2008 Best Car Series: (Vote Japan!)

[YSSMAN]

Same rules as always. Vote for two of the cars, the top two cars advance to the next round of car-on-car "carnage" (har har har).

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The Nominees for 2008 Best Japanese Car:

The Honda Jazz/Fit

The Mazdaspeed3/Mazda 3 MPS

The Honda S2000

The Nissan GT-R

The Infiniti M45

The Lexus IS-F

The Mazda MX-5 Miata

The Mitsubishi Lancer (non-Evolution)

The Mazda2

The Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution

The Nissan Cube


The Lexus LS460

The Suzuki Swift Sport

The Subaru Impreza STi

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Have fun, banter a bit, three days of voting ahead...

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That being said, I'm going all-Honda on this one. I love the Honda Fit Sport too damn much not to vote for it, and the same can be said of the S2000 that has aged very, very well. The combination of performance and civility, all for a good price on both cars, makes them winners in my book.

 

[Tornado]

This is hard. There are a lot of good choices in here. I'm gonna mull it over for a bit.

 

[YSSMAN]

Is it just me or do I feel a GT-R fanboy landslide in the voting?

 

[McLaren]

I went with the LS & the M45, merely because I've had a chance to drive both, and came away with much respect. The LS is a great cruiser sedan. There's no big performance like a IS or high-model GS, but still a fantastic car. The M is just plain full of awesome. Shame Crest Infiniti has such poor salesmen. I'd probably have one now.

 

[Tornado]

I dunno. I can see the GT-R winning, but I think that may be because everyone else divides their votes up among all of the other cars.

 

[///M-Spec]

As much as it pains me, I'll probably end up voting for the GT-R.


BTW, you do realize that the kanji characters you put in there reads: "Ladies Undergarments of Japan", right?


haha ...gotcha!



M

 

[Joey D]

Is it just me or do I feel a GT-R fanboy landslide in the voting?

It will because some can't think outside a fast car.

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My votes went to the Mazdaspeed3 because I think it's probably the best sport compact on the market right now and the Suzuki Swift because everyone raves how awesome it is.

 

[V1P3R]

I couldn't decide so I went practical and fuel efficient. (hopefully)

 

[Jondot]

Oh god this is difficult. I think I'm gonna have to sleep on it. I mean the GTR is a must-vote for me, but there's so many other great cars in there... Argh...

 

[YSSMAN]

...As predicted, the GT-R is really pulling away from everyone else. Do we have an early favorite for a final four car?

 

[Brett]

I voted for the Honda S2000 and the Honda Fit. The S2000 vote is based on a vehicle now in my garage and I guess a bit of a Honda fanboy is developing in me. Though really I did not feel too strongly about any of the others, other than the S2000.

 

[Perfect Balance]

GT-R.

The fact that it is so fast compared to other cars of similar weight and power just makes it an engineering benchmark.


I love great engineering.

 

[Prosthetic]

S2000 and GT-R... S2000 because it keeps up with all of those German ones... Looks better, and is more reliable! GT-R because it shows that Japanese are geniuses when it comes to cheap performance! Well cheap I mean super car cheap.

 

[deadlyz33]

NO COMPETITION

Sorry for all the pics, there are even more super hot GTR's starting to appear, just don't wanna make this into a GTR pic thread (sorta)

 

[YSSMAN]

To be honest, those GT-Rs look worse with the modifications.

Srsly.

Still... It was as I had assumed. The GT-R is quite literally running away with the poll.

 

[Muzaffar]

Argh, the GT-R has shot down every entry in this thread. 👎 The S2000 is also pulling away in the votes. Boooooooooo!!!!!!! Hisssssssssssss!!!!!

 

[YSSMAN]

I'd have figured the MX-5 would have gotten some more of the S2000 love, but I'm not opposed to it. We'll see how the rest of the competition fills out to see how well any of the cars do. If I were a betting man, I'd bank on the GT-R making (at the very least) to the "Final Four."

 

[nd 4 holden spd]

I knew the GT-R would win the Japanese crowd. I don't think it should win the whole thing though, sure it's unbelievably fast, but considering it's a supercar, it's got some major downfalls. It's too heavy and has too much technology.

I voted for the M45 and IS-F, they are the coolest in my eyes.

 

[Famine]

I'd have figured the MX-5 would have gotten some more of the S2000 love

The NC MX-5 is... well... not an MX-5. It's a Ford Focus with rear wheel drive that they've tried to make look like an NA MX-5.

GT-R ... it's got some major downfalls. It's too heavy and has too much technology.

Too much... for what?

 

[nd 4 holden spd]

The NC MX-5 is... well... not an MX-5. It's a Ford Focus with rear wheel drive that they've tried to make look like an NA MX-5.



