Personal Picks: Sporty and muscle cars part 3
Here, we continue the staff's personal insights into the October-issue sporty car test group that included the Chevrolet Camaro, Dodge Challenger, Ford Mustang, Hyundai Genesis Coupe, Subaru WRX, and Nissan 370Z. (Links go to model overview pages where online subscribers can find the full road tests, specs, Ratings, and videos.)
In our first and second installments, we shared picks from the automotive engineers. Here, we continue the series with perspectives from two automotive editors.
Jeff Bartlett: Muscle cars have always been my genre. From an early age, I dreamed of the 1960s legends being reborn with modern performance, comfort, and safety. It has taken decades, but my wish is fulfilled… arguably too late. The 1990s were my personal muscle car years, having owned American iron when gas was cheap and written about them for numerous publications. Now, in the 21st century, these politically incorrect beasts feel out of place. The Camaro was always the car I most craved, combining a first-gen silhouette and modern accoutrements, but it became the vehicle that most disappointed me in this group. The chopped-top styling from the concept car has made this large coupe claustrophobic with limited visibility. The back seat, true to tradition, is worthless. And the trunk is about as useful as a back pocket. On the track, it is an undeniable hoot. But it isn’t quite my wish fulfilled. The Challenger is truer to the original, though its wide track and boulevard suspension limit the pure driving pleasure I seek. Among the domestic vehicles here, the Mustang does hit the mark for my tastes, with its recent refinements making it truly more appealing than last year’s model. My personal gripes are the limited right-knee room for the driver and the softened rear styling.
The Asian cars were all enjoyable. The Z is a pure driver’s car—perfect for weekends. The Genesis proved to be a great balance of power, dynamics, interior packaging, and fuel economy in my driving. It even rings in at an attainable price. I do wish ours was the available hatchback body style for greater versatility. In the end, the WRX is the “practical” choice for a year-round enthusiast car in the snow belt, especially for those with family or passenger needs. Snow aside, it would be the Mustang for me, with the GT500 being my new dream machine.
Eric Evarts: Apparently the muscle cars’ first heyday flew right by me. As a young kid, the oil embargo was in full swing. And it was already clear that muscle cars were impractical and had a ridiculous ratio of power to handling and stopping ability. They were also terribly space-inefficient, with bloated sheet metal and cramped interiors.
By the time I was coming of age, NASCAR stockers barely resembled cars in the showrooms, the second gas crunch was ending, Audi introduced a technical tour-de-force in the original Quattro, and all-conquering Group B cars began dominating world rally racing, with much greater turbocharged efficiency than traditional muscle cars.
So when it came to this month’s cars, I was naturally drawn to the Subaru WRX, with its all-wheel-drive, powerful turbocharged four-cylinder engine, and World Rally Championship heritage. On top of that, its four-door practicality, roomy back seat, acceptable fuel economy, decent ride, and sticky handling made it fun to drive and easy to live with. I think it’s vastly more refined than the last-generation WRX, and the handling is much more enjoyable than last year’s WRX. Certainly, today’s muscle cars are vastly improved, and I enjoyed the Mustang and even the rumble of the Challenger. But this WRX hit all the right notes for me.
In our first and second installments, we shared picks from the automotive engineers. Here, we continue the series with perspectives from two automotive editors.
Jeff Bartlett: Muscle cars have always been my genre. From an early age, I dreamed of the 1960s legends being reborn with modern performance, comfort, and safety. It has taken decades, but my wish is fulfilled… arguably too late. The 1990s were my personal muscle car years, having owned American iron when gas was cheap and written about them for numerous publications. Now, in the 21st century, these politically incorrect beasts feel out of place. The Camaro was always the car I most craved, combining a first-gen silhouette and modern accoutrements, but it became the vehicle that most disappointed me in this group. The chopped-top styling from the concept car has made this large coupe claustrophobic with limited visibility. The back seat, true to tradition, is worthless. And the trunk is about as useful as a back pocket. On the track, it is an undeniable hoot. But it isn’t quite my wish fulfilled. The Challenger is truer to the original, though its wide track and boulevard suspension limit the pure driving pleasure I seek. Among the domestic vehicles here, the Mustang does hit the mark for my tastes, with its recent refinements making it truly more appealing than last year’s model. My personal gripes are the limited right-knee room for the driver and the softened rear styling.
The Asian cars were all enjoyable. The Z is a pure driver’s car—perfect for weekends. The Genesis proved to be a great balance of power, dynamics, interior packaging, and fuel economy in my driving. It even rings in at an attainable price. I do wish ours was the available hatchback body style for greater versatility. In the end, the WRX is the “practical” choice for a year-round enthusiast car in the snow belt, especially for those with family or passenger needs. Snow aside, it would be the Mustang for me, with the GT500 being my new dream machine.
Eric Evarts: Apparently the muscle cars’ first heyday flew right by me. As a young kid, the oil embargo was in full swing. And it was already clear that muscle cars were impractical and had a ridiculous ratio of power to handling and stopping ability. They were also terribly space-inefficient, with bloated sheet metal and cramped interiors.
By the time I was coming of age, NASCAR stockers barely resembled cars in the showrooms, the second gas crunch was ending, Audi introduced a technical tour-de-force in the original Quattro, and all-conquering Group B cars began dominating world rally racing, with much greater turbocharged efficiency than traditional muscle cars.
So when it came to this month’s cars, I was naturally drawn to the Subaru WRX, with its all-wheel-drive, powerful turbocharged four-cylinder engine, and World Rally Championship heritage. On top of that, its four-door practicality, roomy back seat, acceptable fuel economy, decent ride, and sticky handling made it fun to drive and easy to live with. I think it’s vastly more refined than the last-generation WRX, and the handling is much more enjoyable than last year’s WRX. Certainly, today’s muscle cars are vastly improved, and I enjoyed the Mustang and even the rumble of the Challenger. But this WRX hit all the right notes for me.
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Posted by: david | Sep 24, 2009 4:43:32 PM
I agree with CR's staff that WRX will be the most practical choice. However, it is on the top ten most expense car insurance list. I'll take a base strip version MY2010 Corvette (side airbag standard starting MY2010 on all models) or a Mazdaspeed 3.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970204488304574429222766313620.html