ma71supraturbo
09-18-2005, 02:24 AM
The Samurai Warriors 1986
Japan's best GT cars go head-to-head
By Ron Grable
http://www.geocities.com/ma71supraturbo/articles/mk3/5_86mtsupra1.jpg
In feudal Japan, the ruling Shoguns sent their most dedicated, trusted -- and, of course, strongest -- Samurai warriors into battle for the honor and glory of the Prefecture. Modern industrial Japan is not too different. Consider the analogy by substituting today's Japanese automotive manufacturing giants for the ancient Shoguns, dollars in place of honor and glory, and each manufacturer’s top-of-the-line killer sports car as the Samurai warrior.
For this neo-feudal battleground, we chose the sun-baked Southern California asphalt at our Los Angeles County fairgrounds test facility, and gathered together the major Samurais: 300ZX Turbo of Nissan, RX-7 Turbo of Mazda, Supra of Toyota, and Starion of Mitsubishi (thinly disguised as a Dodge Conquest TSi).
This '86 field represents the state of the art Japanese engineering for GT cars. There are many similarities: All four cars are front-engine, rear-wheel drive and have all 4-wheel independent suspension, electronic fuel injection, 4-wheel disc brakes, and 50-series high-performance tires on 16-in. cast aluminum wheels. There are also startling dissimilarities, particularly under the individual hoods. As diverse an array of engines would be difficult to find anywhere -- V-6, inline six, inline four, and rotary. There are turbocharged, one is normally aspirated, and only two of the three turbos are intercooled. All in all, it's an interesting technological mix.
When you read this story, all four cars will be available, but both the RX-7 Turbo and Supra are '86 1/2 models and will have been on sale for only a matter of minutes. The "newest" award goes to the Toyota, with all-new sheet metal, suspension, and a completely upgraded engine. It's so new, in fact, we had to sneak the Supra out of Toyota's Sales and Engineering Center, and as we spirited it away, most Toyota employees were staring at it -- slack-jawed -- unable to place it. The new Mazda RX-7 has been covered extensively in our March '86 issue (its turbocharged persona won our Import Car of the Year award), and the Nissan 300ZX Turbo and Conquest TSi are reasonably familiar at this point, but have been updated for 1986.
The '86 1/2 Supra is a big car (more than 400lb heavier than the next closest Samurai, and 450lb heavier than last year's Supra), with all that implies. On the plus side, the car feels solid and provides lots of insulation between its occupants and the outside world. On the negative side, all that excess weight must be "managed" -- accelerated, stopped, and turned.
Pity the poor Toyota chassis engineer who faced the dual requirements of providing a well-modulated, compliant ride and good handling peformance, while dealing with a rather heavy car. Not an easy task. But it was accomplished with a double-wishbone suspension layout that allowed the designed to keep the tire in better contact with the road by controlling the camber of the wheel with respect to body roll and tailoring the height of the roll center for specific handling characteristics, The double wishbone is a more precise method of controlling all suspension parameters, and is a positive step for Toyota.
The designers provided an automatic shock control system, called TEMS (Toyota Electronically Modulated Suspension), for the new Supra. Basically, TEMS has two modes, sport and normal, and sensors that determine driving conditions and relay the info to the TEMS microprocessor. Normal mode has three degrees of shock valving: soft, medium, and firm. When sport is selected, only medium and firm function, and, in either mode, the computer firms up the valving when it senses high-rate steering inputs or rapid accel/decel. This reduces accelerative pitch motion and initial roll rate when cornering.
Overall, this suspension system provides a stable platform with good, balanced handling characteristics, but the car falls short of its ultimate handling potential because of the excessive weight. Put this Supra on a crash diet to the tune of 500 lb, and it would be a killer car-second to none in handling performance.
