Houston autoshow musings - Mazda3, 370z & Gen Coupe
01-25-2009, 10:49 PM
#1
Go Texas Longhorns!
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Houston autoshow musings - Mazda3, 370z & Gen Coupe
so I went to the autoshow this weekend with the express purpose of checking these vehicles out in person, and none of them disappointed.
The new Mazda3 is a nice car, build quality is even better than before, from the interior materials to the paint. the front end is a little goofy to me even in person but will look less aggressive with a plate on the front as most of the cars will have. The rear seats have about the same amount of leg room as the old car, which is passable for me 6'' for short to moderate trips. I like the rear of the car better in person than I did in the pics.
The 370Z looks better in person than in the pics, the proportions really are muscular and aggressive. The interior is light years ahead of the 350, the materials, the seats the switch gear is all very high quality. The clutch and the shifter are still pretty heavy in their feel and actuation like the 350. the hatch is actually usable now as the strut tower is out of the way. I like the lights in person, I just wish the mouth didn't have the fang look, but its not a deal breaker.
That car is a going to be some serious competition for the Camero, G37 and Gen Coupe given its mix of interior, power, and handling for 30K. My only grip is that stupid digital gauge for fuel, it looks really out of place.
I'm a big fan of the Hyundai Genesis Coupe, as the 4 banger weighs in at about 3250ish (not much more than the Z) is dead sexy in person, is 8 grand cheaper than the Z and is a reflash away from the same power as the V6 with better economy. I couldn't sit in the car, but i could see in the cabin and touch the door panels. The material quality of the door panels was below the Z, but the overall interior looked decent, especially for the price. Given that it has decent back seats to go with the style and power, if it handles like I've heard Hyundai has the new coupe to beat as its a tuner's dream.
The new Mazda3 is a nice car, build quality is even better than before, from the interior materials to the paint. the front end is a little goofy to me even in person but will look less aggressive with a plate on the front as most of the cars will have. The rear seats have about the same amount of leg room as the old car, which is passable for me 6'' for short to moderate trips. I like the rear of the car better in person than I did in the pics.
The 370Z looks better in person than in the pics, the proportions really are muscular and aggressive. The interior is light years ahead of the 350, the materials, the seats the switch gear is all very high quality. The clutch and the shifter are still pretty heavy in their feel and actuation like the 350. the hatch is actually usable now as the strut tower is out of the way. I like the lights in person, I just wish the mouth didn't have the fang look, but its not a deal breaker.
That car is a going to be some serious competition for the Camero, G37 and Gen Coupe given its mix of interior, power, and handling for 30K. My only grip is that stupid digital gauge for fuel, it looks really out of place.
I'm a big fan of the Hyundai Genesis Coupe, as the 4 banger weighs in at about 3250ish (not much more than the Z) is dead sexy in person, is 8 grand cheaper than the Z and is a reflash away from the same power as the V6 with better economy. I couldn't sit in the car, but i could see in the cabin and touch the door panels. The material quality of the door panels was below the Z, but the overall interior looked decent, especially for the price. Given that it has decent back seats to go with the style and power, if it handles like I've heard Hyundai has the new coupe to beat as its a tuner's dream.
01-25-2009, 11:51 PM
#3
It's a Cavalier
All cars I'm interested in as well. The Genesis coupe is a steal. I want to see what they'll do with the turbo 4-banger as well.
You saw the regular Mazda 3... not the Mazdaspeed, right? They say the 2010 MS3 will be unveiled soon. I guess not yet - Mazda will probably save it for one of the bigger auto shows.
Camaro looks that good in person? Can't wait. All very cool cars coming out in a time when the economy is in the crapper.
You saw the regular Mazda 3... not the Mazdaspeed, right? They say the 2010 MS3 will be unveiled soon. I guess not yet - Mazda will probably save it for one of the bigger auto shows.
Camaro looks that good in person? Can't wait. All very cool cars coming out in a time when the economy is in the crapper.
