NoOp's Test Drives

Here are some notes from test drives I did during the holidays. Enjoy, or = scorn.

Test drive #1: An all-black, and with what looked like a fine blue metallic= , Scion FR-S/6-speed auto w/paddle shifters. First, let me say thank you T= oyota for NOT festooning the FR-S with all sorts of skirts, slats, spoilers= or using ridiculous overwrought design elements to play homage to the 90= =92s Fast n=92 Furious boy-racer street machines. Nope, instead they very = wisely built what I think is a modern classic =96 a nicely proportioned bod= y with purposeful flowing lines. I especially liked the scalloped lines al= ong the front fender that runs along the top of the door. Even better, it = is a design that really does not look like anything else past, or present. = Overall appearance, inside and out, outstanding =3D A+. Behind the wheel, = you immediately notice that this car sits very low. The steering ratio is = tight and has nice feel and balance. The brakes work well and also provide= nice feel. As for engine power =96 I say it is perfect. The engine provi= des good torque during tip-in and pulls strongly to redline without soundin= g strained. While some would argue it needs another fifty horsepower, I sa= y the current power output matches the car=92s fun-to-drive, toss-able chas= sis. Demerits =96 get rid of the paddle shifters, they=92re worthless. No= t to say they don=92t operate correctly, but their function is better serve= d with the right hand and auto shifter handle on the console. In summary, = in a few years when these things start hitting the used car market, the arg= ument to buy a Civic and soup it up is going to be snuffed out. In other w= ords, Honda, you need to build a competitor quick or your street cred is go= ing to go down the crapper. =20

Test drive #2: Scion IQ. In my opinion, the best looking micro-car on the = planet. Kudos to the team that was able to make it look so good with so li= ttle body-panel real estate to work with. Too bad that good design taste = did not extend to the interior. The =93eyebrow=94 over the gauge cluster l= ooked like a =93jazz-it-up=94 attempt, and the height of the center stack l= ooked like there was a mix up in numbers between the designers and manufact= uring =96 the result the top of the center stack oddly sits about half-inch= taller than the top of the dash leaving a weird-looking gap. Other than t= hese two misses the rest of the interior is good, except for the driver=92s= seat. During the test drive it felt like I was sitting on a bar stool wit= h a rounded-off top, that over time, with enough road vibrations, you could= find your butt vibrated over to sitting on the center console -- needless = to say, in a word =96 awful. The last miss: A shifter handle knob that was= loose and did not have an easy way to tighten it up, which these little th= ings are a shame because the little IQ is fun to drive. It has surprisingl= y good power. I expected riding lawnmower acceleration, and to find [pedal= ] bike riders tailgating and passing me. But, instead, it is a zippy littl= e car that is light on its feet. Fun fact: Park it in a parking lot parki= ng space, turn the wheel all the way to the left/right, put it in drive and= it will circle within two and half parking spaces and you will end up righ= t back exactly where you started. Amazing! Pick up the pace and allow it = to circle a few times and you find yourself dizzier than a kid running arou= nd, swinging on a pole. In summary for the IQ, put some FR-S seats in this= thing and I would not have any issue with using it for a daily runabout.

Test drive #3. A black VW Turbo Beetle with an auto. Some may think this = car=92s big multi-spoke wheels make it look like more Porsche-like. I have= mixed feeling with that idea. Yea, maybe, but I would prefer to go the fu= ll retro and swap the turbo wheels for a set of the =93hub cap=94 wheels. = I liked everything inside except for the rear seat. The seat is very uprig= ht and has no rake adjustment. If you want to punish someone, throw them b= ack there for a cross-country tour =96 they=92ll be screaming in agony befo= re you hit the first state line. Driving the turbo =91Dub was fun =96 the = steering is quick, the ride is composed and it is pretty quick -- quicker t= han you=92d think. Step on it, and you=92re snapping shifts off at a good = clip. Of all the cars we test drove, it was one of my son=92s favorites. = I thought it was a little tippy feeling, but had to admit I was surprised a= t how good the new Bug is. =20

