I admit to hating on Acura in recent years, and not because of FWD, lack of a V8, and no manual transmission. No, it was the wretched styling, miserable dual LCD interiors, underwhelming small-car option (ILX), and the complete lack of a turbocharged option. Even Lexus had finally adopted it. Yes, there was the…
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That is definitely weird, but I’m going to venture a guess that the all-wheel steering and/or SH-AWD system cut into rear passenger space.
Sort of larger? The TLX has a shorter wheelbase—almost 3 inches—and is slightly lighter. It’s closer to a 3-series than the 5-series for sure. I’d call it a ‘tweener. The FWD layout means it has a spacious front row but the short wheelbase means a tighter back row.
Right, and the Stinger and G70 have cheaper MacPherson front suspension and only the G70 gets an LSD if you opt for AWD. Is that proper sports sedan or cruder?
Good pull. I immediately thought of the Hyena when I saw the Super Gnat concept. The Alfa SZ kind of has a similar look, except without the rounded rear.
I grew up with these early Camrys and found them to be as dull as dishwater. They were a great improvement on the penalty box Tercels and Corollas and are interesting primarily because they were manufactured to such high standards, especially compared to other cars at the time.
I always thought of the V20 was a much bigger, different car than the V10, but in fact it’s very similar: same width, same wheelbase, even the same rear quarter-glass. It’s a V10 with new styling. The liftback gave way to the wagon, so in some sense it’s a bigger car.
Good call, I had totally forgotten about that one. There’s not a lot of info out there about how many were built and whether it actually worked well, but it was a narrow engine, maybe 18 degrees. It may have inspired Vincenzo Lancia because his first V4 was constructed in a very similar way. Various sources claim it’s…
That’s great. I love a lot of cars that don’t get much love in general, much less than the Fiero.
That’s pretty spot on. I remember when Merc changed its nomenclature from say, 300E to E300. It annoyed me for a long time.
Well done. I also take issue with the notion that the Fiero is “beloved” and has overwhelming “charm”. Those who remember when these were new knows better. And, of course, we later learned that not even the company that made it liked the thing.
The MR2 was absolutely superior to the early Fieros in almost every way except torque. V6 Fieros tend to be more relaxed highway companions than the higher-strung MR2.
Yep, and the fiberglass unibody was mounted on a steel Lotus backbone chassis.
That looks like a “perimeter frame” to me. It was popularized after WWII in the U.S. by Hudson, which made a lot of the fact that one “stepped down” into a Hudson. The lower center of gravity also helped the Hornet win a LOT of stock car races.
You’re definitely right about that. Porsche seems intent on pushing customers down the turbo path. I gather that two more 911 Turbo models will appear in the near future: a hybrid with big power and a back-to-basics stripped-down model that may appeal to those pining for the old 930.
I realize you are probably joking about the 4.2, but sadly I think 4 liters is the displacement for the current engine design. It’s been at maximum bore for a while already, and now it can’t be stroked any further. There’s some tweaks that could bring it closer to the ~550 hp of the race motor.
The cargo space ratings are almost the same between a Macan and Golf. The big problem with the Macan is the rear seat. It’s very cramped. The Golf’s is much better.
The Macan feels a lot more like a luxury sedan than the Golf does. It’s subjective, but I think the ride is better over bad pavement, even with the big Porsche wheels. And the Macan is surprisingly agile.
Yeah, I thought those were odd comparisons, too. The RS Q8 is $30K more, 1,000lbs heavier, and has plenty of direct competition—X6M, Cayenne Coupe, GLE AMG coupe. At $200K, the Urus is in a slightly, um, different class.