GTP Cool Wall: Mazda Cosmo

[Slash]

Oh yeah, I agree with that. I suppose on that note it's more down to expectations than it is enjoyment - having loads of low-down torque is fine for the A to B driver who also happens to want loads of performance. It's not so important for the A to B driver who literally just wants to get from A to B, which is why things like Civics and Corollas still happily sell in large numbers.

In other words, some non-enthusiasts still want to plant their foot and get a move on, whereas other non-enthusiasts don't plant their foot enough to need a car with loads of torque.

As for the Cosmo, it's an unusual one anyway. I doubt the buyer of a rotary-engined luxury coupe is a typical A to B driver!

Agreed

This is why I like muscle cars besides styling and sound. Lots of low rpm power to launch you without really putting your foot in it.

 

[playnthru]

Roll your little eyeballs until they land on the floor. I really don't care!
Forced transmissions are uncool in my opinion. At the very least give us a option, that's all I ask.

Drop that 3rotor turbo in a MX-5 with a manuel then we'll talk cool, heck sub-zero.

 

[homeforsummer]

Roll your little eyeballs until they land on the floor. I really don't care!
Forced transmissions are uncool in my opinion. At the very least give us a option, that's all I ask.

So any car auto-only is uncool solely because of the transmission? Jag F-Type? McLaren P1?

manuel

 

[Clark]

You have bad examples their Antony I don't think the P1 and F-Type are cool

 

[homeforsummer]

You have bad examples their Antony I don't think the P1 and F-Type are cool

That's fair enough, but are they not cool due to their transmissions alone, or is it due to a multitude of factors? That was more my point.

Saying a car is uncool because it's only available as an auto is like saying you wouldn't want to go to San Francisco because the bridge is the wrong colour.

 

[Famine]

Not to mention almost the entire Aston Martin range...

 

[Clark]

That's fair enough, but are they not cool due to their transmissions alone, or is it due to a multitude of factors? That was more my point.

Saying a car is uncool because it's only available as an auto is like saying you wouldn't want to go to San Francisco because the bridge is the wrong colour.

I was agreeing with you about transmissions, I just felt like being anal

 

[playnthru]

Saying a car is uncool because it's only available as an auto is like saying you wouldn't want to go to San Francisco because the bridge is the wrong colour.

Funny, but rubbish! Color has nothing to do with it unless it's white. Saying that is akin to saying all cars are A-B transport, which they're not. Cars are built for pleasure and enjoyment these days much as anything. If someone doesn't enjoy driving automatics why would they bother with a car that is only offered with a automatic transmission.

 

[homeforsummer]

If someone doesn't enjoy driving automatics why would they bother with a car that is only offered with a automatic transmission.

Which has what to do with the car being cool or not?...

 

[Beeblebrox237]

To me, the coolness of a car is influenced in part by its driving experience. The Cosmo would be sub-zero for me, except it only comes with an automatic, so I rated it cool. I don't enjoy driving a car with an automatic as much as a manual, but if it's in a good car it's still enjoyable.

 

[White & Nerdy]

Saying a car is uncool because it's only available as an auto is like saying you wouldn't want to go to San Francisco because the bridge is the wrong colour.

You're right, there are lots of better reasons not to go to San Francisco.

 

[Wolfe]

So any car auto-only is uncool solely because of the transmission? Jag F-Type? McLaren P1?

While I voted Sub Zero for the Cosmo and think some other auto/DSG-only cars are "cool," I can tell you with a straight face that I'd rather drive an '80s VW Cabrio with a stick than an F-Type with its 8-speed auto. The F-type would be more fun around a track, obviously, but the Cabrio would be way more enjoyable (for me) in the real world.

 

[homeforsummer]

You're right, there are lots of better reasons not to go to San Francisco.

That was sort of my point, though you could also replace that with "lots of reasons to go to San Francisco".

The idea was that judging a car's coolness solely on its transmission - and absolutely no other factors - is equally as short-sighted as judging 'Frisco entirely by the colour of its most famous bridge.

I have to admit though, having to explain this point has rather taken the humour from my original post. I kinda expected people would understand it first time around.

