Quite possibly the last MSP comparo

[M=SP^2]

I guess there's a new magazine being launched by Road and Track called "SPEED", they're running a sport compact comparo and our beloved MSP is in it! Here is what I found on the website:

High Desert Showdown
SPEED contributor and professional racer Kim Wolfkill, along with racing compatriots Ross Cheever and Daniel Dror, head out to a California racetrack for a little Desert Storm of their own. Their weapons of choice? Seven of the best factory-tuned front-drivers available: the Dodge SRT-4, Ford Focus SVT, Honda Civic Si HFP, Mazdaspeed Proteg, Mitsubishi Lancer Ralliart, Nissan Nismo Sentra SE-R and the Toyota TRD Celica GT-S.

I hope someone has a chance to pick it up and report on the results. Cheers!

 

[funnylittlman]

M=SP^2,

I think this was already posted earlier this week

 

[M=SP^2]

My bad, how'd the MSP rate?

 

[Speedplease]

Yeah we came in fifth, It was a decent review but they only ran a 15.9 in the quater with our car. Something seems wrong, and it wasnt the best handeling car their either! The time they ran were actually quite bad i guess they had a bad driver. Their quater mile time was a full sec slower then when motor trend tested our car when it first came out.

 

[03.5YellowMSP]

damn they ran .6 slower then i ran when i was stock. the must have a really bad driver cause i am not that good myself.

 

[jersey_emt]

Yeah my VERY FIRST TIME at the track I got a 15.8. IDK WTF happened.

 

[unwrittenLaw]

Its Road and Track..if they're not driving ******* Enzos, then they complain...

 

[MazdaNeal]

what order did the cars come in?

 

[Black Majik MSP]

Can anyone scan the article?

 

[ND4MSP]

<TABLE class=tborder cellSpacing=1 cellPadding=6 width="100%" align=center border=0><TBODY><TR><TD class=thead colSpan=2>Today 12:52 PM</TD></TR><TR title="Post 861104" vAlign=top><TD class=alt1 align=middle width=125>unwrittenLaw</TD><TD class=alt2>Its Road and Track..if they're not driving ******* Enzos, then they complain...</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>



(drunk) (mswerd)

 

[JeRNuT]

does any one want to scan this. I went to the store and could not find this issue.

 

[MazdaDryvr]

I dont give a crap what they say, I know which one I liked best.

 

[MSPinVA]

Lemme guess, the SRT4 came in first........ because it goes faaaaaaast. (screwy)

 

[Hypnotized]

That article was crap. They over rated the other cars in my opinon. 15.9???? What car were they driving? We all know what our car is capable of doing and they certainly did not drive it to its potential. This is just my opinion though.

 

[daperspeed]

The cars which beat the MSP were the SRT-4, SVT Focus and the Celica GTS with TRD springs shocks and the Nismo Spec V S type dealer suspension setup. Its logical that the Spec V and Celica with additional handling components would be very good handlers as stock they are already good. Note those components cost a lot...a Celica with the suspension package in this comparo is near $30K!!

So stock the MSP is still the best and best bang for buck.

 

[Wha'Happened]

Ok I have a huge problem with that article. Like daperspeed said, The Celica which somehow got number one, costs 30 freaking thousand, not to mention labor. Um... thats STi, Evo, 350z range people. For one thing the TuRD Celica and HFP Civic and Nismo Sentra should not even be on the list, they are not "stock" like the MSP, Focus, SRT4 and Ralliart. Those cars you can just go to the dealer and pick up like that. The Civic, Celic and Spec V all have to have each individual part bought and installed. If they wanted to to be fair then lets throw out the stock MSP and test one w/ a FMIC, boosting about um...10 psi, Apex DP and Catback and maybe a CAI. Then which car would be number one?

 

[Wha'Happened]

also, according to Sport Compact who tested the Nismo R-Tune and S-tune Sentra, after a couple thousand dollars worth of Nismo mods is added to the already $18,800 (w/ Brembo's) Spec V (bringing the price to around 25.5k) only then does the car begin to feel "direct, communicative and responsive in a way that reminds us of the Mazdaspeed Protege..." hahah whatever Speed magazine with your 15.9 second 1/4. Im a pretty crappy driver and I know I could kill that.

 

[EVILSRT]

Lemme guess, the SRT4 came in first........ because it goes faaaaaaast. (screwy)

Yes. That is the only reason it wins.

 

[Mr. Win]

WAKE UP GUYS

im glad you care what these magzines think but they are always wieghted the onyl mag i read for reviews is consumer report. money talks.

 

[Black Majik MSP]

(argh)

I remember picking up some BS propaganda brochure from Toyota a year or so ago about how the Celica GTS was better than the RSX-S & the Cougar V6. Everyone knows the Type S is far superior, but they had all of these comparisons & BS explanations "proving" that it was better. IMO, this is just the same thing continued...Toyota pays off the magazine to show the TRD Celica finish so well. I don't even want to get started on TRD because I used to own a Toyota & TRD is full of crap. They are better known in the US for the series of off-road trucks they sell than for performance parts for sport compacts. Besides, this TRD edition (an even bigger ripoff than the Action Package they already sell) is only made for 2 reasons...to compete with the RSX A-Spec & because Toyota has to try to fill the void left by the Supra.

(fu)