The 86 1/2 Supra also brings an almost-new engine to the market (the only non-turbo in the field). Based on the '85 2.8-liter block, displacement has been increased to 3.0 liters, and features four valves per cylinder, electronic fuel injection, and an Intake Air Control system. IAC is a separate valve downstream of the throttle valve, which is opened or closed depending on engine conditions, to "tune" the air-tract length for different engine speeds. The effect is to optimize the engines torque over a wider range of engine speed. The 7M-GE engine produces 80% of its maximum torque all the way from 1200 to 6400 rpm.
In October 1985, Mazda introduced its all-new RX-7, and then caught the industry by surprise with a turbo version almost immediately thereafter. The turbo engine bumps horsepower and torque 25% and 32%, respectively, to 182 hp and 183 lb-ft. In theory, a rotary engine makes an ideal base for turbocharging, and Mazda's dual-chamber turbo is designed to reduce turbo lag yet maintain good boost characteristics at high rpm, taking advantage of the rotary's inherently higher-energy exhaust pulses. The dual-scroll turbine section speeds up the exhaust gases at low engine speeds to achieve quicker response (reduced lag), and at higher engine speeds the turbine scroll area increases for maximum gas flow. Max available boost is wastegated to 6.2psi and is available at 2000 rpm. An air / air intercooler is also provided to remove some of the heat of compression from the charge air.
The turbo RX-7 has been twiddled in the suspension department to accommodate the increased turbo engine performance. Increased spring rates (11%), bigger anti-roll bars (9% front/17% rear), and stiffer shock valving are all used to tune the turbo car's handling performance, and, as a final touch, 16 X 7.0-in cast aluminum wheels are fitted with 205/55VR16 Goodyear Eagles.
The '86 Dodge Conquest TSi, aka Mitsubishi Starion ESI-R, also offers a cornucopia of performance goodies. The most noticeable is the aero package -- aggressive fenders, spoilers, and air dams, configured around the new cast aluminum 16-in wheels with 205/55V16 front, 225/50V16 rear Yokohama A-403 tires. These styling goodies get fitted to the intercooled version carrying the TSi designation, which produces 176 hp and 223 lb-ft of torque at 5000 and 2500 rpm respectively. The TSi also gets fully ventilated disc brakes all around, and anti-lock rear brake control -- strangely enough the only anti-lock brake system in this otherwise stellar field.
Nissan's changes to the 300ZX Turbo for model year 1986 are almost identical to those mentioned above for the Conquest TSi, namely, fender flares to accommodate bigger tires and wheels, combined with rear spoiler and flared side skirts to complement the 2-in.-wider fenders. All changes work very well on the 300ZX Turbo. The flares are subtle enough to be quite tasteful, and the product planners even had the good sense to drop last year's graphic side stripes to achieve a refined, understated look. The new wheels are 16 X 7.0 in., fitted with 225/50VR16 Bridgestone RE 61s.
The engine remains unchanged, but some rearranged underhood air-flow has eliminated the need for the hood scoop of earlier years. (Good riddance.) The Turbo Nissan has also undergone suspension upgrades: significantly stiffer rear springs and a 2mm larger front anti-roll bar, combined with a wider range on the adjustable shock damping. Firm is really firm, and soft is really soft. The changes bring the 300ZX Turbo suspension specifications to the level of the 50th anniversary ZX produced for 1984.
Performance Comparison
..............0-60....1/4mi....60-0......Track....Skidpad.....Points
RX-7........6.54....15.20....135'......1:23.8..... .87 g.......498
Supra.......8.11....16.17....132'......1:26.7..... .86 g.......472
Conquest..7.84....16.19....135'......1:26.1..... .80 g.......467
300ZX......7.50....15.96....138'......1:27.3..... .80 g.......467
The accompanying data panel sums up the relative performance of these four Samurai warriors. Clearly, the RX-7 Turbo is the victor, with an outright win in four of five categories, only losing to the Supra in braking. The Rotary Rocket is a performance sports car. Drive it and you'll be convinced. It does everything well, with the possible exception of panic braking, when rear-wheel lockup is a problem. On the road circuit, it is neutral, predictable, and faaaast. At the end of the straightaway on our Pomona test track, it was making a full 12 mph more than the closest competitor.
