Ford Focus RS vs Nissan GT-R

Alternatively, drive it like it's meant to be driven :D :


To be fair, they did state clearly in the accompanying written article the roads were chosen to play entirely to the strengths of the Ford and when they came off the c roads/Buttertub Pass, the GT-R disappeared ahead at times.

As far as the fun factor, one mans meat is anothers poison and all that, on that particular road I'd prefer something smaller with less power, but 99% of my time is spent on a more realistic interpretation of everyday and "real world" roads. Other than that, try a GT-R and see how *you* find it, try not to assume awd, a bucket of grip and decent power = no fun.

Can't remember what I wrote when this vid was last posted here, it was probably totally brilliant though and very insightful no doubt.
 
eidolon said:
Quick survey, how many OCUK members live in the Isle of Man and would therefore get to drive like the video you posted?
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Dunno, 4?

It wasn't a completely serious point.

Then again, roads like that are not restricted to the I.O.M and how you drive and at what speed for the conditions are a personal thing.
 
I know, I was just reinforcing the point that a lot of people buy cars for the wrong reasons. They buy them based on driving situations they'll never find themselves in, or to impress their mates down the pub (or more likely on the internet). The vast majority of people will A) Never go on track B) Would never exploit more than 50% of a cars capability if they did go on track C) never exploit more than 25% of a cars capability on the roads.
 
So true eidolon, even with bikes I find that on the road you are unlikely to really approach even 50% of the capability. You just run out of safety margin far too fast, unless your willing to pile into blind bends you don't know and trust to fate and luck if you ever come out the other end.
 
When you do lots of miles, often in traffic, power and ideally lots of it is very useful to allow you to get around stuff quickly and safely and that has huge value in real world terms. When people say "but where can you use that power" they forget that point as they do when the roads are greasy and you can still make safe progress at pace because of the traction advantages in something like a GT-R, RS4, 911 etc. The ability to make you feel confident in conditions is a very good point and the fact is my GT3 was a much quicker car in performance terms to my RS4 but it was also a fact that on most British A and B roads the RS4 would cover distance quicker and safer with far less stress.

Still take a GT3 today, tomorrow and every day however.
 
eidolon said:
I know, I was just reinforcing the point that a lot of people buy cars for the wrong reasons. They buy them based on driving situations they'll never find themselves in, or to impress their mates down the pub (or more likely on the internet). The vast majority of people will A) Never go on track B) Would never exploit more than 50% of a cars capability if they did go on track C) never exploit more than 25% of a cars capability on the roads.
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I'm sure everybody knows people who by buy fast cars and then keep them as driveway ornaments, or use them to gently ferry themselves from the gym and back...it's a laughable waste of a machine and money, but the majority of people I know with performance oriented cars drive them hard. I have little interest in the usable percentage figure of my car, whether its high or low, if I'm having fun and moving quickly with capabilities and nuances left to explore, I'm happy :)

My original point, perhaps not clear, is that the first video does not represent 99% of where I spend time on the road, therefore the snap conclusion from a piece of lazy journalism is that any car that can't shake a RS on Yorkshire C roads, but costs more, is a ultimately a waste of money, performance etc. I don't agree.

Housey said:
When you do lots of miles, often in traffic, power and ideally lots of it is very useful to allow you to get around stuff quickly and safely and that has huge value in real world terms. When people say "but where can you use that power" they forget that point as they do when the roads are greasy and you can still make safe progress at pace because of the traction advantages in something like a GT-R, RS4, 911 etc. The ability to make you feel confident in conditions is a very good point and the fact is my GT3 was a much quicker car in performance terms to my RS4 but it was also a fact that on most British A and B roads the RS4 would cover distance quicker and safer with far less stress.

Still take a GT3 today, tomorrow and every day however.
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This.
 
I went to the isle of man a couple years back in the rx7. The roads are great fun, although very scary when you have a big drop to the side. I would say i had nearly as much fun over there as i did when i took the same car to the ring a few months before. Mind you i did spend a grand on the ring trip compared to a couple hundred at the IOM
 
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