Car Parts 2011

Luxury is a funny thing in the car industry.  Upon hearing that word, many different marques enter the mind.  The usual suspects include Mercedes, BMW, Audi, Cadillac, Lincoln, Lexus, Acura, and Infiniti.  Since 2009, some might consider Hyundai's Genesis sedan as a good entry-priced piece of opulence but let's be real here.  Nobody ever wants to talk about their cheap luxuries.  This being the case, let's talk about the Equus as well as another plebeian manufacturer's attempt at extravagance, Volkswagen's Phaeton.

carscoop.blogspot.com

Right now, you might be wondering what my drug preference is if I'm comparing Hyundai to Volkwagen and the Equus to the not so dearly departed Phaeton.  There's more food for thought here than you would previously believe.  Stick with me on this one.

get1car.com

netcarshow.com

As a resident of the northern hemisphere, I admit that things can get a bit depressing around this time of year.  The days are getting shorter, the temperature is slowly creeping toward single digits, and it seems like the sun is doing nothing but taunting us.  The good cheer and festive moods of the holiday season do help some but even the holidays are sure to cause a bit of depression.  The two main culprits for this are the slightly enlarged waistlines and those ridiculously large red bows in Lexus commercial!

lexusenthusiast.com

I have a few issues with those commercials.  Who buys somebody a car, never mind a Lexus, for Christmas?  How do you get it into the driveway without anybody noticing?  Where do you get a bow that big?!?!

I've never seen a bodaciously big bow like that in anybody's garbage after Christmas, so I can only assume that people don't get Lexuses (Lexi?) for gifts or those bows are fictional characters.  Regardless, if you want to please an enthusiast this holiday season with a car but you're in a bit of a financial bind (there is a recession happening after all), FPH has got the perfect gift giving guide for you!

To make this list, the cars had to meet three criteria:

I don't care who you are but nobody wants to get a minivan.  Even people who buy minivans don't want one.  Those people are just obligated to buy one because of wifey, the PTA, the soccer league, etc.

As stated earlier, we're in the midst of a recession.  Nobody has Puff Daddy money to buy their kids Rolls-Royces.  Plus, the receiver won't feel so bad about adding some speed mods to a used car.  If they decide to slap on a body kit, neon lights, or a giant wing, smack that fool and take the keys back!

Giving somebody a lemon would be like saying you got them a race-bred greyhound only to have the pooch crap on the carpet and lick himself all day.  OK, that analogy sucked but you get the idea.

netcarshow.com

The first car to make the list has, arguably, the best power to cost ratio of anything that meets our criteria.  It is the Dodge Neon SRT-4.  Dodge produced this vehicle from 2003 to 2005 for the enthusiasts who wanted a bit more kick in their sport compacts.  Its 2.0 liter turbo motor was rated at 215 horsepower from the factory which proved to be very conservative.  Dynos proved that this car actually put down that much power at the wheels.  This was good for 14 second quarter-miles and mid 5 second 0-60 time.  By adding Mopar backed upgrade kits, this car could put down over 350 horsepower with the same amount of torque.  The only car in Dodge's lineup that could beat this in a straight line was the Viper.

Jamesduncan.com

While the rest of the cars aren't laced with the same crazy-go-nuts-crack-cocaine-induced power as the Neon, they can definitely hold their own when the road takes a turn.  The 2003 Mazdaspeed Protege, a one year special, has the stellar chassis and driving dynamics of the original Protege while upping the ante with a turbocharger bolted onto its 2.0 liter four banger.  While 170 hp provide the locomotion, the thicker anti-sway bars, retuned suspension, and limited slip differential keep handling in check and prevent loco motions.  This car circles the skidpad with .89g of stick and runs the slalom at 70.9 mph which is comparable to rear wheel drive performance cars.

modified.com

OK, so maybe turbo power isn't your cup of tea.  The heads up competitor to Mazda's Protege would have to be the Ford Focus.  Seeing as we're looking as the Mazdaspeed version, Ford's foil comes with the letters S-V-T.  With more aggressive cam timing, intake plumbing, and compression in the engine bay courtesy of Cosworth, the Ford pumps out 170 horsepower, equal to the Protege.  The chassis and suspension don't give an inch to the Mazda either.  Automobile magazine even called it "the best front-wheel-drive chassis on the road."  With an endorsement like that, numbers and specs aren't needed here.

thecarpictures.info

While Ford brought us an amazing chassis in the Focus SVT, another powerhouse brought a phenomenal motor to the sport compact world, the K-series.  Honda released the K-series motor with its 2001 Acura RSX to replace the aging Integra and B-series motors.  The K20C in the RSX type-S provides 200 horsepower of thrust from a 2.0 liter inline-4 and redlines at a stratospheric 7900 rpm.  As per Honda standards, the chassis is strong, rigid, and lightweight.  The sum of these parts conspire to make the RSX the best balance of the previous three cars.  It will scoot to 60 in 6.5 seconds and circumnavigate the skidpad with a tick less grip than the Mazda.  What it gives up in hardcore performance, the Acura makes up with a cabin that is light years ahead of the competition, fitting for a luxury marque such as Acura.

