Quote:
Originally Posted by Deslock
Watching the GC video that you posted, it's clear that (as expected) the GC has plenty of power to swing the back end around, and it does it reasonably gracefully for some of the drifts. But for others it's unsettled as the car plows and shifts its heft somewhat inelegantly. That's not a criticism of the GC... just an observation that the car appears to behave exactly as one would expect, given its size and weight.
Having written that, it's also true that you're not going to be able drift a stock FT86 as easily as on a dry track as they were on that wet track a couple months back, and in the dry it's not going to be as smooth. Still it looks to have more poise than the GC (again, as expected).
Also noteworthy is that though it's common to associate drifting with long slides maintained by gobs of power (especially in motorsports), there are many other types of drifts.
BTW, thanks for posting that GC video. |
I agree that the new GC will most likely not be as elegant handling wise as the FR-S, considering it is often compared to the Mustang, Challenger and Camaro. Drifting is a take it or leave it sport, and sometimes I even question myself about why I think that it's cool - But for whatever reason, I do think it's pretty neat. However the FR-S has been marketed as a drifting machine, when I have seen very little to no proof that it will be a strong competitor out of the box in comparison to other stock cars. Drifting has many styles and techniques, but small little chirps of tires coming from a car trying to get sideways is most likely an indication that this car won't be a great drift car without some serious $.
I think the FR-S is a cool car (however we do not yet know the price), but I can't say that (in a way) it comes off as false advertisement - leading everyone to believe that this car is a drifting machine. It doesn't have the power, and it will most likely require a completely different engine to be able to produce that kind of power in order to make it truly drift on dry pavement.
To push this thread a little further, at this point in time I feel as though if the FR-S comes to us at $20k -
WOW, awesome! Absolutely no complaints - Fun great little sports car for the price and I will probably get one. But if it comes in closer to $26k this car will be pushing GC V6 territory, which is why some of us might end up going with the GC. And if the V6 GC (or even 2.0T) starts making some better numbers both in price and in lap times than the FR-S, to me I will know which car is the best for me. Even as the huge Toyota fan I am, I will not buy the FR-S as a response to all of the hype when I feel that a better car (for me) might exist.
Many of you may or may not agree with me, but can we at least agree on the fact that the GC will be the FR-S/BRZs main competitor once the RX-8 is gone?
We can probably expect this argument to continue for years until something else comes along.