While I voted Sub Zero for the Cosmo and think some other auto/DSG-only cars are "cool," I can tell you with a straight face that I'd rather drive an '80s VW Cabrio with a stick than an F-Type with its 8-speed auto. The F-type would be more fun around a track, obviously, but the Cabrio would be way more enjoyable (for me) in the real world.

While I actually agree with you in part (depending on the cabrio, that is), this is still a thread about cool. I've not kept track of many of the revived cool wall threads, but in the last lot plenty of really terrible cars to drive were voted cool, and plenty of great ones were voted uncool. If the overall driving experience doesn't matter that much to whether a car is cool or not (this isn't the "good" wall), one part of the driving experience - the transmission - shouldn't really either.

Unless there's something really cool about the transmission itself - like a Ferrari's open-gate manual shifters of yore.

But then, if you have to explain that to the lay person - that a car is cool because of a shiny H-shaped bit of chrome - it does sort of make it less cool...

 

[Beeblebrox237]

That was sort of my point, though you could also replace that with "lots of reasons to go to San Francisco".

The idea was that judging a car's coolness solely on its transmission - and absolutely no other factors - is equally as short-sighted as judging 'Frisco entirely by the colour of its most famous bridge.

I have to admit though, having to explain this point has rather taken the humour from my original post. I kinda expected people would understand it first time around.

I understood it perfectly. You have to remember that W&N can be a bit different.

 

[White & Nerdy]

That was sort of my point, though you could also replace that with "lots of reasons to go to San Francisco".

The idea was that judging a car's coolness solely on its transmission - and absolutely no other factors - is equally as short-sighted as judging 'Frisco entirely by the colour of its most famous bridge.

I have to admit though, having to explain this point has rather taken the humour from my original post. I kinda expected people would understand it first time around.

I get that, but you have to admit the transmission is a big part of a car's coolness, since it's so integral to the driving experience.

Also, since you said that having to explain the car's coolness kind of makes it uncool, doesn't that mean a no-swagger Starbucksmobile that no one will recognize (i.e. a Mazda Cosmo) is also uncool?

 

[Beeblebrox237]

No one will recognise? I'd recognise it in an instant.

 

[homeforsummer]

I get that, but you have to admit the transmission is a big part of a car's coolness, since it's so integral to the driving experience.

Not really - refer to my response to Wolfe above.

An example from my own experience would be the Jaguar MkII 3.4. To me, that is a cool car - it's a classic for one, it's a classic Jag for another, it makes you look like a 1960s gangster, which is another.

It also has a cock-awful manual gearbox that utterly spoils the driving experience. Graunching and missing gears is not cool. For me, that car would be immeasurably improved by an auto transmission, and to the average guy on the street - who would neither know nor care what was shifting the cogs, would a MkII Jag passing by be any less cool? Probably not.

Also, since you said that having to explain the car's coolness kind of makes it uncool, doesn't that mean a no-swagger Starbucksmobile that no one will recognize (i.e. a Mazda Cosmo) is also uncool?

If you like, yes. That's a more sensible assessment than "auto = uncool". If you think it looks like an Accord Coupe then it's only as cool as an Accord Coupe, which is "not very".

I voted cool because it has a space-age interior and an unusual, classy-looking exterior. People may disagree.

 

[White & Nerdy]

Now that you've seen this thread, you would. If saw one without having seen this first, I wouldn't have a clue what it was.

 

[Joey D]

If you've ever played Gran Turismo, which I suspect you have since you're on this site, you should know what a Cosmo is.

 

[homeforsummer]

I can actually see what W&N is getting at here. To the uninitiated, it may well look like a fairly generic coupe, and therefore be uncool.

To me, I don't see that - I do know what it is, but looked upon with fresh eyes, it looks quirky and has a touch of class. In the metal, it probably has some presence too - the sort of stuff that'd make it cool. I'd also say that Average Joe in the street would probably expect it to be more expensive than whatever price you picked it up for, so it punches above its weight in that regard too.

 

[White & Nerdy]

If you've ever played Gran Turismo, which I suspect you have since you're on this site, you should know what a Cosmo is.

I remember it being in GT2, but it was one of the more obscure cars and I never ended up getting hold of one. Considering that I only gave them a few passing glances in the used lot, I probably would not have remembered them well enough from the game to immediately recognize them IRL.

 

[Eunos_Cosmo]

I'll just leave this here:



Gasp, a Cosmo that has been converted to a manual trans!

