evolaerok

compared to the Nissan Maxima's, IS300, etc.... but how do they compare with the likes of American power like the GTP and the Taurus SHO? I don't have much knowledge about the SHO, but I heard they were quick too..... GTP's are all different..... My brothers GTP is fast, but I beat it and after we race his car always has some problem or another. Luckly he will buy the WRX or RSX-S. American has alot of powerful 4 doors to and just wondering how we personally do againest them. SHO's, GTP's, 300M's, Lincoln LS, etc. How do our cars do againest them?

AKRY

SHO is no threat to us... the closest would be GTP, which is fairly easy to tune, and cheap to mod....

Lincoln LS is nice, especially V8 model... and same goes to Aurora V8... but they are more of a highway cruiser than sports sedan....

300M kinda fall in between TLS and Aurora, and is probably one of the biggest in the class in terms of interior space... if not THE biggest...

Andy Kuo

oracion

I guess it's just personal preference. Many people who considered the TL also considered the Lexus, BMW, Infiniti, Nissan more than other American cars. I'm definitely one of them.

my2sense

The way I've heard it on this forum, our car is more of a highway cruiser than a sports sedan. When you say 'sports sedan' I think of the IS300, 330i, etc., not a 3600 lb whale...

kwanghun

Nicely said.
Don't get me wrong, I love my TL and I like to think of it as a sports sedan, but at 3600lb...

...but then again, the M5 wieghs 4000+ lb!

KH

JZ39

We all complain about the weight issue but if you think about it there isn't really any place where much weight can be saved on the car. I already feel the sheetmetal is too thin the way it is and our cars could probably use about an extra 20lbs of paint.

SCWells72

Depends on what you mean by "sport sedan," right? I mean, the TL-S (and the Maxima and GTP) has FWD and bad weight distribution (front heavy) vs. something like the IS300, the 330i, or even the Lincoln LS.

The TL-S is pretty quick in a straight line, but it's not great for tight cornering, even with mods. Some would argue that it's a fast sedan, but not a sport sedan. Personally I consider anything with a sedan profile and four doors that's fun to drive (any or all of fast, quick, and nimble) a "sport sedan."

Speaking of the Lincoln LS, it's actually a really cool car (IMHO, of course). I think it's probably the best American-made car out there. In terms of handling, an LS with the Sport package is really fun to drive! However, for some reason Lincoln can't get more than 252 HP out of a 3.9L V8 when Acura's getting 260 HP out of a 3.2L V6, admittedly with higher torque!!! Heck, the 4.0L V8 in the GS400 can be tuned to ~340HP by changing air/fuel mixture and intake. I've read in seveal places that Lincoln will be bumping power, most likely through a supercharger. That'll be interesting to watch...

Oh yeah...the M5 may be weighty, but it's amazing how much a high-tech 400HP V8 can do to make it seem slim!

kwanghun

I like the Lincoln LS myself, although I never looked into it carefully. But only 252 HP out of a 3.9L V8?!?! That's just wrong!!! Uhh,... I don't mean your statement is wrong, SCWells, I mean like, "messed up" kinda wrong.

Oh, and to say that an M5 is a "sports sedan" seems a bit off, too.
It's more like an "ultimate, in-your-face, get the hell out of my way, if not then eat my dust and choke on my exhaust fumes while I circle around you, super sedan"

KH

2K2SilverTL-S

The Lincoln LS8 with the Sports Package is a really nice car. One of my good friends has one and I've extensively driven it. It's definitely slower than my TL-S and the sportshift tranny shifts very awkward. However, I felt that it handled alot better than my TL-S. I also like the interior of my TL-S alot better than that of the LS8.
BTW, an LS8 with the Sports Package runs about $40K. Pretty high if you ask me.

kwanghun

Hey, but isn't the LS available with a manual tranny? I'm pretty sure I saw one. Do you think maybe a manual LS will accelerate as well as or better than a TL-S?

KH

SCWells72

The LS is only available with a manual tranny if you get the V6. Evidently they had problems mating that tranny to their V8. I understand that in the next two years the manual shifter will be available on the V8, though.

As for the interior of the LS, I personally like it. Lots of room, dual-zone climate control, power tilt and telescopic steering, trip computer, etc. I like the interior of my GS430 better (all those things plus nav and COOL dash gauges!), but for an American car, very nice...

bioyuki

By far the closest competition is for a TL-S is the GTP.

ssainani

Well...i'm still contemplating between a 99 sts or a 2000 tl.

They both end up being the same price -- about 24k CND$ and i've been thinking the cadillac is a better car.....albiet a big boat

anyone want to add their view to my problem?>

John Weidenbenner

The TL-S is quicker than the V6 3.2 4 speed Ford automatic trans and most stock V6 3.0 5 speed Mazda manual trans SHOs. A mildly modified manual SHO would be an interesting match. And there are thousands of them on the streets. Beware of SHOs with aftermarket superchargers.

The SHO has become a cult car. Why? It has soul. Many think that the SHO is just a (Taurus) life support system for it's Yamaha designed and built engine, but there's more to it. Styling is subtle and functional. From '89 to '95 Ford only built roughly 100k SHOs, so it's unique and fairly rare. The 89 SHOs weight about 3500 lbs. 90 and newer added ABS and air bags. The SHOs have suspension tuning that make it fun and fast on a road course. The 24 dohc engine is a study in functional art. No plastic covers. The cast aluminum dual runner intake is visually striking. Ask a SHO owner to see his engine, but make sure you have the time to chat.

The '96 to '99 SHOs are 3.4 V8 4 speed automatic are very nice. IMHO, not as much soul.

I considered the Lincoln LS when it was introduced. Not as much soul and is still Ford quality. I kept my SHO.

http://www.shoclub.com

TLinBama

I'm not trying to start anything and I know this is magazine racing, but I'm just reporting what I've found. The fastest 1/4 mile time I posted for a SHO in any car mag was 15.4 seconds for a '92. Most 0-60 times were in the mid to high 7s with 1/4 mile times in the high 15s to low 16s. Granted, all cars tested were 4 speed autos.