Original by Bitauto Owning a sports car is definitely a dream that every car lover has had, with its dynamic body lines and stylish frameless doors. , pleasant exhaust sound...these are the eye-catching features of a sports car. However, these advantages are often lost in the face of practicality, so most people prefer to use it as the second car choice for the family.
Mine My friend Xiao Zhang is preparing to buy a second car recently.Xiao Zhang and I have been classmates since childhood. When we were studying, we often talked in my ears"If you make money from work in the future, you must buy a sports car to look awesome..." and the like. He has been working for almost 10 years now. As he starts a family and starts a business, his dream of a sports car seems to be getting further and further away from him as he grows older. Until recently, his family had an extra budget, so his dream of a sports car started to take shape again.
After some discussions with the finance minister at home, Xiao Zhang’s wife finally agreed to his dream of a sports car. However, I agree, and the power of life or death in choosing a car still lies in the hands of my wife, so I set the following requirements for car selection: first, the price needs to be within 400,000 yuan; second, the appearance is fashionable enough, and the style of a sports car is sufficient; third, It has basic storage functions and its practicality cannot be completely lost. Finally, after rounds of selection and elimination, they targeted second-hand Porsche Cayman, BMW 4 Series coupe and Z4, and Ford Mustang. As aautomotive editor and good friend, I naturally took on the heavy responsibility of helping him choose a car, so today I helped him find these four cars in one go. The couple had a practical experience on site so that they could finally make a perfect choice.
When Xiao Zhang and his wife decided to buy a sports car, Porsche was the first brand that Xiao Zhang thought of. But since the budget given by my wife is only 400,000 yuan, I can only look at second-hand Cayman (981) models. The car's arc-shaped headlights, bulging fenders on both sides and exaggerated front grille jointly create a front shape that is as aggressive as its name: Cayman (alligator). The roof line drops rapidly and fits closely with the rear fender, giving the whole body a sense of power. Xiao Zhang said: Although the Cayman does not have the classic round lights and almost perfect curves of the 911, it doesIt's not bad at all in a sporty style. This is the reason why Xiao Zhang chose this car in the first place.
Although this is a Porsche, the interior material The materials used are unambiguous, and the workmanship is as refined as typical German luxury cars. However, because the model is older, the design is indeed a bit more traditional, and it lacks visual expression and a sense of technology. Overall, this interior is really incomparable to today's cars.
Cayman’s dashboard is a common complaint between Mr. and Mrs. Zhang, but interestingly, the points of complaint are different. Xiao Zhang believes that the car’s instrument panel does not use Porsche’s classic five-link meter. When sitting in the car, apart from the shield-shaped logo on the steering wheel, there are not many Porsche elements to be found. Xiao Zhang's wife said that although this is a model from 6-7 years ago, it is really surprising that such a luxury brand sports car does not even have an LCD instrument.
After reading the exterior and interior, next Let me introduce to Mr. and Mrs. Zhang the two features that Cayman has had since its birth - two-door, two-seater and mid-mounted rear drive. The former ensures that the Cayman has a smaller size than the 911, and the latter allows the vehicle to have more balanced handling, making it less difficult to get started than the 911.
But everything has two sides. The two-seater design directly reduces the practicality to almost zero. Xiao Zhang’s wife was sitting in the carriage looking for one. There is no place to put bags. The mid-mounted layout of the 2.7L H6 engine has a maximum horsepower of 202kW, and the official 0-100km/h time is 5.6 seconds. These are very sports car-like, but due to the fact that the engine is tightly covered by the trunk and the structure of the engine itself, it will be difficult for the future. In terms of maintenance, a lot of things need to be disassembled and assembled every time, which is not only time-consuming and labor-intensive, but also greatly increases the labor cost.
Finally, Xiao Zhang believes that although Porsche’s brand power is very good and its sports car style is also very good, the second-hand car within the budget is older and has a longer mileage and is in good condition. The price is still relatively high, and the two-door and two-seater design also leaves too little storage space in the car. Although it has strong power and strong control, he, who is almost 35 years old, does not have too many concerns about this. need.
BMW 4 Series The Coupe is the choice of Xiao Zhang’s wife. Why would she consider this car? She said: "As a girl, the first thing I look at when looking at a car is the car logo. Although BMW's brand power is not as good as Porsche's, it is a second-hand car, and this "Blue Sky and White Clouds" is a brand-new car within the budget range.
