stability or agility?
November 29th, 2005As we read Sport Compact Car’s December comparison of the new MX-5 vs. two versions of the outgoing Miata, we were reminded of what we dislike about the 99-02 BMW 3 series – it traded too much agility for the sake of stability, while the size and proportions made it harder to place precisely on the road or track:
it…manages to feel heavier and less tossable around the autocross than the older cars. It lacks the traditional Miata handling dynamics, characterized by a neat tuck of the nose when the throttle is lifted. It feels like the front tires are doing everything, and a look at the beaten carcasses at the end of the day confirms this.
No matter how hard its pushed, nothing short of a momentum induced flick gets the car to rotate …
We imagine the MX-5 could have done better if it were a little easier to place. The high waistline combined with the low seating posistion makes it harder to see exactly where the front wheels are than in older Miatas.
It took BMW two steering revisions (‘01, ‘03) and modifications to the suspension (‘03) to get some of the involvement back – we wonder if Mazda will be forced to do the same.
UPDATE: Come to think of it, this MX-5 comparison in the December C&D mentions something else we’ve felt of the 3 series since 99: that the wheels are too big. They excite structural tremors, slow steering response (due to rotational inertia) and make highway tracking less than stable.
the suspension remains somewhat nervous at the nose. Especially on rough pavement, the front tires hunt, there’s a little too much bump steer, and tracking is just okay.