Ya, good article, pretty straight forward (not just gushing unadulterated
praise). Pros and cons both included. One thing I disagreed with the article
on, he mentions that; although the car is no doubt faster than the previous
model, he says that because of the flat powerband, it's 'deceptively fast'.
That's code for 'it might be faster but it doesn't really feel like it'. He
continues that he'll take real horsepower over 'percieved power' any time.
This is the part that I don't necessarily agree with. Perceptions are
everything unless you're racing someone head to head and how often do most
of us do that. I would argue that 'percieved power' (which is percieved thru
your seat of the pants) is especially important to the everyday enjoyment of
driving a specific car.

One of the funnest cars I've ever owned wasn't superfast (Renault Fuego
turbo) but when the turbo did kick in, several factors determined just how
much kick you recieved. That car was fun to drive and my lil 1.6 miata kind
of gives you that little thrill as it hits it's power curve.

Hopefully the NC will be quick / fast enough to be entertaining. My guess is
that it will be but that flat power band worries me. Fingers are crossed
but I'm guessing Mazda will pretty much get it right again. Now, interior
styling.........that's another issue!

Chris
92BB&T