M/T: The Leftovers (including Camaro 1LE, Focus RS, BMW M2)

[Bob]

Whoa, this is highly concerning. Look at the Focus RS's 1/4 mile:

13.6 sec @ 99.3 mph

99 mph trap??? WTF? Stupid EcoBoost. It was on Sport Cup 2 tires in case anyone asks...

The V6 Camaro ran 13.7 @ 101.7!

[kevm14]

Yeah I agree. I think it deserves to win based on what the criteria was. It's just not for me.

[kevm14]

I am having a hard time with the 86 being better than all the cars behind it, especially the M2. I just have never seen the hype for the FRS/BRZ cars.

I feel the same way - which probably isn't fair as I haven't driven one. I think Bob has.

[Bob]

I have driven a BRZ before. Honestly, it was fun and they are now a decent value in the used market. The way all the articles were written about it, I was expecting a little more (of course I also was stepping out of my Elise when I drove it). Maybe when you factor value in, it is better than the M2.

[kevm14]

If I was in the market for a car like that I'd be looking at a 5th gen SS 1LE. That's more the mix of power/handling that I like.

[Bob]

FR-Ss are down in the $10-12k range now at the low end. At that price point, I think they are a decent buy if you value chassis over power.

The 5th gen Camaro just didn't do it for me (at least in V6 rental car trim). It had that "drives heavier than it is" feel that I don't really like about a lot of GM cars from the past.

[kevm14]

That is many trim levels down from what the 1LE was doing so I'd definitely not write it off. Not that you'll have a chance to drive one realistically. And not that it is as good as Alpha, either.

[Bob]

With Alpha, I can feel the fundamental goodness even in cheapest version.

[kevm14]

I don't know that the conclusion should be that Zeta was fundamentally bad and Alpha is fundamentally good. I wouldn't go that far. I would say, though, that while tuning Zeta to be more engaging, approachable/communicative and neutral, they applied all those lessons to all trims of Alpha cars from the start.

[kevm14]

Somehow I missed that the Camaro was almost 1 second faster than the Focus RS.

Importantly for me, the 2014 Chevy SS also has a better lap time than the Focus RS.