Prius coupe tackles Honda CR-Z

TegTypeR wrote:

Is it the case that something with a decent slug of torque but gives no emotion to drive is sporty?  Are we going to end up with a marketing departments version of a sporty car, which in reality is not sporty in the slightest?

sorry, i think we need to mop up the apparent confusion between sports cars and sporty cars. a sports car was traditionally an open two seater car that sacrificed practicality for performance. "sporty" cars are different to sports cars. "sporty" is a contraction of "sporting". sporting cars were different from sports cars; a sporting car was not usually an open car, it was typically a modified version of a regular two or four door car.

therefore, what people these days refer to as sporty car is basically a modified and slightly quicker version of a regular car. therefore, a fast diesel car can be sporty, as can a faster hybrid. ergo, a golf gtd is sporting, as is the new honda cz-thing, as will probably be the prius coupe, providing it's a bit quicker than the standard prius.

whether you think a car is emotional or not is down to you, it's a subjective term. you might believe that mechanical interaction is important - and i think you're right, in a sports car, it is - but in a sporty car it's irrelevant.

in fact, the marketing boys are pretty much on the button when they describe a car as sporty (providing its a quicker version of a standard car).