pakisho
09-05-2003, 02:13 PM
So I figured if I was going to be trading in the S on a muscle car I should check out the latest pony. Went to Fremont ford, where they did their best to sell me a Mach 1. Bah. Anyway. Hayward has a TON of them in stock.
I test drove a Red Anniversary edition. Here is the nitty gritty.
1. Gawd, what sexy wheels. I frigging loved them. Absolutely awesome. (Only on the anniv. edition, btw).
2. He starts it up, and the motor sounds good. Blips the throttle. Man, a mustang cobra sounds GOOD. Not as harsh as a Z06 (which is nice in its own way), and better than a stock viper for sure. You cant really hear the blower unless its under load.
3. Clutch is very slightly on the heavy side. The Z06 was lighter. The whole car feels pretty heavy, but well sorted out. It was smooth over bumps, and generally felt more like a sedan than a lightweight coupe. Im sure the S has spoiled me here though.
4. Power.
:D
Wow. Lay into it, and there is a fraction of a second delay, and then the car hunkers down and rockets down the road. First gear, second gear, third gear, fourth...wow. This is a seriously powerful beast! Didnt care too much for the blower whine. If I was going to have whine, Id want the fucker to be LOUD. Like a Kenne Bell at 15 psi, for instance. Something that makes fat ladies faint. But itwas like a bottomless well of power. I was more impressed by the power in this car than I was in the Z06. Does this car have a lot more torque? Whats the deal? Maybe it was just the effect of the slight lag from the blower.
5. The interior: yuck. Well. Yuck primarily to the seats. Cant these goofs build a seat that you sit IN, instead of sitting ON? I was VERY uncomfortable driving the car, and that killed it for me right there. The cushion must be angeled up, because when I set the steering wheel to the angle I wanted it, I couldnt squeeze my legs under it. Stupid.
6. Never cranked the stereo, so Idont know how it is. It had a 6disc, though.
7. I wrung it out a little, and the car felt fairly composed, albeit heavy. I couldnt heel and toe worth a damn, due to the brake pedal having virtually NO travel, and the footwell being the size of a shoebox.
8. Verdict: I think a slightly used Z06 is a way better bargain than an 03 Cobra. The cobra has its qualities, as does the Vette, but neither of them hit the chord im looking for. This has got me depressed. What kind of duffer cant find happiness between two 400hp cars? Am I ill? :(
Anyhow, the search goes on. Im going to broaden the search a little, and take a look at an 01 M5 next week. That should be interesting.
Oz
I test drove a Red Anniversary edition. Here is the nitty gritty.
1. Gawd, what sexy wheels. I frigging loved them. Absolutely awesome. (Only on the anniv. edition, btw).
2. He starts it up, and the motor sounds good. Blips the throttle. Man, a mustang cobra sounds GOOD. Not as harsh as a Z06 (which is nice in its own way), and better than a stock viper for sure. You cant really hear the blower unless its under load.
3. Clutch is very slightly on the heavy side. The Z06 was lighter. The whole car feels pretty heavy, but well sorted out. It was smooth over bumps, and generally felt more like a sedan than a lightweight coupe. Im sure the S has spoiled me here though.
4. Power.
:D
Wow. Lay into it, and there is a fraction of a second delay, and then the car hunkers down and rockets down the road. First gear, second gear, third gear, fourth...wow. This is a seriously powerful beast! Didnt care too much for the blower whine. If I was going to have whine, Id want the fucker to be LOUD. Like a Kenne Bell at 15 psi, for instance. Something that makes fat ladies faint. But itwas like a bottomless well of power. I was more impressed by the power in this car than I was in the Z06. Does this car have a lot more torque? Whats the deal? Maybe it was just the effect of the slight lag from the blower.
5. The interior: yuck. Well. Yuck primarily to the seats. Cant these goofs build a seat that you sit IN, instead of sitting ON? I was VERY uncomfortable driving the car, and that killed it for me right there. The cushion must be angeled up, because when I set the steering wheel to the angle I wanted it, I couldnt squeeze my legs under it. Stupid.
6. Never cranked the stereo, so Idont know how it is. It had a 6disc, though.
7. I wrung it out a little, and the car felt fairly composed, albeit heavy. I couldnt heel and toe worth a damn, due to the brake pedal having virtually NO travel, and the footwell being the size of a shoebox.
8. Verdict: I think a slightly used Z06 is a way better bargain than an 03 Cobra. The cobra has its qualities, as does the Vette, but neither of them hit the chord im looking for. This has got me depressed. What kind of duffer cant find happiness between two 400hp cars? Am I ill? :(
Anyhow, the search goes on. Im going to broaden the search a little, and take a look at an 01 M5 next week. That should be interesting.
Oz