01-26-2009, 08:45 AM
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01-26-2009, 09:22 AM
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I can't get over the front on the new 3. The car as a whole is far nicer than the current 3 which I've always thought looked cheap. The Mazda display was nice. There was a very large picture of the #70 Speedsource car as well as the new ALMS car. I love the new 6. Great looking car. Much nicer than the last. Too bad these same designers didn't seem to work on the new 3 at all.
The 370Z shows that Nissan is thinking lighter in at least one area which is a good thing. Good power to weight ratio. Now if they could just design it so it looked halfway decent they may actually be on to something. I don't like the looks at all. I don't really like the way the 350Z looks either though. The monster, the GTR is just too big and heavy of a car for me. It needs to lose about a thousand pounds as well as shrink several feet in various dimensions. It looks good and has been proven to be a capable performer. Just scale it down to 2/3 of what it is now and it'll be perfect.
I'm impressed with the Hyundai Genesis coupe. Nice looking car. As a whole I'm pretty impressed with the direction Hyundai has gone as a company. A few years ago I'd have never thought I'd have seen cars like this from them. They only downside I see with the Genesis coupe is the same one that many others struggle with and that is weight. It's just too heavy. It needs to shed about 500 lbs. There is really no excuse for it not to weight 2700 lbs or so.
Porsche wasn't there at all this year which was odd.
Toyota and Honda have really become boring. I'm just not seeing anything from them at all that impresses me. At least not right now.
There is much fanfare about the new Challenger and I've seen many on the roads. I've never had a chance to see one up close though. As usual with American car companies, it underachieves. How in the world does the top of the line car with the Hemi make 425 hp yet still run low 13's? The answer of course goes back to that American love of fat heavy vehicles. Low 13's is decently fast but not for 425 hp it's not. That should be high 11's or low 12's. The new Camaro looks decent and the LS engines have always been nicer than the hemi's. The base models of both cars look really cheap but that's pretty typical of many base model cars.
This year I only saw a few things that got my attention. Was there less than 2 hours as a result. I really want to see the Chevy Volt in person. There are many people that hate it and it is going to be priced quite high. I'm just excited to see it because this is a glimpse into what all cars will be like in 25 years. Series hybrids. Maybe next year.
The 370Z shows that Nissan is thinking lighter in at least one area which is a good thing. Good power to weight ratio. Now if they could just design it so it looked halfway decent they may actually be on to something. I don't like the looks at all. I don't really like the way the 350Z looks either though. The monster, the GTR is just too big and heavy of a car for me. It needs to lose about a thousand pounds as well as shrink several feet in various dimensions. It looks good and has been proven to be a capable performer. Just scale it down to 2/3 of what it is now and it'll be perfect.
I'm impressed with the Hyundai Genesis coupe. Nice looking car. As a whole I'm pretty impressed with the direction Hyundai has gone as a company. A few years ago I'd have never thought I'd have seen cars like this from them. They only downside I see with the Genesis coupe is the same one that many others struggle with and that is weight. It's just too heavy. It needs to shed about 500 lbs. There is really no excuse for it not to weight 2700 lbs or so.
Porsche wasn't there at all this year which was odd.
Toyota and Honda have really become boring. I'm just not seeing anything from them at all that impresses me. At least not right now.
There is much fanfare about the new Challenger and I've seen many on the roads. I've never had a chance to see one up close though. As usual with American car companies, it underachieves. How in the world does the top of the line car with the Hemi make 425 hp yet still run low 13's? The answer of course goes back to that American love of fat heavy vehicles. Low 13's is decently fast but not for 425 hp it's not. That should be high 11's or low 12's. The new Camaro looks decent and the LS engines have always been nicer than the hemi's. The base models of both cars look really cheap but that's pretty typical of many base model cars.
This year I only saw a few things that got my attention. Was there less than 2 hours as a result. I really want to see the Chevy Volt in person. There are many people that hate it and it is going to be priced quite high. I'm just excited to see it because this is a glimpse into what all cars will be like in 25 years. Series hybrids. Maybe next year.
01-26-2009, 07:14 PM
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Good luck trying to find that. With safety regulations increaingly being stringent and auto makers finally realizing that people regard safety in the same category as style, the days of <3000lb vehicles are over.
01-26-2009, 11:24 PM
#8
It's a Cavalier
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