$30000 Family Sedans

[Sully008]

Anybody read the $30000 Family sedans comparo in Car and Driver? I'm surprised that the Toyota Avalon does 0 to 60 in 6 secs., and the 1/4 in 14.6 @ 99mph? :eek:

Not to mention the average times of all the cars is about equal to what our stock MMs do.

Do I need to be worried about Gramps in his stock Avalon vs my slightly modded Marauder?

Linky (http://www.caranddriver.com/article.asp?section_id=15&article_id=9639)

[metroplex]

Like I have been saying for the past 2 years, almost every import car in the same class as the Panther will beat it off the line and in the 1/4. People think "import" and think Honduh Civic. For the past 7-8 years, no stock 98-up Panther has been able to outrun the same MY stock Nissan Maxima - just as an example.

IIRC the latest Maximas are pushing near 260 hp out of a V6. 10 more hp than the 2004-up CVPI. Granted the V6 has less torque but the Maximas are also lighter. That does not change the fact the Maxima is a 4-door family sedan, same as the Panther. I bet the Maxima also comes with a tachometer, which most of the Panthers do not have (except for Marauders).

[QWK SVT]

Anybody read the $30000 Family sedans comparo in Car and Driver? I'm surprised that the Toyota Avalon does 0 to 60 in 6 secs., and the 1/4 in 14.6 @ 99mph? :eek:

Not to mention the average times of all the cars is about equal to what our stock MMs do.

Do I need to be worried about Gramps in his stock Avalon vs my slightly modded Marauder?

Linky (http://www.caranddriver.com/article.asp?section_id=15&article_id=9639)
Basically, that's pretty much what it's saying :( Unfortunately, mid - high 14's seems to be the going rate for a big car, these days. If you're not running a sub 14-second time, odds are there's a lot out there that will walk away, too without much trouble. Don't forget, a FWD car will have issues getting out of the gate (wheelspin).


Like I have been saying for the past 2 years, almost every import car in the same class as the Panther will beat it off the line and in the 1/4. People think "import" and think Honduh Civic. For the past 7-8 years, no stock 98-up Panther has been able to outrun the same MY stock Nissan Maxima - just as an example.
I've seen a couple of Maxima's (newest body style) at the track running mid - high 13's. When I asked what has been done, they weren't very nice, and told me stock. I could clearly see an intake, with the hood up:rolleyes: I left, figuring they had the shifter-up-butt mod... Still, mid 13's on stock rubber with a FWD platform is going to be a quick car from a roll.

[metroplex]

Yep :( After all the hard work with my Vic, it's the slowest car on the track. Everyone that has a 4-banger and V6 is running at least high 14s.

[Shaft333]

Not much of a surprise.
The Maxima has been a sweet car for over a decade now.
The Avalon is basically a Lexus in a more approachable package. Poor man's BMW and... well Lexus, respectively.

One thing that I feel is that anyone that automatically discounts the Japanese as a viable automobile manufacturer... doesn't know cars anymore.

And I'll probably have Grandchildren one day that will tell me the same thing about Chinese cars whenever I'll be saying, "Bah!" to them.

[THE_INTERCEPTOR]

Yes, the new Avalon is supposed to be pushing about 280 horses in the V6, vs 250 with my slightly modified V8. :(

[Bradley G]

The newer Panthers must be quicker.

I fellow I met at our Chicken Run yesterday had an 'o4 CVsport With Krooks headers, PI zip tube /Marauder Airbox and a chip . He claimed, he could do high 14's.:confused:
PS. The only guy there that could do a reasonable burnout, was our own "Sargent Mac" :burnout: :burnout: :burnout:
Bradley G
PSS. However, Macs' Bad AZZ Pre Production Kenny Brown Marauder, hardly qualifies as a thirty thousand dollar sedan. :beer:

[gpfarrell]

Well, it is a great time to be a car enthusiast.

When I was driving my old Marquis in high school ('87-'89), it's low horsepower, low compression 460 would still pull it's 4880 lbs from red light to red light faster than most cars on the road.

It wouldn't run with "fast stuff" like 5.0s or Z28s or Grand Nationals, but from 30 mph to all-she'll-do a Monte Carlos SS couldn't get away, and Honda CRX Si's and most "sporty" Toyotas we're just a poke of the secondaries away from being humbled.

Now we've got freakin' Dodge station wagons in the low 14s and stock Mustang GTs in the 13s.

Yeah, I wish my bone-stock MM was faster than everything, but I certainly can't complain about how-fast everything else is!