ggreen29
07-16-2003, 01:12 AM
It's great looking in grey, blah blah blah. To the driving...
The engine is so quiet I almost started it twice! After a little experience my ear will become tuned to the sound, but its remarkably quiet. The exhaust is a little quiet, but maybe it'll open more at higher rpms. (or maybe it's not really a sports car after all?)
The gear shift and clutch are great. It makes me realize what a red-headed stepchild my 2nd gen RX has become (and I feel bad typing that). The clutch engages quickly and securely, and once I got a little more foot coordinated, the shifts were effortless. A little flick of two fingers and I was in the next gear.
I kept the revs below 5000 almost all of the time, which is quite a challenge because it revs SOOOOO easy. The engine wants to go to the top. I accidently took it to 7500 a few times without realizing it. The acceleration is very good even from around 3000. I never went WOT, but there seemed to be a long pendulum waiting to be released. On one small 25mph turn going from one 60mph road to another I just couldn't resist and punched it quickly around the bend and over a small rise, going from 3500 to about 5500rpm, and the car just sprung through the turn like a great cat. Only 500 miles of easy driving left!
The handling seems great. The steering is very responsive. Whilst traveling down a 65mph wide road with no one else nearby I decided to twist the wheel left and right quickly for a little slalom...the car turned eyes-widingly more than I expected, but still stayed quite securely fastened to the road. I haven't pushed it hard (for me) in a turn yet, and probably won't until the 600 mile mark, but this thing seems to have great potential. Only 500 miles to go!
The digi speedo is going to take some getting used to. Not bad just not trained for it yet. Maybe I'll drive by tach once I get a better feel for the car.
Miscellaneous:
At first I thought the lights were on because the dash lights are very vivid, and in a good way. Later as dusk fell, I used the lights on/red dash lights, and those aren't so good on first impression. While there's still light out they seemed too dark, so I turned the lights off a waited for the sky to get darker. They still didn't seem as clear and pleasant a viewing experience as the day lights.
I got the rotary accents for the front and rear lower grill work, and they look quite good from more than 5 feet away. Up close the front looks cheaply cut & a little plastic-like rather than finely forged rotarium, so I just won't get close. A worthy purchase.
The plastics bezels don't withstand nitpicky scrutiny, but when I wasn't thinking hard about them they looked good. I'd say aluminum bezels aren't a worthy purchase for me. Same for the door sill scuff plate. What's there looks good.
The base (not Bose) sound system is a BIG disappointment. The sound seems ordinary, muddy and flat. It's hard to believe there are many speakers surrounding me. The highs and lows weren't crisp or punchy. It could play loudly but not crisply. I played some Echo & the Bunnymen and The Stone Roses (She Bangs the Drum!--great cymbal tapping at the start, sounds crisp on a good system and takes your attention, then a conquering base line that says "HEY! Somethin's comin'..."--none of that on this car), and there just wasn't any punch, or "you are there" feeling. So I went to a newly purchased CD of The Kinks One for the Road, which I'm used to being fuzzy because my previous copy was a ten year old cassette tape! By the time I got to Lola (5th track) I was disappointed again. It didn't sound worse than the cassette, it just didn't sound that much better. Apparently my expectations are too high.
The ventilation is great. I didn't use the ac, but several times I checked to make sure it was off, because the air coming through the vents was cool, the same temp as the outside air. In many cars I've been in the vents seem to be too close to a heat source so the vented air is always several (ten?) degreesF warmer than the outside air. So kudos to those vent guys.
I thought the visibility was quite good. The side mirrors (if positioned properly) show a large area. I thought the rear view mirror could've been a little bigger, but maybe the seat backs are the real problem in pinching the view ever so slightly. Turning my head to face the passenger mirror gave a real good peripheral view of the back quarter of the car, and turning my head to face my mirror gave a good look on my side, though the side mirror covered it well anyway.
It's funny (to me anyway) seeing the wheel arch on my side of the car. Unlike any vehicle I've been in. For someone reason I found myself driving the car with the passenger side very close to the edge of the lane. Perhaps this car has more on the passenger side than I'm used to with my RX7.
It'll take some getting used to the red lights in the center console, as I'm used to red in the center meaning idiot lights. A few times I came out of a turn and the red lights caught the corner of my eye and my heart skipped a beat until I realized what they were.
I liked the cloth seats so much that I didn't even notice 'em. I think that's a good endorsement, innit?
I really like that stupid engine cover. Really. It's got a big silver Mazda logo on it that just seems so proud. When I first saw it I just admired it for about ten seconds. I think they really made a stupid piece of plastic look great.
It seems to be a gas guzzler. I've used almost half a tank and have gone less than a hundred miles. I'm hoping the tank is pyramid shaped and the bottom half is much bigger than the top half.
Its a head turner. I saw a collegiate type in a new good looking Protege5 do a Linda Blair as he drove by me. By that time I had only 25 miles under my belt and was too busy watching for obstacles to do more than grin like a fool. Later on an old couple in a van pulled up and the old guy asked if the car was the rotary one. He knew that the engine was small, but asked for the hp and if it was fuel injected. He said his son saw the History Channel ep and was interested in getting one. Than the wife started wailing "I want a car like that, I don't want an SUV anymore!" I smiled and spun away.
