Difference between revisions of "If Running Watches were Sports Cars"

Latest revision as of 12:17, 12 November 2014

While all analogies are flawed, they can sometimes be useful. This is a lighthearted look at what type of sports car each of the watches I've reviewed would be.

Garmin 310XT, Lotus Elise. While it's not the latest car, the Lotus Elise produced in the 2000's is a stunning automobile that surpasses many far more expensive and modern machines. It lacks the bells and whistles you might have come to expect, like electric windows, stability control, ABS, seat cushions, but it makes up for it in the driving experience.
Garmin 910XT, Lotus Exige. The Lotus Exige is an updated version of the Elise, and while they appear identical, the subtle changes to the Exige make it a superior, but more expensive sports car.
Garmin 610, Mazda Miata. Like the 610, the Miata is far more than the sum of its parts. It offers good value and a wonderful overall experience. It's small size and light weight provide a sublime driving experience, even without the power.
Polar V800, Ariel Atom. The Atom is a superlative track car, with outrageous power to weight ratio and a mechanical simplicity that lets it to one thing really well. However, the Atom lacks many things that you might expect in a car, like roof or bodywork. The Atom might look to the uninitiated like a half-finished car, waiting to have the final parts added in. In the same way, the V800 has superb GPS accuracy, but much of the expected functionality seems to be missing, leaving it feeling equally incomplete.
Smartphone, Camaro Z/28. The Camaro Z/28 doesn't look like a sports car, and it's expensive for a Camaro ($75K), but its performance on the track is quite amazing. While it's stripped down, the Z/28 does have a rear seat and some trunk space, so it's more versatile than many other sports cars. You won't get the attention or kudos of some of the other cars, but if all you care about is speed, this is for you. Have a read of Car & Driver's Lightning Lap in the Z/28 where they said "In Turn One, the Z/28 matched the Porsche 918 by posting 1.16 g's, the highest grip we've ever recorded in that corner."
Suunto Ambit2 R, Golf GTI. The GTI combines a good driving experience with flexibility and functionality. It's not the best sports car, but it's one you can use as a family car as well.
TomTom Cardio Runner, Hyundai Veloster. The Veloster offers great styling and some unique features, but the overall result does not quite make it competitive with the better options mentioned here. Still, you have to applaud the innovation.
Garmin 620, Ferrari 458 Italia. Like the 620, the 458 is elegant, effective, and desirable. However they both have a fatal flaw; the 620 has appalling GPS Accuracy and 458 bursts into flames and burns to the ground. They're both almost perfect, but sometimes almost is not enough. (In spite of the problems, I still love my 620 and I continue to seek a solution to its problems.)
Garmin Fenix 2, Lamborghini Countach. Even now, the Countach looks like a supercar of the future, but even in its heyday it was not a great sports car. In the same way, the GPS Accuracy problems relegate Fenix 2 to being best looked at, not used.
Garmin 10, Miami Vice's Ferrari Daytona. Sadly, while it looked like Sonny Crockett drove a 1972 Ferrari Daytona, in reality it was a fake based around a Corvette C3. In the same way, the Garmin 10 looks like a GPS sports watch, but its GPS Accuracy tells you otherwise.
Soleus 1.0, Toyota Prius. Like the Prius, the Soleus is cheap. And just as the Prius is a long way from a sports car, the Soleus is a long way from being what you need in sports watch.
Motorola Motoactv, Tesla Model S. Like the Motoactv, the Tesla is a technological marvel, with advantages to all the others listed here. The Tesla is an all-electric car that is safe and fast; the Motoactv is actually a miniature Android Tablet. However, both suffer from 'range anxiety' as their battery life is limited.