Since when did we get HP crazy……

[wakefreak33]

There has been a lot of great discussion in this thread. However, for me at least, one of the contributing factors for buying an 86 has not been discussed (or if I missed it, has not been discussed much). Looks.

When making a decision on the "sports" car to buy, there are three things I try to balance: handling, power and looks. I grew up building muscle cars with my father, drag racing and riding motorcycles. I have driven many fast vehicles and while sheer acceleration is an incredible feeling, there is so much more to the driving experience. That being said, I live in Dallas where there are not very many canyon roads to carve and 90% of my driving will be spent doing standard, boring urban driving. So I want enough power to have some fun accelerating onto the highway or leaving the red light when the mood strikes. I do not need 1000hp for that to be fun, but my Honda Accord does a better job of that than the BRZ, and that makes me sad.

Handling, I don't think I can add anything to the discussion that has not already been said, the car handles like a dream and that is a blast. Unfortunately for me, I live in the city where I will never be able to enjoy the handling as much as I like.

But onto the point I think has not been addressed, the look of the BRZ. The car is beautiful, plain and simple. To me, there is no car more beautiful anywhere close to this price range or frankly in the under 60k price range. I have refused to buy an Evo or a WRX for years because, to me, they suffer from the same problem as the old grand national, they look like something my grandmother should be driving. They look like a standard grocery getter that someone put a hot motor in as an after thought. Such is not the case with the BRZ. If the BRZ was not the beautiful car it was, I would not buy it knowing I was going to make my warranty questionable in short order to overcome my lack of perceived power, no matter the fact that it is one of the most fun cars to drive. I, and I think many others here based on the number of exterior mods I see made, appreciate this car for more than just its great ability to carve up a corner and love the look of the car. People of all ages don't get excited about this car every time they see it out on the road just because it handles well and is fun to drive.

So for me, I think that needs to be added to the discussion. It has taken me a long time to decide to actually purchase this car because I kept hoping a more powerful version would come out. I would be more than happy to pay more for it. I much prefer to pay more for it to the dealer and keep my warranty rather than do it from aftermarket parts. I do not need 450HP to make the car perfect, but I would love for it to have 250ft/lbs of torque.

I realize this got a bit off topic but the thread seemed to be heading a bit into buying this car for handling and not power and I felt the third part should be discussed. Plus I finally committed to buying the car and felt the urge to put my thoughts onto paper I guess.

[synchromesh]

Grandmother's go through recessions too. 8 year financing and saving on tax is pretty damn good. Yes, you have your muscle car but at one time I drove a CRX with headers and I thought I was pretty fast lol. I thought I was above average in my 123hp 16V Jetta as well.
Edit: Back to the CRX, it was a good time to jump in on that under the Nikkei?

[Kronos]

Originally Posted by Deep Six

It's really a simple one word answer........marketing

Now whether or not this particular platform needs a bump in power can only be answered for yourself and there is no wrong answer!

Simplest most accurate answer I've read yet in my opinion


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[Scenic Driver]

I daily drove a Golf TDI for 3 years (100k miles), drive one of those for a while if you really want to know what it's like to not be able to pass people on the highway.

As for the BRZ, I find it fine for daily use and on the track I really don't care if I can go another 30 mph faster on the straits. I think most average people that want a lot of power cars do it because the only "fun" they have is blasting onto a highway. Personally that does nothing for me.

[synchromesh]

To directly answer the OP: Thinking about this for a while I would have to say overnight the V6 Mustang went from around a 7 second 0-60 car to 5.1. If only the Chinese-sourced transmission was a bit better it would have been a closer call as shift-feel back then sadly enough was probably 20 percent of how I measured the bar on a car.


In 1990, I believe the crash/bumper standards changed so the VW MK2 gained a couple hundred pounds in one year, according to my insurance company.

[airjonny]

Because it's 2014, not 1986.

[midnightfrolic]

IMHO, peeps want more HP because they want. Not a need, unless their job is to go fast in an automobile, like a racer. But honestly, how many are actually racers in the world? I mean those who put on their job application that they are a 'racer'.

We got HP crazy because it's a fad and relatively cheaper than it used to be. Like bluray players. I debated among a few cars, but settled on the FRS because it was fun. I could've gotten a tricked out 370Z or BMW Z4, but settled on fun.

I'll probably get flamed, but oh well, it's the internetz. Goooo Freedom of speech.

[sprintertrueno86]

When nissan advertises their family sedan like this

[ame]http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=zCgibrhQvSw[/ame]

[KenTK808]

I always thought the FRS/BRZ was suppose to have its roots in the 80s corollas. If you drive those, they are pretty slow with the stock 4ac carberated motor. But if you get the gts they come with lsd and they are actually really fun cars that are humbling to drift and take corners in. If you look at the frs as that kind of sports car then it is perfect.

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[Yoniyama]

The AE 86 offered up to 112hp in its final year of production in 1987. 26 years later, when FT-86, the successor of AE86, began production, Toyota did provide more power to accommodate for people's desire (and expectation) . Even with the on-going pony war, a power increase of 79% (while curb weight went up by about 15%) should be more than sufficient.

Indeed, the Toybaru can reach a top speed of 140 mph, I am not sure how many people are dying to drive any faster. (I know, when people complain about a power deficiency, they really mean a torque deficiency.)

But even a mini-van (or a monster SUV) regularly comes with more than 200hp, surely no respectable sports car should have less.

But the Toybaru is not about horsepower. The power hungry should probably look elsewhere. I cannot think of any other automobile (currently in production) that offers similar or more performance for 200hp or under US$30,000.

[autobrz]

The problem with the twins is it's torque to weight ratio. The car is too heavy for its torque output. The miata 2.0 makes less power but the same amount of torque and works so much better for that car because of a much better torque to weight ratio.

The problem with the 86 is it *has* to be reved out in order to accelerate even moderately quickly. I like being able to rev the motor out but it takes away from the enjoyment if it is the only option.

[fumanchu1]

Originally Posted by autobrz

The problem with the twins is it's torque to weight ratio. The car is too heavy for its torque output. The miata 2.0 makes less power but the same amount of torque and works so much better for that car because of a much better torque to weight ratio.

The problem with the 86 is it *has* to be reved out in order to accelerate even moderately quickly. I like being able to rev the motor out but it takes away from the enjoyment if it is the only option.

I know it's close to Halloween and all but did you really need to resurrect this old ass thread?

[chaoskaze]

Originally Posted by autobrz

The problem with the twins is it's torque to weight ratio. The car is too heavy for its torque output. The miata 2.0 makes less power but the same amount of torque and works so much better for that car because of a much better torque to weight ratio.

The problem with the 86 is it *has* to be reved out in order to accelerate even moderately quickly. I like being able to rev the motor out but it takes away from the enjoyment if it is the only option.

^Wrong country for the car, Drive these in asia or on track & it's plenty fast.

There are only few countries in the world where roads are like 90% straight/wide like in the US. But that's why muscle car/truck is a sweet treat in this country.

[KalbiCool88]

I think revving the shit out of our motors is the fun part. Tell this to the honda boys and they'll agree.