Mini reviews!!
RX-7 R400-
Properly, properly good. Slightly less radical settings, similar effects. Turn in is nearly flawless. Strong word, but it feels pretty much perfect. Nice and quick, without being too quick that it catches the back end or the driver out. It also feels confident, planted through the bumpy bends of Trial Mountain, even with an utter noob driving. It's very easy to drive too, plenty of grip, doesn't bite back and very balanced. Have to say as well, with the new gearbox and slight boost in power, it accelerates faster than the previous one too.
It isn't without flaws though, it seems to wallow a bit more in the corners which may help its performance on bumpy tracks like Trial, but feels too soft for flatter tracks. There is a hint of understeer here and there at the limits which, although can be cured with a mild overdose of throttle, makes it slightly tricky to work with in a race. And I also find the new trend of setting gearboxes slightly strange. The last gear is often set longer than the rest, to keep the car in it's powerband for longer? Whatever, the new gear settings more than compensates for that.
To sum up, this latest evolution of the R400 doesn't disappoint. It's every bit as quick and easy to drive as a R35 GTR, while being more alive, more responsive, being right up there with the old NSX 3rd Anniversary in terms of feel.
……and speaking of which, here's the NSX-R 3rd Anniversary, retuned for Spec II.
NSX-R 3rd Anniversary-
Strong words, but with the latest update, the 3rd Anniversary is another step closer to perfection. It feels sharp, quick, and…pretty much like how it was before the update, actually. It may have grown a set of sharper teeth and a slightly more waggly tail as a result of the update, but it's still not what you'd call…tricky. It's still very easy to drive, still fun to drive. Sideways is the norm for cornering in this. your only real choice is how much slide. Good. Then there's the performance. A car as easy to drive as this means that this NSX will still be pushing the limits when most cars would have let go. Sub 1:30s around Trial Mountain is cruising speed for this car.
Flaws? Erm……
I suppose it is a bit tricky to use online with that lively arse, but that doesn't matter much. Partly because it was tuned offline, but
mostly because you just can't hate a car which is such a big laugh. It is just faultless, it may not be the quickest setup for a lap of a track, but everything else considered, it is still the masterpiece it once was.
Edit:
Sounds like me when I beat a fully riced 458 around a wet lap of the Nurburgring in a sedately driven stock Toyota 430SCV...the poor kid kept overtaking, then crashing, then overtaking again. He wiped so badly at the end of the straight that I sailed past and stole his place
Only exception being that this guy in the M3 never got the lead!
Every lap he upped his pace, I broke my previous lap record till I smashed it by 2 full seconds and he spent the next hour chasing after that 2:00.000 mark. Oh how I love Suzuka and the NSX. <3
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