Autos again

Lotus elise or exige s - If anyone has driven both a compare and contrast would be nice.

I believe the elise is meant more as a everyday car while the exige is meant more as a track car. Oh btw, there is a new version of the exige coming out with a all carbon bodywork and a 330hp engine. Probably will be a fair bit more expensive though.

Out of your list, as a layman, I'd go for the Porsche. It looks good (well... its still a beetle), it can be easily used everyday and on the track if you want to and it has style.

The main problem I have with the other cars is that they dont look like sportscars. The Nissan and evo are just plain ugly as every other japanese car and a car like the M3 just doesnt look like a sportscar at all.
 
We had the new M3 this week for testing/comparison and it doesn't cut it. More Mercedes like, while our new C63 is more BMW-like. Crazy world, I know. We went into more sporty direction with our new models, very unlike the Mercedes tradition. We just wanted to make a killer and get rid of the "seniors cars" image :) As mentioned, just drive them all and see for yourself.

And our reliability was never better than right now. That is a thing of the past, the new models are much better throughout the portfolio. But I'd recommend the SLK55 instead, much more fun. Although the SLK is only good for rather small people, no comfort or day-to-day use at all, it's just a toy. But it should be below 70k, as well as the C63. And the new C rocks, AMG or other. Nothing like the old Mercs you know.
 
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We had the new M3 this week for testing/comparison and it doesn't cut it. More Mercedes like, while our new C63 is more BMW-like. Crazy world, I know. We went into more sporty direction with our new models, very unlike the Mercedes tradition. We just wanted to make a killer and get rid of the "seniors cars" image :) As mentioned, just drive them all and see for yourself.

And our reliability was never better than right now. That is a thing of the past, the new models are much better throughout the portfolio. But I'd recommend the SLK55 instead, much more fun. Although the SLK is only good for rather small people, no comfort or day-to-day use at all, it's just a toy. But it should be below 70k, as well as the C63. And the new C rocks, AMG or other. Nothing like the old Mercs you know.

Hmm, Im 6'2. Would I fit in an SLK? I fit in a cayman or exige, but just barely.

Also I don't see the plain C on the web site. I do see a CL63... and if you can get me one for 70K american, Ill buy it tomorrow =)

Ill have to google for the C63.

Ok - that C63 is very nice looking. But Alas its a 4 door and not what I want. Well.... I do want it but....<sigh always did want an amg.>

How fast is the shift time on the paddle shifters? I would really like a 6-speed, unless those paddle shifters are racing shift fast.
And did I read that right 0-60 in 4.5 seconds? Oh damn....
<must stay focused on sports car>

So honest opinion SLK55 or C63 or Cayman S? Just about the same price. The C63 is quicker. But hows the handling in comparison?

That Black edition is just beautiful. Maybe later in life.

BTW. Must be a fun job you have!
 
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It is a fun job, yeah :)

Of course Cayman has the sportiest handling and is most fun if you'll drive it on a race track. But the C is not far behind. It has 7 gears BTW, not 6. And the shifting is very fast. Look at the reviews linked above or google for more, says it all right there. Cayman will give you more sportscar and C is still useful as an everyday car too, it's not just a pure brute and will also offer you a usable trunk and 4 full-size seats. To me, that is a thing to consider when I buy a car.

EDIT: about 70000 EUR here should translate to well below $70000 in the USA.

I wouldn't recommend the SLK then, it is really a small car and just for fun with no other use whatsoever but picking chicks ;) The seats are really tight and there's not much room for tilting them backwards, so you'll probably hit the roof with your head rather often on a bumpy road.
 
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I've always liked the Evo FQ400, though I've no idea if it's ever been available outside of the UK.

Top Gear video of FQ400 vs. Lamborghini Murcielago:

0-60 in 3.5 seconds :devilish:
 
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Forgot to add in:
The Exige is sex on wheels.
Stop knocking the Vette. It's one of the best bang-for-buck sports cars on the planet.
 
Hmm, Im 6'2. Would I fit in an SLK? I fit in a cayman or exige, but just barely.
At 6'2", my first preconception would be to guess that you wouldn't. I can only base this on a half-educated guess, though. The SLK is sold in the US in its own form, but also had a version rebadged as the Chrysler Crossfire, which I have been in (at least sat in it, though never got the chance to drive it as I was only serving to give a friend a ride to the showroom at the time). Supposedly, the Crossfire, is slightly roomier than the SLK (which I can believe considering it's basically the SLK with an American body slapped on). Myself being 5'11", I just barely fit in there. It wasn't a squeeze, but it wasn't as though I had room to spare either.

