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And now for some more car news. The new Hyundai Elantra N looks interesting. Basically, a sedan version of the Veloster N, but it will be based on the all-new Elantra so it sounds like it will have some new tech. and maybe a better chassis to start with. I wonder if Hyundai can finally crack the Civic Si nut. This is really the car Nissan should be turning the Sentra into. If only they were not in such a tight spot financially. Oh well, the new Z will be in another performance world altogether.
Subaru released their new BRZ today and Honda released a prototype of the new Civic last night. While neither of these cars excite me very much, they do show signs that the auto industry can make something other than boring suvs from time to time.
The BRZ will have a manual transmission, track mode, and they claim it is the lightest RWD "2+2" in the U.S. right now. (They had to add the 2+2 because the Miata is about 600 lbs. lighter, but has no rear seat.) The Miata will probably still be the better driving car, but with rear seats and the hatchback design, the BRZ will be more practical.
Hooray Subaru for putting the oil filter on top of the motor like BMW has for decades so you don't have to burn your hands in hot oil spilling down the side like I did for so many years on my 2.5RS, WRX, and STI. I am also glad to see Subaru focused on weight and continuing the manual transmission. I am hoping these are good signs that they will do the same for the upcoming new STI.
The visuals on the BRZ are not at all as appealing as the outgoing model, IMO. Don't like the fat skirts that sweep upwards at the rear fender. Don't like the hockey stick fender "vents". Don't like the disconnected area between the trunk lip and the tails. The rear diffuser section is unnecessarily large.
That said, the hood and front end are sleek, with just the right amount of deign bulge. And the overall dimensions remain spot on. 228hp from a flat four with LSD, 6MT and <3000 pounds... that should be a fun car. Not a rocket, but meh. Still fun.
I've never driven a FRS or BRZ. Always wanted to.
You know, my wife's Forester has Subby's 2.5L flat four NA engine, and it doesn't make 228 HP. More like 170.
Last edited by Rochester; Nov 18, 2020 at 12:29 PM.
The visuals on the BRZ are not at all as appealing as the outgoing model, IMO. Don't like the fat skirts that sweep upwards at the rear fender. Don't like the hockey stick fender "vents". Don't like the disconnected area between the trunk lip and the tails. The rear diffuser section is unnecessarily large.
That said, the hood and front end are sleek, with just the right amount of deign bulge. And the overall dimensions remain spot on. 228hp from a flat four with LSD, 6MT and <3000 pounds... that should be a fun car. Not a rocket, but meh. Still fun.
I've never driven a FRS or BRZ. Always wanted to.
You know, my wife's Forester has Subby's 2.5L flat four NA engine, and it doesn't make 228 HP. More like 170.
Really? I thought the back end looked better than the front. The tail lights looked very "Subaru" to me whereas the front end looked like a cross between a Toyota and a Tesla Model 3. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.
The current BRZ is ok to drive. They handle well, but are not terribly powerful so they become a momentum car on the track like a Miata, but not quite as fun or involving- especially since there is no convertible top to drop.
They handle well, but are not terribly powerful so they become a momentum car on the track like a Miata, but not quite as fun or involving- especially since there is no convertible top to drop.
Yep. I test drove one, hard, before setting my sights on finding an elusive 6MT (also test drove a G37 coupe, and decided on the sedan then too). Handles nicely, but not much scoot.
For $10k more than a rag-top Miata, I don't see the additional value. The rear seats are useless for anything but reusable grocery bags. Compared to a Miata RF - Mayyybe... but again, roof coming down has its appeal.
I had my wife fully on board with an RF to keep things in the Mazda family until we discovered no top tether point for the child seat. The rag-top, believe it or not, has them. But since in the RF the window slides down into that area, no reinforced bolt points behind the seats.
And at her current rate of growth, my kiddo will be in a car seat for another few years at least, so that's important for us (kid needs to be transportable in both/all cars that we own).
I got my new camera all set up today and it looks the business and the microphone is much improved. However, the stability and zoom is much worse than my phone so it is going back. You get what you pay for on Amazon so I am not terribly surprised. Guess I will stop by Best Buy tonight to check out some real camera options. Anyone have any suggestions for a good cheap camera or a gimbal that would work with a phone to add an external microphone? Thanks!
Honestly, a standalone point-and-shoot that does video might be fine rather than something fancy. Microphone would still be an issue though. Canon Powershot sx740 is $400 and films in 4k.
4DRZ, my Canon Rebel DSLR takes great HD video and they even offer a "video creator kit" for it. Listed below is a link for the camera with the video creator kit. I don't have the video creator kit, but the camera itself is an excellent DSLR for $. It also has integral video stabilization, but combine this kit with a decent 3-Axis gimbal and you would have a really nice set-up.
The most difficult thing to do in a good video, is excellent audio.
Just about every device shoots great video, but not so good audio.
You need a lapel mic. Either wireless or wired and record your audio on your phone (that is in you pocket & out of sight) and then add/sync in post.
The closer the mic is to you, the less back ground noise it picks up and the more of you
I don't think you need a gimbal, why not just use a tripod?
If you need a "walk around" shot, just use your phone and the built in video stabilization or do it in post.
Thanks for all the good advice on cameras guys. I have found better gimbals that I think would work, but the problem is hooking up a wireless mic to my android phone. Not a lot of great options for Androids and I also worry that I might not be able to open an ap/use bluetooth to connect a wireless mic and a gimbal at the same time. I might go back to an iphone in a couple of months.
I am also strongly considering a camcorder- the Cannon Vixia HF R82 or a Sony HDR CX-455 (maybe even 675). All of these can be picked up for $200-$300 (open box). The Sonys have a variable control mic and wind noise reduction, but the reviews make it sound like they still benefit from an external mic. An external mic is much easier to hook up to a camcorder and they all have 5 axis image stabilization (the 675 claims to have a built in gimbal).
All 3 of these cameras meet my needs to drastically improve the stability and audio (via external mic). They all have wifi with an ap that should allow me to easily transfer the videos to my phone or computer and allow me to control them remotely via my phone if I end up using a tripod. They all have internal memory as well. I just worry that they will be more difficult to film from different heights than a gimbal. They are all in HD, but no 4k which I don't think really matters for youtube.
Anyone have any experience with any of these? I am going to Best Buy tomorrow and hopefully, I can find someone who can give me some good advice.
I don't have any more advice. But I am impressed by your commitment towards making the most out of this car-review hobby, and trying to get the right equipment within a reasonable, defined budget.
Same exact philosophy with modding the car, so I'm not too surprised.
I'm more curious what you come up with than I am able to make a recommendation.
