my thoughts on:Motor trend's Drivers car of 2015 (SPOILERS!)

"PetarVN, GLI Guy, now with stupid power" (petarvn)
10/01/2015 at 23:27 • Filed to: None

So, if you haven’t seen the shootout go watch it !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! . then come back
...
You saw it? Great!

Let’s get down to chit chat!

First off, I have to say that the list was very surprising. I for one did not expect MT to put the Miata as high as they did. Just goes to show that mazda made one hell of a car if it can go against the big boys like it did.
(pic is from last year, because lead image yo!)

My 2nd point is on the Golf R. this car already has a tune out for it which makes it faster, sharper, and just all around a better tuned car. This is something that (of course) they can’t mention, but I think that for the money; the golf R is one helluva steal of a car.

Also, props to the Caddy V-siblings on making the list! great looking cars there. I think Cadillac has finally reached it’s goal (surpassing BMW) if the CTS-V still had a stick, I think that it’d be the best supersports sedan well.... ever. The C63 isn’t my favorite AMG merc (that goes to the 1980’s Hammers!) but god.damn. that thing is good. I would adore one.

That’s basically it for me. Miata is amazing, and congrats to the AMG GT on 1st place. Mercedes knows their stuff.

So, what did you guys think?

DISCUSSION (30)

HammerheadFistpunch > PetarVN, GLI Guy, now with stupid power
10/01/2015 at 23:33

Just read the C&D lightning lap issue last night, GM cleaned up. The V cars are legit.

WhiskeyGolf > PetarVN, GLI Guy, now with stupid power
10/01/2015 at 23:37

I’m disappointed about the Z06. I wonder if all of the problems the car has on track (which MT’s car didn’t necessarily have) have made the GM guys rethink their supercharger decision. Would have been sweet to have something NA between the 6.2L and 7L V8.

TheHondaBro > PetarVN, GLI Guy, now with stupid power
10/01/2015 at 23:37

I’m honestly surprised the RC F was 8th place. I read about it in a magazine. The head engineer of the Lexus F program was a former Toyota touring car driver. He made sure the RC F and GS F felt as connected to the driver as a proper race car would.

Of course, I’ve never driven one, so that could all be wrong in practice. Still a shame.

Your boy, BJR > PetarVN, GLI Guy, now with stupid power
10/01/2015 at 23:38

Kinja'd!!!

So y’know when you told me that Cadillac would never, ever beat BMW?

Just checkin’

PetarVN, GLI Guy, now with stupid power > TheHondaBro
10/01/2015 at 23:39

maybe that's why they complained about it's stiffness so much?

PetarVN, GLI Guy, now with stupid power > Your boy, BJR
10/01/2015 at 23:40

yeah, yeah, I admit, the new V-cars are pretty fucking amazing ben. I concede that BMW has been out gunned here.

Now, gimme a call when they make a thing that can outgun a C63 ;)

Your boy, BJR > PetarVN, GLI Guy, now with stupid power
10/01/2015 at 23:42

Seeing as it takes the C63S to beat the V6 ATS-v......

...id say that Merc is properly jostled.

HammerheadFistpunch > TheHondaBro
10/01/2015 at 23:43

touring cars don’t weight 4100 lbs.

Bman76 (no it doesn't need a WS6 hood) M. Arch > PetarVN, GLI Guy, now with stupid power
10/01/2015 at 23:46

Was so dissapointed that the Vette wasn’t running right. I think it had all the right elements to win. The CTS-V is ridiculously fast, which just backs up C&D’s Lightning Lap this year.

Logansteno: Bought a VW? > PetarVN, GLI Guy, now with stupid power
10/01/2015 at 23:46

I think GM needs to get the V team to help the Corvette team fix the goddamn issues the LT4 is having in the Vette. This is unacceptable from people that built the goddamn ZR1.

PetarVN, GLI Guy, now with stupid power > Your boy, BJR
10/01/2015 at 23:54

well the C63S also beat the CTS-V, which is supposed to go after the bigger guys....

It’s not a big price gap between the two either, so I can see why the merc would be 11/10ths the car the ATS-V is.

Still, I admit, the caddy team pulled a great one

E92M3 > TheHondaBro
10/02/2015 at 00:18

Everyone is beating that car up. I’m sure it’s sporty for a Lexus, but the competition has got so much better the past few years. If you never intend to track, or auto-x it’s still a fine car and those that haven’t driven a german competitor will be perfectly happy with it. If you have driven a M3 or C63 for any length of time it would be hard to live with IMO. Until it’s time for service anyway.

AMGtech - now with more recalls! > PetarVN, GLI Guy, now with stupid power
10/02/2015 at 00:36

I honestly thought they were going to pick the miata. But otherwise confirmed everything I already knew. Still a good watch though.

Also, respect for Cadillac fire really stepping up their game, those V’s seem to be great cars.

