Ever been so excited to drive a car...

And been completely underwhelmed?

I've been looking on and off for a new long term driver/project. My son had a 500 sport and though I really liked it, it definitely needed more power. I love the way they look and every time I see a white 500 Abarth with the red stripe and white rims, I say that's my car! It just doesn't get any better looking than that car.

I wanted one so bad but (being the cheap bastard that I am) didn't want to pay too much. Looking the other day I spotted a really bad ad from a dealer about an hour away for a one owner trade in, 25k mile Abarth, for (converted to US) $7500. That was the right price.

Wife and I drove the hour there. I had the money in my pocket. The car looked good. Hopped in, started it up, it sounded great, pulled out of the dealer, put my foot into it and... total disappointment. I realized a few minutes in that it had a sport mode (dumb), pushed the button and it was much better, but not better enough. I didn't think it felt particularly sporty, thought it handled poorly, and for a 1.4 sure didn't want to rev the way I expected.

I was so disappointed, I really wanted to like it but it was such a letdown.

Next on the list, Cobalt SS turbo.

Yep.  For me it was a Hyundai Genesis 2.0T R-Spec- the worst drive by wire throttle tuning I've ever encountered on a "performance" car completely ruined it for me 

Other than the sound, I have zero attraction to those 500s. I think they look hideous because they are taller than they are wide and almost as tall as they are long. I detested the circle in a circle in a circle in a circle instrument cluster when I had one as a rental and the short wheelbase made the car quite a handful to drive in the snow. I know some people love them, and more power to them.

As far as being underwhelmed by a car, mine was a 2005 S2000. I really thought it was going to be great. I had high hopes. It was ok, but a bit underwhelming. I ended up buying a Mazdaspeed Miata instead and saved 10 grand or so. If they were the same price, I may have gone with the S2000, but for ten grand more, the difference was not there for me. I know they are/were great cars loved by many and I do appreciate them, but just don't love them. I suppose if I spent more time driving it and really wrung it out I would change my mind, but from my test drive it was just ok.

Current Mustang GT.  I love the styling, and on paper the performance numbers this car posts are superb, but the car just isn't that fun to drive on the street.  I'm curious to find out of the updates for 2019 will make it noticeably better.

Test drive a Mazdaspeed 3. 

When I drove a Mustang Ecoboost I was really excited. I love the feel and character of the 2.0 EB in my Focus and the Mustang 2.3 should just be that but more. The Mustang looked good, the interior was actually a lot nicer and more comfortable than I expected. 

But the driving experience was meh. Despite being much faster on paper, it didn't feel fast. The motor sounded terrible and unhappy. The steering was so artificial and the sporty-mode only made it heavier but still devoid of feedback. The shifter was also fine but nothing great.

I need to try the V8 because I feel like the Coyote is just what the car needs.

¯\_(ツ)_/¯ said:

Yep.  For me it was a Hyundai Genesis 2.0T R-Spec- the worst drive by wire throttle tuning I've ever encountered on a "performance" car completely ruined it for me 

I had the exact same experience when i test drove one years ago when they were pretty new. But to be honest, having driven probably 100+ rental cars over the past several years, i think 90% of DBW cars would be totally transformed by a simple tune so that when the pedal is pressed, the throttle does what it's told. I'm currently looking into LX platform cars and people say getting a tune is worth it even for a totally stock vehicle because it might only add ~10 hp but it feels like 70 hp due to making the drivability better.

nderwater said:

Current Mustang GT.  I love the styling, and on paper the performance numbers this car posts are superb, but the car just isn't that fun to drive on the street.  I'm curious to find out of the updates for 2019 will make it noticeably better.

Keep talking. What are the updates for 2019?

sergio said:

Test drive a Mazdaspeed 3. 

Agreed. I drove one when they first came out and was really excited, but found it to be nothing to be all that excited about and just wasn't nearly as fun as I was wanting it to be.

Scion IQ.

Had this vision based on past experience with (real) Mini

Sadly, the car had zero fun factor designed into it. Between the CVT, no power, and soft suspension, I lost the vision. So I told the sales person to go fetch me an FRS.

Pete

In reply to ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ :

That's called turbo lag homie LOL

Chevy HHR.  I thought they looked cool and when I got one as a rental, I thought it was an upgrade from the standard Corolla. Visibility was so poor, it felt it was unsafe and I traded it in on something else.  

In reply to pinchvalve :

I too test drove one.  I’m too tall.  

Its like you’re driving with a swim mask on.  

Not exactly the same but i was looking at an older jetta, a 95 i think, for a commuter car with a bit of fun. I thought hey, lots of people mod these and theres a decent after market for this, how bad can it be?

Bad, really bad. The one i drove wasnt obviously new but it had zero redeeming features. Horrible handling, steering, braking, no power and i could see getting annoyed with having to push down to get into reverse. Really hated the gear box too. Whole thing felt numb with a thin sheen of crap on it

Early C4 Vette.

