Is The Crossover The New Sports Car?

[sugarwood]

For those whose minds imploded during this thread

What good is handling in corners if you always get passed on the straights?


We now have this!

[asphaltgambler]

Hope not. Sounds like a soup sandwich. Great idea on paper, not in reality.

[Eric Hahl]

No.

[svandamme]

total BS

[ted]

answers the question
would you rather drive a fast bus or a fast sports car.

[KNS]

As fewer sports cars, or even sporty coupes, are sold, and more people know of nothing other than a crossover or pickup, the role of a sports car will be known to only a handful of enthusiasts.

[Sooner or later]

Why didn't they match a 100k sports car vs the 100k Bimmer.

Or, why didn't they match a 30k crossover vs the 30k Toyota?

[svandamme]

Originally Posted by KNS

As fewer sports cars, or even sporty coupes, are sold, and more people know of nothing other than a crossover or pickup, the role of a sports car will be known to only a handful of enthusiasts.

Sports cars have always been only known to a limit crowd of enthusiasts.
That's nothing new.

most people simply cannot compromise the cost to buy&run vs operational limitations(lack of seats and/or room)

[sugarwood]

Originally Posted by asphaltgambler

Hope not. Sounds like a soup sandwich. Great idea on paper, not in reality.

Posted track times are what they are.
Empirical data does not lie.

[fred cook]

There are different levels of sportiness. If the wife and I want to go cruising around with the top down, we take the Jag XJS convertible. It has the 4.0 six cylinder engine with a bit over 200 hp. Nice quiet, smooth ride in a car that handles quite well. On the other hand, If I have a need for speed, I break out the Porsche 911 with a 3.3SS twin plug engine! It's rough, noisy and doesn't have many comfort options, but it goes like stink and sounds great, especially over 4,000 rpms! Cars like everything else are compromises. Just one car doesn't/can't do everything well.

[Cajundaddy]

Originally Posted by sugarwood

Posted track times are what they are.
Empirical data does not lie.

Totally lame comparison between a $30k seriously underpowered sports car and a $100k overpowered dog hauler. Thanks for playing.

Now compare that 5600 lb pig to any sportscar in it's price class. Like a Carrera S or Cayman GT4. Good luck!

[RWebb]

Is this a private fight?

Or can I add this tidbit: when introduced, the 911 was regarded as a GT car and not a real sports car, esp. by 356 owners...

[McLovin]

A sports car can’t be over 3,000 lbs.

[cabmandone]

I'd take a Panamera in a hot second. "Crossover" IMO is a pretty vague term. A WRX could be considered a crossover.

[KNS]

Originally Posted by svandamme

Sports cars have always been only known to a limit crowd of enthusiasts.
That's nothing new.

most people simply cannot compromise the cost to buy&run vs operational limitations(lack of seats and/or room)

It was more of a reference to what used to be available. Remember when Acura sold performance sedans and coupes? What about the Toyota Celica..? The offerings are dwindling.

[Zeke]

Originally Posted by McLovin

A sports car can’t be over 3,000 lbs.

Tell that to the NHTSA.

[asphaltgambler]

My soup sandwich reference was would I ever buy one, used even.........uh....no.

[GH85Carrera]

Men have as many definitions to what is a sports car as there is to what is a pretty woman.

To me my old 914 2.0 was a sports car. Besides heat and the stereo there was nothing that did not make it go, turn and stop faster. Just 95 HP and 0 to 60 of 10 seconds. Very little for creature comforts. It was sure fun to drive. Anything over 2,200 pounds is not a sports car.

My 911 is to me a GT sports coupe. Any vehicle with 4 doors is not a "sports car" and adding Sport to the end of the name on any SUV is just marketing. Like calling the new Tycan Turbo a turbo. No turbos on an electric car.

There are indeed many really fast crossovers, or SUV on the market. Heck, my wife's base Macan has one turbo, and is likely faster to 60 MPH than my 911. I have driven a Macan on the race track, (not hers) at Hallet Raceway and it is a very capable vehicle and likely in the hands of some "Stig" driver it might well lap the track faster than my 911 driven by the same Stig.

So damn what. It is not all about speed. And my 911 35 years old. Not many 35 year old cars are fast by today's standards.



And on the track my 35 year old 100% driver car with no power steering, no ABS, no traction control, no tire pressure monitors, or backup cameras, and a slow shifting transmission is way more fun than some computer controlled car that the "driver" is just telling the computer where to take the driver.

[pavulon]

I'd take a GLC 63.

[epbrown]

To answer the thread title, nope. We're seeing performance crossovers taking the slots that were previously used for performance wagons and hatchbacks, now that those body types are out of favor. Some pretty impressive rides in the segment, though I tend more towards the compact versions like the Mercedes Benz GLA45 AMG.