Brother Michael
Well-Known Member
Right, here goes.
The point of this thread is to get some sort of understanding to which cars are actually the ones that you just want to take for a drive in the middle of a night and most importantly; why is it ? Hopefully this'll give a deeper insight to many people and surely some great tips for everyone who wants to buy a car, maybe one with some space in the back but also a bit of flare and driving experience.
Is it the gentle, accurate and precision steering feel. Or perhaps it is the chassis, which has been tuned with such delicacy to respond to bends, even Colin Chapman would be proud. Then again it could be the engine, which may not have all the "poweeeeeeeRR" in the universe but just begs to be revved and driven hard. Maybe it's all of the above, maybe it's something completely different.
And now an important point: I don't mean exclusively 2-seater sports cars meant for track days, oooh no. I mean drivers cars in every single meaning of the word "car". For instance common example usually include every single Porsche and Ferrari, on the cheaper scale Honda S2000, MR2 etc. But there are other cars as well: Ford Mondeo (ST220), BMWs of all sorts, Mazda 6&3 (MPS), Alfa 156 (GTA), Hot Hatches, Audi S4/6/8 and....well you get the point, I mean every kind of car, from the small nimble cornering machine to the big barges that also put a a smile on your face, let's say a 7-series for example.
So I'll begin, with too very humble candidates:
Ford Mondeo (2nd gen)
The Mondeo is a very good car to drive. Borig to look at, maybe. Common as flu, absolutely. But the latter one is for a good reason. The chassis is a brilliant compromise between everyman sportiness and comfort, the suspension isn't soft and wobbly and the best bit is the steering: nicely weighted, good feel and very precise. Even with the tiniest 1.8 engine (which I used to have) it still a blast in the corners. Only bigger complaint is about the pedals: lack feel and the gas pedal isn't exactly gentle.
Mazda 6 (1st gen)
About the same things as with the Mondeo, but the main difference is that the 6 is a bit sportier. Also meaning it's not as comfortable. But the steering is even better and the chassis is the best with "normal family cars" I've come across; it's fabulous. Some may find the gearbox too stiff and edgy, but I actually like it that way (also used to have one of these for a few months). It is sharp, but you do need to use some force to change gear.
So there, the field is open and I hope we could (for once) have an actual change of opinions without it braking into a full-on flamewar. Game on !
The point of this thread is to get some sort of understanding to which cars are actually the ones that you just want to take for a drive in the middle of a night and most importantly; why is it ? Hopefully this'll give a deeper insight to many people and surely some great tips for everyone who wants to buy a car, maybe one with some space in the back but also a bit of flare and driving experience.
Is it the gentle, accurate and precision steering feel. Or perhaps it is the chassis, which has been tuned with such delicacy to respond to bends, even Colin Chapman would be proud. Then again it could be the engine, which may not have all the "poweeeeeeeRR" in the universe but just begs to be revved and driven hard. Maybe it's all of the above, maybe it's something completely different.
And now an important point: I don't mean exclusively 2-seater sports cars meant for track days, oooh no. I mean drivers cars in every single meaning of the word "car". For instance common example usually include every single Porsche and Ferrari, on the cheaper scale Honda S2000, MR2 etc. But there are other cars as well: Ford Mondeo (ST220), BMWs of all sorts, Mazda 6&3 (MPS), Alfa 156 (GTA), Hot Hatches, Audi S4/6/8 and....well you get the point, I mean every kind of car, from the small nimble cornering machine to the big barges that also put a a smile on your face, let's say a 7-series for example.
So I'll begin, with too very humble candidates:
Ford Mondeo (2nd gen)
The Mondeo is a very good car to drive. Borig to look at, maybe. Common as flu, absolutely. But the latter one is for a good reason. The chassis is a brilliant compromise between everyman sportiness and comfort, the suspension isn't soft and wobbly and the best bit is the steering: nicely weighted, good feel and very precise. Even with the tiniest 1.8 engine (which I used to have) it still a blast in the corners. Only bigger complaint is about the pedals: lack feel and the gas pedal isn't exactly gentle.
Mazda 6 (1st gen)
About the same things as with the Mondeo, but the main difference is that the 6 is a bit sportier. Also meaning it's not as comfortable. But the steering is even better and the chassis is the best with "normal family cars" I've come across; it's fabulous. Some may find the gearbox too stiff and edgy, but I actually like it that way (also used to have one of these for a few months). It is sharp, but you do need to use some force to change gear.
So there, the field is open and I hope we could (for once) have an actual change of opinions without it braking into a full-on flamewar. Game on !
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