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Originally Posted by Table 5
I have no issues with it being an older platform if when all is said and done, the outcome is a fun car. The formula for a sports car isn't that hard, and doesn't need to be re-invented every time. Besides, newer doesn’t always mean better, especially in the world of tightening regulations. Compared to previous generations, newer cars tend to have smaller soulless engines, feel disconnected due to drive-by-wire and other tech, are generally heavier and bulkier, and are often harder to see out of.
I would say the funnest cars these days are the ones that look to preserve the qualities of older cars... ie. more connected handling, a simpler/analog driving experience, better visibility, fun sounds etc. If it sucks it sucks, but if Nissan kept what already worked well and improved the rest (which a big part was visual), I'm ok with the Z not being entirely "new". The Supra is new, and everyone seems to hate the thing.
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I don't confuse analog with being good. Most of the worst cars I have ever driven are older cars with simpler/analog driving characteristics. I feel people throw these words around on the internet after reading too much Car & Driver or other rags that pine for simpler times. I can't remember driving a car that I was less impressed with than the 370Z. It was the rare enthusiast car I have driven that had no redeeming qualities. The manual transmission felt like an early Hyundai effort, the suspension was as crude as an old EVO, the interior was 15 years dated, the VQ37 sounded like it was going to self destruct when you got near 6000 RPM, and it was tin can noisy. I'm just not sure that slapping a new engine in that car is going to make it all of a sudden a very compelling option.
As a person that's been driving cars from the the 80's to today I can say with near certainty that todays cars are far superior than those of generations past. Lamenting the the old analog stuff is largely just loss aversion. I don't always agree with Chris Harris but he's bang on here.
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As you can tell I rather dislike the older-is-better mantra. In my experience there are very few performance cars which are replaced by inferior products, because the companies that make them are very good at what they do, and the engineers that define them are talented enough to know what is right and what is wrong.
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