Hi All,
I just picked up my '03 in Chicago on Saturday and drove it home to Boston, logging about 4 hours on Saturday and a straight 12 on Sunday. Here are my questions and impressions of the car thus far. I realize to some extent my opinions are colored by the fact that I drove the car for such a long duration on Sunday, and I also think my first impressions may modify over time as I become used to the car.
Pros:
-The looks are just amazing. You can't believe how low and little the car is when seeing it in person.
-Zero body roll in the corners.
-View from the cockpit and mirror positioning creates a feeling of what I think the view from a Le Mans race car would like.
-The sound over your left shoulder on accelleration is so sweet.
-The seats are awesome, although I do wish the headrest tilted forward.
-The headlights, especially under high beam, are very good.
-Braking is superior.
-Visibility is decent, which is a plus in this class.
-Acceleration is strong in every gear. The gear ratios are such that the engine RPM's are higher than I expected, which in retrospect makes sense given where the powerband is strongest and how this engine is expected to be driven.
-Large gas tank/MPG/range of vehicle. I could get 400 miles on the highway and was averaging over 25MPG with the car mostly at 80MPH in 6th gear. I consider that pretty amazing for a sports car.
Cons:
-The stereo is truly as bad as reported, maybe worse.
-Much more road noise than expected. Probably affected at least a bit by the rubber (Potenzas).
-The car seems especially prone to tracking along depressions/ruts in the road (more on this below).
-The car was rather demanding to drive, which was unexpected. Perhaps a case of unrealistic expectations on my part or perhaps an issue with the car, but I expected it to feel much easier than the regular vehicle to drive at 80 MPH, not the other way around.
-There really is almost zero cabin room for anything other than 2 people. A characteristic of the class of car, no doubt, but will still take some getting used to. Additionally, the cabin controls are a stretch to reach, especially the A/C.
-Wet traction. Probably a funtion of the rubber (Potenzas), which I hear are generally regarded as pretty bad.
-Wished the steering wheel adjusted down. I will be reading the manual today to see if I was overlooking this function, but I think it just telescopes in and out.
-Wished the cruise control had a cancel feature.
-With the lights on in the day (rain), the cabin controls become nearly impossible to read.
Issues/Questions/Concerns:
-After a run of about 350 miles without stopping, I pulled up to the gas pump and smelled a pretty strong hot engine smell. The engine was not hot as indicated by the gague in the instrument panel and was actually steady as a rock the whole trip. Is this normal?
-The car runs a little rough when it is first started up, with a minor vibration present in the cabin. Is this normal?
-There is a hard to describe audible-only (not tactile) vibration/oscillation coming from the rear of the car especially at 60MPH or higher. It gets somewhat faster as you increase the speed of the car. It is not felt in the car, only heard. Could it be a function of the tires again? Anyone else know what I'm talking about?
-For guys who drive in the Northeast/Northern climates, I can't imagine anyone going with firmer than stock suspension if the car is not primarily for track purposes. There are a lot of bumps and ruts between Chicago and Boston and I felt a LOT of them. Has anyone gone to a softer suspension? (a sacrilege, I know).
-Most unexpected and concerning was the handling of this car in the depressions that naturally form in the road where cars typically travel. The car felt almost like it was on a train track and would track very strongly with these depressions. Changing lanes was like a train changing tracks, with the accompanying quick side to side shudder. Shudder isn't really the right word, but if you ride a train with any regularity, you probably know what I'm talking about. Is this typical? Could it be a function of excessive toe in (totally guessing here)? The combination of the wet traction performance (bad) and this tracking along the ruts in which there were occassional puddles, was a very bad combination (bordering on unsafe) and required quite a bit of attention in the rain, which thankfully only lasted about 9 solid hours
.
Thanks for reading, I am interested in feedback from folks who have owned the car for a while to determine if my issues are car-specific or a function of the overall design.
I just picked up my '03 in Chicago on Saturday and drove it home to Boston, logging about 4 hours on Saturday and a straight 12 on Sunday. Here are my questions and impressions of the car thus far. I realize to some extent my opinions are colored by the fact that I drove the car for such a long duration on Sunday, and I also think my first impressions may modify over time as I become used to the car.
Pros:
-The looks are just amazing. You can't believe how low and little the car is when seeing it in person.
-Zero body roll in the corners.
-View from the cockpit and mirror positioning creates a feeling of what I think the view from a Le Mans race car would like.
-The sound over your left shoulder on accelleration is so sweet.
-The seats are awesome, although I do wish the headrest tilted forward.
-The headlights, especially under high beam, are very good.
-Braking is superior.
-Visibility is decent, which is a plus in this class.
-Acceleration is strong in every gear. The gear ratios are such that the engine RPM's are higher than I expected, which in retrospect makes sense given where the powerband is strongest and how this engine is expected to be driven.
-Large gas tank/MPG/range of vehicle. I could get 400 miles on the highway and was averaging over 25MPG with the car mostly at 80MPH in 6th gear. I consider that pretty amazing for a sports car.
Cons:
-The stereo is truly as bad as reported, maybe worse.
-Much more road noise than expected. Probably affected at least a bit by the rubber (Potenzas).
-The car seems especially prone to tracking along depressions/ruts in the road (more on this below).
-The car was rather demanding to drive, which was unexpected. Perhaps a case of unrealistic expectations on my part or perhaps an issue with the car, but I expected it to feel much easier than the regular vehicle to drive at 80 MPH, not the other way around.
-There really is almost zero cabin room for anything other than 2 people. A characteristic of the class of car, no doubt, but will still take some getting used to. Additionally, the cabin controls are a stretch to reach, especially the A/C.
-Wet traction. Probably a funtion of the rubber (Potenzas), which I hear are generally regarded as pretty bad.
-Wished the steering wheel adjusted down. I will be reading the manual today to see if I was overlooking this function, but I think it just telescopes in and out.
-Wished the cruise control had a cancel feature.
-With the lights on in the day (rain), the cabin controls become nearly impossible to read.
Issues/Questions/Concerns:
-After a run of about 350 miles without stopping, I pulled up to the gas pump and smelled a pretty strong hot engine smell. The engine was not hot as indicated by the gague in the instrument panel and was actually steady as a rock the whole trip. Is this normal?
-The car runs a little rough when it is first started up, with a minor vibration present in the cabin. Is this normal?
-There is a hard to describe audible-only (not tactile) vibration/oscillation coming from the rear of the car especially at 60MPH or higher. It gets somewhat faster as you increase the speed of the car. It is not felt in the car, only heard. Could it be a function of the tires again? Anyone else know what I'm talking about?
-For guys who drive in the Northeast/Northern climates, I can't imagine anyone going with firmer than stock suspension if the car is not primarily for track purposes. There are a lot of bumps and ruts between Chicago and Boston and I felt a LOT of them. Has anyone gone to a softer suspension? (a sacrilege, I know).
-Most unexpected and concerning was the handling of this car in the depressions that naturally form in the road where cars typically travel. The car felt almost like it was on a train track and would track very strongly with these depressions. Changing lanes was like a train changing tracks, with the accompanying quick side to side shudder. Shudder isn't really the right word, but if you ride a train with any regularity, you probably know what I'm talking about. Is this typical? Could it be a function of excessive toe in (totally guessing here)? The combination of the wet traction performance (bad) and this tracking along the ruts in which there were occassional puddles, was a very bad combination (bordering on unsafe) and required quite a bit of attention in the rain, which thankfully only lasted about 9 solid hours
.Thanks for reading, I am interested in feedback from folks who have owned the car for a while to determine if my issues are car-specific or a function of the overall design.
