As my esteemed colleagues have made abundantly clear, the automotive scene in the states today is VASTLY different than what it was five years ago, never mind 20.
Also, Tsume is wrong that the future of performance driving is dead. Wrong wrong wrong....more wrong than Wrong Eddie McWrong.
Different is not necessarily worse, we should note.
Yes, the variety of high displacement v-8's and rear wheel drive cars are limited to almost all but the top of the market segment. However, the future is bright for driving enthusiasts.
Here are some of the brighter points out there for you, for cars that can be had for under $40 grand. Note, some pictures are embiggened. Fair warning.
This little scamp is the new Fiat 500 Abarth, and yes, it looks like the little city runabout that J-Lo was gyrating on a few short weeks ago. This is that car's angry older brother who stays out late and plays guitar for a punk band. Here's the figures: 160 Horsepower, 170 ft/lbs of torque, all in a car a little bigger than the average kitchen table. Available with a manual transmission, this is a dash of Italian adrenaline mixed with No-Doz and washed down a gallon of 5 hour Energy, with seating for 4 adults, 30 mpg on the freeway, and an optional convertible top, this baby should be available for around $20k. Not bad.
Slightly larger, and more capable, is the Mazdaspeed3. Hot hatchbacks provide essential no-downside motoring: they've got enough room for a week's groceries in the back, and are enough fun to go hooning around your local B-roads. This particular example has a turbo-charged 2.3 liter straight 4 that produces 260 horsepower, as near as makes no difference to 270 ftlbs of torque, and will ring the register fully optioned at around $25k out the door. In the spirit of full disclosure, this car is on my personal short-list of cars I would own.
This mad little devil hails from Sweden. Powered by a blown inline five cylinder engine, the Volvo C30 is seriously fast. 0-60 is dealt with in 5 seconds, and, having driven some of the ones in the rental fleet, I would confidently say that, on a mountain road, this baby could take all comers and can be had for around $45k.
Hyundai! While their badge name sounds like something shouted by Tae-Kwon-Do students, this baby arrived on the scene last year and was a roundhouse kick to the world of motoring. With the high end model ringing the registers at $30k, powered by a 300 hp 3.7 liter v-6 engine, this baby poses a serious threat to pony cars everywhere. And, with good visibility fore and aft, an excellent suspension, and available manual gearbox, it can be confidently driven (which is a hugely important factor)
Yes, it's a different motoring world we live in. But, fortunately, Big fun driving is still available for nearly all ages.
Excellent choices on both the Mazda and the Volvo... but I have to say Just no on the hyundai... so many better cars out there.
ReplyDeleteCheck out VW for example:
In most of their cars they have a 2.5L I5 that cranks out about 170hp, which doesn't sound like much until you consider they are all about the same size and weight as the mazda 3, and crank out about 10-20 more ponies SEL Jetta starts around $23k with a base model around $16. or the supped up models which drop you .5 of a litre, but boost you to 200hp (ie the GTI)
Or even better Nissan:
Nissan Maxima base model will run you about $32k new with a 3.5L V6 it will churn out almost 300 hp or if you really want performance the 350Z will roll out 350 hp and cost you about the same. Then there is the 1.6L T4 Juke with AWD, which will run you $21.5k and turn out almost 200 hp, but get you almost 30 mpgs.
If you want to go American there is the Ford Fusion, with alot of the same trim pieces as the ford mustang, and seating for five you have yourself a rather nice sporty, but also practical muscle car replacement for a family car. What with its 3.5L V6 turning 263 hp... not the biggest beast on the block sure... but the handling and the build quality I'm going to bet is leaps and bounds better than that hyundai. And the Ford Focus performance model will be coming out later next year which if you look at the focus already out the specs are already pretty good.
And don't forget Mazda -- you already have The Mazdaspeed 3 listed here, but you are forgetting the standard Mazda 3 has a 2.5L I4, where the speed 3 is a 2.3L T4, the speed3 gives more, but the only real difference is that turbo, pop a turbo on the regular mazda 3, and I'd be willing to bet it would cook almost as well as the volvo c30 at a fraction of the price. The MX-5 (aka Miata) has a 2.0L I4 turning about the same as the mazda 3 at probably about half the weight. With next year's Skyactive technology it is advertized to get almost 40mpg's as well. And who can forget the beautiful RX-8, with its rotary engine, beautiful muscle car design, lightweight build, and incredible agility.
My point was that you can find performance cars no matter where you look. When freaking Hyundai can produce a creditable track car, we are in good shape for choices.
ReplyDeleteAh... good point... wouldn't hold my breath on it being *worth* driving... but point taken, when hyundai can pull a rabbit out of a hat, prospect for other makers must be pretty good...
ReplyDeletePersonally I'm holding out for the v8 version of the chevy cruz... XD
this would be epic!
ReplyDeletehttp://www.autoblog.com/2009/12/03/la-2009-mazdaspeed2-tops-the-fun-per-pound-charts-in-la/
drop a mazda speed3's engine/setup in a mazda 2...
if only they made it real... ^_^