"Jayhawk Jake" (jayhawkjake)
10/16/2014 at 22:45 • Filed to: None
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"Jayhawk Jake" (jayhawkjake)
10/16/2014 at 22:45 • Filed to: None | 3
| 14 |
"Okay Jake, you drove a ZR1, shut the fuck up"
This will be it. I wanted to include this in the last post but it got long winded. This will be quick.
Carmax had an A5 with the 4.2 V8 on the lot today. I didn't drive it, but I fired it up and gave it some revs. Boy was that disappointing.
Really highlights what I see as a difference between American and German cars: American cars are brash and loud and uncultured. They're raw and angry.
German cars are much nicer. My mom has an A5, I love it. So comfortable, the cabin is just a really nice place to be. The S5 is (obviously) no different, but it has a V8. It must sound amazing, right?
Wrong
Start at 1:40 if kinja. It has some rumble, but in person it's just underwheling. It's wheezy and quiet with just a hint of V8.
Compare that to the ZR1
It's mean . It's loud, it's brash. It's undeniably an LS monster.
I know, I know...two totally different cars. The ZR1 is a 638hp track dominator, while the S5 is a 350hp tourer.
However, I had a similar experience with an M5 and a CTSV
This sounds much better than the Audi, but inside the car it's quiet. It's wheezy, it's underwhelming.
The CTS-V?
A little more muted than the Corvette, but still angrier and louder than the M5. It's meatier, and deeper.
I'm not trying to start some shit storm of 'murica vs. germany'. I'm just making an observation that in my opinion the brashness of American cars makes them more exciting than their German competitors. They're not as refined, but that's what makes them great.
Jedidiah
> Jayhawk Jake
10/16/2014 at 22:52 |
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It's the same reason people prefer classic cars over modern cars.
The character is what you fall in love with—not whooshy vacuum noises and touch screens.
sm70- why not Duesenberg?
> Jayhawk Jake
10/16/2014 at 23:07 |
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German cars like those, being high end luxury tourers, tend to want to keep pesky sounds out :( However, once and a while, maybe by accident, something like this happens:
Kaizer Soze
> Jedidiah
10/16/2014 at 23:13 |
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Audi S cars are not really hard cars in my opinion, if you want brash go RS. As for the BMW you have 2 turbines blocking the exhaust, very bad for the sound. Now the old E60 V10 wail would knock the panties off the CTS-V.
> sm70- why not Duesenberg?
10/16/2014 at 23:14 |
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If that Beemer has a V8 it's the wimpiest sounding V8 I've ever heard.
norskracer98-ExploringTheOutback
> Jayhawk Jake
10/16/2014 at 23:14 |
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Just to say something and I agree with you here. If you want a loud brash German car, AMG is really the only way to go. And we all know those aren't cheap. I also wanna say the E92 M3 also has one loud V8 kinda 'Murican but not sure. Otherwise Italy or Britain is where you're gonna find a loud and obnoxious V8. So in a nutshell, being less refined can make you louder and more bad ass. Still like the German cars but aside from the Mercs their V8's are underwhelming and not loud enough.
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sm70- why not Duesenberg?
>
10/16/2014 at 23:19 |
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V10. This is what a V8 M5 sounds like:
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sm70- why not Duesenberg?
> norskracer98-ExploringTheOutback
10/16/2014 at 23:22 |
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Also, E60 M5, but that's a different kinda sound.
AMG might be cheating, since I think they are American at heart.
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norskracer98-ExploringTheOutback
> sm70- why not Duesenberg?
10/16/2014 at 23:24 |
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Probably. Doesn't it stand for American Manufactured in Germany? A.M.G.
Herr Quattro - Has a 4-Motion
> Jayhawk Jake
10/16/2014 at 23:41 |
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hike
> Jayhawk Jake
10/16/2014 at 23:46 |
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Just a reminder...
Also, AMG knows how to make a sweet sweet sounding V8. The 6.2 in the C63 is one of my favorite sounding engines I've heard.
SmoresTM Has No Chill (O==[][]==O)
> Jayhawk Jake
10/17/2014 at 00:14 |
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You want to buy something for the sound? Buy Italian.
You're comparing apples to candied pecans here. I don't disagree with the fact that American cars are loud, brash, and visceral in a way that German cars are not, but when you compare a ZR1 to an S5, it doesn't really matter.
The ZR1 has a 6.2L supercharged V8 making 640hp and 600lb/ft, and it weighs 3,400lbs. It's a strict RWD 2-seater sports car that was made for the track and craves attention. It cost something like $125,000
The S5 has a 4.2L V8 that makes 340hp and 325lb/ft, weighs 4000lbs. It's an AWD 2-door, 4-seater, luxury touring car with subtle styling. You can buy a brand new one for half the price of the ZR1 (base MSRP is $52,000)
Now, an RS5 has the same 4.2L naturally aspirated V8 but makes 450hp and has a similar torque output, and weighs 4,000lbs. It's the same AWD 2-door, 4-seater, luxury tourer. Only faster. You can buy a brand new one for $71,000 (base MSRP).
As you can see, the only similarities here are the number of doors and number of cylinders.
If you're going to compare cars, have them be in the same class. At least have them play the same sport.
Audi R8. 4.2L naturally aspirated V8 engine. 420hp, 320lb/ft. 3600lbs. Nine-tenths of a second slower to 60. And an interior that doesn't look like shit. Brand new MSRP of $115,000. They're far more comparable than an ZR1 and an S5... Even still, not really worth comparing as people who want an R8 probably don't want a ZR1 and vice-versa. The R8 sounds better than an S5, too.
Americans aren't the only ones who can be brash. If we're talking about noise, it would be wrong not to give Mercedes credit for the noise of the Zonda. It is their noise maker, after all. Porsche also does noise very well. Very well.
And let's not forget the crazy cousin that the adults don't like to talk about in the German automotive family...
(and one that doesn't cost both arms, a leg, a kidney, a testicle, and you first born son)
Brian Silvestro
> Jayhawk Jake
10/17/2014 at 07:01 |
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"Okay Jake, you drove a ZR1, shut the fuck up"
you said it not me
I'd rather have an E92 M3 than a C6.
Svend
> Jayhawk Jake
10/17/2014 at 07:44 |
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You can add power and noise to the refined cars but you can't add refinement to the brash loud cars.
Take the Skoda Superb Combi. Refined discretely elegant (don't argue with that point, I have a Superb Combi and I love it) can be had with a 3.6 V6 heart which like it's VW and Audi sisters is very smooth and quiet.
But change the exhaust.
Add a bit of tuning.
You have the perfect mix of brash and loud that's also a great tourer.
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Jayhawk Jake
> Svend
10/17/2014 at 08:19 |
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It's the brash and lack of refinement I find so endearing about the Corvette though. It's no frills, it's just a fantastic sports car.
That being said, newer Cadillacs are plenty refined anyways