[breadwoman]

Hi Folks,

I'd like to give a brief review of the 1LE in comparison to several Germans that I've had/driven extensively as well as the FRS. We'll start off with a summary of the 1LE:

Engine/Drivetrain/Exhaust - 9/10
- One of the best engine's I've experienced due to obviously power/torque. This is the first car I've had with over 400hp/tq, though I've driven cars with more. I think it's just the right amount to have fun while not being overly ridiculous. Passing is definitely not an issue. Most importantly, the delivery is very linear and gives you a reason to rev it out, I'm not really a fan of modern turbo engines with low end torque and dead top end.
- Gear box is one of the most important parts of a car in my mind in terms of driving experience. The 6MT is excellent in terms of feel (weight and going into the gate).
- Exhaust noise is outstanding for a stock car in terms of volume/tone. I'm debating whether if an aftermarket system is even needed. One gripe is that the noise could be a tad deeper and about 10% louder under 5K RPM, but not sure if that's worth the $1500 - $2000 that these aftermarket companies are charging.

Handling/Steering/Ride - 8/10
- I've read and watched nearly all the reviews on the 1LE and the conclusion is that you need to drive it hard to really understand how good the handling is. By no means am I a track star or driven the car anywhere near its limits, but the handling behaviour when pushing beyond the norm is very confidence inspiring due to grip, body rotation and stable body roll. This gives a similar feel and reaction to a FRS, except with way more grip so you can carry more speed. Mind you I drive exclusively in comfort/tour mode since I find the other modes way too harsh with limited addition of feel on the street.
- Again I drive exclusively in tour mode steering since it feels the most natural and gives me adequate feel of the road. Could be improved, but very good compared to most EPS systems nowadays. BTW 1LE tramlines like a 8!7cH.
- One of the biggest weak points of the 1LE is the ride. When I hear people say something like "ride is stiff, but yet compliant", I think they're full of $h1t. It's a zero sum game, it's either one or the other. I know that the 1LE is equipped and set up for track performance and therefore the ride is quite bad to be honest. When going over diagonal bumps that cause a side to side motion, the car throws me around like a roller coaster. It's a trade off for the body control and I knew this when I ticked the box.

Amenities & Interior - 7.5/10
- The interior appearance/layout/tech of the 1LE is excellent, period. I've the seen the interior of the 5th Gen and this blows it out of the water, it's like a complete different car. The material in the 1LE (partial leather/suede) feels great in places that really matter (arm rests, seats, steering wheel). I don't mind the hard plastic because you'll find tons of that in similarly priced BMW/Mercs/Audis. Infotainment is very easy to use and responsive. Audio could be better (comparable to base BMW audio system), but I didn't really buy this car for the stereo.

Conclusion: The best bang for your buck NEW performance cars money can buy.


From most recent to oldest:

2017 718 Cayman (close friend's - driven extensively):
Pros:
- Nimbleness and grip levels are out of this world due to lack of weight and sufficiently tired. Note the 718 had more body roll compared to 1LE, but weight transfer is very predictable.
- Extremely comfy despite being way lower than the 1LE due to suspension tuning and huge tire sidewalls.
- Not really comparable, but PDK is awesome due to speed/logic/drivability.
- Fuel economy. I'd say it uses 50% less than the 1LE if driven sensibly.

Cons:
- Engine/exhaust is absolutely garbage in terms of noise and drama. It sounds like a whole lot of nothing and doesn't make you want to rev out.
- Interior looks nice, but is extremely bare bones if you want the keep the price around the 1LE.
- No space for anything. I play golf so this car is out of the question.
- Infotainment is not responsive and menus are not intuitive.


2011 C63 AMG/ performance pack
Pros
- engine/exhaust is extremely similar to the 6th gen SS if not identical. Keep in mind this is a C63 with the performance pack with an extra 30hp. In case you're curious - the 1LE beat this C63 by a car length and gaining from 80-160KPH.
- This gen C63 still looks modern and mean till this day.

Cons
- Handles like a big car, no where near as agile as 1LE and feels noticably looser when pushing around corners.
- Ride is terrible. No added benefit of having a rough ride with such poor handling.
- Drinks gas compared to LT1.
- Everything about the interior is quite dated.

2015 FRS:
Pros
- Handles like a go-kart, you point it'll go.
- Best EPS system I've experienced with excellent feedback and feel. You wouldn't be able to tell that it's EPS.
- Relatively fuel efficient
- One of the best seats ever (very subjective) with excellent driving position.
- Gear box feel is top notch, feels extremely tight and short.

Cons
- No power whatsoever. Sometimes it feels dangerous driving on the HWY due to lack of pull above 100KPH.
- Interior materials are garbage. Hard plastics everywhere.
- Infotainment/stereo is terrible. Worst I've ever experienced.
- As a DD in traffic it gets old real quick.

2014 M235xi
Pros
- Decent power. Feels quite fast, but doesn't give you the same thrill as the LT1. Could be as fast if not faster than the 1LE in a straight line with relatively cheap and simple mods (piggyback/ bolt ons).
- 8AT is very responsive and great for DD.
- Size is good for agility and perfect for parking.
- Interior on par with the 1LE. I-drive is very easy to use.

