For more on the DieselStation Car of the Year '09 competition, please see this thread.

Audi TT-S Coupe
Base MSRP: $45,500
Available Engines: 2.0 liter DOHC turbocharged 16-valve inline-4 with 265 HP and 258 ft.-lbs. of torque
Available Transmissions: 6-speed dual-clutch semi-manual transmission
Available Drivetrains: All-wheel drive
EPA Fuel Economy: 21 City/29 Highway
Curb Weight: 3252 lbs.







Mazda RX-8
Base MSRP: $26,435
Available Engines: 1.3 liter 2-rotor Wankel rotary engine with 232 HP and 159 ft.-lbs. of torque (212/159 with 6AT)
Available Transmissions: 6-speed manual or 6-speed automatic transmission with manual shift capabilities
Available Drivetrains: Rear wheel drive with limited-slip differential (6MT only)
EPA Fuel Economy: 16 City/23 Highway (6AT), 16/22 (6MT)
Curb Weight: 3064-3111 lbs.







Nissan 370Z Coupe
Base MSRP: $29,930
Available Engines: 3.7 liter DOHC 24-valve V6 with 332 HP and 270 ft.lbs. of torque
Available Transmissions: 6-speed manual (with available rev-matching feature) or 7-speed automatic transmission with manual shift capabilities
Available Drivetrains: Rear-wheel drive with available limited-slip differential
EPA Fuel Economy: 18 City/26 Highway
Curb Weight: 3232-3314 lbs.







Pontiac Solstice Coupe
Base MSRP: $26,225 (Base), $30,375 (GXP)
Available Engines: 2.4 liter DOHC 16-valve inline-4 with 173 HP and 167 ft.-lbs. of torque, 2.0 liter DOHC turbocharged 16-valve inline-4 with 260 HP and 260 ft.-lbs. of torque
Available Transmissions: 5-speed manual or 5-speed automatic transmission with manual shift capabilities
Available Drivetrains: Rear wheel drive with limited slip differential
EPA Fuel Economy: 19 City/28 Highway (GXP 5MT), 19/27 (GXP 5AT), 19/25 (Base 5MT), 19/24 (Base 5AT)
Curb Weight: 2930-3018 lbs.







Porsche Cayman
Base MSRP: $50,300 (Base), $60,200 (S)
Available Engines: 2.9 liter DOHC 24-valve horizontally-opposed flat-6 with 265 HP and 221 ft.-lbs. of torque, 3.4 liter DOHC 24-valve horizontally-opposed flat-6 with 320 HP and 273 ft.-lbs. of torque
Available Transmissions: 6-speed manual or 7-speed dual-clutch semi-manual transmission
Available Drivetrains: Rear wheel drive (limited slip differential is optional)
EPA Fuel Economy: Not available
Curb Weight: 2932-3031 lbs.

the rx8 kinda looks like the developmentally challenged brother of em all .

its a really hard decision


EDIT: bjorn set my mind straight. cayman with pcm and some 18's

This is tough.

Right off the bat, TT-S no, since no manual option. This debate has been raging across the forum for the past few weeks, but I know for myself that I get horrendously bored with a car if it doesn't have a manual, to the point that I start taking corners faster andfaster for a challenge.

370Z just does not look good enough to me. A coupe either needs to be beautiful (Cayman), or down right weird (M coupe) IMO. The Z just looks awkward to me.

RX-8...kinda just biding time before the replacement comes round. I like the looks, like the engine and layout, but it's just too old.

This leaves the Cayman and the Solstice coupe. Money no option, the Cayman would be the choice...in fact you could put almost any other coupe at any other price range in front of me, and save the current GT3 and Z4 M coupe, I would choose the Cayman every time. I love the Solstice Coupe, but it is a bit expensive for what it is IMO, it'll be pushing $35,000 by the time it goes on sale in Canada, which is really nice 964 C2 money.

Has to be the Cayman, 2.9L with PCM and I'll be happy as a pig in shit.

