Consumer Reports reviews 2-seat convertibles

[ifcar]

Ranking order of all 2-seat convertibles tested by CR:

1. Boxster Base
2. SLK350
3. Corvette Base
4. 350Z Grand Touring
5. S2000
6. Z4 3.0
7. MR-2 Spyder
8. TT 4-cyl
9. Elise


Boxster:
Highs: Acceleration, handling, steering, braking, two trunks, side-curtain air bags.
Lows: Noisy cabin, small audio controls, no standard passenger air-bag cutoff.
Acceleration: 5/5 (6.5 seconds to 60)
Transmission: 4/5
Routine Handling: 5/5
Emergency Handling: 5/5
Braking: 5/5 (112 feet from 60)
Ride: 3/5
Noise: 2/5
Driving Position: 3/5
Front Seats: 4/5
Access: 2/5
Controls and Displays: 3/5
Fit and Finish: 4/5
Trunk: 2/5
Fuel Economy: 3/5 (22 mpg)

SLK:
Highs: Acceleration, handling, braking, quietness, turning circle, folding hardtop, visibility, neck-level air vents.
Lows: Complex controls, no passenger air-bag cutoff, window switches.
Acceleration: 5/5 (6.2 seconds to 60)
Transmission: 4/5
Routine Handling: 5/5
Emergency Handling: 4/5
Braking: 5/5 (118 feet from 60)
Ride: 3/5
Noise: 4/5
Driving Position: 4/5
Front Seats: 4/5
Access: 3/5
Controls and Displays: 3/5
Fit and Finish: 4/5
Trunk: 1/5
Fuel Economy: 3/5 (21 mpg)

Corvette:
Highs: Acceleration, torque, V8 sound, relatively roomy cockpit and trunk, controls, uses regular fuel.
Lows: Steering feel, low chin spoiler, turning circle, manual-transmission models need to put into reverse to shut off and exit.
Acceleration: 5/5 (5.0 seconds to 60)
Transmission: 4/5
Routine Handling: 5/5
Emergency Handling: 4/5
Braking: 5/5 (126 feet from 60)
Ride: 3/5
Noise: 3/5
Driving Position: 4/5
Front Seats: 4/5
Access: 3/5
Controls and Displays: 5/5
Fit and Finish: 4/5
Trunk: 1/5
Fuel Economy: 3/5 (21 mpg)

350Z:
Highs: Acceleration, transmission, shifter, handling.
Lows: Awkward seat controls, no passenger air-bag cutoff.
Acceleration: 5/5 (6.2 seconds to 60)
Transmission: 5/5
Routine Handling: 5/5
Emergency Handling: 5/5
Braking: 5/5 (124 feet from 60)
Ride: 3/5
Noise: 3/5
Driving Position: 3/5
Front Seats: 4/5
Access: 3/5
Controls and Displays: 4/5
Fit and Finish: 4/5
Trunk: 1/5
Fuel Economy: 2/5 (20 mpg)

S2000:
Highs: Handling, transmission shifter, acceleration, fuel economy, value.
Lows: Snug interior, access, noise, ride, no passenger air-bag cutoff.
Acceleration: 5/5 (5.8 seconds to 60)
Transmission: 5/5
Routine Handling: 5/5
Emergency Handling: 5/5
Braking: 5/5 (126 feet from 60)
Ride: 2/5
Noise: 2/5
Driving Position: 3/5
Front Seats: 4/5
Access: 1/5
Controls and Displays: 4/5
Fit and Finish: 4/5
Trunk: 1/5
Fuel Economy: 4/5 (25 mpg)

Z4:
Highs: Engine, acceleration, braking, fuel economy, turning circle, one-button top operation.
Lows: Not agile for a roadster, choppy ride.
Acceleration: 5/5 (6.0 seconds to 60)
Transmission: 4/5
Routine Handling: 4/5
Emergency Handling: 4/5
Braking: 5/5 (117 feet from 60)
Ride: 3/5
Noise: 3/5
Driving Position: 3/5
Front Seats: 4/5
Access: 2/5
Controls and Displays: 4/5
Fit and Finish: 4/5
Trunk: 1/5
Fuel Economy: 4/5 (26 mpg)

Elise:
Highs: Acceleration, go-kart agility, braking, high handling limits, fuel economy.
Lows: Ride, driving position, visibility, noise, unforgiving at handling limits, access, seat comfort, no passenger air-bag cutoff.
Acceleration: 5/5 (4.6 seconds to 60)
Transmission: 4/5
Routine Handling: 5/5
Emergency Handling: 4/5
Braking: 5/5 (117 feet from 60)
Ride: 2/5
Noise: 1/5
Driving Position: 1/5
Front Seats: 1/5
Access: 1/5
Controls and Displays: 2/5
Fit and Finish: 2/5
Trunk: 1/5
Fuel Economy: 4/5 (29 mpg)

[Fire It Up]

An elise, a vette, a tt, and an mr2?