The Beginning of the Saga of the Happy Drivers.
The engine is so quiet I almost started it twice! After a little experience my ear will become tuned to the sound, but its remarkably quiet. The exhaust is a little quiet, but maybe it'll open more at higher rpms. (or maybe it's not really a sports car after all?)
The gear shift and clutch are great. It makes me realize what a red-headed stepchild my 2nd gen RX has become (and I feel bad typing that). The clutch engages quickly and securely, and once I got a little more foot coordinated, the shifts were effortless. A little flick of two fingers and I was in the next gear.
I kept the revs below 5000 almost all of the time, which is quite a challenge because it revs SOOOOO easy. The engine wants to go to the top. I accidently took it to 7500 a few times without realizing it. The acceleration is very good even from around 3000. I never went WOT, but there seemed to be a long pendulum waiting to be released. On one small 25mph turn going from one 60mph road to another I just couldn't resist and punched it quickly around the bend and over a small rise, going from 3500 to about 5500rpm, and the car just sprung through the turn like a great cat. Only 500 miles of easy driving left!
The handling seems great. The steering is very responsive. Whilst traveling down a 65mph wide road with no one else nearby I decided to twist the wheel left and right quickly for a little slalom...the car turned eyes-widingly more than I expected, but still stayed quite securely fastened to the road. I haven't pushed it hard (for me) in a turn yet, and probably won't until the 600 mile mark, but this thing seems to have great potential. Only 500 miles to go!
The digi speedo is going to take some getting used to. Not bad just not trained for it yet. Maybe I'll drive by tach once I get a better feel for the car.
Miscellaneous:
At first I thought the lights were on because the dash lights are very vivid, and in a good way. Later as dusk fell, I used the lights on/red dash lights, and those aren't so good on first impression. While there's still light out they seemed too dark, so I turned the lights off a waited for the sky to get darker. They still didn't seem as clear and pleasant a viewing experience as the day lights.
I got the rotary accents for the front and rear lower grill work, and they look quite good from more than 5 feet away. Up close the front looks cheaply cut & a little plastic-like rather than finely forged rotarium, so I just won't get close. A worthy purchase.
The plastics bezels don't withstand nitpicky scrutiny, but when I wasn't thinking hard about them they looked good. I'd say aluminum bezels aren't a worthy purchase for me. Same for the door sill scuff plate. What's there looks good.
The base (not Bose) sound system is a BIG disappointment. The sound seems ordinary, muddy and flat. It's hard to believe there are many speakers surrounding me. The highs and lows weren't crisp or punchy. It could play loudly but not crisply. I played some Echo & the Bunnymen and The Stone Roses (She Bangs the Drum!--great cymbal tapping at the start, sounds crisp on a good system and takes your attention, then a conquering base line that says "HEY! Somethin's comin'..."--none of that on this car), and there just wasn't any punch, or "you are there" feeling. So I went to a newly purchased CD of The Kinks One for the Road, which I'm used to being fuzzy because my previous copy was a ten year old cassette tape! By the time I got to Lola (5th track) I was disappointed again. It didn't sound worse than the cassette, it just didn't sound that much better. Apparently my expectations are too high.
The ventilation is great. I didn't use the ac, but several times I checked to make sure it was off, because the air coming through the vents was cool, the same temp as the outside air. In many cars I've been in the vents seem to be too close to a heat source so the vented air is always several (ten?) degreesF warmer than the outside air. So kudos to those vent guys.
I thought the visibility was quite good. The side mirrors (if positioned properly) show a large area. I thought the rear view mirror could've been a little bigger, but maybe the seat backs are the real problem in pinching the view ever so slightly. Turning my head to face the passenger mirror gave a real good peripheral view of the back quarter of the car, and turning my head to face my mirror gave a good look on my side, though the side mirror covered it well anyway.
It's funny (to me anyway) seeing the wheel arch on my side of the car. Unlike any vehicle I've been in. For someone reason I found myself driving the car with the passenger side very close to the edge of the lane. Perhaps this car has more on the passenger side than I'm used to with my RX7.
It'll take some getting used to the red lights in the center console, as I'm used to red in the center meaning idiot lights. A few times I came out of a turn and the red lights caught the corner of my eye and my heart skipped a beat until I realized what they were.
I liked the cloth seats so much that I didn't even notice 'em. I think that's a good endorsement, innit?
I really like that stupid engine cover. Really. It's got a big silver Mazda logo on it that just seems so proud. When I first saw it I just admired it for about ten seconds. I think they really made a stupid piece of plastic look great.
It seems to be a gas guzzler. I've used almost half a tank and have gone less than a hundred miles. I'm hoping the tank is pyramid shaped and the bottom half is much bigger than the top half.
Its a head turner. I saw a collegiate type in a new good looking Protege5 do a Linda Blair as he drove by me. By that time I had only 25 miles under my belt and was too busy watching for obstacles to do more than grin like a fool. Later on an old couple in a van pulled up and the old guy asked if the car was the rotary one. He knew that the engine was small, but asked for the hp and if it was fuel injected. He said his son saw the History Channel ep and was interested in getting one. Than the wife started wailing "I want a car like that, I don't want an SUV anymore!" I smiled and spun away.
The Beginning of the Saga of the Happy Drivers.