If price didn't matter and I didn't consider how much of a step forward a model is in COTY competitions, but instead voted solely for the one I'd want in my driveway, I'd go with the Cayman.

But price DOES matter, and I DO tend to look at what's new about a car when looking at COTY competitions, so the 370Z is the clear winner. Not only is it 2/3s the price of a Cayman, but it's twice the car that the 350Z was (whereas the 2009 Cayman is like 2% better than the 2008 Cayman). The 370Z is just such an awesome, well-rounded sports coupe at such an awesome price that I can't not vote for it.

the interior of the 370z makes me

The Solstice coupe looks terrible, IMO. I actually like the looks of the 370Z, but it comes in a close second to the Cayman due to its harsh top end. There's nothing like revving the crap out of a beautifully crafted flat six. The S is also substantially faster and has a lower center of gravity. It gets my vote.

My default choice in this category would have been the BMW M3 or Corvette with Z51 package. But since i cant i would have to choose Cayman (S) as the best of the lot.

I went with the 370Z. Of course the Cayman's the best car here, but its price is a bit eye-watering. The 370Z strikes me as the most significant car of the bunch.

I think the Solstice is absolutely gorgeous...I wish it drove half as good as it looks.

Audi TT-S, you may say that torque converter flappy paddles are lame but a DSG is nothing to sneeze at. It's just a joy.

Wow...this is a tough category.

The RX-8 is sharp as a tack dynamically, and really is unique with it's suicide doors and awesome rotary engine. However, the rotary isn't as reliable or fuel efficient as it should be, and the facelift really uglified the car (even though it sharpened the dynamics). It's also more than a bit dated compared to the competition. As much as I love this car, it comes in last here.

The Solstice coupe to me, is one of the best looking cars on sale for any price. It's absolutely gorgeous, and I think that's half the battle won in building a good coupe. Dynamically though, it's the worst here, and while I do find the interior stylish, it's the worst built here. The only thing that boosts it up over the RX8 is that it's newer and more stylish.

The TT-S is very nearly the equal of the Cayman, looks great, and has the best interior here. In this category, I have to nitpick to find a winner, so the lack of a manual transmission kills it.

Now it pains me to do this, but Cayman comes in second. If it cost the same as all the other cars here, it would win...hands down. It's a brilliant piece of engineering, one I doubt can be bettered as an all-rounder (though I have hope for the forthcoming TT-RS). However, it costs significantly more than any of the other cars here, and that's just the base price. You don't even get floor mats with that, and lets not forget how expensive Porsche options are. The fact is the car STARTS at $50k...the TT-S is damn near as good for $5k less, and that's already kitted out fairly well. And then there's the Z...

The Cayman is good, but is it good enough to justify a $20k premium over the base Z? I've yet to drive the new cars myself, but based on what I know from driving the 350, the older Cayman, and reviews I've read of the 370 and new Cayman...I sincerely doubt it. They took a beautiful car, made it prettier (subjective, but I certainly think so), sharper, and even better value-for-money. Can't argue with that.

I went with the 370z. It's only half a step behind the Porsche with a much easier price tag.

First thing's first...



Thanks for that.

Now... this is the hardest one for me yet.

TT-S: It's cool but there are others I like more here.

RX-8: I can definitely say 'no thanks' to this. The body modifications and new rims help, but it's still lacking in terms of performance.

370Z: The profile is the rebirth of the S30 Z. God, what a looker. Performance is well on par as well. Back could look just a little better, if you ask me. Great car though.

Solstice: I've loved it since the day I first laid eyes on those images. I'm sorry to my R, but if I lived in a warm climate and went for RWD, I may have ended up waiting for this instead. So sexy.

Cayman: Yeah, yeah, good, fast, advanced, whatever. Not too interesting or unexpected, and certainly not what I'd buy of this lot, even with price not considered.

So, 370Z or Solstice... hmmmmm. Damn, that's so hard. My soft spot goes to the Solstice, you sexy thing, you.

heh cayman is expensive but as soon as you drive it, you will see where the extra $20 went.