I'm with Tobamory on this, I have 0 interest in sliding a car on the public road. I'm after a car that will accelerate quickly, go round corners on rails and brake hard, I don't find oversteer fun on the roads at all...
A45 AMG Test Drive - First Impressions
- Thread starter J1nxy
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I'm with Tobamory on this, I have 0 interest in sliding a car on the public road. I'm after a car that will accelerate quickly, go round corners on rails and brake hard, I don't find oversteer fun on the roads at all...
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Soldato
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Neither do most of us with powerful RWD cars but there are many traits to RWD, particularly those with mid-engine layouts that give vastly superior driver involvement and chassis balance. I can't say I go sliding the MP4 or F430 around either but you'd lose a lot by going 4WD and having it be too safe. I've owned hugely powerful 4WD cars and I've found them boring, they're just not exciting and that for some gets old very fast. It has nothing to do with RWD being dangerous, there's just something about AWD that really numbs the steering feel and tends to induce a lot of understeer.
It doesn't even apply specifically to AWD cars either actually, my MP4-12C is dull to drive at normal speeds, you have to be really pushing on to get any sense of excitement out of it. On the other hand, the F430 is lively and exciting at any speed but I don't ever feel because it's RWD that it's going to spit me off the road and cause me to die in a fireball.
It doesn't even apply specifically to AWD cars either actually, my MP4-12C is dull to drive at normal speeds, you have to be really pushing on to get any sense of excitement out of it. On the other hand, the F430 is lively and exciting at any speed but I don't ever feel because it's RWD that it's going to spit me off the road and cause me to die in a fireball.
Well, having just read the thread, watched a couple videos, and optioned up one of each to similar standards (i.e. not just the basic package, but the way you would HAVE to have them, with performance suspension options, auto boxes, decent stereo, mid range nav, metallic paint and 5 doors), there is about £5k difference.
Now, to me, the 1 series is pig ******* ugly. Always has been, and I absolutely HATE it's looks. However, I was considering getting one in a couple years just because of the engine / size package.
Now though, I am not really a huge fan of the modern Merc look either, but it is nowhere near as bad as the BMW. I would pay the extra 5k just for that.
But then I would be getting the faster car, with the more year round ability that I would want, and probably a slightly more frugal engine to boot. The interior looks nice enough, the seats alone look like the kick the BMW's out the park.
My money would go on the Merc. And I really dislike Mercedes. Being more of a BMW / Audi fan myself. But I don't fancy either the Golf R / RS 3 / M135i / 1M. The new TT Quattro Sport looks fairly impressive though, with its 420 horses and sub 4 seconds to 60 time. That MAY get a look in, but 2 doors will let it down compared to the rest. I know it's not really the same type of car, other than it's small and fast.
Now, to me, the 1 series is pig ******* ugly. Always has been, and I absolutely HATE it's looks. However, I was considering getting one in a couple years just because of the engine / size package.
Now though, I am not really a huge fan of the modern Merc look either, but it is nowhere near as bad as the BMW. I would pay the extra 5k just for that.
But then I would be getting the faster car, with the more year round ability that I would want, and probably a slightly more frugal engine to boot. The interior looks nice enough, the seats alone look like the kick the BMW's out the park.
My money would go on the Merc. And I really dislike Mercedes. Being more of a BMW / Audi fan myself. But I don't fancy either the Golf R / RS 3 / M135i / 1M. The new TT Quattro Sport looks fairly impressive though, with its 420 horses and sub 4 seconds to 60 time. That MAY get a look in, but 2 doors will let it down compared to the rest. I know it's not really the same type of car, other than it's small and fast.
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Exactly, but that's Internet forums - if there is something to complain about then people will.
e.g. Comments like :
- Another x20d, isn't that dull!
- Oh, you spent £40k on a hyper hatch with the same interior as the £18k equivalent.
You can't please everyone, all of the time. It's your money, so go for it!
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The whole 'on the public road' thing is a red herring really, not least when it's followed up with wishing to have a car that allows rapid speed and high levels of cornering ability, which I like too by the way. If I decide (and the word decide is also important) to have some sliding fun it will be at slow speeds, often in damp conditions and always when the road is empty, so in reality significantly safer than carrying far too much speed around a nice country road, something we all like too.
I think there is a big difference between sliding to the point of running out of lock at your nearest mini roundabout, sat with the engine on the limiter.... and using the throttle to help steer the car.
The S2000 I had a few years back now was absolutely incredible for handling, and part of this was the back end liked to dance a little. When I'd done the modifications I had to suspension, it was incredibly predictable, and I certainly wasn't 'drift king'ing' around all the local streets, but on a decent NSL road, I was certainly making use of the throttle to get round corners.
The car felt totally alive, and I remember chasing Spaz round Bedford at a track day when he had an R26.R on R888's. I could just about keep pace with him.
We pulled into the pits and I looked like I'd ran a marathon, such was the effort to push the car to the limit of my abilities (I'm sure better drivers would have done better, etc) The whole thing was an incredible experience, and I've never driven anything like it since.
The S2000 I had a few years back now was absolutely incredible for handling, and part of this was the back end liked to dance a little. When I'd done the modifications I had to suspension, it was incredibly predictable, and I certainly wasn't 'drift king'ing' around all the local streets, but on a decent NSL road, I was certainly making use of the throttle to get round corners.
The car felt totally alive, and I remember chasing Spaz round Bedford at a track day when he had an R26.R on R888's. I could just about keep pace with him.
We pulled into the pits and I looked like I'd ran a marathon, such was the effort to push the car to the limit of my abilities (I'm sure better drivers would have done better, etc) The whole thing was an incredible experience, and I've never driven anything like it since.
Indeed, catching and controlling a slide is one of the great pleasures of motoring, reality is most people haven't learnt how to and find it intimidating.
Caporegime
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What reaction is that? Slow down because you're driving too fast?
On the public road if you are driving safely you won't encounter over or understeer.
Crap.
I thought exactly the same.
Snow, ice, oil and other spills can all cause under/oversteer at 5mph. The argument of 'well 5mph is obviously too fast for the conditions' is ludicrous of course as it's an absolute and preposterous in the real world. A sudden tyre deflation can also cause both and again it's not always something the driver can influence by how they drive. A bad rut can also unsettle a car so imagine coming around a corner on a nice road and finding a rut or an object in the road totally unexpectedly and getting a light rear end, I've had that happen 2 or 3 times so hardly a big risk but it can happen especially in a stiffly sprung car. Driving safely always assumes the driver is the cause of a problem the driver has to deal with, which is not always the case if you look at things sensibly.
Catching a car is a skill everyone should learn, even if they never have to do so and it is why any advanced skills course or police training puts time into skid and under/oversteer control because sometimes you might benefit from how to deal with it due to circumstances outside your control.
Anyway, we have gone very off topic, as you were men.
Catching a car is a skill everyone should learn, even if they never have to do so and it is why any advanced skills course or police training puts time into skid and under/oversteer control because sometimes you might benefit from how to deal with it due to circumstances outside your control.
Anyway, we have gone very off topic, as you were men.
So basically if it is not RWD it is **** ? Better go and tell all those Gallardo / R8 owners that their car sucks, then
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Lol at this dumb post
So basically if it is not RWD it is **** ? Better go and tell all those Gallardo / R8 owners that their car sucks, then
I thought those cars were RWD until they needed to transfer power to the front, certainly the R8?
The GTR and 911 Turbo's are certainly RWD biased, hence them still being quite fun to drive and not as dull as your typically AWD or Haldex AWD/FWD biased cars.
Evo every day, would out handle the merc.