I think the Caymen IS probably the hole in the lineup. It is becoming the Porsche Purist sports car.

This is another example of a car whose body panels were designed around 22" wheels in concept, and they didn’t change the proportions for the final 16 or 17" wheels.  Mitsubishi used to be famous for this.

Wow, Jason’s photo looked like an exotic sports sedan, but in reality it is a 107 hp Russion economy car.   Amazing!

While I have not driven a model 3, I have heard great things from people that do.   

Nope. Base 911 only comes with PDK with no manual option. You have to upgrade to the Carrera S for an extra $17k to be able to option it with a manual.

Pretty much all Honda and VW did in the early 80's was stick a hotter engine in their regular economy car.... just like Mazda did here. There were no performance oriented buts in the now iconic MK1 Honda Civic Si that I drove in college beyond the slightly hotter engine.  It had 13" wheels with skinny tires and…

I liked the stock burble on startup when I had an MK7 GTI. Just enough to sound a little different than regular economy cars. My BMW is a bit more muted. I agree on crackle tunes.... and most aftermarket exhausts that try to “enhance” turbo 4's end up adding highway drone sounds.

I thought that when I owned an MK7 GTI.   Was a brilliant transmission during hard driving.... not so much in traffic.  Now I have a BMW wagon with a ZF 8HP transmission.... with a torque converter.... and it is amazing.   In sport mode it nearly matches the DSG in it’s directness, and in comfort mode it is great in…

I owned an 85 Civic Si 25 years ago... one of the original “Hot Hatches”, so I get it. There is just nothing that meets that definition on the market today. Today’s “Hot Hatches” are different, just like today’s Sports Cars and wagons are different.

I get it and totally agree that power isn’t everything, but a manual transmission does not necessarily prevent a car from having a fun driving experience. Sure the slush box in a Camry or the CVT in an Altima really detract from the experience, but the 8 Speed in my BMW wagon or the DCT in a GTI are a different…

Lots of blue collar folks spend $50-$70k on loaded Tahoe’s so they can pull their boats to the lake. Honda minivans can be optioned deep into the $50k range.  For what you get with the Kia, $40k doesn’t seem so bad.

I know that people love to be gatekeepers with respect to manual transmissions, but how long can we keep making this argument when the base 911, Corvette, etc are no longer offered with a manual. Should hot hatches really be held to a higher standard than true sports cars?  A manual enhances certain experiences but…

There just isn’t a good way to get the combination of low price, flat beefy torque curve and high EPA rated mileage any other way. These modern turbo 4’s are great to drive, the only downside is the sound. 21 years ago I bought a new Integra GS-R and loved the sound and feel of that car.... the last two cars I have…

Raw power numbers aren’t everything. Transmission tuning, suspension tuning, available transmissions, etc... all play into it.

The actual wheel HP is similar thanks to the Germans severely underrating their HP numbers.   Dyno numbers and acceleration are similar.  

Yes.  The comfort, maturity and high class interior of the Mazda with the Turbo AWD power of the RS. 

In his defense, we don’t all live and breath the subtle nuances of NYC.   It is a big country.   I have traveled a lot and never heard of said neighborhood in Brooklyn.   I’m guessing you probably aren’t familiar with the Butler Tarkington neighborhood where I live?

It is an electronic switch.  It makes zero sense to take up so much space with it.... for nostalgia sake.  

Yep. Lots of yelling at clouds here. In my BMW i can control most things I need too on the fly with steering wheel controls. Things like climate control I typically set before I head off.

RWD based handling dynamics are not what 3 row family hauler buyers are looking for or care about. They want the rugged look and comfort/space. Also, car based suv’s tend to ride smoother than truck based.