[ifcar]

I congratulate your reading comprehension.

[MX793]

Figures that the appliance people would rate the purest roadster in the test dead last.

[ifcar]

What would you expect, all flaws forgiven for "purity"? Reading their road test, I'm surprised it even scored as high as it did (on the high end of Good on  their Poor-Excellent scale).

[MX793]

Let's see, a 1/5 for the trunk space?  This is a weekend racer, not a grocery getter or long distance cruiser.  Trunks are nice, but not in the spirit of this kind of car.  Same goes for the ride.  This isn't a Buick, it's a corner ripping go-kart for the street.  You can have a comfy ride or you can have awesome handling, the Lotus goes for handling.  Noise, again, same as trunk space and ride quality.  This isn't a cruiser, it's a racer.  Racercars are noisy.  They are probably the only people I've seen completely bash the seats or driving position.

[ifcar]

Let's see, a 1/5 for the trunk space?  This is a weekend racer, not a grocery getter or long distance cruiser.  Trunks are nice, but not in the spirit of this kind of car.  Same goes for the ride.  This isn't a Buick, it's a corner ripping go-kart for the street.  You can have a comfy ride or you can have awesome handling, the Lotus goes for handling.  Noise, again, same as trunk space and ride quality.  This isn't a cruiser, it's a racer.  Racercars are noisy.  They are probably the only people I've seen completely bash the seats or driving position.

The trunk didn't do it in, of the others only the Boxster beat the lowest trunk score. There was just no effort made to make the Elise anything but a pure sports car, which is fine, but how can that beat a balance of comfort and sport, especially at such extremes? And CR didn't just give sport-only vehicles a low rating, they panned the Thunderbird in their 2002 test for being comfort-only, it scored about the same as the Elise did overall.

And here's what they said about the seats and driving position:

"The Elise has the most restrictive driving position of just about any car we've tested. Foot room is nearly nonexistent and the narrow wells skew legs to the center of the car. The pedals are frustratingly close together and it's easy to hit the brake pedal and the accelerator simultaneously. The low seating position, small windows, and wide rear roof pillar compromise visibility. The Elise's seats are narrow, basic-leather clad with a little padding stretched over a metal frame. The driver's seat slides fore/aft, but the passenger seat is fixed."

[Raza]

The Z4 not agile?  Did they drive it?  Or just look at a picture of it?

Considering all these models, you can't really make a wrong decision, except for maybe the TT because it doesn't have the driving experience of the other models.

And the times for everything but the Elise are really, really slow.

[Raza]

Are the Boxster's trunks any bigger than the last models?  Because, the last model had the same cargo space as the Z4, but cut over two trunks.

[ifcar]

The Z4 not agile?  Did they drive it?  Or just look at a picture of it?

Considering all these models, you can't really make a wrong decision, except for maybe the TT because it doesn't have the driving experience of the other models.

And the times for everything but the Elise are really, really slow.

"The Z4 has more body lean than one would expect in a roadster, and it isn't nearly as agile as the competition. The quick steering has an artificial feeling and can feel twitchy."

And remember that if they destroy their test cars, they're paying for the damage. Unlike every other mag.

[mazda6er]

ifcar, what did they say about the Z's interior? I remember the last time CR reviewed it (the coupe version), they seemed dissapointed with the materials quality and gave it 3/5. Did Nissan upgrade the interior in between then?

[ifcar]

ifcar, what did they say about the Z's interior? I remember the last time CR reviewed it (the coupe version), they seemed dissapointed with the materials quality and gave it 3/5. Did Nissan upgrade the interior in between then?

"Nissan has made a number of small updates since our 2003 test that have improved the car considerably. The Z is now more civilized and fun to drive, with better ride comfort and improved agility...Nissan has also improved interior quality."

[Raghavan]

Oh come on! The best roadster in this bunch is dead last???

[ifcar]

Oh come on! The best roadster in this bunch is dead last???

"The ride is stiff and nervous, and even the smallest bumps transmit into the cabin."

"The engine buzz is unpleasant. Road, wind, and engine noise mix together to make it the noisiest car we've tested in recent memory. At open throttle it recorded a nearly unbearable 88 decibels."

"...the manual steering lacks feel around the center."

"...lift off the throttle in mid-corner at the limit, the Elise will enter an abrupt tail slide that can result in a spinout."

