TLDR: The review says the car is lightning fast and fuel efficient. By today’s standards, the car is turtle slow and horribly inefficient.
Nor the potential aesthetic experience...potential because people have different aesthetic values.
But the haptic experience of a sports car can't be replicated in a mini-van or SUV because the suspension, driving position, acoustic and mechanical output, etc. are all vastly different from a sports car. And of course curb weight, suspension rates, and center of gravity.
To be clear, I am not saying there is anything wrong with SUV's and/or minivans. Only that the map is not the territory.
Now that I’m a grownup, I’m capable of doing qualitative assessments on cars because I can drive them and judge their intangibles.
Lots of cars have sub-par specs, especially compared to modern engineering, but it overlooks that they are just fun. The top speed doesn’t matter because you’re rarely going to touch it. But how does it feel when you downshifting into 2nd to pass somebody? Or take a windy corner a little faster than you should? Does it make you grin? Because that’s a good car.
I often have electric minivans come up next to me that have the "nod".
I typically snort back and let them take off the line - they're a ton faster than me, but I'm the one enjoying the drive!
I love lightweight cars. They are harder and harder to make due to regulations so the options are older vehicles. Or motorcycles, but that's too scary.
I recently had the pleasure of finally driving a car on a track and it was so insanely fun even if I was driving a FWD hatchback with like 70 or 80 horsepower and a worn out shifter
It started when I was younger. I had 2 unreliable, but fun muscle cars. ( Souped up Corvette and souped up El Camino. ) When they both broke down at the same time, I over reacted and bought a reliable, new Saturn coupe with a 5 speed.
After 3 years of trouble free motoring in the Saturn, I traded it off for a Gen 1 Ford Lightning pickup. ( Strong acceleration for the day. ) I followed that up with a Lexus GS 300, hardly a hot rod.
The cycle continued, back and forth. My last 3 cars have been WRX STi, Lexus ISF, and now Corolla hybrid.
I love trying to keep the hybrid in EV mode, it’s kind of a game. A very different game than rowing the STi through the gears, but oddly similar.
I’m hopeless.
I've had the pleasure of driving a lot of these cars in factory form, like the Nissan Silvia, various years of Skyline, Supras and such. They are connected, more raw than todays cars, and that is their killer feature. But they would get gapped by a 2025 Toyota Camry.
And yeah, driving my current P10, the steering feeling is so much more... real, my son owns a P12, and it feels far more disconnected from the road.
(I also drive a 350XV Fuga, and gosh darn, that VQ35DE(NEO) engine is a rather lovely V6).
I had a VQ25DET in a Nissan Stagea 250RX, and asside from being a gauntlet to work on in that engine bay, it was a rock solid motor.
Currently I drive an 8th gen civic which I'd rate on par handling wise and is much more safer and modern...
But at least the rich luxury of the crushed orange velour interior could keep you comfortable while you waited for the tow truck.
https://www.curbsideclassic.com/automotive-histories/automot...
A friend of mine had one as his high school car, but his dad converted it to gasoline. I think it was in an Olds 88
“The 4.3 L V6 that came out in 1982 did have a denser head bolt arrangement, and did not suffer the catastrophic head sealing failures of the V8.”
V6 diesels were put in Cutlass’ until at least 1984: