[cowtown]

"It is just a powerful engine stuck into a crappy little car with average build quality and an absolutely horridly dated interior."

Absolutely.

"Additionally, I am not a fan of 'Fast and the Furious' ricer crap with pointless aluminum wings and super-mega-dragonball Z R-type ninja gaiden stickers and body trim ..."

Lol! You wouldn't believe what I saw today. A totally stock Acura TSX (nice car by all accounts) with a Sheet Metal Wing bolted onto it. I couldn't believe it...

"styling knick knacks"

Excellent way of describing any Mitsu Lancer model...

 

[cowtown]

"A TSX with sheet metal wing and you don't have a pic???

That is something I'd like to see ... and laugh at."

Yeah sorry I was walking back from lunch.

"HAHAHAHA was it a RED TSX? Haha i think I saw the same one.. and laughed at."

Yeah Fobby I saw it parked in front of the Calgary Police office downtown, maybe he was cited for being completely retarded. I wish I got a pic though, I'm sure it get on a page like Brians Rice Boy Page.

 

[cowtown]

Well according to the Mitsubishi page a comparibly equipped Ralliart "Sportback" (gawd is that ugly) with the same features (auto and the 3 main accessories I have) would cost around $500 less than what my 3 did and have nowhere near the other cool toys or interior quality.

Things of note...

A little louder stereo (not necessarily better).

2 more HP, 11 more TQ

From what I can find a comparible Sportback to a 3 Sport would be less than 100 pound difference, pretty negligable. So yeah maybe a 10th faster in the quarter, but that also depends on how the motor runs, the programming and shift timing. If it's not as good as Mazda's then any benefits, no matter how insignificant, could be erased rather quickly.

 

[cowtown]

Yeah gotta be careful too. The 3 that Car & Driver tested was a sport which is a little bit heavier than the sedan but not a full second worth. Should be interesting to see what the deal is. I know I had Mustangs with 200+ HP that were around 2800 pounds and they couldn't do below 15's in the quarter.

 

[cowtown]

A full second just out of gearing? Common that's a lot of slack and the 3 isn't any slouch in the gearing department other than a touch in 2nd sometimes.