Test drive #4. A white VW GTI auto. I like the looks of these little boxe= s =96 practicality with an attitude, is what I say. The black grill with t= he red outline looked great. The plaid seats inside, I could live with; my= son thought it looked dorky. This car to me was everything the turbo Dub = was and more. My son wasn=92t as impressed and would have opted for the Be= etle. What can I say, kids. =20

Test drive #5. A white WRX hatch with a 6-speed manual. This was the seco= nd time I have driven a newer WRX. And each time I come back with the same= comparison. This car feels like a 5-liter late-80=92s Mustang, but with A= WD. The thin doors, and the feel of the shifter and steering =96 it=92s un= canny. And for some reason, even the power delivery. I can=92t explain it= . Someone else please go drive one and tell me I=92m not crazy. This =93f= eel=94 is odd for this car though. For all its import street cred, it does= not feel high-tech to the senses =96 at all! No wonder many muscle car gu= ys like/own one of these. =20

Test drive #6: A black, bass-ass, 392 SRT Challenger with a 6-speed auto. = Standing behind it at startup sounded like two little firecrackers went off= inside the exhaust tips, and the throbbing exhaust note that follows is si= mply intoxicating. Inside the bruiser is remarkable quiet, until you drop = the hammer. The guttural sounds that fill the interior are more intimidati= ng than those made by an adult lion or grizzly bear. As for acceleration, = I have not been pressed into the seat like that since a ride, years ago, in= a 502 big-block equipped Malibu. If I owned one of these cars, three thing= s would happen. 1. Single-digit fuel economy. 2. The navigation system wou= ld be programed for the nearest drag strip and Woodward Avenue. 3. I would= be late for work, every day =96 either because I took the long way, or bec= ause I was pulled over again. This car is what people remember the 60=92s = muscle cars as being like, except they=92re wrong. This car is better in e= very way. (Note: The Challenger felt much smaller than during my first tes= t drive a couple years ago.) = =20

Test drive #7. A black Hyundai Veloster, non-turbo auto. If you want an ec= onomy car that looks sporty, this one is for you. My son thought its ride = and steering felt good, I thought it felt artificial. For me it was the se= cond Hyundai I=92ve driven recently that did not impress me, at all.=20

Test drive #8. The biggest surprise and the best ride of the day -- a magm= a red, Nissan 370Z with paddles. To be honest, this has been a take-it-or-= leave-it car for me. I always thought the styling was interesting, but not= great, and the reviews I=92ve read never had me wanting to test drive one.= But this car, in the magma red and with the sport package was stunning. = Whoever the designer was who picked this color should be promoted; it looks= fabulous on this car. As for the dynamics, this car is spot-on. It has a= nice buttoned-down ride and a rather tame in power delivery, until you ham= mer it. Then it feels like the whole car is one solid piece of metal in th= e form of a rocket. You don=92t feel any rearing back, no pause, and the r= ear-end stays planted. Just stay on it and click off shifts in machine gun= fashion. This is how high-tech is done! Guys who like sport bikes would h= ave to love driving this car. And if I could have purchased the car, I wou= ld have =96 in a second. I left it wondering why this car does sell in dro= ves, it is that good. =20

Test drive #9. A used (17K miles) Mazda Miata with a 6-speed. My first ti= me ever driving a Miata! This one had some mechanical issues =96 the front= end tire thump, and squeaky clutch cable. Overall, it felt sort of like t= he WRX, but obviously with much less power. I could quickly feel how peop= le become very passionate about them =96 it felt like slipping on an old pa= ir of jeans, or like you=92ve driven the car before. It instantly feels co= mfortable, and once you=92re rowing through the gears you feel like you=92v= e stolen a classic car out of someone=92s garage. Very cool! I get Miatas= now.

Patrick

Reply to
patrick.mckenzie84
Loading thread data ...

MotorsForum website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here. All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.