However, Xiao Zhang is not very satisfied with this car. The reason is that he feels that the new 4 The front face of the BMW series is too subversive. Although the huge double-kidney grille has a strong visual impact, it lacks a sense of heritage and will look out of place next to other BMWs. His original words were. Put it this way: If this wasn't a BMW, I can accept the appearance of this car, but as a BMW, its appearance is really not "BMW"
Enter the car, workmanship materials and functional configuration , the 4 Series has done well in these aspects and maintained the standards expected of a luxury brand. However, since the 4 Series is actually a derivative of the 3 Series, the interior is highly consistent with the domestic 3 Series, and there are many people around Xiao Zhang and his wife. Fewer friends who drive 3 series Friends, so there are not many surprises about this interior.
For practical reasons, Xiao Zhang and the others paid more attention to it. The rear space of the 4 Series and the wheelbase of the 4 Series are consistent with the standard wheelbase 3 Series. They sat in the back seat and felt it, and then said: except for the slight lack of head room, the leg and lateral room are quite good. Yes, short-distance riding is not a problem. This is why they have not excluded the 4 Series. The main reason.
Although the price of the 4 Series is within their budget, 400,000 yuan can only buy a 2.0T. Power-tuned 425i models, max. The power is only 135kW, and the official 0-100km/h time is 7.5 seconds. This data is slower than many current compact cars worth more than 100,000 yuan. This is indeed far from the image of a sports car in Xiao Zhang's mind.
After experiencing the 4 Series, I told Xiao Zhang a cruel reality. Not only does the current 4 Series Coupe model not have any discounts, but also There is a price increase of 50,000 to 60,000 yuan, and the waiting period is about 6 months. Even if you buy the lowest-spec 425i M sports package model, the transaction price of the naked car will be around 420,000 yuan. After hearing this, Xiao Zhang was more determined to give up her wife's idea of looking at the 4 Series. Not only would the price of this car increase, but it also lacked the required price. Cost-effective, and it is only the coupe version of the 3 Series, and the interior is similar to The power lacks the feeling of a sports car
The first three cars each have their own obvious advantages and disadvantages, so let’s take a look at them both. Ford Mustang. This generation of models is full of classic Mustang elements. For example, the design of the "three-pillar" daytime running lights and taillights appeared on the first-generation Mustang; the Fastback's body shape and the outer rear fender expanded arcThe line also originates from the first-generation Mustang. It can be said that it is the Mustang that is most like the first-generation Mustang.
Xiao Zhang said: What attracted him to Mustang was not only the inheritance of so many classic elements in its appearance, but also the story behind the car that made him yearn for it. As the only Pony Car in American history that has never been out of service for more than 50 years, it can be said that it is one of Ford's most important and successful models besides the Model T. In addition, it has also appeared in many movies and games. Whenever the rear tire burns out and smokes, adrenaline is emitted from Xiao Zhang's pores.
The interior layout adopts a symmetrical design, with a silver trim panel running across the center console from left to right, and four aviation-style levers under the center console. All creating the atmosphere of an airplane cockpit. The steering wheel adopts Mustang's classic deep concave design, and the leather wrapped feels very good.
Of course, in addition to classic design elements A strong sense of history, comfort and technology are the magic weapons to win over today's consumers. Mustang also knows this well, and ACC adaptive cruise and seat ventilation/heating have not fallen behind. The LCD screen display effect on the center console is very mainstream, and the CarPlay function also makes Xiao Zhang and his wife very friendly. The 12-inch LCD instrument panel has a variety of display modes, especially the speed display mode in track mode, which made Xiao Zhang feel novel. B&O audio is also something that has never appeared in the other three cars. With so many configurations “stacked” into a sports car costing more than 300,000 yuan, what else could be unsatisfactory?
Like the 4 Series, Mustang also adopts a two-door, four-seat layout. After the same experience, Xiao Zhang and his wife said: Adults As long as you are not driving for long distances, the rear row can complete the task competently. In addition, there are two child safety seat interfaces in the back row, ISO FIX and LATCH. If you have children in the future, you can also take your children out for a ride in the Mustang. These perfectly satisfy their need for practicality.