I've always liked the Evo FQ400, though I've no idea if it's ever been available outside of the UK.
I don't believe it ever has been. Closest thing you can get in the states is the Evo MR, which has a lot of the suspension mods and chassis upgrades, but makes 290 hp rather than the 400. Of course, turbo lag is many times smaller, and the gas mileage is about 6-7x what the FQ400 makes. And it's also quite a bit cheaper to boot.

As long as we can mention cars in that price range, I'd be remiss not to mention the Mazda RX-8... which is probably the only car among this class I've actually had the pleasure of driving, as it is the closest one to being something I could afford (off by a mere $10,000 :p). It's not super-torquey, or super-powerful, or super-efficient, or all too practical, but damn if it isn't an awesome ride. It is a prime example of how a great car can be a question of balance. The engine runs dead smooth, the vehicle is so stable in almost any condition (and generally feels more stable and more in control at higher speed), the feedback is just so perfect and informative from all angles. It's not just that it's "forgiving" as Clarkson puts it, but that even if you are completely new to controlling a car at high speeds, it sort of gives you an idea how to handle it.
The tire problems he mentions aren't really a problem in the US version (different requirements for street-legal tires), but I don't know about elsewhere. To me, the big downside is the maintenance effort that goes into ownership of a Wankel.
 
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Crossfire is based on the previous SLK model though. The SRT version actually has one of our very own engines inside, it's basically the old AMG SLK32.
 
Has the chassis lengthened or the cabin gotten larger since then? The question was about seating room and not about any quality of engineering matters. There's little question that an upscale Mercedes would have a better interior than the correspondingly rebadged Chrysler, but even the comfiest heated and cooled leather seats don't help much if you don't fit in the car. Even in the Crossfire, I had to dislocate my left ankle to work the clutch without banging my knee on the underside of the dash (which is okay for me since I can freely dislocate my ankles anytime I want). Granted, I have abnormally long legs for a guy my height, but still...
 
Not sure about the chassis, but there's shurely not enough room inside if you're any bigger than average.
 
I've always liked the Evo FQ400, though I've no idea if it's ever been available outside of the UK.
A quick look at Stigs time's will show you that is a work of fiction. :LOL:

The lambo is more than a full second quicker round the track. It proved the point though, although completely impractical, the FQ-400 is one quick car for the money.

The FQ series are UK only I think, the kits are fitted by Mitsubishi UK when the cars arrive. It's to get round some of the laws on emissions I think.
 
A quick look at Stigs time's will show you that is a work of fiction. :LOL:

The lambo is more than a full second quicker round the track. It proved the point though, although completely impractical, the FQ-400 is one quick car for the money.

The FQ series are UK only I think, the kits are fitted by Mitsubishi UK when the cars arrive. It's to get round some of the laws on emissions I think.

How is it a work of fiction? A second quicker in a lap means they're pretty darn close. It's not like we're talking a second quicker in the 1/4 mile. Not bad for the sheer cost difference, let alone the HP difference, engine displacement, etc.
 
The new Porsche "928" looks ridiculously sexy. I hope they do name it 928. I used to adore the old 928 as a kid.
 
How is it a work of fiction? A second quicker in a lap means they're pretty darn close. It's not like we're talking a second quicker in the 1/4 mile. Not bad for the sheer cost difference, let alone the HP difference, engine displacement, etc.
A second quicker round a track that is barely a mile long is quite a difference.

There is no way the FQ could keep up if both drivers were really going for it.

I am not trying to say it's a bad car, just that they staged the video to get the point across how fast the car is.
 
A second quicker round a track that is barely a mile long is quite a difference.

There is no way the FQ could keep up if both drivers were really going for it.

I am not trying to say it's a bad car, just that they staged the video to get the point across how fast the car is.

Again, much less of a difference when compared to a straight-line 1/4 mile, so I believe that second difference to be rather meaningless given the aforementioned differences between the vehicles.

I do agree that the video was staged, however. Afterall, it is tv :p
 
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