I'm trying to understand the whole concept of making a drivers car in the modern day system, I kinda figure that a fast responsive car that feels like a dream to drive must be almost impossible in the current economic climate.
I'll begin to list why i think this in a moment, but this has all come about after reading an article on the Ford Focus and how much of a pleasure this car is to drive, "a real drivers car", now that I agree that when i was looking at new cars i really didn't want a focus, its a ford for a start, and its boring run of the mill and loads of them about. It said nothing about me as a person.
But the ST170's i test drove where very very nice, quick and very responsive, although the clutch was stiff as hell, which was why i didn't buy it.
But is it really a dream to drive, well i don't think so, and i quite frankly think that no main stream manufacturer can produce a drivers car.
Mainly due to the following
"SAFETY" - NCAP tests etc, so many things that people need to meet nowadays or get slated, all drivers cars are probably designed to just have 2 models if that.
Economics - you cut of huge swathes of market just making a drivers car, which is why i feel MG rover are doomed with there branding.
Speed concious drive - speed will become as socially unacceptable as drink driving given a few more years (decades possibly)
The other factor is that people seem to split into two groups, making things like the caterham 7 which is stunning, but its unpratical as hell.
So can anyone really make a drivers car nowadays?,
Personally I don't think so?. Views??
TiG


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). What it does have to do is communicate to you what it is doing. I learnt to drive in a 2CV; but I had a few lessons in a Corsa to polish up for the test. The Corsa was faster, smoother, more comforatble and much much safer, but it was also utterly tedious to drive, whereas a 2CV is a total hoot on the right roads. My second car was an old Nissan Praerie, which by virtue of it's knackered suspension, had a rock hard ride, very little body roll, and excellent feedback. One time a git in a 318i compact tried to overtake me going into a roundabout on the A31 in Hampshire. Both of us were doing 60. He was assuming that I'd slow down and let him round the roundabout first, so he must have had the fright of his life when I kept it pinned*, bombed round the outside lane of the roundabout alongside him without lifting off, and proceeded on my merry way. I was on the limit but I was confident doing it because I knew exactly what the car was going to do.
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