"The six-speed manual has long throws and feels clunky."

"The Elise's interior trim befits a racecar, not a $45,000 upscale roadster. Aluminum framework is exposed and the plastic trim is hard and flimsy."

"The Elise has the most restrictive driving position of just about any car we've tested. Foot room is nearly nonexistent and the narrow wells skew legs to the center of the car."

"The pedals are frustratingly close together and it's easy to hit the brake pedal and the accelerator simultaneously."

"The Elise's seats are narrow, basic-leather clad with a little padding stretched over a metal frame. The driver's seat slides fore/aft, but the passenger seat is fixed."

"Graceful cabin entry is impossible."

"The controls seem like an afterthought. The radio is a collection of tiny buttons and the climate-control system is ineffective."

"Even starting the car is a confusing process."

"Interior storage is nonexistent."

Being the best track car certainly makes it hard for the Elise to be considered the best car. In fact, improvements in one area almost inarguably hurt the other. Not everyone wants such a one-note car.

[MX793]

Oh come on! The best roadster in this bunch is dead last???

"The ride is stiff and nervous, and even the smallest bumps transmit into the cabin."

It's a pure sports car, built for use on the track.  The ride is going to be similar to a race car.

"The engine buzz is unpleasant. Road, wind, and engine noise mix together to make it the noisiest car we've tested in recent memory. At open throttle it recorded a nearly unbearable 88 decibels."

88 dB isn't that loud.  My last motocross bike belted out 95+ dB.  Again, this is a sports car, not a comfortable touring car.

"...the manual steering lacks feel around the center."

legitimate complaint

"...lift off the throttle in mid-corner at the limit, the Elise will enter an abrupt tail slide that can result in a spinout."

Any car that is not designed to dive straight into understeer will do this.  Furthermore, agility comes at the cost of stability.  It may have been the least stable car there, but I'll bet it was the most agile.

"The six-speed manual has long throws and feels clunky."

legitimate complaint

"The Elise's interior trim befits a racecar, not a $45,000 upscale roadster. Aluminum framework is exposed and the plastic trim is hard and flimsy."

The Elise isn't an upscale roadster, it's a budget race car.

"The Elise has the most restrictive driving position of just about any car we've tested. Foot room is nearly nonexistent and the narrow wells skew legs to the center of the car."

legitimate complaint

"The pedals are frustratingly close together and it's easy to hit the brake pedal and the accelerator simultaneously."

Do they know what "heel-toe" shifting is?  You want to be able to press both the gas and the brake simultaniously.

"The Elise's seats are narrow, basic-leather clad with a little padding stretched over a metal frame. The driver's seat slides fore/aft, but the passenger seat is fixed."

narrow is a subjective term.  What's narrow for a 200 lb guy could be too spacious for a 150 lb guy like me.  Personally, I prefer seats on the narrow side since I'm a skinny guy.  I'm sure many people would have found the seats in my old 240SX to be narrow, but I found them very comfortable and they provided rather good lateral support.  My Mazda's seats have decent side bolstering, but the seat is a bit wider than I like to accomodate larger drivers and thus I need to brace myself more in the turns.

"Graceful cabin entry is impossible."

So the car gives you an excuse to shed a few pounds and limber up.  Why is this a bad thing?  Americans are generally overweight as it is.

"The controls seem like an afterthought. The radio is a collection of tiny buttons and the climate-control system is ineffective."

Again, this is a budget racer, not a luxury cruiser.  Radio and climate control aren't top priorities on the racetrack.

"Even starting the car is a confusing process."

Think of it as a theft deterrent

"Interior storage is nonexistent."

Why would you want to be storing things while buzzing around a track?  Weight is the enemy!

Being the best track car certainly makes it hard for the Elise to be considered the best car. In fact, improvements in one area almost inarguably hurt the other. Not everyone wants such a one-note car.

I agree whole-heartedly.  In fact, I don't think they should have even included the Elise in this comparo.  It's a very specialized car aimed at a specialized market, much like the Lancer Evo and WRX STi.  They seemed to be expecting a $45K premium roadster in the Elise, which is not at all what the car is.

See bolded in quotes above ^^^^

[Raghavan]

very good post, MX.

