Power is relative, and (mostly) over emphasized

[thill]

Originally Posted by Steve201brz

it would be nice to get that little bit extra off the lot, but for what $ your saving on this car, you can invest in some aftermarket and still have a really reasonably priced vehicle.
I understand that not everyone beleives they "should have to put more $ into a 25k car" but cars aren't cheap these days anyway. with some aftermarket you gain that little bit of power. Someone here already said it, you don't need much more power, if any. at the end of the day companies just want more revenue
Hypothetically, if they added more power but increased the price do you think they would have the same amount of sales? IMO, i doubt it. the $25k sticker price is a real selling point for them. the more you put into it the more it costs

I think Subaru and Toyota have a plan that we have seen play out over the years with many cars. By 2015, I suspect we will have seen yearly sales peak, and competition will get better. It would be a good time to release a TRD/STi (whatever you want to call it) car that has more power alongside the base 2.0. It will help generate interest and sales.

I am waiting to see what happens. I was originally thinking aftermarket FI, but after reading through all the FI threads and also becoming more used to the stock power, I am planning on holding off for a few more years to see what Toyota and Subaru release, and if it makes financial sense to upgrade.

[Deep Six]

It all comes down to intended purpose and that varies with every owner. It is a brilliant platform in stock configuration for making the " sports car experience " safely and economically available to the masses. It also has huge performance upside potential that is extremely well covered with the aftermarket. Everyone has differing priorities and most who modify start with power first simply to quench the thirst for raw acceleration. My path targeted as a occasionally daily driven track toy goes: tire.....suspension....brakes.....cooling.....now power. If I feel the need for speed then I simply jump in the 427 vert for some back road cruising which is and will remain completely stock.

[Steve201brz]

Originally Posted by thill

I think Subaru and Toyota have a plan that we have seen play out over the years with many cars. By 2015, I suspect we will have seen yearly sales peak, and competition will get better. It would be a good time to release a TRD/STi (whatever you want to call it) car that has more power alongside the base 2.0. It will help generate interest and sales.

I am waiting to see what happens. I was originally thinking aftermarket FI, but after reading through all the FI threads and also becoming more used to the stock power, I am planning on holding off for a few more years to see what Toyota and Subaru release, and if it makes financial sense to upgrade.

yea my main concern with the refresh was if they infact had bigger displacement, would it be another model type alongside the 2.0 or will it simply replace the current engine. If you have an option of a 2.0 or 2.5 liter 86 thats ok with me (not sure why), but if you'd only be able to get an 86 with a 2.5 liter after the refresh, ill be a little upset

[red_comet]

Originally Posted by Deep Six

It all comes down to intended purpose and that varies with every owner. It is a brilliant platform in stock configuration for making the " sports car experience " safely and economically available to the masses. It also has huge performance upside potential that is extremely well covered with the aftermarket. Everyone has differing priorities and most who modify start with power first simply to quench the thirst for raw acceleration. My path targeted as a occasionally daily driven track toy goes: tire.....suspension....brakes.....cooling.....now power. If I feel the need for speed then I simply jump in the 427 vert for some back road cruising which is and will remain completely stock.

agreed

[ThisIsChrisKim]

The majority of cars on the road are family sedans and compact crossovers. The vast majority of these are equipped with the 4-cylinder engines that make somewhere in the 170HP ballpark and weigh around 3200-3500lbs. So does everyone that drives one of these cars make unsafe passes, too? Our cars are definitely faster than these cars, it's just as fast as a pony car. Nothing else in this price range is really that much faster aside from turbo hot hatches, right? But those have the benefit of being built on existing compact (FWD) platforms.

[sierra]

One of the best things about this car comes from the reports that it's underpowered and can be beaten by most other cars on the road. It means you usually find someone out to make you look silly and without fail, if you decide to prove the point, they have egg on their face.

[WolfpackS2k]

^Good luck proving to that V6 Camry or Ford F150 Ecoboost that you're faster than him. Also don't forget that the F150 is the best selling vehicle in US...so yeah you encounter a lot of them.

Originally Posted by ThisIsChrisKim

The majority of cars on the road are family sedans and compact crossovers. The vast majority of these are equipped with the 4-cylinder engines that make somewhere in the 170HP ballpark and weigh around 3200-3500lbs. So does everyone that drives one of these cars make unsafe passes, too? Our cars are definitely faster than these cars, it's just as fast as a pony car. Nothing else in this price range is really that much faster aside from turbo hot hatches, right? But those have the benefit of being built on existing compact (FWD) platforms.

No, in that case they just don't/can't pass at all. Or get a much bigger head start by anticipating the pass further in advance.

[Sonolin]

Lol, I used to regularly pass in my 120bhp ford escort a few years back.

Its really not that hard... The key is 90% of drivers on the road aren't paying attention and are in their own little land so passing is actually pretty easy in whatever car. Its just *easier* if you have more power. Doesn't mean it can't be done.

[WolfpackS2k]

Well I never really said "can't". More level of difficulty really. And no "sports car" should really even have this issue at all (IMO of course)

Originally Posted by DarkSunrise

I haven't driven the Boss 302, so I can't speak from experience, but having driven the Mustang GT 5.0, I can't imagine any car based on that chassis being the best driver's car under $50k. It's just such a heavy, cumbersome load to drive compared with a Miata or BRZ. But from a performance aspect, what a drool-worthy car

As for the 135i, does the Msport package fix the brutal understeer on that car? If so, I could see an argument there.

To be honest I can't rightly say, as I haven't personally driven either

[Tt3Sheppard]

I think this car has the perfect sized engine for everyday driving. I don't really want to go 80 on the back roads and I dont really care about racing an oversized truck on the highway since I will lose him on the on/off ramps anyways.

On the track unless I'm in it for the money I don't care about 300hp. Keep the momentum up and it feels fast anyways.

[DarkSunrise]

Originally Posted by WolfpackS2k

To be honest I can't rightly say, as I haven't personally driven either

Hahaha. I will admit, I thought about picking up a Boss 302 LS a while back. You know, so I could be the man at my local HPDE.

[WolfpackS2k]

Originally Posted by Tt3Sheppard

I think this car has the perfect sized engine for everyday driving. I don't really want to go 80 on the back roads and I dont really care about racing an oversized truck on the highway since I will lose him on the on/off ramps anyways.

Heaven forbid you actually restrain yourself and keep it under 80 mph!

Nobody is talking about racing an F-150 on a highway. More like stoplight passing to get ahead before a lane merge, etc.

[sierra]

Originally Posted by WolfpackS2k

^Good luck proving to that V6 Camry or Ford F150 Ecoboost that you're faster than him. Also don't forget that the F150 is the best selling vehicle in US...so yeah you encounter a lot of them.

The camry will have a crappy auto and be lost in the bends. The F150 looks like a school bus could take it in the twisties and will also be hampered by an auto that will see the 86 gone while it's still deciding what to do.

[thill]

Originally Posted by WolfpackS2k

^Good luck proving to that V6 Camry or Ford F150 Ecoboost that you're faster than him. Also don't forget that the F150 is the best selling vehicle in US...so yeah you encounter a lot of them.



No, in that case they just don't/can't pass at all. Or get a much bigger head start by anticipating the pass further in advance.

Yeah but how many of those F150's sold actually have the expensive Ecoboost engine (according to Truecar the turbo 6 model starts at $50K) vs the standard V6 or V8? And you seem to insinuate that these vehicles are not trying to let you pass?

Anyway.. It sounds like you just want a car with more power. That can easily be fixed on your current car, or you can go get a Mustang GT and be done with it.