From: "Calvin Cheng"Subject: [bah] More geek talk Date: 05 Dec 96 11:27:04 -0800 MIME-Version: 1.0 Just more rambling about the Miata, and an unavoidable comparison with my Integra. Pardon me for being a car geek here. The 1.8L engine gives a nice little rumble, more similar to that of say a BMW engine, than the 'clinically' smooth Honda engines. Some people prefer it nice and smooth like a Honda, but some people prefer it to have a little more 'flavor'. Actually, I belong in the latter category. It's a pretty tractable engine too. Decent, but not great, amount of low-to-mid range torque. Doesn't feel very different from the Integra's (the Integra definitely has a much stronger top end). If you have driven an MR2 Turbo, you'd know how it feels to be constantly shifting up and down in traffic to keep the engine happy (and then being thrown into never-never land when that big turbo kicks in). I have to add that Darryl was so excited driving his Miata that he forgot I had a hard time catching up with him on his Corolla. The driving feel though, is distinctly Japanese - light pedal efforts, relatively light steering feel. Well, it's light, but you get a lot of feel. In terms of driving feel, this definitely beats the Integra hands down. First, there is that intimate road feel (coupled with the intimate cockpit feel). You sit low, just like my Integra (I have to emphasize 'my'). But you sit correctly, unlike on the Integra. That's the bonus of a car that IS not designed for passengers. Even on an M3, you are sitting way too upright to get the right feel. Then again, most of our friends driving say Oldsmobiles (ahem), cannot quite comprehend that level of intimacy with the road. I could go on describing how the car hugs the smooth contours of the road, but I leave it to your imagination. Each time I look back at the rear seats on my Integra too, I just don't feel as close to the car. The only thing that the Integra seems to have an edge, and a minor one, is the shifter. Yes, it has a longer throw shifter, but only just longer. And it has a more substantial feel, and is smoother shifting. Then again, few cars I have driven have shifters that can compare with the Integra's. Now how do these cars run against each other? The Integra is clearly the 'muscle' car here. On straightaways, the Miata would not stand a chance against the Integra. But on windier roads, the Miata's 50/50 front/rear weight bias and RWD makes it a lot easier to drive fast. It will give the Integra a run for its money. On really windy roads, the Integra would probably lose. Miatas are really popular autocross vehicles. Under the hands of expert drivers on tight courses, they are more than a match for Corvettes and Camaros. - Calvin Cheng Object Management Technology Server Technologies Division Oracle Corporation