M!!!
Member
- Joined
- Jan 26, 2023
- Threads
- 3
- Messages
- 31
- Reaction score
- 45
- Location
- Asia Pacific
- Vehicle(s)
- FL5, GR Yaris, FJ Cruiser, Jimny, NA and ND Miata
- Thread starter
- #1
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
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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