And..... Lol BMW! F80 M3/M4 lol! But seriously, what happened to them? E46>E90>F80, nothing but downhill the past decade.

AMGtech - now with more recalls! > Your boy, BJR
10/02/2015 at 00:37

Respect. Good competition is a good thing, though.

Random Commenter > WhiskeyGolf
10/02/2015 at 00:42

...(which MT’s car didn’t necessarily have)...

No... They just set a hot lap time with a car that they knew was broken. Oh yeah, and that’s on top of the fact that they picked the slower version of the Z06 to set their hot lap time... when they KNEW it was the slower version of the Z06 around the track (as evidenced by the first video they made when Carlos Lago was still with MT).

So, they gave the Z06 a handicap in the first place by getting a one with a manual transmission, and then after they broke the car, they decided to go ahead with setting a hot lap time with it anyways.

Dunno about you, but I expect better from Motor Trend. It’s because of this bullshit that I didn’t even watch the final video that announced “the Best Drivers Car”.

Somehow, I don’t think Carlos Lago would have allowed this to happen... I guess Motor Trend has gone downhill a bit since he left... Maybe Carlso saw it coming, and decided to get going while the going was good.

Vi517, JDX Racing > PetarVN, GLI Guy, now with stupid power
10/02/2015 at 00:48

I’m surprised about the Miata as well. With all the body roll it has, I expected them to hate it. Also surprised with the CTS-V. All the hype for the ATS-V, and the CTS puts down a very impressive lap time. I was expecting the Cayman GT4 to win, but I guess the understeer really is that bad. I’m not really a fan of the AMG GT, but it was the only one not to have any glaring faults. Now if only the 911 GT3 RS was there...

PetarVN, GLI Guy, now with stupid power > AMGtech - now with more recalls!
10/02/2015 at 01:48

yep. true on all fronts

PetarVN, GLI Guy, now with stupid power > Vi517, JDX Racing
10/02/2015 at 01:49

heh, the 911 GTs RS. also known as the cleanup crew ;)

You can’t just let it waltz in and wreck everyone.

also. The R. I want one

DanZman > WhiskeyGolf
10/02/2015 at 04:32

I agree, I am very disappointed in the car and their decision to run it broken. I really had high hopes for it. This is just another reason why I’ll be sticking with the c6 z06.

DanZman > PetarVN, GLI Guy, now with stupid power
10/02/2015 at 04:35

First... I’m obviously really disappointed in the way things went down for the vette. But, more surprising is the fact that there is not a single BMW in the pack. I guess the ultimate driving machine really is dead.

DanZman > Logansteno: Bought a VW?
10/02/2015 at 04:44

Yeah, the c6 z06 never had these kind of issues! Sure they would drop a valve every now and then and grenade the motor, but other than that they are tanks that can happily run around a track all day and then drive home.

They really need to get their shit together if they think that they want to get me to switch from the c6.

marshknute > Random Commenter
10/02/2015 at 07:46

I fail to see how Carlos could/would have been able to change anything, besides disqualify the Z06 altogether and field angry YouTube comments asking “omg why no Z06 Motortrend sucks.”

They got unlucky with a car that wouldn’t make boost. So they hoped that it might start working once it cooled down. When that didn’t work, they asked GM’s engineers for help, but they only came up with some BS “bad fuel” excuse. MT humoresque them by filling it with 100-octane fuel, but no luck. GM should have found them a new Z06.

So honestly, the only party to express disappointment with is GM for A) failing to repair/replace the broken test car, or B) putting the LT4 into production despite known boost/cooling issues.

Although for what it’s worth, a buddy of mine tracks his 15’ Z06 with the Porsche Club and has had no problems, even on 92-degree days at Watkins Glen. So it seems the cooling issue isn’t consistent, which is kind of worrying.

As for the transmission, I honestly don’t think it makes that much of a difference. Maybe the lap time would have been a second faster, but it’s a Best Driver’s Car Competition, not a race. After all, the fun little Miata took podium 3rd, just like the NC Miata back in the 09’ competition (which coincidentally stole 3rd place from the ZR1 Vette!)

Curiously, the World’s Greatest Drag Race posted this morning featured a red Z06, not the broken yellow one from the hot lap.

marshknute > AMGtech - now with more recalls!
10/02/2015 at 07:48

The M4 competed last year. BDCC is only open to new or significantly revised cars.

marshknute > DanZman
10/02/2015 at 07:51

BDCC is only open to new or significantly revised cars. The M4 and i8 competed last year. I’d expect to see the M2 in next year’s lineup.

yitznewton > PetarVN, GLI Guy, now with stupid power
10/02/2015 at 08:05

Miata made it clear that this is more than a numbers game - which is awesome. The miata.netters are experiencing some consternation about the brake fade issue though.

This must be a head-roller for GM on the Corvette. I hope for their sake and consumers’ that they can get that sorted out for an incremental update.

AMGtech - now with more recalls! > marshknute
10/02/2015 at 09:35

Oh ok. Wasn't aware of that.