[ciciusss]

Well, just a couple of things. First with the exception of the Lotus and Audi TT all the tested cars bar graph fell within the excellent range. The TT appears to be on the border of very good and excellent. The times for these cars, for the most part, are slow. Track conditions could have had something to do with that, but even so, they are on the slow side. The Corvette time of 5 seconds, I believe is the slowest I've seen. <_<

IFCAR, I know where you are coming from about the Elise not having the all around traits that CR is looking for, but I have to agree with some of the points the other posters have mentioned. There are intangibles that just can't be measured in a road test. The Elise has a single minded purpose and the people interested in this car are going to buy it for that reason. Another vehicle that was recently panned by CR (and may have received the lowest score ever) is the Jeep Wrangler. Yet, depreciation is low and customer satisfaction has always been quite high with this vehicle. The Wrangler is essentially an off road vehicle. But, how many times have you heard owners of the Wrangler say they like to take the top down and take a ride and not on some off road adventure either. You just can't capture the essence of the Elise or Wrangler in a test.  

[Tom]

Oh come on! The best roadster in this bunch is dead last???

Before you worship a car, drive it first.  

No, GT4 doesn't count.

[Raza]

Oh come on! The best roadster in this bunch is dead last???

Before you worship a car, drive it first.  

No, GT4 doesn't count.

Rag's only 14.

[Raza]

What did they have to say about the MR-2?

[ifcar]

Oh come on! The best roadster in this bunch is dead last???

Before you worship a car, drive it first.  

No, GT4 doesn't count.

Rag's only 14.

I think he's 16.

MX7 and ciciuss: I can definitely see where you're coming from on this, and I'm not saying that the Elise isn't a great track car. But they aren't going to evaluate all the cars on different standards or all cars on the Elise's standard. CR wasn't rating it as a track car, and doesn't measure the "intangibles". I did think immidiately of the Wrangler as the other vehicle that couldn't do well in a CR evaluation tested recently, the Elise at least got high marks for on-road handling and acceleration, the Jeep only stood out in areas that weren't a major factor in CR's ranking system.

[ifcar]

What did they have to say about the MR-2?

Introduction to their 2000 review:

"The MR2 is not about size or power, but about pure, unadulterated, direct responses that make the handling so agile and satisfying. Its lightweight and mid-mounted engine contribute to these dynamic qualities that make the MR2 fun to drive. Some testers felt that the car could get a bit twitchy at the rear end when entering a corner too fast. Good acceleration, excellent fuel economy and easy-to-fold manual top are extra bonuses. The ride is no more than tolerable and luggage space is close to nothing, however."

They also said that it "is so agile it seems to be connected with your line of sight. Steering response is virtually instantaneous, and body roll is minimal."

[TBR]

The Z4 not agile?  Did they drive it?  Or just look at a picture of it?

Considering all these models, you can't really make a wrong decision, except for maybe the TT because it doesn't have the driving experience of the other models.

And the times for everything but the Elise are really, really slow.

Actually, a 5.8 second 0-60 time is pretty good for the S2000.

[Raza]

What did they have to say about the MR-2?

Introduction to their 2000 review:

"The MR2 is not about size or power, but about pure, unadulterated, direct responses that make the handling so agile and satisfying. Its lightweight and mid-mounted engine contribute to these dynamic qualities that make the MR2 fun to drive. Some testers felt that the car could get a bit twitchy at the rear end when entering a corner too fast. Good acceleration, excellent fuel economy and easy-to-fold manual top are extra bonuses. The ride is no more than tolerable and luggage space is close to nothing, however."

They also said that it "is so agile it seems to be connected with your line of sight. Steering response is virtually instantaneous, and body roll is minimal."

That sounds about right.  

[Raza]

The Z4 not agile?  Did they drive it?  Or just look at a picture of it?

Considering all these models, you can't really make a wrong decision, except for maybe the TT because it doesn't have the driving experience of the other models.

And the times for everything but the Elise are really, really slow.

Actually, a 5.8 second 0-60 time is pretty good for the S2000.

I didn't see that, true.

[Raza]

Oh come on! The best roadster in this bunch is dead last???

Before you worship a car, drive it first.  

No, GT4 doesn't count.

Rag's only 14.

I think he's 16.

I know.  I was being mean.

[cozmik]

It's interesting that they called the controls in the Elise an afterthought, because, well, they were. In Europe it don't even come with a radio standard, let alone ABS or A/C. I mean, the head unit is just a straight up aftermarket Blaupunkt unit. They really don't get the Elise and what it is positioned as.  

[Minpin]

Oh come on! The best roadster in this bunch is dead last???

Before you worship a car, drive it first.  

No, GT4 doesn't count.

Rag's only 14.

I think he's 16.

I know.  I was being mean.

lol

[bobwill]

I just happened to think, without reading anything in this thread.  If you buy a roadster because it was highly ranked by Consumer Reports, you need to be b****-slapped.

[BMWDave]

I just happened to think, without reading anything in this thread.  If you buy a roadster because it was highly ranked by Consumer Reports, you need to be b****-slapped.

I agree  :D