The Eras- Part 3
90s Imperial Invasion- Nissan GTR R33 vs Toyota Supra RZ, Mitsubishi Evo V vs Subaru Impreza WRX STi Version VI, Honda S2000 vs Mazda MX5.
The 1990s was a revolutionary year for the automotive and motorsport world, to say the least. Ayrton Senna died at the Imola GP, the race to 300kph had begun on the highways of Japan and Nissan introduced a car that will change motorsport forever. A car so quick that it forced motorsport regulations to be altered in order to stop it from participating. Its nickname is Godzilla, and we know it as the Nissan GTR. Toyota, seeing the GTR success on the track, quickly fought back with their own super coupe, the latest Supra. The RZ.
A tier below, the most fierce war for rally supremacy was underway with the Mitsubishi Evolution V and the Subaru Impreza STi. And dont think this Japanese dominance was limited to high end elite cars. For those who just want the roof down, open top thrill, there was the Mazda MX5 and the Honda S2000. 5 of Japans many great cars gathered at Gran Turismos favourite track. Tsukuba.
Goliath vs Goliath - R33 vs Supra RZ
Lets start with the R33. Often shoved into the shadows by its bigger brother, the R34, its a car that hasnt really received much love or attention. Which is odd, as even the old 2000GTRs have a small fan base, so why does little to no one care about this? Perhaps its the fact that its the most whale-ish of the old 90s GTRs, and the heaviest. But after a quick drive, I can safely say that its all rubbish. This is still a Godzilla at heart.
The steering is quick for such a big car, and the handling amazing for something which has the same properties as a boat. It may feel heavy and cumbersome in the corners, but its actually feels very balanced. Sure, its not as exuberant as its more popular cousins, but its really not bad. Itll smoke the tyres as easily as it can grip to the tarmac. And though with only 330hp it isnt to be chasing any supercars any time soon, itll get that 1540kg weight moving quickly enough to outrun most sports cars.
But do you really need to fork out 57,000 cr. for a family car thatll run rings around sports cars? I know for a fact that for nearly half the price, you can get a more subtle family cars whichll do the job of the R33 just as well.
The Supra RZ. Perhaps the most iconic road going car Toyota has ever made. It has more power, its lighter and its FR. Which is the proper sports car layout. On paper then, it seems the Toyota has the R33 beaten. But dont be so sure. I mean, the GTR was famous for its 4WD system, so maybe thatll save it. I doubt it though, because the RZ just
feels so much faster.
The whole car is more alive, more active, more of a proper drivers car. The steering reacts even quicker, the throttle response is sharper, it requires more skill. If you trail brake, it actually turn in on the brakes alone. Its a very deceptive car, it looks like itll handle like a whale, but its actually just a bigger, more powerful MR2 in actuality. Ive driven many, many RZ Supras in the past, but all were modified to their extremities. They had 725 horse power and understeered like the Titanic. They were hateful. I despised them. This though, in its standard, unmolested form, makes up for that. Theres no turbo disrupting its balance, no sudden surge of torque. This is the Supra at its best. No 700+hp, no ricy wings, no TVR paint. Just the handling and grace of a true sports car.
And now, lets meet the stars of the most famous automotive battles in history. The Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution V GSR *breathe* and the Subaru Impreza Sedan WRX STi something or other Version VI *and breathe again*. Both are 4WD. Both are turbocharged. Both have nearly 300 horse power and both were born in the rough and tumble world of rallying. Theyve been at each others throats since day one, and here, we have both breeds at their peak of evolution. And I now have a problem. You see, keep this to yourselves, but bar the CT230R, Im not really a fan of any modern Evos. They feel too remote, too distant. So its no use me driving the Evo yet, or else the review will turn into a rant post. So its going to be the Subaru.
God its good. It drives a bit like those 80s rally road cars from part 2, the steering has some feel to it, you know where itll be going, and you can feel the rally blood pumping through the car. Its so
different to drive. 9/10 with cars like these, the road car and the race version are utterly different to drive. They may look pretty similar, but theres next to no relationship between the two underneath. This feels different though. It feels every bit like the rally car that dominated the rally stages of the late 90s.
Goes like the rally car too. With just shy of 300hp and weighing in at a lean 1270kg, this thing goes. I mean, really goes. Its faster than the Supra and nearly a full second ahead of the Godzilla. This is one
hell of a car. Its one imposing thing to look at as well. Yes, the slats and wings are a tad garish, but just think of it as battle scars. Adds all the more character to the thing.
So, to the Evo. And oh dear. It may pack more tech than the Impreza, and have more power than the Impreza, but its slower than the Impreza. And less fun. And less responsive. Its not just me, I swear. The car just has so much faults! The AYC is, as usual, utterly thick and stupid, is more harm than good and doesnt do anything till its verging on being too late. Then, theres the rest of the handling. Yes, it grips a lot. But thats about it with this. It feels heavy and ponderous, the fact that it feels remote means you dont have the confidence to gun it, even when youve exited most of the corner. It doesnt give you enough confidence to go for it until the car is pointing straight. It understeers if you mess up your corner entry and refuses to tuck into the corner and doesnt feel rapid going down the straights.