mx5-car-parts.blogspot.com

Before everyone starts complaining that every car here is "wrong wheel drive," let's add the disclaimer that there were barely any rear drive options in the compact car segment until recently with the introduction of the Hyundai Genesis and the upscale BMW 1-series.  The lone exception would be the Mazda Miata MX-5 which I can wholeheartedly recommend.  While not the fastest in a straight line (even among this group), it carves corners better than any car here and will instill a sense of confidence with its perfect weight distribution.  Oh yeah, they've also been around the longest of this bunch, are highly modifiable, and have bullet proof motors that regularly see 200,000 miles.

Come Christmas morning, I hope you find one of these under your tree.  They should keep a real smile on your face long enough to save you from cracking a fake one when you get that ugly sweater or fruit cake.  For those that say humbug to these choice automobiles and think they need more horsepower, put down that slice of pie and make a New Year's resolution to fix your personal power to weight ratio.

carwalls.com

Recently, Toyota has been in the press for both good reasons and bad.  First, there was the "our-drivers-don't-know-cars-or-care-about-driving-and-"unintentionally"-hit-the-gas" scandal which everyone and their mother had theories about.  Then, there was the release of the Lexus LFA which every enthusiast has had theories about...for 10 years.

Now, these two events only really apply to very specific types of people.  The unintended acceleration debacle played out in the cars of those who could care less about driving and treat their cars like appliances.  Lexus' LFA supercar, which costs $375,000, may interest a few passionate drivers among us but let's face it.  It is for the absurdly rich... and we, enthusiasts, probably already have our hearts set on other supercars that aren't from companies like Lexus.

So, where is the Toyota for the everyday enthusiast? Where are the cars that can herald the arrival of technology from F1, WRC, or JGTC?  When will we see names like Supra, Celica, or MR2 again?

automotiveaddicts.com

Well, it would seem that Toyota is willing to start a new relationship with the petrol head demographic and wants to get back to basics with its FT-86.  If the name looks oddly familiar, it is no coincidence.  It supposed to bring back memories of the Corolla Sprinter Trueno, AE86, or Hachi-Roku, which was the performance version of a mid-80s Corolla with amazing flickability.  It's the hero car in the animated series Initial D.

At first glance, this seems like a great idea.  Let's make a low-cost, affordable sports car for first time buyers.  Then build more expensive sports cars for the customer to aspire to own.  This will build brand confidence and loyalty. Sounds like a great plan!

And it would be a great plan until the numbers are considered.  Autoblog has just reported that the mid-level coupe will be priced around $28,500.  There will be two engines that have outputs of 170hp or 230hp.  Other sources cite the car being 163 inches long and being a 2+2.

When the original concept of this car was released it garnered rave reviews due to its aesthetics and the projected price point of $20,000.  Since then, many reports have come out saying that the car just isn't feasible at that price and today we hear that a mid-level car will cost $28,500.  To assuage enthusiast fears, Toyota has said a smaller sports car will be released later to fill the $20,000 price point.

2011-hyundai-genesis.info

It's at this point that it seems Toyota has lost any kind of connection with its non-toaster driving consumer.  Hyundai, a much smaller company than Toyota, has found a way to make the Genesis Coupe.  It sports a 2.0 liter turbo four that makes more power than the mill in the FT-86.  Oh yeah, it's priced from $22,000.  At the other end of the spectrum, the Hyundai is available with a 300hp V6 which in my estimation is 70 more horsepower than the option in the Toyota.  The top of the line Genesis Coupe is listed at $32,000 which means the median would be $27,000.  All this was made possible by the corporate sharing of chassis and engines.

carguideweb.com

You could be saying right now "but Danny the FT-86 is a smaller car than the Genesis." You're right it is about 19 inches shorter which should make it lighter and more sporty.  Going in that direction, the FT-86 runs against the Miata which is only down 6 inches and 3 horsepower to the Toyota.  It would seem that the FT-86 is going to be underpowered and less agile than what most of the category has to offer already.  Remember that smaller Toyota for $20,000?  How much smaller can it get when the FT-86 is only 6 inches bigger than a Miata?  Not to mention there's already the stigma attached to the Miata as being a "chic car".


Toyota has recently shown that is can react to changing situations in a timely manner when it needs to.  At this point in the company's history, it needs to prove that it truly cares about its customers and its reputation as a complete car company.  This attempt at a sports car for the masses seems to miss the point.  Hopefully, they can prove me wrong by the time it hits the showroom floor.