To complement its straight-line speed, the Mazda's advanced DTSS suspension system is exemplary and nearly viceless. Near, or at, the limits of the tires, the car keeps you informed of what's going on out there between the tires and the pavement. Step over the limit, and it'll do everything it can to bring you back up. Part of the credit for this level of behavior goes to the excellent Goodyear Eagles, and part to the Mazda suspension system.
The Supra finished 2nd in performance, despite its heavy feel on the road course. The car remains well balanced and predictable right up to its limits, but the driver is always aware of the high body-roll angles. Aside from that, the Toyota has excellent handling manners and doesn't produce any surprises when driven within its limits. The brakes are quite good, with excellent fade resistance and stability.
The big 24-valve six is a paragon of smooth electric-motor-like power and doesn't require all the advanced planning of turbo-powered engines. The flat torque characteristics of the engine make it easy to drive fast; there's always ample power to position the car with the throttle. The Supra has a natural tendency to understeer entering a corner, which requires the driver to wait until the correct time and then dial up enough torque to transition into neutral attitude for the fastest corner exit. Considering the fact that the Supra s lugging around 600 lb more than the RX-7 (that's three of your biggest friends -- unless you're a football player -- then its two), we thing its performance is outstanding.
Just a click behind in 3rd is the Conquest. The Dodge actually nosed out the Supra on the road course and 0-60 time, but the Yokohama A-403 tires were not the equal of the Goodyears on the Mazda and Toyota. We wonder why Mitsubishi (oops, Dodge) didn't choose to use the excellent A-008 from Yokohama, as that would surely have changed the results. The single point difference in the total between the Supra and the Conquest essentially means they are equal in performance but achieve their individual performance levels with entirely different personalities. The Toyota is velvet-smooth and solid, almost immune to the outside world. The Conquest feels like a scrappy middle-weight fighter, scratching and clawing at the ground -- but getting the job done.
In a four-car contest, somebody has to finish 4th. The 300ZX Turbo has a mouth-watering engine, producing 200smooth, effortless horsepower, but is handicapped by its mediocre-at best chassis. The Nissan only finished 2nd to the rocketship RX-7 in acceleration -- but notice how far off it was in the handling department. The 300ZX suspension doesn't control pitch motions adequately; body roll is only slightly better; and it is the combination of these motions that limits the car's handling performance. Even in steady-state cornering conditions like the skidpad, the 300ZX is almost 10% slower, at 0.80 g, than the others which are clustered around 0.86 g. The Nissan could also have benefited from Bridgestone RE 71 (instead of RE 61), acknowledged as one of the very best tires in the industry.
But man does not live by screeching tires and a screaming engine alone. There's a whole experience of living with the car, unrelated to ultimate cornering, tire-smoking acceleration, or roll-couple distributions. Picking the hedonist's choice from the field is nearly impossible. All four cars are tailored for the discriminating buyer who savors his creature comforts and accoutrements, and these Samurai warriors are equipped accordingly.
The Nissan 300ZX almost certainly qualifies as "loaded". A partial listing: power seat with adjustments for fore/aft, up/down, tilt, back angle, side bolsters two-way headrest, and airpump for three-level lumbar; dual power mirrors with defrosters, cruise control with steering wheel-mounted switches, graphic instrumentation, rear window wiper/defroster/washer, headlight cleaner, twin tripmeter, automatic climate control switch, distance-to-empty display, tilt steering wheel, voice warning system, electronic AM/FM/cassette with steering wheel controls and graphic equalizer, stopwatch/clock/calendar; vanity mirrors (really?), interior overhead spotlights, split rear seats, interior fuel-door opener, acceleration/fuel-consumption meter, and a compass?
