In a street-driven car, I'd rather not wade through 3000-6000 RPM to get to the power band. I like the S2000 a lot, but I'd never buy one for use as a daily driver. The ND motor is a much more useful one for blasting through traffic, IMO. Things may be different on a track, but I'm not thinking about buying a new car for that.
I'd really love to flog on an ND at an autocross.
In a street driven car, the powerband is meaningless. I mean, my RX-7's powerband goes ballistic over 6k, but on course if the engine is over 3-4k then it is pulling hard, and in city traffic, it makes enough grunt anywhere that I upshift at 2, 2.5k.
Traffic is the worst consideration for "powerband" because you could put a 1 liter engine in a 5,000lb car and it'd drive acceptably well.
The breathing/powerband arguments here are like the 2.5RS vs S2000 arguments we've had on here before...
People claim the 2.5RS is "torquey" and the S2000 is "peaky". Yet if you overlay the dyno numbers, the S2000 makes basically the same power as the 2.5RS until the 2.5RS falls on its face and the S2000 keeps on making more power until its much higher redline.
The ND motor looks like it has a minor TQ advantage down very low, but otherwise kinda does the same thing and just doesn't make power up top. BUT, since its in a very light car, its pretty awesome.
In reply to ProDarwin:
agree. I think it's going to be a fun car and I will drive one.
Let us all not pick the nits that are not really there...
Doesn't the ND pretty well spank the FRS in acceleration? The power-to-weight ratio is comparable, so perhaps that fatter low end is making itself useful.
Kreb wrote: Doesn't the ND pretty well spank the FRS in acceleration? The power-to-weight ratio is comparable, so perhaps that fatter low end is making itself useful.
I don't know that "spank" would be an apt description.
At the drag strip, they both trap about 93mph (magazine times). The Miata is a little quicker (.2 in a 1/4 mile) since it's lighter and the torquey powerband makes it easier to launch.
From a rolling start it'd pretty much be even.
MCarp22 wrote:Kreb wrote: Doesn't the ND pretty well spank the FRS in acceleration? The power-to-weight ratio is comparable, so perhaps that fatter low end is making itself useful.I don't know that "spank" would be an apt description. At the drag strip, they both trap about 93mph (magazine times). The Miata is a little quicker (.2 in a 1/4 mile) since it's lighter and the torquey powerband makes it easier to launch. From a rolling start it'd pretty much be even.
OK, Motor Trend says the Mazda is .5 secoind faster to 60, then the FRS sarts catching up. That's hardly a spanking.
Just as an aside, I find it amazing that the 155 HP Miata does a 5.8 0-60. Back in the day, a six-flat 0- 60 was my measure of a seriously fast car. The first generation 930 Turbo - pretty well the fastest stock car at the time was only a couple of ticks faster at 5.2. Or for another measure, a 1971 Mustang Boss 351 with 330 HP/370 tq had exactly the same 0-60 s the ND MX-5, which is an infinitely better car.
A whoopin' is hard to tell based on time, but distance shows how far infront of the other guy you are.
I have the S2000 time online from 5.7 to 6.4 and EVERYONE says the car is hard to launch to get that 5.7.
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