This car was the most fun I've had driving in years, and was by far my favorite of the group.
Obviously, I'm hoping the frs is similar to a hard top Miata with slightly more power. If the frs captures the feel and communication that the Mazda offers, while offering superior aesthetics and the benefits of slightly more interior and trunk space, ill be ecstatic, and I'm sure I'm not alone. We've been waiting years for this car. The power, the statistics lack import to me. I hope Toyota got it right. By the sounds of most reviews, I won't be disappointed.
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