Whew! You never knew you needed all that -- right? The amazing thing is that after you've lived with the car a while, it all works and begins to seem natural. Sorta like: "I can't believe I used to get up off the couch to change channels".
Ranking these four for comfort and convenience-wise on ling interstate freeway trips would end up (for us at least) with Nissan as the winner, follower closely by the Supra and Conquest, with the RX-7 bringing up the rear. Both the 300ZX Turbo and the silky smooth Supra are effortless tourers, with all the impeccable manners, and looonnng legs.
The Supra in particular is a true dual-purpose car. It's not only comfortable as a long-distance cruisemobile, devouring freeways, but also top notch at covering ground over twisty two-lane stuff. It may not be the ultimate Showroom Stock racer, but it handles anything you can throw at it with complete aplomb, and is one of the best GT car buys available.
The Conquest definitely keeps up, but feels a little out of its element (i.e., it's a 4-cylinder, while equipped with balance shafts, isn't as smooth as, say, the 300ZX), and too much of the outside world intrudes on the passenger environment. Some engine sounds (the turbo whine as it moves up and down its rev scale) are noticeable, and the suspension allows certain surface irregularities inside.
Mazda's super-quick RX-7 is the least enjoyable in this interstate scenario. The taut, responsive suspension, which generates such impeccable handling credentials, gets a little objectionable after a day in the saddle at a sedate freeway drone. The turbo motor is perfectly happy humming along at a relaxed pace, but you know what great fun lurks beneath your right foot, and it's difficult not to use it.
So, we've waffled a little on our choice of Top Samurai. The RX-7 will blow the doors off most anything around these days, and is the obvious performance winner. But that isn't the whole story of owning a car, and many prospective buyers will base their decisions on more esoteric criteria. All four of these Samurai warriors offer many virtues to attract buyers into the showrooms. For those with the pleasant, but bewildering, problem of choosing which one to buy, our final advice is to test drive, compare, lay out your bucks, and then enjoy!
Copyright Motor Trend
Japan's best GT cars go head-to-head
By Ron Grable
http://www.geocities.com/ma71supraturbo/articles/mk3/5_86mtsupra1.jpg
In feudal Japan, the ruling Shoguns sent their most dedicated, trusted -- and, of course, strongest -- Samurai warriors into battle for the honor and glory of the Prefecture. Modern industrial Japan is not too different. Consider the analogy by substituting today's Japanese automotive manufacturing giants for the ancient Shoguns, dollars in place of honor and glory, and each manufacturer’s top-of-the-line killer sports car as the Samurai warrior.
For this neo-feudal battleground, we chose the sun-baked Southern California asphalt at our Los Angeles County fairgrounds test facility, and gathered together the major Samurais: 300ZX Turbo of Nissan, RX-7 Turbo of Mazda, Supra of Toyota, and Starion of Mitsubishi (thinly disguised as a Dodge Conquest TSi).
This '86 field represents the state of the art Japanese engineering for GT cars. There are many similarities: All four cars are front-engine, rear-wheel drive and have all 4-wheel independent suspension, electronic fuel injection, 4-wheel disc brakes, and 50-series high-performance tires on 16-in. cast aluminum wheels. There are also startling dissimilarities, particularly under the individual hoods. As diverse an array of engines would be difficult to find anywhere -- V-6, inline six, inline four, and rotary. There are turbocharged, one is normally aspirated, and only two of the three turbos are intercooled. All in all, it's an interesting technological mix.
When you read this story, all four cars will be available, but both the RX-7 Turbo and Supra are '86 1/2 models and will have been on sale for only a matter of minutes. The "newest" award goes to the Toyota, with all-new sheet metal, suspension, and a completely upgraded engine. It's so new, in fact, we had to sneak the Supra out of Toyota's Sales and Engineering Center, and as we spirited it away, most Toyota employees were staring at it -- slack-jawed -- unable to place it. The new Mazda RX-7 has been covered extensively in our March '86 issue (its turbocharged persona won our Import Car of the Year award), and the Nissan 300ZX Turbo and Conquest TSi are reasonably familiar at this point, but have been updated for 1986.