I had a chance to drive Audi R8 with the V8 and it was a disappointment. The steering feel was poor and that gated shifter was miserable, but the engine sounded good :)

Antihero said:

Not exactly the same but i was looking at an older jetta, a 95 i think, for a commuter car with a bit of fun. I thought hey, lots of people mod these and theres a decent after market for this, how bad can it be?

 

Bad, really bad. The one i drove wasnt obviously new but it had zero redeeming features. Horrible handling, steering, braking, no power and i could see getting annoyed with having to push down to get into reverse. Really hated the gear box too. Whole thing felt numb with a thin sheen of crap on it

I would recommend you never drive another manual VW if their reverse lockout design is a problem.

For me, it was an NSX. Granted, I only got to drive it on our local roads and certainly didn't get to cane it, but it was not an event or even very interesting. Supercars should be an event.

E30 M3---- seriously.

I had heard all the hype, and expected it to be the end-all, be-all machine.  Then I got a chance to drive one, and found it buzzy, underpowered and a huge letdown.  I've also always thought they were kind of silly looking.  

Later I was able to drive one on track, and all of the sudden it made sense.  They truly are wonderful at 10/10ths.   On the street though, a 325is is a far more rewarding car, and far, far less expensive.  

In reply to Keith Tanner :

You know Keith, I totally second your opinion on the original NSX.  Around town, it felt like an Accord--- bland, regular Honda switchgear, not much torque.   I also wasn't able to track it, but around town it was completely uninspiring.   It was also $96K, at a time when a C5 Corvette would mop the floor with it.  Granted this was a late-- 1st gen car, with the ugly exposed headlights.

I'm sure they are fun when you stomp on them, but it was very meh... which is not the feeling a supercar is supposed to inspire.

In reply to Joe Gearin :

You nailed the E30M3, on track it's a rewarding momentum machine, to daily it's an underwealming waste.

I'll chime in with the opposite, the current Canaro ZL1, I wasn't expecting much other than a loud V8, over the top power and suspension banaids in an effort to compensate for more chassis than the chassis can handle. Instead what you get is what I imagine the outcome would be if you had Mazda engineers design a car around an LS motor. Fantastic driving dynamics, enjoyable shifter, great gear ratios, excellent turn in, feedback and response. It's a laugh. 

Joe Gearin said:

E30 M3---- seriously.

 

I had heard all the hype, and expected it to be the end-all, be-all machine.  Then I got a chance to drive one, and found it buzzy, underpowered and a huge letdown.  I've also always thought they were kind of silly looking.  

Later I was able to drive one on track, and all of the sudden it made sense.  They truly are wonderful at 10/10ths.   On the street though, a 325is is a far more rewarding car, and far, far less expensive.  

15 years of E30M3 ownership, I agree it is not a city car, the owners manual tells you to give it a German tune up after any under 3000 rpm driving.  Between the eager to rev motor, grip under full throttle, and my love of all things boxy it was a great car to run hard.  My E34 525i with a close ratio and 3:90 rear was more fun everywhere except the track.

I bought the M3 pre hype in 1995, from a Saab dealers used lot for $9995.

As long as you short shift or rev the piss out of the M3 it is acceptable, never shift between 3500-4500 rpm, it just falls on it's face.  On the other hand the M50 in my 525 was smooth from idle to 7k.

sergio said:

Test drive a Mazdaspeed 3. 

I'm surprised by this one. I drove a stock 1st gen MS3 and I absolutely loved how it drove. The torque comes in early enough that it's fun around town but it's still pulling up top. I also didn't detect any of the supposed torque steer. My only complaint about the car was that the shifter is about 8" further rearward than it should be, which is fixed on the next gen.

For me it was the S2000. I drive a car with the same weight and the same whp as an AP1. My car feels so much faster because because I don't have to rev it out to make it feel quick. I've got more torque at 3000rpm, where I often shift aroudn town, than the S2000 ever does. The lack of torque really lets you feel the fact that the car is heavy. And the shifter that everybody jerks over? It's okay I guess, but it can't hold a candle to a Miata 5speed.

It wasn't a tastefully modified E type, not a Testarossa either, TR3, loved it.  350 horse TR6 was not underwhelming, 65 Lotus 7 was the best.

Got it, Lotus Elan + 2, to be fair we were breaking in a new motor but still it left me flat. 

Actually, the first time I drove a 7 I was surprised and a bit let down. It was a 60's Lotus, not a modern one. I don't remember if it was an S2 or S3. I was surprised by how much it felt like an old car. A modern Caterham shortly afterwards felt the way I expected the Lotus to feel.

Of course, I didn't even notice the Lotus was RHD until I was climbing out, so it must have been memorable on some level

The new NSX.  I drove it on the north course at Autobahn.  The performance is impressive and it's a technical marvel but it has all the personality of a really nice refrigerator.