Quote:
Originally Posted by nearwater4me
I admit that I have never driven a 1LE, but I put 140,000 miles on my ‘17 SS.
I completely agree with you on the raw, race car feel of the Camaro.
It’s much louder, cars shakes during idle, and that V8 burble/rumble on down shifts provide a much more of a purist experience than the M2.
I can only imagine the 1LE being much closer to an M car in terms of handling and performance.
What surprised me the most was that the M was a much more docile, refined ride when daily driven. MINUS the suspension.
The mag suspension in the Chevy was much more compliant, comfy to a point where it almost felt like a sporty Cadillac.
I’m sure it’ll be different in the 1LE with beefier sway bars & firmer tuned shocks/springs, but still hard to imagine it being firmer than the M2C.
The outward visibility that everyone complains about never bothered me one bit.
Truth be told, I think I prefer the cozy feeling of the cabin wrapped around me with shorter windows.
What I liked more on the M2 was the refinement. Every material and especially the gauges make the M a much more luxurious ride IMO.
The firmer ride transmitted more road feel and the car felt more stable around corners. More confidence-inspiring, if you will.
The cabin is well put together in the M, noticeable when I crank up the music.
With the sub in the trunk, there was no rattle whatsoever, when the Chevy sounded like it’s going to fall apart.
Isolated case, maybe. But I can only speak from my personal experience.
I do miss the creature comforts like the vented seats, HUD.
What I don’t miss is the constant CEL(misfire), oil leaks, and malfunctioning HVAC.
With my M2 being fairly new, I’m not sure what kind of troubles it’ll give me,
but hopefully not as much to make me get tired of the ownership after 3 years.
|
Appreciate your thoughts!
You're right about the ventilated seats and the Head-Up Display - those would be the two most missed comfort features if I switch to an M2C. I dismissed the ventilated seats at first, but now I just automatically turn the switch on as soon as I start the car. The HUD is incredible too. I rarely look at the speedometer or tach any more - it's too inconvenient!
And on the racetrack the HUD is almost indispensable, as it has F1-style shift lights that converge together as they go from green to yellow to red.
Quick story about the HUD: I took the Camaro to Watkins Glen 13-Jul-2020. Here's a
5-minute video from my GoPro. I had the speed warning set to 75 mph on the trip up, and forgot to turn it off during the first on track session. So once I exceeded 75 mph, that speed limit warning took over the HUD, and I could no longer see the RPM bar.
It was like I was lost in that first session.
(@VisualEcho you might be interested in the video as there's a Lotus Evora on track with me. Not as exotic looking as your Exige, but special car nonetheless.)