The '86 1/2 Supra is a big car (more than 400lb heavier than the next closest Samurai, and 450lb heavier than last year's Supra), with all that implies. On the plus side, the car feels solid and provides lots of insulation between its occupants and the outside world. On the negative side, all that excess weight must be "managed" -- accelerated, stopped, and turned.
Pity the poor Toyota chassis engineer who faced the dual requirements of providing a well-modulated, compliant ride and good handling peformance, while dealing with a rather heavy car. Not an easy task. But it was accomplished with a double-wishbone suspension layout that allowed the designed to keep the tire in better contact with the road by controlling the camber of the wheel with respect to body roll and tailoring the height of the roll center for specific handling characteristics, The double wishbone is a more precise method of controlling all suspension parameters, and is a positive step for Toyota.
The designers provided an automatic shock control system, called TEMS (Toyota Electronically Modulated Suspension), for the new Supra. Basically, TEMS has two modes, sport and normal, and sensors that determine driving conditions and relay the info to the TEMS microprocessor. Normal mode has three degrees of shock valving: soft, medium, and firm. When sport is selected, only medium and firm function, and, in either mode, the computer firms up the valving when it senses high-rate steering inputs or rapid accel/decel. This reduces accelerative pitch motion and initial roll rate when cornering.
Overall, this suspension system provides a stable platform with good, balanced handling characteristics, but the car falls short of its ultimate handling potential because of the excessive weight. Put this Supra on a crash diet to the tune of 500 lb, and it would be a killer car-second to none in handling performance.
The 86 1/2 Supra also brings an almost-new engine to the market (the only non-turbo in the field). Based on the '85 2.8-liter block, displacement has been increased to 3.0 liters, and features four valves per cylinder, electronic fuel injection, and an Intake Air Control system. IAC is a separate valve downstream of the throttle valve, which is opened or closed depending on engine conditions, to "tune" the air-tract length for different engine speeds. The effect is to optimize the engines torque over a wider range of engine speed. The 7M-GE engine produces 80% of its maximum torque all the way from 1200 to 6400 rpm.
In October 1985, Mazda introduced its all-new RX-7, and then caught the industry by surprise with a turbo version almost immediately thereafter. The turbo engine bumps horsepower and torque 25% and 32%, respectively, to 182 hp and 183 lb-ft. In theory, a rotary engine makes an ideal base for turbocharging, and Mazda's dual-chamber turbo is designed to reduce turbo lag yet maintain good boost characteristics at high rpm, taking advantage of the rotary's inherently higher-energy exhaust pulses. The dual-scroll turbine section speeds up the exhaust gases at low engine speeds to achieve quicker response (reduced lag), and at higher engine speeds the turbine scroll area increases for maximum gas flow. Max available boost is wastegated to 6.2psi and is available at 2000 rpm. An air / air intercooler is also provided to remove some of the heat of compression from the charge air.
The turbo RX-7 has been twiddled in the suspension department to accommodate the increased turbo engine performance. Increased spring rates (11%), bigger anti-roll bars (9% front/17% rear), and stiffer shock valving are all used to tune the turbo car's handling performance, and, as a final touch, 16 X 7.0-in cast aluminum wheels are fitted with 205/55VR16 Goodyear Eagles.
The '86 Dodge Conquest TSi, aka Mitsubishi Starion ESI-R, also offers a cornucopia of performance goodies. The most noticeable is the aero package -- aggressive fenders, spoilers, and air dams, configured around the new cast aluminum 16-in wheels with 205/55V16 front, 225/50V16 rear Yokohama A-403 tires. These styling goodies get fitted to the intercooled version carrying the TSi designation, which produces 176 hp and 223 lb-ft of torque at 5000 and 2500 rpm respectively. The TSi also gets fully ventilated disc brakes all around, and anti-lock rear brake control -- strangely enough the only anti-lock brake system in this otherwise stellar field.
