Damn, the week is over already. We're beyond sad; we are heartbroken. For a week the JDM EvolutionSilvia has been our car. Yeah, we've tested the vehicle and we've taken lotsa notes, but more than anything this has been like driving and temporarily owning our contemporary dream car. Oh well, we take satisfaction in knowing that there is a company that legally imports the lovely Silvia. That means, someday in the not-so-distant future, we'll, too, will own our own RHD Silvia.
Styling
The Silvia is a looker, period. If you missed our first day, we cited that, "Subtle design makes for a car that has an extremely pleasing exterior. From a front three-quarter view we can see the Silvia's downward-sloping character line that also wraps around the rear window. A secondary character line might not work on other cars, creating a busy profile, but seems to work well here. " We still stand by that statement and think the last generation Silvia is a billion times better looking than the previous generations.
An excellent exterior design is only complimented by the equally impressive interior design. It's fairly simplistic within the confines, but what there is, we like a whole lot. Nissan has done much to change the otherwise pedestrian looks of the Silvia into a car that has tons of appeal, inside and out.
Performance
Like some of the new cars on the market, the Silvia gets its power from a 2.0L turbocharged four-cylinder engine. In comparison to the Evo VIII and (Japanese) WRX STi, the Silvia doesn't see as much power; it outputs 247 horsepower @ 6,600 rpm. Then again, the Silvia doesn't boost nearly as much as the AWD duo. The factory setting is barely past 7 lbs and a simple intake, downpipe, exhaust and boost controller could leave the Silvia pumping out easily over 300 horsies.
On the handling side of things this Nissan doesn't benefit from the fancy all-wheel drive like the Skyline GT-R, a Getrag tranny or even traction control (like the Z). But the Silvia does manage to hold its on when in road holding. Since this is a front-engine, rear-wheel drive vehicle it can get a little crazy under hard turning acceleration. But with that said, it's also the ideal car for anyone interested in the art of drift.
Comfort
It's no less or no more comfy than the WRX or 350Z. And that's pretty damn good for a car that has the above mentioned performance. Front passenger legroom is fine, but headroom could use a few more inches, especially if you're a taller guy or girl. Getting in and out of the Nissan is a bit of work as it's a really low-slung vehicle. Another price we pay for a vehicle of this type.
Trunk space is also suspect as we really couldn't shove much back there. But, aside from the '89-94 240SX, the Silvia has always suffered from a smaller-than-normal caboose. For all intents and purposes, the Silvia is really a two-seater. Those small back seats work for insurance purposes and as a place to put your crap.
The Competition
Once again the competition for the Silvia is fairly sparse. We can say 350Z, RX-8, Evolution VIII and WRX STi. But the real competition is none other than the Skyline GT-R. Pricing is likely to be in the same realm--maybe a tad cheaper than the famous GT-R. But for right now part of the appeal of the Silvia isn't just its deadly good looks, it's also the fact that the car, at this point in time, is rarer than the GT-R and is the perfect drift-mobile.
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