Cons
- Stock exhaust is very muted. Really needs a aftermarket system.
- Drinks gas for such a small car with not a big engine.
- I find the handling to be appalling compared to what you'd hear from regular car reviews. The car has way to much body roll and doesn't rotate under throttle like the 1LE. Yes the car feels very dart-y at turn in, but it doesn't do a good job settling through the turn. Likely a function of softer suspension tuning to appeal to the mass market and being X Drive.

Sorry for the long post.

[zx9rmal]

Nice. Thanks for the write up.

[SuperSound]

Originally Posted by breadwoman

Hi Folks,



- One gripe is that the noise could be a tad deeper and about 10% louder under 5K RPM, but not sure if that's worth the $1500 - $2000 that these aftermarket companies are charging.


- When going over diagonal bumps that cause a side to side motion, the car throws me around like a roller coaster. It's a trade off for the body control and I knew this when I ticked the box.

Look into removing the secondary cats. That might give you the volume boost you are looking while costing maybe $100 with a decent exhaust shop.

I notice the exact same thing on my 2SS, so it's not a 1LE issue specifically. The problem is the chassis is so rigid that the motion is transferred through the car. Price of all that handling like you said.

[DenverTaco07]

some Handling Stats of various cars vs. 1LE

Mclaren 570S tested @ $219,000 MSRP
23.0 seconds @ .93 g average Motor Trend figure eight course
1.04 g lateral acceleration
Braking 60mph to 0 in 97 ft

Mustang GT 350R (their track beast) tested @ $67,000 MSRP
23.3 seconds @ .87 g average Motor Trend figure eight course
1.08 g lateral acceleration
Braking 60mph to 0 in 101 ft

Porsche Carrera S tested @ $140,000 MSRP
23.1 seconds @ .91 g average Motor Trend figure eight course
1.05 g lateral acceleration
Braking 60mph to 0 in 97 ft

Camaro SS 1LE tested @ $45,700 MSRP
23.3 seconds @ .86 g average Motor Trend figure eight course
1.09 g lateral acceleration
Braking 60mph to 0 in 94 ft

FRS tested @ $28,000 MSRP
26.2 seconds @.68 g average Motor Trend figure eight course
.90 g lateral acceleration
Braking 60mph to 0 in 120 ft.


Also, don't forget the Mag ride in the 1LE is substantial with regards to your point about the "ride" quality. Track vs. Tour suspension mode is very noticeable - I see many Porsche GT3 owners comment on how nice the 1LE rides in tour, yet track mode is ever as bit as track worthy as GT3 suspension.

[c4racer]

Originally Posted by SuperSound

Look into removing the secondary cats. That might give you the volume boost you are looking while costing maybe $100 with a decent exhaust shop.

I notice the exact same thing on my 2SS, so it's not a 1LE issue specifically. The problem is the chassis is so rigid that the motion is transferred through the car. Price of all that handling like you said.

Are the secondary monitored at all? Does that cause a CEL?

[SuperSound]

Originally Posted by c4racer

Are the secondary monitored at all? Does that cause a CEL?

Nope not monitored.

Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk

[drew peacock]

great write up
cheers

[c4racer]

Originally Posted by SuperSound

Nope not monitored.

Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk

Perfect. I need to get that done! I was thinking about a borla system but not very keen on all that $ just for a bit more sound.

[dotfiles]

Nice write up.
Might want to have your alignment checked if your 1LE is tramlining badly. I have zero issues with mine tramlining. Also the ride is very good for a sports car in touring mode IMO. Compared to a new BMW M4 (driven extensively) or M6 (owned) it is actually more compliant over harsh bumps and smooths out smaller stuff better.

[WhyUMad1LE]

Use the tour suspension mode to go over speedbumps

[pullthatwigback]

Calling an frs dangerously slow is a little dumb

[Camaro Maybe]

Nice post OP. There's really nothing that can touch the 1LE at its price point or really until you go to the 350GT which is about $18K more where I live.

I would like to drive the 2018 Stang GT with the PP and Magnaride to see if they have gotten close yet.

[breadwoman]

Originally Posted by SuperSound

Look into removing the secondary cats. That might give you the volume boost you are looking while costing maybe $100 with a decent exhaust shop.

I notice the exact same thing on my 2SS, so it's not a 1LE issue specifically. The problem is the chassis is so rigid that the motion is transferred through the car. Price of all that handling like you said.

That seems like the most efficient way to get more noise. Just need to find a shop that'll do a good job to avoid CEL.

[breadwoman]

Originally Posted by pullthatwigback

Calling an frs dangerously slow is a little dumb

It's pretty dangerous when you have to downshift to 3rd on the hwy to overtake. I traded in a e46 M3 for the FRS as the M3 was showing its age and I wanted something that I could DD/be more fuel efficient/still have fun. I hated the car after 2 weeks due to the poor power delivery (torque dip). Thought about going FI, but the FA20 becomes too unreliable.

FRS/BRZ feels just sufficient on track, but in the real world it's severely underpowered.