Car and Driver Best handling car under 40K

mOOsE · Postby **mOOsE** » Fri Sep 02, 2011 9:14

Owning an Evo makes me glad to see it came in first and all... but seriously, the rest of this list?

I have a tough time believing the GTI out-handles an MS3

IMO, there's a lot of cars that would beat the GTI
MS3
WRX
STI
New Focus (least from what I hear the suspension is awesome)
RX8
Among others

Anyone else think the list is a tad bogus? Did C&D even shop for any other cars to try?

Dange · Postby **Dange** » Fri Sep 02, 2011 9:14

yeah im surprised the 370 beat the mini too. to me it sounds like the tester was only used to RWD
the new stang gt is much better than it used to be they are actually damn respectable now. .. i just dont think it belongs on that list especially with those cars.. but breakaway?? how in the world did that get a 9. the evo 10 should have won that. and i REALLY dont get their 9 on chassis balance...

personally im kinda surprised the evo beat the miata. but it is a close one its to be expected with how the 10 handles. if it was an 8-9 it wouldn't have been the same outcome. but C&D is more for the general masses and the miata is an animal to control at the limit like an elise is lots of corrections and feeling slip and controlling it with throttle.. so I do gotta give it to dsm the evo's computer/tranny voodoo can make even a novice driver look damn good (comment not at all directed at you). if you have ever seen the top gear episode its doing power slides with one hand looking like hes bored. and ive seen first time track goers actually put down a good time. and i guess the miata has kinda gotten soft since the NC came out.

but yeah there should have been alot more cars on that list. the new turbo cobalt ss is supposadly slightly. (as in only 10ths) faster than the ms3 ion handling. with means both are better than the GTI

Colombia28 · Postby **Colombia28** » Fri Sep 02, 2011 9:14

An interesting list for sure.

erod550 · Postby **erod550** » Fri Sep 02, 2011 9:14

I haven't driven any of the other cars on the list (at least not a new Miata), but I have to say the breakaway behavior of my Mustang is excellent, as long as I have the traction/stability control off. It's very predictable and I quite enjoy kicking the tail out whenever I feel like it and knowing what it's going to do and how it will react.

For them to rate the steering feedback a 5, they must have had all the nannies turned on. When everything is on, the steering is ridiculously light and is not good for performance driving at all. When you put it in Sport Mode or turn the nannies off altogether, the steering is much firmer and I think feels great.

But the much improved handling on top of great acceleration is a big reason why I bought a Mustang.

chickenwafer · Postby **chickenwafer** » Fri Sep 02, 2011 9:14

I agree that list a little...odd. I would for sure included the RX-8, but perhaps they couldn't have with one Mazda (the MX-5) already on the list?

dsm_luck · Postby **dsm_luck** » Mon Sep 05, 2011 9:14

The GTI is not even in the same league when it comes to performance compared to the MS3. Were these the only cars in the test or were others tested that didn't make the cut? Maybe they disqualified the MS3 because of torque steer or something ridiculous.

eliminster · Postby **eliminster** » Mon Sep 05, 2011 9:14

I know there is probably more to this list than what we see, but my question is where is the subaru wrx/sti, it easily can out perform all of those cars listed at only 33k it meets the price, also it seems like they just tested cars they had from other promotions or articles. This seems like a article they posted when they ran out of ideas and all of a sudden said hey we have all these cars from other articles why not pit them head to head and make it seem like they are great performers for 40k. Lately I have found car and driver to be more of a side show car mag that doesn't give you the full story.

mOOsE · Postby **mOOsE** » Tue Sep 06, 2011 9:14

eliminster wrote:I know there is probably more to this list than what we see, but my question is where is the subaru wrx/sti, it easily can out perform all of those cars listed at only 33k it meets the price, also it seems like they just tested cars they had from other promotions or articles. This seems like a article they posted when they ran out of ideas and all of a sudden said hey we have all these cars from other articles why not pit them head to head and make it seem like they are great performers for 40k. Lately I have found car and driver to be more of a side show car mag that doesn't give you the full story.

So true about it being a side-show mag now. If this comparison was "The best handling cars under 1,000,000" then they would likely still have a Corvette as number 1.

In terms of handling, I would say that the WRX or STI would be up there, but not beating all of those cars. They just don't "feel" great anymore. Muted is a good word.

erod550 · Postby **erod550** » Tue Sep 06, 2011 9:14

eliminster wrote:where is the subaru wrx/sti, it easily can out perform all of those cars listed

Skidpad
2011 Subaru STi Sedan - 0.90g (C&D), 0.89g (InsideLine)
2011 Ford Mustang GT - 0.94g (C&D), 0.93g (InsideLine)

Slalom
2011 Subaru STi Sedan - 70.3mph (InsideLine)
2011 Ford Mustang GT - 70.3mph (InsideLine)

Doesn't look like it's easily outperforming at least one of the cars listed.

jamiel · Postby **jamiel** » Tue Sep 06, 2011 9:14

per the article:
- Miata got dinged for the "constant corrections" Dange mentions
- RX-8 was excluded because it's end-of-life
- no BMW (328 or 128) as a suitable car wasn't available

They didn't cover why many of the other cars mentioned weren't included. Probably plenty of mail will result.

They did a "best handling under 100K" article last sept http://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/comparisons/10q3/the_best-handling_car_in_america_for_less_than_100_000-comparison_tests

dommo_g · Postby **dommo_g** » Wed Sep 07, 2011 9:14

I can't comment since I've never driven ANY of those cars.

dommo_g · Postby **dommo_g** » Wed Sep 07, 2011 9:14

Take that back...I drove a 5.0 GT when they first came out.

eliminster · Postby **eliminster** » Thu Sep 08, 2011 9:14

I don't look at the skidpad test that often anymore cause it is more of a test of tire quality than car suspension and when they test them they vary rarely put the same tire type on all the cars tested. Not saying the new mustangs are bad but they still are heavy cars. The new haven't drove the 2011 but the 2010 sti's did have a little bit deadened steering and braking compared to my 03 Wrx. Still say that the cars tested were for other articles and they forgot to plan a article so they jus rounded up cars they had and tested them.

erod550 · Postby **erod550** » Thu Sep 08, 2011 9:14

It's not like the new Mustang is GTO or Challenger heavy or something. 3600 lbs. That's over 100 lbs lighter than the new M3. Would you say the M3 is a bad handling car because it's heavy?

The fact is they have done major suspension improvements on the new 2011+ 5.0s and that is the primary reason I bought one. 412 horsepower with handling that matches a new M3. They're not heavy pigs that only go fast in a straight line anymore. It's just going to take people a while to get used to that, I guess.

chickenwafer · Postby **chickenwafer** » Fri Sep 09, 2011 9:14

To me, 3600lbs is still very heavy. But then again I'm more used to sports car in the >3000lbs sector.

Cars are just getting bigger these days and a 3300lbs car is considered "lightweight" I guess.

Car and Driver Best handling car under 40K

Car and Driver Best handling car under 40K

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