Random Commenter > marshknute
10/02/2015 at 18:50

You “fail to see how Carlos could/would have been able to change anything”? Uh, I think he would have pulled strings to get another, working Z06 from GM, and THEN set a hot lap time... That’d have given the Z06 a fair shot.

Anyways... Might I get links to where you are getting this information from? Specifically:

If this is true, then what they experienced wasn’t related to the cooling issues, not that I thought it was related to the cooling issues in the first place. Listen to the exhaust note of the Z06’s engine in that video, and then listen to the exhaust note of the one in the first Motor Trend video... The one in the hot lap video is clearly making sounds it shouldn’t be making... I suspect that there was something physically broken in the engine somewhere, possibly related to the supercharger. It just sounds that way to me, but I could be wrong.

As for this:

So honestly, the only party to express disappointment with is GM for A) failing to repair/replace the broken test car, or B) putting the LT4 into production despite known boost/cooling issues.

How do you know Motor Trend even attempted to get another Z06 from GM? Do you know if GM even had anyone at the filming of the hot lap who could have done so?

Anyways, I’ll be waiting for the links.

marshknute > Random Commenter
10/02/2015 at 19:24

The link is literally the video you refused to watch because you got butthurt over the hot lap. Watch the video. Skip to the part where they discuss giving the Z06 a DNF.

Then comb through the YT comments. The Motor Trend staff routinely fields questions by viewers, and this particular video had quite a few butthurt GM fans exactly like yourself. I simply paraphrased/compiled those staff replies.

And there’s a more detailed breakdown in the written article (which requires reading).

Here’s a nice excerpt:

“So it was disappointing to see Big Nasty sidelined by a mysterious engine problem not even the GM techs on hand could figure out. And disappointing to also discover that a car supposedly specially earmarked for BDC testing had been sent to us with worn-out brake pads.”

I’m curious, how did you even arrive at your conclusion if you didn’t even bother to watch the BDCC?

Random Commenter > marshknute
10/02/2015 at 20:07

Butthurt GM fan? FYI, it doesn’t matter what brand the car was, if it were a clearly broken Porsche, Ferrari, or whatever, I’d still be making the same case. See, unlike most, I don’t do the whole stupid “brand loyalty” crap. I judge all cars based on their own merits, not on what brand they are. I’m not a “GM guy” or a “Ford guy”, I like all cars, so long as they’re good cars. I like some GM cars, and don’t like others. This is called being “unbiased”.

As for:

And there’s a more detailed breakdown in the written article (which requires reading).

Gee? Really? You mean to tell me that a written article requires reading? No shit sherlock. I’m not a fucking idiot, dude, so how about you take that condescending bullshit and shove it?

What conclusion? You mean the conclusion where I pointed out that they used a broken, slower version of the Z06? I already explained it... Maybe it’s you who needs to do some “reading”...

marshknute > Random Commenter
10/02/2015 at 22:46

Well your conclusion seemed to be that MT broke the car themselves, made zero attempt to repair/replace it, and then slandered it. But again, you didn’t watch the video (or read the article), so I’m confused as to how you could have arrived at that conclusion. I watched the video and immediately knew that MT gave the Z06 every chance it deserved.

And once more, Motor Trend has always gone out of their way to work with engineers from respective manufacturers to give each car the best shot at success:

Remember when MT lapped the Z06 both with and without the rear spoiler to see if that would give it the extra few tenths necessary on the straights to beat the GT-R Nismo?

Or the time they brought the Z06 back for a repeat showdown against Godzilla b/c it was determined that the original Z06 had misaligned suspension? And then MT reversed their opinion based on the new superior lap time?

Or when they allowed Porsche’s engineers to fiddle with the tune setup on the GT4 to try and quell the understeer and beat the GT3’s lap time?

Or the time they let McLaren’s engineers fiddle with the tune setup on the P1 so it could try to beat the 918 Spyder’s lap time?

I honestly don’t know of a more helpful and supportive review agency than MotorTrend. They really go out of their way to have a fair fight, even if it means giving one car unashamedly preferential treatment.

And for the transmission, remember that MT has no control over what they get. They request a car and happily take whatever the manufacturer gives them. Cadillac was nice enough to give them two cars with different transmissions. And Chevy apparently only had one manual Z06 to spare. Nothing MT can do about that. It’s still better than the manufacturer canceling at the last minute ( Huracan ).

They can’t use customer cars for these tests in case they get damaged. Remember in 2011 when nearly every car got rock chip damage in the drag race? Or in 2013 when the SLS Black’s front splitter got gouged to hell when bottoming out in in the Corkscrew?

So if Motor Trend can’t get a test car, they’re out of luck. And if it has the wrong transmission, well tough shit. Beggars can’t be choosers. And if that test car breaks down and the engineers can’t fix it, then there’s really nothing else they can do is there? They’re not going to cancel the whole competition because one car called in sick.