Too much... for what?

Well I mean, to be a sports car at heart, and not just on track, you have to have character and soul (something technology takes away), and over 1700kg for a supercar? No thanks. (Note: Lambo's and Veyrons etc are hypercars, different again).

 

[Thirdeye]

Voted for the S2K but it looks like an uphill battle

 

[Famine]

Well I mean, to be a sports car at heart, and not just on track, you have to have character and soul (something technology takes away)

Technology takes away character and soul? Is this some progressive, quantifiable scale, whereby this much technology removes that much character and soul?

I mean, I assume you've driven the GT-R and determined that it doesn't have as much character and soul as you'd like it to have because of all that technology... technologising? I know I haven't, and I have no idea how much character or soul it has.


How much technology do you think is in, say, the Lexus IS-F, Infiniti M45 or Jaguar XF? Or a Porsche 911, or Ferrari 430?

and over 1700kg for a supercar? No thanks.

So it's too much weight for you?

Obviously the weight doesn't prevent it from doing its job at all, so I'm at a loss to see why it's classed as one of its two "major downfalls".

 

[nd 4 holden spd]

Technology takes away character and soul? Is this some progressive, quantifiable scale, whereby this much technology removes that much character and soul?

I mean, I assume you've driven the GT-R and determined that it doesn't have as much character and soul as you'd like it to have because of all that technology... technologising? I know I haven't, and I have no idea how much character or soul it has.


How much technology do you think is in, say, the Lexus IS-F, Infiniti M45 or Jaguar XF? Or a Porsche 911, or Ferrari 430?



So it's too much weight for you?

Obviously the weight doesn't prevent it from doing its job at all, so I'm at a loss to see why it's classed as one of its two "major downfalls".

Reading reviews is what we do. The downfalls are from a perspective point of view, obviously it has no problems going fast. There's more to driving than going fast you know....

 

[Famine]

The downfalls are from a perspective point of view, obviously it has no problems going fast. There's more to driving than going fast you know....

No, I didn't know that. Please elaborate, stating in each case where the characteristic of driving you consider important is hindered by the GT-R's weight and excess technology.

 

[Touring Mars]

Probably the best selection of "Best Cars" yet, so a tough choice - esp. for someone who is basically voting with their feet (i.e. me), but I'm going for the GT-R and what I'd buy if I could afford it (the new Impreza) 👍

 

[Turbo Lag]

Well I mean, to be a sports car at heart, and not just on track, you have to have character and soul (something technology takes away), and over 1700kg for a supercar? No thanks. (Note: Lambo's and Veyrons etc are hypercars, different again).

What's so bad about 1,700kg? It's tie with the Ferrari 430Scuderia on the Top Gear lap times...the Ferrari F430 Scuderia has approximately 10 more Hp, and is about 350kg lighter. Still, the GT-R kept up to it. What's so bad about technology?

 

[nd 4 holden spd]

No, I didn't know that. Please elaborate, stating in each case where the characteristic of driving you consider important is hindered by the GT-R's weight and excess technology.

How about the sound the engine puts out? The GT-R is abysmally quiet and flat. How about "flare" in the handling, the GT-R, by comparison, is all point the wheel and go. How about liking the look of your car and knowing what you are driving makes you feel happy? Most GT-R fans would probably rather have the R34, or R32 even. (I would take the R32 over the newer ones for looks). What about idle chat with your mates? "How much does your car weigh?"
"Oh, bout the same as this:"

Oh yes, the Nissan GT-R is no lighter than an SV6 Commodore. It's not that it negates its weight, but simply that it has it, like Nissan don't care, so why does it deserve all that praise.

What's so bad about 1,700kg? It's tie with the Ferrari 430Scuderia on the Top Gear lap times...the Ferrari F430 Scuderia has approximately 10 more Hp, and is about 350kg lighter. Still, the GT-R kept up to it. What's so bad about technology?

Technology, makes our lives easier and harder at the same time. More to the point, it makes us domber and lazier.

 

[Cap'n Jack]

Technology, makes our lives easier and harder at the same time. More to the point, it makes us domber and lazier.

I can see technology has had a negative effect on yourself.

 

[nd 4 holden spd]

I can see technology has had a negative effect on yourself.

Easy now, nobody wants to set off the ticking time bomb.

I guess it's opinion, in my eyes the GT-R R35 will never be a wonderful car, except for its amazing speed. If it wins best car 2008 I will be disappointed to say the least. (No Corvette deserves it either).

 

[Turbo Lag]

Technology, makes our lives easier and harder at the same time. More to the point, it makes us domber and lazier.

Ah well, I'm lazy. I still stand up for the GT-R. Yes, most people say it lacks the 'soul and passion' but still, I don't see many people say other Japanese cars have this either.