That's understeer
And just look at it. Till now, I didnt know cars could be styled to look like bulldogs. With that snow plough up front, those cuts and grooves in the bumper, its as visually appealing as a rotting corpse. And look at those stupid spot lights. It really is a bloody vulgar car.
Anyways, you get my point. Despite what most reviewers say, my personal opinion is this. If you want 4WD japanese turbo road car that isnt a GTR, of the two here, pick the Impreza. It looks better, sounds better, handles better, faster with less power, and is much, much more fun.
And that's the result of of said understeer
Impreza - 1 Evo - 0
But if you
are an Evo fan and you'd like to make a complaint about that score, please feel free to keep that thought to yourself.
Anyways
moving on
To something more reasonably priced. Enough of these road racing mentalists. I just want to have some cheap wind-in-your-hair fun. And when we talk about open top fun, we of course, have to talk about the Mazda MX-5.
Love or hate it, its a car Gran Turismo adores. It even has its very own events. And you only need to drive it to see why its such a popular car, both in real life and in GT. The MX-5 has always been renown for its back to basic handling. Front engine, rear drive, light weight, nothing else in your way. There isnt that much
actual power, but thats the point. Power dilutes handling, so its been given as little as possible while being fast enough for you to enjoy the handling at the limit. Yes, that the rather pitiful 130 horses means that by the time you get anywhere, 2012 has come and gone. But youd never feel the time pass, its so much fun on a track like this. This is the MX-5 back at home. On a track thats as small as the car itself. And just as commonly seen. Honestly, there hasnt been a GT5 day gone by that Ive not seen a MX5 of sorts in my UCD.
So, if you want a reasonably priced, relatively fun little roadster/swiss army-knife which wont be as rare as chicken teeth, this is your obvious choice. Or is it?
You see, Honda have been producing small, cheap roadsters since the late 60s with cars like the S500. And at the end of the 20th century, theyve given it a hell of an update. Its called the S2000. Its Hondas take on a go-kart for the road. It has a V-TEC engine, weighs just 1.2 tons and revs into the moon! 9000RPM!! Theres not that much actual power, only 250hp, but it makes up by feeling so eager and urgent. Theres a similar feeling in the steering too. Theres the MX-5 feel, but with even better handling. And even more slideways. 253hp on comfort softs, youd expect that much. But its just so damn good at drifting and hooning! Anyone who steps into the driver seat of one of these, goes for a quick lap and comes back with a straight face is either boring or just possesses no soul. End of story. This is the true spirit of the S2000. Not the 600+ horsepower goliath that is the Amuse GT1 Turbo. The beauty of this 99s S2000 is that it will deliver 8/10 of the thrills that its 600hp brother can, bar the overdosage of power and downforce, but without
C-ZETA hurling an axe at your face and calling you a noob.
Thats the driving done, now lets see how they stack up.
The Rankings:
Subaru Impreza WRX STi Ver. VI - 1:05.524
Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution V GSR - 1:06.188
Toyota Supra RZ - 1:06.247
Nissan GTR R33 - 1:06.507
Honda S2000 - 1:10.112
Mazda MX-5 - 1.15.544
The Verdict- Which is the best of the lot?
Its obvious, isnt it? Its the Impreza. It may not rev into space with some fancy V-TEC system or have the ability to handle 3 times the stock power output day to day, but its just so much better a compromise compared to the others. The Supra comes a close second, its only downfall being that even a minor boost in power brings with it a few more yards of understeer.
The S2000 was a lovely drive, but it certainly wasnt the best 90s Japan had on offer, and the rear is just not planted enough for when you want to just race. The MX-5 is out for roughly the same reasons too, good fun, just needs more guts to go with the G.
As for the GTR and Evo? Well, they both have fairly similar issues. The R33 can take you a very long way into the game with its astounding ability to be modified beyond 600hp. But its just a tad too big to be nimble enough against the Scooby on a track like this. The Evo? Well, as said, its just wretched to to drive. Or it perhaps just doesnt fit me. I like a car which lets me do the driving, so maybe thats why Im hardly impressed by the Evo.
So there you have it. The best Japanese car of the 90s. The Subaru Impreza STi Version VI. Still has one of the most needlessly long name in the world though.
Final Rankings-
Subaru Impreza STi Ver. VI
Toyota Supra RZ
Honda S2000
Mazda MX-5
Nissan GTR R33
Mitsubishi Evolution V GSR
Remind you of something
?
And if I ever did that, there will be no reviews, cuz I'd be dead. Death by weird french toaster with massive turbos.
👍.
Just bugger off with your Macca or something.
Now I'm doing nothing, can't write at all. Shame, I had one on LMPs at Le Mans, one on the Veyron, another on the Ford GT and another on GTPlanet's favourite cult Kei
