Japanese car makers deserve more credit.

The new BRZ/FRS twins are great, as is the GTR, and the MX-5 is a perennial classic, but I am hard pressed to think of much currently made that I'd even consider owning. Honda and Acura make nothing. Lexus makes nothing. The Subaru WRX is the only thing other than the BRZ.

But if you want the new "minimum" 400 hp in a sports car there is only one offering from Japan.

But I do think the SUV craze killed a lot of sports cars from all manufacturers.

 

I think the issue is though that Japanese cars do lack passion. A lot of normal Japanese cars are soulless machines to get you from A to B, they don't even slightly try to evoke any emotion at all.

That doesn't mean there aren't Japanese people who are passionate about cars, and that's how cars like the utterly brilliant LFA get made (which is an amazing effort how good it is when they don't normally make anything like that).

The passion is there, but it doesn't get applied often enough and that's how they've developed this stigma.

Bit unfair imho, the IS-F was a decent alternative choice to the default M3, and the RC F is looking like an interesting prospect as well

 

I forgot the S2000 so Honda does make something. And Mitsubishi's Evo is pretty great. As for Lexus, anything with only an automatic that is not a DCT is IMO not worth owning. Even my dually is a manual.

For example, the paddle-shifting auto in the C7 overheats pronto on track, as I figured it would.

And staying power is part of the passion. Chevy has the Corvette and to a lesser extent, Camaro, Porsche the 911, Ford the Mustang, Ferrari the mid-engine cars, Dodge the Viper.

Honda abandoned the NSX, Toyota the Supra, Mitsubishi the 3000GT. The first 2 are practically legendary, and IMO any business that truly prized performance driving passion would still be making them, even if they did not sell in volume or profitability of the SUV line.

 

FYI they stopped making the S2K in 2009.

The rumor is the next Evo will by hybrid only.

 

They're great cars...for someone else.

They just seem to lack passion

 

Exactly.

 

I disagree. I took my Ferrari out Saturady morning and the S2000 out for a 3 hour drive in the mountains on Sunday, guess which one was more fun, hint it did not have a horsey on it. I don't get the badge snobbery, a great car is a great car regardless of county of origin.

 

Didn't those fellows at Honda make.. Uh... racecar engines ?

 

Yes, but was only Formula 1 and they only won the championship every year between 1987-1991 in both turbo and normally aspirated form, obviously they lacked passion, correct? And that is why Ferrari hired Osamu Goto after Honda left...

 

I love Japanese cars. The GTR and Z cars of Nissan the most, but I have always respected the NSX, S2000, Supra, RX7, etc. I love the variety of cars they make. I had a lot of respect for Nissan back in 2007 when they introduced the GTR at the start of the recession and have continued with it through while other makers are scared to invest large sums into an expensive sports car...at least til Acura decided to do the NSX again.

 

Let's not also forget:

Toyota 2000GT
Supra (197x-1998)
Rx7 (198x-1995)
300zx (198x-1996)
3000GT (1991-2002)

And last but not least sport bikes

 

They made EVERYONE up their game on the production car side! Soichiro Honda was a genius- how many manufacturers can claim their power plants have dominated 2 and 4 wheel racing at the highest levels?

 

I don't know how you can give them more credit. They are the #3 producer of automobiles in the world and if you add in the US production of Japanese makes they may well be #2 and have several times been #1. Seems to me the auto consumers of the world have been giving them a great deal of credit especially when you consider the vast majority of their products are sold in other large auto producing countries. That is a popularity poll no one can argue with.

If you feel they don't get enough respect from auto enthusiasts maybe a site centered on Ferrari is just not the best place to form that judgment.

 

The Japanese manufacturers had a gentlemen's agreeement back then, that they would make 'responsible cars' and power was limited to 300hp. Back when they were making the NSX, 300ZX TT, Supra TT, Skyline, 300GTVR4, RX7 etc.

But kids still drove fast, mod their cars fast and furious style.

So the Japanese manufacturers decided to make 'responsible cars' and discontinued almost all of the sports cars. (Not a great idea if you ask me.)

Thank goodness that's about to change. Hybrid 600hp+ GTR and NSX are on the horizon. Possible Supra too. (Let the kids kill themselves lol just kidding.)

 

If my Elise and Exige had british engines in them I probably wouldn't have owned either. The Japanese reliability of the engine is a huge plus for the car for someone who wants to enjoy Ferrari and Lambo levels of performance without Ferrari and Lambo maintenance bills.

 

I agree with this (I have an Exige). I've owned 3 Japanese cars--a Datsun 2000 roadster (great car for that time and that type of car), a Ford Probe GT (priced right at the time), and a last gen Acura MDX (the best driving best capacity SUV vehicle at that price point). During that time, I've owned approximately 20 other vehicles. None of my current cars are Japanese. When I bought my daily driver GTI 3.5 years ago, I test drove a WRX, a WRX STi, and an Evo. No go. My wife bought an X3, and we drove all of the expected competing Japanese SUV's. No go. I respect Japanese engineering, and don't care about badge snobbery, but (voting with my dollars) I just don't value the way they drive.

 

In earlier times, many of the best-optioned Japanese cars were not sold outside of Japan. For example, it was not uncommon for them to send us the models with crap engines, and save the best engines for themselves. The Series 1 Nissan GTR and Z432 had the s20, we got the L24. Toyota gave home market Celica customers the DOHC 18-RG, and we got the pedestrian 18-RC, which made half the horsepower. The list goes on . . .

 

I'm a big "Japanophile" - not just cars but other culturally significant things (film, art, etc).

You left out the 2 of the more influential Japanese cars of all time - the 240Z and the 510. Without those, Japan's auto industry may never have taken off in the US. I still remember my family's first Toyota (1979 Toyota Corolla SR5, purchased new) and how many neighbors or friends asked my father how he could buy such "junk".

I leave you with this:
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No love for the MR2?

 

I agree and who said they don't get any love? The majority of americans and certainly californians seem to drive them. The prius is practically the official car of california from what I see on the roads and the camry is #1 in the usa.

 

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ru62wwIbvEg[/ame]

 

They suck. They've ruined cars. They should all do seppuku.