Quote:
Originally Posted by Detoxing
Kinda figured that what you really meant was, "Why don't American manufactures use European philosophies" but didn't want to assume.
What you're really asking is, "why don't more American companies use V6 or Turbo 4-bangers in their sports cars?"
Porsche Caymans don't have backseats. It's a Roadster, not a Coupe.
BMW 4-Series coupes come in 2.0 4-Cyl and 3.0 V6 Configurations.
If you want an small-motor, light weight car that you can throw around corners, Ford addressed that with the 4cyl Turbo Mustang.
Your complaint isn't that Americans don't make awesome sport-coupes. Your complaint is that they don't put high performance, small displacement motors in their sports cars.
Their small displacement variants are treated more as economy cars to help with EPA issues.
Your BMW 4-series Coupe offers a 300HP V6 as its top engine choice, meanwhile, that's the economy version of a Mustang, Camaro or Challenger.
|
Hey now, I wasn't complaining at all. I was posing a kind of hypothetical question.
And I don't need a 4 or 6 cylinder engine. IIRC BMW makes an 8-cylinder that makes plenty of HP. I want as powerful an engine as possible that doesn't get so heavy that it induces terminal understeer or moves the cG too far forward. The last thing I care about is MPG. Powerful, responsive, lightweight so i can carve turns without feeling like I'm going to slide right off a cliff. Something i can drive quickly and have some fun, but I don't need to be an actual racecar driver to enjoy. And relatively inexpensive, say under $50,000.
Here's my main issues with the Camaro, Mustang and Challenger cars: One, they look too much like Transformer cars for my taste; I want something a little more subtle as i pass 50 years old. Two, the interiors look kind of cheap for all the money you're shelling out. For $50,000 give or take I want to be impressed by the quality of interior fit and finish, just a little. Three, the driving/handling experience could be better for the money.
I'll give a short example: The BMW 240i doesn't have the biggest or most powerful engine, but it makes plenty of hp and torque; enough to propel the thing from 0-60 in under 5 seconds. Which is nice, but what you really notice when you drive the thing up through some twisty mountain roads is just how nimble and precise it is in the corners, and how predictable. It communicates what's happening so well that you almost think you could drive the thing blindfolded through those twists and turns.
Now, is the 240i probably a great track car? Probably not as good as a ZL1/LE1 or whatever, but I'm not going to drive the thing on the Ring either. I'm going to drive it on the way home from work, where every once in a while I might want to let 'er out a little, or take it up on the weekend for some mountain roads here in AZ, CO, UT, or NM. See where I'm coming from?
Anyway, I've been looking around the interwebs a little lately just for goofs and I noticed a real lack of American sports coupes, so I thought it might be fun to talk about it.