Nissan's changes to the 300ZX Turbo for model year 1986 are almost identical to those mentioned above for the Conquest TSi, namely, fender flares to accommodate bigger tires and wheels, combined with rear spoiler and flared side skirts to complement the 2-in.-wider fenders. All changes work very well on the 300ZX Turbo. The flares are subtle enough to be quite tasteful, and the product planners even had the good sense to drop last year's graphic side stripes to achieve a refined, understated look. The new wheels are 16 X 7.0 in., fitted with 225/50VR16 Bridgestone RE 61s.
The engine remains unchanged, but some rearranged underhood air-flow has eliminated the need for the hood scoop of earlier years. (Good riddance.) The Turbo Nissan has also undergone suspension upgrades: significantly stiffer rear springs and a 2mm larger front anti-roll bar, combined with a wider range on the adjustable shock damping. Firm is really firm, and soft is really soft. The changes bring the 300ZX Turbo suspension specifications to the level of the 50th anniversary ZX produced for 1984.
Performance Comparison
..............0-60....1/4mi....60-0......Track....Skidpad.....Points
RX-7........6.54....15.20....135'......1:23.8..... .87 g.......498
Supra.......8.11....16.17....132'......1:26.7..... .86 g.......472
Conquest..7.84....16.19....135'......1:26.1..... .80 g.......467
300ZX......7.50....15.96....138'......1:27.3..... .80 g.......467
The accompanying data panel sums up the relative performance of these four Samurai warriors. Clearly, the RX-7 Turbo is the victor, with an outright win in four of five categories, only losing to the Supra in braking. The Rotary Rocket is a performance sports car. Drive it and you'll be convinced. It does everything well, with the possible exception of panic braking, when rear-wheel lockup is a problem. On the road circuit, it is neutral, predictable, and faaaast. At the end of the straightaway on our Pomona test track, it was making a full 12 mph more than the closest competitor.
To complement its straight-line speed, the Mazda's advanced DTSS suspension system is exemplary and nearly viceless. Near, or at, the limits of the tires, the car keeps you informed of what's going on out there between the tires and the pavement. Step over the limit, and it'll do everything it can to bring you back up. Part of the credit for this level of behavior goes to the excellent Goodyear Eagles, and part to the Mazda suspension system.
The Supra finished 2nd in performance, despite its heavy feel on the road course. The car remains well balanced and predictable right up to its limits, but the driver is always aware of the high body-roll angles. Aside from that, the Toyota has excellent handling manners and doesn't produce any surprises when driven within its limits. The brakes are quite good, with excellent fade resistance and stability.
The big 24-valve six is a paragon of smooth electric-motor-like power and doesn't require all the advanced planning of turbo-powered engines. The flat torque characteristics of the engine make it easy to drive fast; there's always ample power to position the car with the throttle. The Supra has a natural tendency to understeer entering a corner, which requires the driver to wait until the correct time and then dial up enough torque to transition into neutral attitude for the fastest corner exit. Considering the fact that the Supra s lugging around 600 lb more than the RX-7 (that's three of your biggest friends -- unless you're a football player -- then its two), we thing its performance is outstanding.
Just a click behind in 3rd is the Conquest. The Dodge actually nosed out the Supra on the road course and 0-60 time, but the Yokohama A-403 tires were not the equal of the Goodyears on the Mazda and Toyota. We wonder why Mitsubishi (oops, Dodge) didn't choose to use the excellent A-008 from Yokohama, as that would surely have changed the results. The single point difference in the total between the Supra and the Conquest essentially means they are equal in performance but achieve their individual performance levels with entirely different personalities. The Toyota is velvet-smooth and solid, almost immune to the outside world. The Conquest feels like a scrappy middle-weight fighter, scratching and clawing at the ground -- but getting the job done.
