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M!!!

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Asia Pacific
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FL5, GR Yaris, FJ Cruiser, Jimny, NA and ND Miata
Took out these three beauties back-to-back today and man they are all amazing. My quick impressions on how they compare against each other:

FL5:
+ Just feels supremely polished overall in ways big and small -- the engine, steering, clutch, brakes, shifter... but just as notably, things like solid door slams, solid-feeling knobs and switches and control stalks. There is an overall smoothness to everything that is absent in the Yaris and to a lesser extent, the Miata
+ Nicest interior by far, nicest seats, hands-down feels the most special inside
+ The driving position is superb and easily the best of the three
+ Engine is excellent, feels very linear from bottom rpm up to redline. Feels like a really strong normally aspirated engine even
+ Steering is the best in a trio of cars with excellent steering; the most direct, the most natural feeling, most communicative, and the alcantara wheel feels nicest in hand
+ Strong brakes, but the stoppers on the Yaris feel slightly more powerful
+ Noticeably more comfortable ride than the Yaris in Comfort mode but the Miata is a limousine in comparison
+ Lots of cubbyholes for phones and sunglasses and miscellany
+ Best infotainment system and best screen and best sound system quality
- Feels quite big and wide on the road compared to the other two. But it doesn't really feel too heavy on the road
- Electronic parking brake feels out of place. The other two have proper handbrake levers

GR Yaris:
+ Absurdly potent engine, feels more gutless down low than the FL5 but holy cow the midrange from 3000 rpm on is very strong. This is the one with VTEC, yo! Subjectively, this feels strongest on the road.
+ Brakes feel strongest, maybe because the car weighs less than the FL5.
+ Feels small and very nimble on the road, it really shines at high speeds
- The seats are waaaay up high and feel like they should be 6 inches lower or something. Especially obvious coming from the FL5 and Miata. The center screen blocks the view out the windshield too
- The steering is the least remarkable of the three for me, but really it's still quite excellent
- The interior is econo-car crappy
- The airconditioning is weak
- The shifter is very good but compared to the FL5 and Miata, it feels clunky and slightly longer in throw and spacing. A distant third here, but we are comparing against two of the very best shifters in the world
- The styling is purposeful but people who don't know what it is think it's some cheap econo-hatchback haha
- Whereas the FL5 and the Miata feel quite special even at low speeds (and even stopped!), the GR Yaris feels almost ordinary at low speeds and really needs to be driven hard and fast for it to really come into its own

ND2 Miata:
+ Feels soooo light. And not just because it is, but also because all the controls feel light as well (the steering, the clutch, the shifter) and all feel well-matched to each other. The engine feels zingy and free-revving. It pivots around your butt. It is completely outgunned by the other two, but to be honest, I find it more fun to drive than the GR Yaris and maybe even the FL5 around town and outside of a race track.
+ You can drive this at 5/10ths or 6/10ths or 7/10ths and think each time that it's such a nice, fun car. In comparison, the FL5 and Yaris feel much more serious, with heavier weight on all the primary controls. Where they feel like bolt-action rifles, the Miata feels like a Nerf gun. And we all know that a Nerf gun is more fun than a bolt-action rifle!
+ Excellent shifter, I can't decide which between this and the FL5 has the better shifter. The biggest difference is the weight, the FL5's is heavy and substantial, the Miata's is light and snick-snick
+ Nicest engine sound for me
+ You can drive it harder on public roads without going to scary speeds
+ Limousine ride comfort compared to the other two
+ Nice steering and steering feel, though it seems to lack self-centering compared to the other two
+ Nicest styling, after all it's a two door roadster
- Completely outclassed power-wise and the stock suspension will be too soft for serious driving or track driving
- In comparison to the other two, the brakes feel soft and weak
- Completely outclassed in the tire department
- Ludicrously tight cabin and there is no space to put your everyday stuff in
- Can feel almost toylike compared to the other two; a Nerf gun is fun but it's a plastic toy compared to a real gun
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Hkc

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Henry
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Mcallen, texas l
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Fl5
I’m really starting to not like my fl5. Feels like it just belongs on a track, it’s a terrible daily. Ugh.
 


CTR

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2023 Civic Type R, LS Swapped FC3S
I suspect we’ll see a softer version in a couple years like the S2000. Especially if an LE is coming. The early AP1’s had large sway bars and stiff ride. After people complained they toned it down a little bit with the AP2.

I’m pretty confident that a nice set of springs designed for the FL5 will make it perfect. They could only make it so comfortable with the parts bin and budget they had for the suspension design. The new Spoon springs could be the perfect solution.
 

s2kdriver80

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Link
The springs on the CTR are actually soft. It's the over-damping that makes it feel firm and bouncy. But even with this over-damping, the ride even in +R doesn't bother me at all. To me, a stiff ride is more engaging and fun, and I wish it were even stiffer... and I have to contend with NY roads.
 

randomFL5guy

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The springs on the CTR are actually soft. It's the over-damping that makes it feel firm and bouncy. But even with this over-damping, the ride even in +R doesn't bother me at all. To me, a stiff ride is more engaging and fun, and I wish it were even stiffer... and I have to contend with NY roads.
The savagegeese video said the springs were the same rates as the fk8 but dampers were made much stiffer
 

s2kdriver80

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The savagegeese video said the springs were the same rates as the fk8 but dampers were made much stiffer
I have the LE ADS running in mine, so the feel is probably similar, at least in the same ballpark. I also had an S2000 with CR suspension which is harder and wished even that was stiffer for a daily. I'm a stiff suspension junkie lol.
 


VarmintCong

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Chris
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I drove an Evo 9 and S2000 way back, both had this crazy stiff feel, I want something like that, hopefully that’s what the Type R feels like, never driven either gen.
 

s2kdriver80

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I drove an Evo 9 and S2000 way back, both had this crazy stiff feel, I want something like that, hopefully that’s what the Type R feels like, never driven either gen.
The S2000 CR was more punishing and jarring/harsh, and you could feel the road more since it had much stiffer springs (the base model also to an extent), but the CTR is more bouncy due to ramped up rebound damping yet supple at the same time.
 

Hkc

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Fl5
Not trolling. I own an fl5, I have 550 miles on it. Bought it from sames Honda in laredo texas if y’all need more proof lol.

I understand what a performance car should feel like. I understand what stiffness is supposed to feel like. Most cars with adaptive shocks can dial in the stiffness and then give you great comfort when you need it. The fl5 has issues with that.

it’s too stiff, noisy, high strung to be a comfortable daily, in my opinion of course.

just for context I’ve owned a gt350, Alfa quad, mk7 gti, currently have an rs6 and an lc500 and an ap1.

daily driving just seems like an afterthought with the fl5. How many actually track the car? And I know it’s probably amazing on a back road but I’m talking about just daily driving it.
 

Village911

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FL5 #839
Not trolling. I own an fl5, I have 550 miles on it. Bought it from sames Honda in laredo texas if y’all need more proof lol.

I understand what a performance car should feel like. I understand what stiffness is supposed to feel like. Most cars with adaptive shocks can dial in the stiffness and then give you great comfort when you need it. The fl5 has issues with that.

it’s too stiff, noisy, high strung to be a comfortable daily, in my opinion of course.

just for context I’ve owned a gt350, Alfa quad, mk7 gti, currently have an rs6 and an lc500 and an ap1.

daily driving just seems like an afterthought with the fl5. How many actually track the car? And I know it’s probably amazing on a back road but I’m talking about just daily driving it.
No one here is accusing you! We believe you have fl5.

Again, it sounds like you should've bought Camry for your style of daily. They look alike too!
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