The entire rating is only a ranking of their circuit lap times.
Which for these all low powered soft sprung street cars is mostly about their tires. The SRT4 is running on all weather KDW(et) tires, the GT-S is running on the widest lowest profile grippy Parada Spec2s. Basically it was a tire comparison on how important they are to overall performance.

But the same tire on all the cars and the SRT4 would demolish them all. For the Price of the TRD GT-S you can have an Evo. The SVT Ford would actually probably be one of the most reliable vehicles in the group.

AS for the ralliart, it's the nearly the heaviest car and nearly the lowest powered with a very soft suspension. It doesn't lend it self to hard track driving.

Overall it is a great article. You need to be able to read and comprehend what they say.

 

The only reason reviews in magazines do matter is because it affects the re-sale value. That's why it's alright to vent about stuff like that.

 

I dont really care about what they said about our car. Whats the name of this magazine again? Im really into cars and ive never heard of them. Maybe its cuz they give bad articles on good cars. I dunno but what i do know is that ill take my RA over any of those cars!!!!

 

the magazine is a sub division of road and track its a reputable mag that does a pretty good job from what i've seen. they don;t care about quarter mile times as much as Handling and road racing which i think is AWsome


it was the S-TUNE nismo se-r spec v which only performance mod is an exhuast..... so stop saying it was unfair. they should have used the r-tune nismo in my opinion cause everyone has a cold air intake witch is a R-tune nismo part...

the spec v is a much better car than u all think. and can be had for the same or less than an RA

In a comparison test in Road and Track's Spring 2004 issue of Speed the 2004 SRT-4, 2003 SVT Focus, 2004 Civic Si HFP, 2003 MazdaSpeed Protégé, 2004 Lancer Ralliart, 2004 S-Tune Spec V, 2003 TRD Celica GT-S battled it out to see which in-house after-market upgrades performed better at the Streets of Willow Springs racetrack. The Spec V came in 2nd, being narrowly beat by the Celica. Here are the results, as far as the Spec V is concerned:

1) Second fastest car to lap the racetrack, losing to the Celica by only .24 seconds and beating the power-monster SRT-4 by .07 seconds!

2) 1st in the Skidpad (lateral-g); 3rd in Slalom.

3) 2nd in 0-60 and tied with the Focus for 2nd in the quarter-mile (first for both tests went to the SRT-4).

4) 1st in 60-0 and 80-0 breaking (this Spec V has ABS).

5) Tied the SRT-4 in points for best powertrain.

6) Second most fun to drive vehicle behind the Celica (based on points).

7) Reviewed as the most well rounded vehicle, placing at or close to the top of EVERY category!

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7th Place - 2004 Lancer Ralliart: Has a strong engine, a slick shifter, and predictable handling but its suspension really dislikes being pushed at the track. Reviewed as a good street car.

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6th Place - 2004 Honda Civic Si HFP: Has Neutral handling, good transmission, and excellent balance and grip but has no power and suffers from brake fade.

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5th Place - 2003 MazdaSpeed Protégé: Has a smooth engine, excellent braking, and exceptional handling abilities but suffers from mid-turn over-steer and touchy brake actuation.

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4th Place - 2004 SRT-4: Has incredible power, good exhaust note, and ery supportive seats but was rated as the worst handler out of the ENTIRE group.

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3rd Place - 2003 SVT Focus: Has the most well-balanced, idiot-proof handling of all the cars tested, as well as a lot of grip, but lacks low-end torque and seems disconnected from the road.

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2nd Place - 2004 S-Tune Spec V: Has torque everywhere, more than enough grip, excellent LSD, and is a consistent handler but has a redline that is set too low, bland styling, and a notchy shifter.

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1st Place - 2003 TRD Celica GT-S: Has ultra-responsive chassis, tight gearbox, racy looks, quick steering, and was the most fun to drive but lacks low-end grunt, has a very small powerband, and less than supportive seats.

 

i read it

 

I retract my previous statement...guess I should have read the article before tossing my 2 cents in...

I agree with their summation on the RA. You won't win any rally events with it. But the suspension is more than great for the street, which is all I care about.

Spec-V is a cool car too. Always been a fan.

 

I like the Spec V also, just wish they made the car a little bigger in the interior...not enough room for me (cuz I am a fat ***...lol). That and wish they didnt change the front end styling in 04, looked much better in 03, IMO. That article doesnt sound that bad except for the whole fun to drive rating. That just sounds unprofessional to me. And for the record, I think the Spec-V Sentra and the Ralliart were the only 2 worth comparing in the test. As I said previously, the 2 are very comparable and all the rest were out of the price range and/or power rating range. quick question since we are all asking...

What are the wheel and tire specs of the Spec-V?
Does that car come that much better equipped as far as tires than the RA?

 

the Spec V has much better tires than the RA..

17x7 rims with Continental Sportcontacts 215/45/17 Z rated.
(same tires that come on porsches stock...) so yes this helps them alot..

the space issue is one i'll give you that, the back is basically useless, the front while not being that big is not bad at all i'm a fat *** as well lol...

 

the freakin celica that they show is the action package and costs as much as an evo just about. It is like 27 grand...not to mention the cost of the trd package...this car should not even be in this comparison......so...sorry if someone else said this already I havn't read through all the posts

 

I belive this is the first issue ever of this magazine...just read the editor's column...so yes what this magazine says should be taken with a grain of salt.

 

The whole test is basically one comparison.. tires.. Just like world Challenge, put them all on Toyo RA-1s and then test them.. that will give a much better understanding of which is overall quicker...

 

damn that says alot about the S-Tune Spec v keeping up with it... **** if they used the R-Tune Spec V it woulda been in first. and doesn;t cost anywhere near that much money that the celica has in it.

 

Nice but hate to bring it to you....none of the above are true sports cars...

I quote from a friend " A sports car is an enthusiasts car thats only big enough for gas, Your ***, and a Lass....and it still kicks ***"

these cars all have 2 sets of seats...if its a real sports car you don't need more than the 2 front seats...think roadster or porsche..Our car is pretty damn fun for a sedan though. Besides real car people realize that there is more to a car than how fast it can go in a straight line.

 

Funny. many porsches have 4 seats.... some only useful for child midgets, but 4 seats...

 

You know what I meant...my friend 911 is a 2 seater and if you count the space in the back as seats man your small...LOL