Quote:
Originally Posted by VVG
You are missing the point I and several others are trying to make. There is absolutely no question that the objective performance of a GTR blows the doors off an M3 in all aspects from acceleration, to cornering, to stopping and everything in between.
For me, however, beyond a certain level of performance, I start to look at other factors in my decision to buy a car. The subjective feel of the driving experience, in many aspects becomes an increasingly important factor.
With regards to the steering, the M3's steering provides a greater "wired into your nervous system" feel than the GTR's steering. And no, the GTR isn't "numb" in comparison to some other cars, but it does not have the feel of the M3's either. Unfortunately, this is simply one of the compromises of AWD.
Compare even the steering feel of an AWD Porsche to it's RWD counterpart. You sacrifice a little steering responsiveness for the benefit of added traction.
In a car with as much power and torque as the GTR, you really do need AWD to get all that power to the ground effectively. I think a dual-clutch transmission is also beneficial when driving a car with so much muscle. However, some of the sensory experience is lost when you go to AWD, as it is when you go from manual to automatic (regardless of the underlying mechanism).
The GTR is a performance bargain at what it costs. But to get that performance bargain, you need to sacrifice somewhere, and the GTR sacrifices in its level of finesse and refinement. And...I'm not even bringing the styling into this as it is a subjective factor. It is really no different than a car like a Mitusbisho Evo or Subaru Sti that is just taken to a much higher level. Your last sentence makes the most sense. The M3 and GTR do serve very different purposes, and I agree that it makes little sense to compare them, although you can compare a few of the individual aspects.
For $90k, I'll take a used Aston Markin Vantage. Or even a built-to-order, fully loaded M3 with a little cash to spare  |
I have driven both cars extensively. I think the steering in the GTR, esp. the newer model, is at least as good as the m3. It's ATESSA AWD system is RWD biased sending most of the power to the rear wheels unless needed. It feels very RWD in nature. Some changes in the suspension also account for the better road feel.
I agree that some of the sensation is lost but that's simply the nature of a higher performance car on a the road. You are not going to get the same sensation at similar speeds as you have more control in a car that's more stable. One could also argue that a Mazda miata has more road feel. That's just because it's lighter and has lower limits. One could say a lambo or 911tt-s doesn't have as much "wired to your nervous system" or whatever you call it....as you do with a GTR. I don't see anyone one here complaining about how those cars take away the road feel and they chose an M3 "instead." The gtr gets picked on simply because it's price isn't as far from a new M3 compared to those other cars, it wears a Nissan badge, and performs on a much higher level. "Mitsubishi Evo taken to a higher level".....riiiiight...I don't think so
I guess a lexus LFA is an IS-F taken to a higher level.
Why would you get a Vantage? They are more for badge fanatics or those who buy simply for the looks/styling alone....not a true enthusiast car by any means in my opinion. Different strokes for different folks. It's more a top down boulevard cruiser. They do sound nice. Again, another car that serves a completely different purpose. I personally like the 911s over a Vantage.