Talking about the power issue that Xiao Zhang is concerned about, Mustang also uses four 2.3T EcoBoost engines. The most powerful one in the car, with a maximum power of 220kW and a maximum torque of 434N·m, and is matched with a rare 10AT gearbox. This gearbox hasIt has many advantages such as smooth shifting, quick shifting response, good fuel economy, durability and reliability, etc. It also adds a tire warming mode (Line Lock) that is only available on old GT models, further enhancing the fun and viewing pleasure.
Having said this, Xiao Zhang is already eager to test drive the Mustang and feel for himself what the dynamic performance is like. During the test drive, the linear throttle adjustment made Xiao Zhang, who came into contact with the car for the first time, feel no discomfort at all. He could easily control the speed of the car with the strength of his feet. The strong push-back feeling under deep pedaling is accompanied by the pleasant exhaust sound, which can completely immerse the driver in the atmosphere of a sports car.
The 10AT gearbox is smooth in D mode and actively upshifts. Once switched to track mode, it It's like having sex, it becomes extremely irritable, and it will shift gears only when the speed approaches the red line. The deliberately enhanced shifting impact allows Xiao Zhang to enjoy the pleasure of mechanical impact.
The addition of electromagnetic suspension gives Mustang a more flexible control experience, changing the bulky feel of previous American sports cars. When cornering fiercely, the LSD limited-slip differential on the rear axle can clearly be felt as it helps the vehicle tighten its path, allowing it to achieve better tracking.
BMW Z4 (E85 )
After experiencing the Mustang, take them to see the last BMW Z4. This car was accidentally discovered by Xiao Zhang and his wife when they were learning about the 4 Series. In fact, I am not surprised that he pays attention to this car. Because Z4 can be said to be our common impression of BMW when we were young. It was our dream car for a while. We were still in Du Middle School at that time. On the way to school, we saw a silver convertible sports car speeding by on the road. We stood on the side of the road and screamed. I later learned that it was the first-generation Z4 (E85) designed by Chris Bangor.
Although the current The Z4 is no longer a product of the Bangor era, and the price is also beyond some budget, but he has the plot of the model, so he still takes it into consideration. The Z4's normal-sized kidney grille is in line with the inherent BMW impression, and the appearance of the M sports package shows the car's sporty feel. The roof returns to the same soft-top design as the first generation. After the top is opened, it fully demonstrates the boldness and freedom of the Roadster model.
In terms of interior, although it is also a typical BMW style, it is not as completely dependent on the 4 Series In the 3 Series design, the overall look is more simple, but without losing the sense of technology. The instrument panel tilted towards the driver's side canThis allows the driver to focus more on driving, which is also more conducive to experiencing the driving pleasure that sports car models bring to the driver.
In terms of power, the Z4 uses the same powertrain as the 4 Series, and the maximum power is only 135kW, which means it has It has the same problem as the 4 Series, it has a sports car shape but no sports car heart. But he said he would endure it for the sake of the convertible and his feelings.
Although Xiao Zhang likes the Z4 very much, his wife is not very interested in this car. Because like the Cayman, it has only two seats and not much storage space in the car, making it less practical. Also, although a convertible is very attractive, in daily use, there are not many days when it is actually open all year round. Moreover, it is not worth sacrificing a lot of heat and sound insulation for this convertible. She even feels that the practicality of this car is not as good as that of the Cayman.
Among the four cars, Mustang In fact, it is Xiao Zhang's favorite car model, but because his wife didn't know much about this car before, she has always had an attitude of neither affirmation nor denial about it. However, after today’s actual experience, the appearance and interior of the car are very sports car-like. Coupled with its Prancing Horselogo, it can be said that the appearance and style are million-level. It is on par with a sports car, and of course the configuration and practicality are also suitable for practical household use. Coupled with the affordable price, it fully meets all the needs of their family for this car purchase.
Editor’s comment: In the end, Xiao Zhang and his wife chose Ford Mustang. On the one hand, Mustang’s performance in all aspects met the couple’s car buying needs, and they got On the other hand, Xiao Zhang has a good impression of this model with a sense of historical heritage. What he purchased is not just a car, but also a way to use the car as a carrier to experience more. The stories and culture behind many car models. Indeed, Mustang is more than just a sports car. It has never been dated since 1964. To some extent, it can be said that it condenses more than half a century of American car culture. Owning a Mustang not only allows users to experience the thrill of driving, but also leads users to discover many interesting and meaningful historical stories behind it.
