Are OEM's embracing the turbo once again? It sure looks like the pendulum is swinging our way.
Looking at the automotive landscape in the 1990s, it's easy to see why the three high-tech supercars of the era lost their struggle for survival. The Nissan 300ZX Twin Turbo was the first of the big three Japanese supercars to fall in 1996. It was followed by the RX-7 and Supra.
These cars died because they were too expensive ($40,000 to $46,000), lacked "utility" and suffered poor sales against high-volume expectations. The Acura NSX is a supercar, no doubt, but its marketing strategy allows the sale of a few hundred units per year so it still lives on.
The supercars were driven into extinction by the SUV, which was cheaper and more versatile than a two-seater. Today, Yukons and Expeditions are the mode of transportation going for $40k-plus, they're fighting a perception as gas guzzling road hogs and it is the SUV that is now on the chopping block.
The flash point for this new era of turbo performance is the Subaru WRX. After years of clamoring for the real deal-the looks of a rally car and boost, Subaru stepped up to the plate and, as we expected, hit a grand slam. The WRX is a good barometer of the "New Era Turbo Car." The boost flows like back in the day, but the package is a four-door or a wagon. Talk about versatility. And the price tag is $25,000. The mantra is now, "spend nearly half the money and see if your adrenal gland still works."
The WRX's main rally rival, Mitsubishi's Lancer Evo, is reintroducing the legions of disappointed 4G63 enthusiasts to factory turbo power. What will the cost be?
Furthermore, Mazda is offering a factory turbocharged variant of its Protege. Dodge is stepping up with a factory turbo'd Neon. Add this to VW's Beetle and Golf, Audi's A4 and its crazy twin-turbo S4, all of Saab's offerings, and a few from Volvo, not to mention Porsche and turbos are doing well indeed.
The trend at work here is boosting four cylinders in cheaper platforms. But this makes sense from a cost standpoint and the logistics are easier. So the supercar hasn't been replaced but supplanted by enhanced variants of existing cars.
One supercar has sprung back on the scene-the Z-Car. The 300ZX is handing the baton to the 350Z. The new Z runs a naturally aspirated 3.5-liter V6 rated at 287 hp. We look forward to driving the car but admit we will always yearn for turbos no matter how well the highly vaulted VQ-series engine performs.
While I am very open-minded, I must admit to being a Nissan fan. In fact, I have owned a Nissan of some sort since 1988. My Sentra SE-R was bought new in 1991 and I drive it nearly every day. My wife drives an X-Terra and my dog is named Nismo. Honest. So yeah, I like Nissans.
My dream car is a Nissan Skyline R32 but I am hoping the R35, if and when it comes, is the real deal. Engines under suspicion are VQ25DET, a VQ-series V6 and a blown V8.
Dudes, stick with the legend, the RB26DETT, which is the soul of the GT-R badge. The R35 is quite a ways off so I will continue my mental buildup of an R32 until more solid R35 info is forthcoming. Until next month, stay spooled.