In a four-car contest, somebody has to finish 4th. The 300ZX Turbo has a mouth-watering engine, producing 200smooth, effortless horsepower, but is handicapped by its mediocre-at best chassis. The Nissan only finished 2nd to the rocketship RX-7 in acceleration -- but notice how far off it was in the handling department. The 300ZX suspension doesn't control pitch motions adequately; body roll is only slightly better; and it is the combination of these motions that limits the car's handling performance. Even in steady-state cornering conditions like the skidpad, the 300ZX is almost 10% slower, at 0.80 g, than the others which are clustered around 0.86 g. The Nissan could also have benefited from Bridgestone RE 71 (instead of RE 61), acknowledged as one of the very best tires in the industry.
But man does not live by screeching tires and a screaming engine alone. There's a whole experience of living with the car, unrelated to ultimate cornering, tire-smoking acceleration, or roll-couple distributions. Picking the hedonist's choice from the field is nearly impossible. All four cars are tailored for the discriminating buyer who savors his creature comforts and accoutrements, and these Samurai warriors are equipped accordingly.
The Nissan 300ZX almost certainly qualifies as "loaded". A partial listing: power seat with adjustments for fore/aft, up/down, tilt, back angle, side bolsters two-way headrest, and airpump for three-level lumbar; dual power mirrors with defrosters, cruise control with steering wheel-mounted switches, graphic instrumentation, rear window wiper/defroster/washer, headlight cleaner, twin tripmeter, automatic climate control switch, distance-to-empty display, tilt steering wheel, voice warning system, electronic AM/FM/cassette with steering wheel controls and graphic equalizer, stopwatch/clock/calendar; vanity mirrors (really?), interior overhead spotlights, split rear seats, interior fuel-door opener, acceleration/fuel-consumption meter, and a compass?
Whew! You never knew you needed all that -- right? The amazing thing is that after you've lived with the car a while, it all works and begins to seem natural. Sorta like: "I can't believe I used to get up off the couch to change channels".
Ranking these four for comfort and convenience-wise on ling interstate freeway trips would end up (for us at least) with Nissan as the winner, follower closely by the Supra and Conquest, with the RX-7 bringing up the rear. Both the 300ZX Turbo and the silky smooth Supra are effortless tourers, with all the impeccable manners, and looonnng legs.
The Supra in particular is a true dual-purpose car. It's not only comfortable as a long-distance cruisemobile, devouring freeways, but also top notch at covering ground over twisty two-lane stuff. It may not be the ultimate Showroom Stock racer, but it handles anything you can throw at it with complete aplomb, and is one of the best GT car buys available.
The Conquest definitely keeps up, but feels a little out of its element (i.e., it's a 4-cylinder, while equipped with balance shafts, isn't as smooth as, say, the 300ZX), and too much of the outside world intrudes on the passenger environment. Some engine sounds (the turbo whine as it moves up and down its rev scale) are noticeable, and the suspension allows certain surface irregularities inside.
Mazda's super-quick RX-7 is the least enjoyable in this interstate scenario. The taut, responsive suspension, which generates such impeccable handling credentials, gets a little objectionable after a day in the saddle at a sedate freeway drone. The turbo motor is perfectly happy humming along at a relaxed pace, but you know what great fun lurks beneath your right foot, and it's difficult not to use it.
So, we've waffled a little on our choice of Top Samurai. The RX-7 will blow the doors off most anything around these days, and is the obvious performance winner. But that isn't the whole story of owning a car, and many prospective buyers will base their decisions on more esoteric criteria. All four of these Samurai warriors offer many virtues to attract buyers into the showrooms. For those with the pleasant, but bewildering, problem of choosing which one to buy, our final advice is to test drive, compare, lay out your bucks, and then enjoy!
Copyright Motor Trend