by "Textured Soy Protein" (texturedsoyprotein)
Published 06/07/2017 at 11:52
by "Textured Soy Protein" (texturedsoyprotein)
Published 06/07/2017 at 11:52
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STARS: 0
This is the interior of my 335xi. As you can see, the driver’s seat is reclined, but far from gangsta lean territory. Yesterday I test drove a Fiat 124 Abarth, and I genuinely believe I will never buy any car on the ND platform, because the seats don’t recline enough. WTF, Mazda?
I came away from my 124 Abarth test drive...conflicted and disappointed. I DD’ed a 1999 Miata 10th Anniversary Edition for 4 years.
Yes, I added the requisite 949 Racing 6UL wheels.
I weighed a lot more then than I do now, and yet I couldn’t get comfortable in the 124 Abarth. There was enough room to move around just fine, but my seating position was way too upright. I even tried sliding the seat forward so the back would be further from the bulkhead, hoping that would allow it to recline further. But no, the damn seat wouldn’t recline any more.
Ok, yes, I’m not small, I’m 5'11" and 205 lbs but I’m athletic . I have abs, I don’t need to recline to make room for a potbelly.
Aside from that, I mostly liked the 124 Abarth, but I was disappointed by some basic screw-ups.
The handling was excellent as expected, but the ride was ridiculously stiff over bumps. Madison roads have lots of cracks and joints and tar strips and whatnot. My 335xi is lowered, with 19” summer tires, heim joint sway bar links, camber plates for upper shock mounts, and a bunch of hardened bushings. Sure, it has Koni FSD shocks that I chose because they have digressive pistons which help soften sharp impacts, but they’re still aftermarket performance shocks. My suspension is far from stock, to the point that when I drive my wife’s Subaru Impreza I’m like, “oh wow this is so nice and smooth,” and yet the stock 124 Abarth has much sharper impacts than my car over all the little road imperfections that are a part of daily life here.
The shifter’s throws are sufficiently short, but notchy and not smooth. I always loved my NB shifter but this shifter was not nearly as snick-snick as I remembered. I prefer the shifter in my 335xi. Sure the throws are longer and the gates are occasionally imprecise but overall it has a smoothness to it that the 124 Abarth sorely lacks. The transmission in the 124 is from the NC Miata, not the ND, but I dunno what was up with this shifter. It’s been several years since I’ve driven an NC but I remember back to back with my NB the shifter was fine.
Lastly, blipping the throttle for downshifts produced...nothing. I had to give it way more gas than I’m used to to blip it. I’ve been blipping downshifts for years in all sorts of cars including my old NB and this was not the same.
In theory, the ND Club with the Brembo/BBS package might tick all the boxes for me aside from lacking some of the options I want like an auto-dimming mirror. It might even address most of the things I didn’t like about the 124 Abarth, because it has the revvier NA motor, maybe-better shifter, and apparently less-stiff suspension. BUT... unless the seats have more recline range, which I doubt, it’s still a non-starter for me.
Honestly, this test drive makes me want another NB, if anything. Hey, the 2003 Special Edition is even the same color scheme as my 335xi.
"Honeybunchesofgoats" (honeybunche0fgoats)
06/07/2017 at 11:56, STARS: 0
When I drove my mom’s NC, I had to put the seat back forward enough that you could reach in and open the little compartment behind the seat.
Miatas and Fiats may set a low bar for spacious interiors, but I can happily walk right under it.
"Textured Soy Protein" (texturedsoyprotein)
06/07/2017 at 12:04, STARS: 1
When I had my NB I was at about the upper range of who can reasonably fit inside. You still couldn’t recline the seats all the way back because of the bulkhead, but it was a lot more room. I test drove a couple NCs and same deal, no problem with the recline range. The 124 seats have a hard stop where the furthest they’ll recline back is so they don’t touch the bulkhead if the seat is slid all the way back. If you slide it forward so there’s more clearance with the bulkhead, the seat still won’t recline any farther.
"DFW's cars, Ferrari Dave’s thoughts on cars." (dfwscars)
06/07/2017 at 12:32, STARS: 1
So somehow the ND Miata seats recline more than the larger Fiat 124 Spider? Kind of surprising.
"Textured Soy Protein" (texturedsoyprotein)
06/07/2017 at 12:34, STARS: 1
No, I wasn’t saying that. I was saying they most likely recline the exact same amount as the 124, in which case they would not work for me.
"Bob Loblaw Made Me Make a Phoney Phone Call to Edward Rooney" (braddelaparker)
06/07/2017 at 14:27, STARS: 1
Far from gansta lean? You’re parallel with the B-pillar, which is universally known as the 38th parallel for gangsta lean.
"Textured Soy Protein" (texturedsoyprotein)
06/07/2017 at 14:49, STARS: 1
Counterpoint:
"davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com" (davesaddiction)
06/07/2017 at 15:02, STARS: 0
I have abs, too. They’re in there, I’m sure!
"Textured Soy Protein" (texturedsoyprotein)
06/07/2017 at 15:14, STARS: 0
Is this your 6-pack?
"davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com" (davesaddiction)
06/07/2017 at 15:20, STARS: 0
I do like beer, and the fact that I’ve been able to drink at lunch with my colleagues these past couple years has not helped matters.
6'1", 230 - really need to get back to 220 and then work my way down to 210...
"davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com" (davesaddiction)
06/07/2017 at 15:21, STARS: 0
And I just fit in the ND, fwiw. 34" inseam.
"Bob Loblaw Made Me Make a Phoney Phone Call to Edward Rooney" (braddelaparker)
06/07/2017 at 15:38, STARS: 0
How fitting that it’s a MkII Jetta.
"Textured Soy Protein" (texturedsoyprotein)
06/07/2017 at 15:49, STARS: 0
There is physically enough space for me in the car. I “fit” just fine. My issue is totally with the angle of the seat. I have a big upper body, especially my upper back, and a somewhat curved lower back. Depending on the car, I use a combination of lumbar support (which the ND doesn’t have) and seat recline to get the back angle right. In the 124, with the seat at its maximum recline, my seating position was too upright. I needed at least another notch or two of recline and even though there was room between the seatback and the bulkhead, the adjuster doesn’t have that notch.
"davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com" (davesaddiction)
06/07/2017 at 16:01, STARS: 0
I also have an E90, but I prefer sitting pretty upright. I have long legs and long arms, so reclining too much gets me too far away from the steering wheel.
It’s a bummer that you don’t fit (right). My issue with the NC was that I felt like I couldn’t look straight out the windshield (the upper part of my field of view was blocked). Didn’t feel that with the ND, but my knees were pretty much right by the steering wheel with very little space. I’d need a much longer test drive to know whether I could live with it day-to-day. Fun little car, though.
"Textured Soy Protein" (texturedsoyprotein)
06/07/2017 at 16:26, STARS: 1
I hate to say it but even as a toy I feel like a Miata is smaller than I want at this point in my life. I’d like to have a little more room to spread out. Whenever I think about some kind of fun convertible plaything the two options I always end up with are a Z4 M or an LS-swapped FC RX-7.
"davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com" (davesaddiction)
06/07/2017 at 16:40, STARS: 0
I test drove an Elise not too long ago, and it’s absolutely a 3rd car at best. Miata kind of falls pretty close to the same category, being so small, but it’s softer and actually does have a little trunk, so theoretically could be an only car for a single person that travels alone.
A car like a Boxster or Cayman is just a ton more practical/livable on a daily basis.
My boss’ Z4M is awesome. What a machine...
"Textured Soy Protein" (texturedsoyprotein)
06/07/2017 at 16:59, STARS: 0
I sat in a 4C Spyder in the showroom when I scouted out a Fiat 500X for my wife. That was...interesting. The seat was way too small.
Whenever I’ve driven a Boxster I’ve found them so competent as to be almost boring. I always enjoyed Miatas because you can just drive like an idiot even at low speeds and be very entertained. In the 124 I whipped a quick U-turn and floored it to step the back end out, but the relatively low power and LSD meant it just did a controlled slide. And that’s just making a U-turn.
A 987.2 S with the optional LSD would be pretty alright with a few upgrades to make it more silly. But it’s in danger of being too capable to enjoy at reasonable speeds.
The Z4 M is less precise than the Boxster but in a way I find it more entertaining.
"davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com" (davesaddiction)
06/07/2017 at 17:25, STARS: 0
I also did a few powerslides in my ND test drive - ha!
I’ve only had one drive in an early 987 Cayman S. Good and fun, but undramatic without twisty roads nearby to carve on. I’d like to sample a 981 S before long.
Entertaining is right! Grab it by the scruff of the neck and go.
"daender" (daender)
06/07/2017 at 19:44, STARS: 0
I’m biased with a NB2 but I say test drive another one, maybe one with the a mild to full foamectomy performed on the driver’s seat. I like the look of the NB special editions, ‘99 to ‘04, but I prefer the 5-speed gear ratios.
"Textured Soy Protein" (texturedsoyprotein)
06/07/2017 at 19:53, STARS: 0
I test drove an MSM back when I had my NB and had no issues with the seats.
"daender" (daender)
06/07/2017 at 19:55, STARS: 0
It’s still worth seating in a Miata that’s undergone it, I found it amazing how different everything felt when you’re sitting 2-3 inches lower and the seat does a better job hugging you in the corners.
"Kytec" (kytec)
06/09/2017 at 11:55, STARS: 0
as a 6'’4'’ 260 lb man I am saddened by this. Lets just add fun french miata clones to the list of things I can’t do, like parachuting and buying reasonable clothing.
"Textured Soy Protein" (texturedsoyprotein)
06/09/2017 at 12:02, STARS: 0
My brother in law is 6'5" and went skydiving last summer. He took his daugheter, they both did tandem jumps with an instructor. He’s lanky though and probably more in the 200-220 lb range.
Oh, and Fiat is Italian, not French.