By Gary Anderson
Road Test
4 manual transmission performance cars that come through in the clutch
Subaru Impreza WRX
With a base price of $23,995, this was the least expensive of the bunch. WRX is short for “World Rally Prototype.” The WRX is as close as you can get in a street-going production car to the rally cars you see on “Speedvision.”
This is your basic “stealth” road rocket. Other than the functional hood scoop that channels air to the intercooler on the turbocharged 2-liter 4-cylinder engine, it looks like a four-door econobox.
But that little engine kicks out 227 horsepower and 217 foot-pounds of torque, enough to take the car to 60 mph in 6.4 seconds. That’s fast enough to startle drivers of much more expensive cars.
Interior touches of a Momo steering wheel, bright metal pedals and bolstered seats are reminders of the rally cars. Not that you’re likely to forget.
While fun to fling through corners, the car is stiffly sprung. It appears to have no sound-deadening material in the body and is very noisy at speed. Moreover, materials and build quality unfortunately reflect the price.
Good points: best performance per dollar; room for four passengers.
Bad points: noisy, hard-riding and feels a bit cheap.
Mitsubishi Eclipse Spyder GT
The Spyder is refined and handles well. Unusual for a convertible, it can carry four passengers in comfort. On fast runs up Woodside Road it handled very well and - unlike the others in this group - didn’t leave passengers looking for the air-sick bag.
Best of all, it’s a convertible, perfect for a quick run up Route 1 to Mendocino. Trunk space is small, but weekend luggage for two would be no problem.
The 3-liter V-6 puts out 200 horsepower and 200 foot-pounds of torque, but takes almost nine seconds to go 0 to 60. That’s adequate for everyday driving, but it won’t beat a BMW 3-series convertible away from the stop light. However, it offers most of the pleasures of the BMW and with a base price of $26,407, it costs 15 grand less.
Good points: Handling and comfort way up the scale.
Bad points: a little lethargic.
Lexus IS300
Lexus says this four-door sedan is targeted directly at the BMW 3-series sedans. It certainly offers the performance. With its 3-liter inline-six engine pushing 215 horsepower and 218 foot-pounds of torque to the rear wheels, zero to 60 comes up in just over seven seconds. It is very satisfying on curves, going exactly where it’s pointed with little fuss.
However, the car seems aimed more at younger buyers of customized sport-compact cars. Seventeen-inch wheels, low-profile tires, high-intensity headlights, styled taillights and a high-power sound system are all standard for the entry-level price of $29,500. Chronograph-style instruments and racing-look pedals further differentiate it from the near-luxury cars in its class.
Lexus-built quality is apparent throughout, making the car a bargain relative to BMWs, but we think the distinctive look of this car gears it to a different buyer.
Good points: Performance and quality.
Bad points: quirky styling accents.
Honda S2000
Life in the fast lane has definitely improved over the past few years.
Car companies are again making cars that are first and foremost fun to drive. Recently I’ve driven four that were all fast off the mark, handled well on curving backroads and had manual transmissions. For the driving enthusiast, there’s no substitute for a clutch and shift lever.
Aside from driving performance, they couldn’t have been more different from one another. Each was designed to appeal to a specific buyer. Bearing in mind that my wife Genie and I are no longer in our 20s and probably aren’t the buyers for whom these cars were designed, here are our impressions.
With 240 horsepower being squeezed out of a two-liter four-cylinder engine, in a small two-door, two-seat convertible, this car defines high performance.
Zero to 60 is available in under six seconds. This kind of speed is generally only found in cars costing twice this little bomb’s $32,300 base price.
For pure driving fun, this car has few competitors among street-spec cars. However, it definitely has some shortcomings. The engine performs best at high-revs and the noise can be exhausting after a short time.
The S2000 would probably be more fun on the race track than on the street.
There is almost no suspension movement, giving the car razor-sharp handling but providing no cushion for bumps in the road. To call the cockpit snug is an understatement. A driver and passenger fill the car completely. There’s not even room for a glove compartment. With the automatic top and rear suspension taking up all the room, the trunk is just adequate for two soft-side overnight bags.
Driving this car, we kept thinking we’d just as soon have a Miata. Same roadster feeling, but less costly and more comfortable. Just not quite as fast.
Good points: Supercar performance, good looks.
Bad points: Noisy, bumpy, no space.
To sum up, I had fun with each of these cars. However, each is aimed at a specific market. If I had to choose only one to live with, I’d opt for the Mitsubishi. It was comfortable and handled well, and the convertible top made up for the relatively slower performance.