 

[Wolfe]

While I actually agree with you in part (depending on the cabrio, that is), this is still a thread about cool...
...If the overall driving experience doesn't matter that much to whether a car is cool or not (this isn't the "good" wall), one part of the driving experience - the transmission - shouldn't really either.

I agree, the driving experience isn't as integral to whether a car is cool or not. If you ask me, there is no essential ingredient -- "cool" is composed of a sum of qualities that aren't always the same. For a car like this, a classy GT, its automatic is less of a problem. However, I don't think Europe's growing list of DCT-only sportscars are as cool as their stickshift predecessors. I sympathize with playnthru on the "no forced transmissions" thing.

 

[playnthru]

[Quote HomeforsummerThat was sort of my point, though you could also replace that with "lots of reasons to go to San Francisco".

The idea was that judging a car's coolness solely on its transmission - and absolutely no other factors - is equally as short-sighted as judging 'Frisco entirely by the colour of its most famous bridge.

I have to admit though, having to explain this point has rather taken the humour from my original post. I kinda expected people would understand it first time around.



I understood what you meant. That's why I joked about it being white. However SF is a large city with many reasons to go there.

The Enos Cosmo is a little car made for mostly fun. Can you see the differences yet HFS? Again funny joke, rubbish comparison.👎 Not even the same ballpark.

When I buy cars. One factor in my decision is fun 💡. If I can't get it the way I want it...Hey, I don't buy it.👍

So, in essence. Your last paragraph makes no sense. You didn't need to explain anything!


GASP that's not what we're voting on is it? And Heck yes..That's SUB ZERO!

 

[homeforsummer]

The Enos Cosmo is a little car made for mostly fun. Can you see the differences yet HFS?

"A little car made for mostly fun"

Are we even looking at the same car? I see a fairly large, fairly heavy coupe. If Miatas (an actual little car made mostly for fun) were auto-only I'd totally understand the sentiment, but not on a comfy, luxury barge.

And I still don't see how the car is uncool solely due to its transmission - so no, it wasn't a "rubbish comparison". It remains apposite.

 

[Clark]

So many people don't get cool here.

In my opinion, the words 'transmission' or 'performance' etc. should've even be mentioned when just talking about how cool a car is.

The Citroen DS and SM are some of the coolest cars ever, the SM even has a Maserati V6. Do I give a toss about how fast they are or what gearbox they have? No, because they define cool.

 

[playnthru]

"A little car made for mostly fun"

Are we even looking at the same car? I see a fairly large, fairly heavy coupe. If Miatas (an actual little car made mostly for fun) were auto-only I'd totally understand the sentiment, but not on a comfy, luxury barge.

And I still don't see how the car is uncool solely due to its transmission - so no, it wasn't a "rubbish comparison". It remains apposite.

That's still a compact here. And yes it's complete rubbish. It only works if I've never driven a automatic, which I have. I've been driving longer than you've been breathing. Your comparison only works if I'm making some sort of prejudgement, I'm not. I'm judging based off my life's experiences driving automatics.👍

So many people don't get cool here.

In my opinion, the words 'transmission' or 'performance' etc. should've even be mentioned when just talking about how cool a car is.

The Citroen DS and SM are some of the coolest cars ever, the SM even has a Maserati V6. Do I give a toss about how fast they are or what gearbox they have? No, because they define cool.

I agree. You don't get what cool is.

And I love how you miss the point entirely. Cool is a subjective term. It has a different meaning to different people. So naturally everyone has slightly different idea what cool is.

In my opinion slow, boring,A-B cars will never as cool as fast cars NEVER EVER! Automatic's are chronically uncool, tragically.

Your opinion holds exactly the same weight as my opinion, understand.

Or is that to darn cool for you?

 

[Clark]

The Maserati GranTurismo is currently one of the coolest cars on sale in my opinion, it's not available with a manual 'box and It's also not very fast compared to the others cars in it's class.

 

[BKGlover]

Hold up there. What EXACTLY do you call a manual? A transmission without a direct-link shifter?

 

[Clark]

Hold up there. What EXACTLY do you call a manual? A transmission without a direct-link shifter?

Well the Maserati is a robotised manual with paddles, but I wouldn't call it a manual gearbox, a manual for me is three pedals.