The "I just drove a..." Thread

[Waugh-terfall]

resounding 'ugh'
not a fan of that car needs moar power

Aaah, but the latter car, the latter car!

ps. My daily is a 100bhp Renault Megane!

You are going to an auto salon?

Track day thing, the girlfriend got it for me for my Birthday

[cmcpokey]

Track day thing, the girlfriend got it for me for my Birthday

sounds like she's a keeper.

[Timothy (in VA)]

This summer, I'm doing supervised research for credit towards my degree at Blandy Experimental Farm in Boyce, Virginia. The reason I mention this here is to provide context. Blandy owns two John Deere Gators, one "old" and one "new" (I don't know their exact ages; that's just how they distinguish them). Since I've started here, I've driven both of them.

They are incredibly fun. They're very simple machines, and the cockpit is completely exposed to the elements: no windshield, no doors, no seatbelts. Tug the choke, turn the key, release the brake, shift into drive, and blattt-urrr-rummm-chug-chug-chug.

Top speed isn't very high, but it feels pretty fast without the protection of the metal shell I'm used to. I drove the old one today, and it felt faster than the new one, but the only time I drove the new one I was towing a trailer, which would no doubt slow me down a bit. On the other hand, the new one has a cupholder, which I found to be quite handy, whereas the old one does not. In either case, I was smiling the entire time I was behind the wheel.

[Waugh-terfall]

sounds like she's a keeper.

Yup, indeedy-do,

Basically, I get taken around Thruxton in a Mazda 3 MPS with an instructor at the wheel to show me the ropes, then I get 4 laps to drive the Cayman myself, and then 4 laps to drive the 997 Turbo myself, then I get the option of paying an extra fee to drive a (I think) Formula Renault car. If I choose an 8.30am booking I get a spin in a roll-caged RX-8

[Ferrer]

1990 Volkswagen Polo Coupe GT.

As some of you may know I've actually already driven this car before, but today I've had the opportunity to take it for a blast on a mountain road. But let's start on the outside, where we find that despite the outdated styling it's not a bad looking car. It is the sloped rear Coupe version, not the kamm back hatchback so it looks a bit sporty. I like the fact that it's not massive like modern superminis which almost all look like mutated vegetables. The interior shows its age though. The gear lever is a bit of a stretch and you sit quite high up and close to the windscreen. The seats are nothing to write about, but there's quite a lot of space front and back, altough the boot is tiny. One thing that surprised me is visibility, which is excellent, but the mirrors are awful making changing lanes a bit of a guessing game.

Being the GT version this was supposed to be the sporty version of the original Mk II Polo, the supercharged G40 wouldn't come after the facelift. But it's nothing more than a warmish hatch. It has a 1.3 litre fuel injected four cylinder engine with 75bhp and a 5 speed manual gearbox. It's not a fast car, but if you use the gear lever and go for it, it does move especially at low speeds. Once you are passed 100km/h gaining speed is much more leisure process. So if you want to make progress you've got keep on the power using the gearbox. One funny thing is that it makes quite a loud noise and you feel a bit like you are in a racing car, except that you are doing 23km/h... The gearbox can be notchy if you don't treat it well, especially downshifting from third to second, unfortunately the pedals aren't well positioned for heel and toeing, but it does benefit from rev matched downshifts.

Being a 20 year old car, it has power nothing. No power steering, no ABS, no traction control, no air conditioning, no electric windows, no nothing really. This clearly has two advantages, first it has a very pleasant mechanical feel to it, as you feel everything that gets done is done by you and also it weights next to nothing, about 750kg. That means that on the corners it feels agile and quite eager to change direction, even if ultimately what you get is understeer. You can provoke it to make the back round the corners for you but it isn't easy to let it go. The steering is quite heavy and doesn't have a lot of feel, at least not for what I was expecting, and on town it can be a bit of a pain in the ass, but thanks to the narrow tires it isn't as bad as I'd thought it'd be. The weakest point of the car are definitely the brakes which don't give you much confidence to brake at the last moment altough they seem to have an accepatable resistance to fading. Finally it's not the most comfortable car in the world, but it does ride better than many modern so-called luxury german cars, so for a 20 year old supermini it isn't too bad.

All in all I like it. It might not be the best warm hatch ever. It might not be even the best warm hatch of its era, but I love the way everything, every control, feels raw and mechanical. It's a feel that has been lost in modern cars and I think it's a bit of a shame. These old cars put you back into the driving. And it might not be very fast, but it provides moderate thrills at moderate speeds.

I need to drive more cars like it.

[DesmoRob]

Yesterday, my girlfriend's father and I test drove the '09 Genesis 4.6 V8.

I must say, the car was a little over hyped. It has many notable features, including a transmission from BMW, and a sound system that is so supreme, the only other car its found in is a RR Phantom, according to the salesman.

When we finally got to a quiet straight stretch and matted the pedal, I was expecting more of a kick from the V8. Then again, we did accelerate from a roll of about 60km/h instead of a complete stop, so that most definitely made a difference. The suspension is nice, but nothing to rave about. I would say it's probably comparable in ride quality to my C 240. The dashboard set up looks like it came straight out of a previous gen S class. Hyundai should be commended for a wonderful car, but I think I would still take my $50K CAD, and buy myself the older S class.

[LTSmash]

Yesterday, my girlfriend's father and I test drove the '09 Genesis 4.6 V8.

I saw this on the freeway on my way to a round of golf last week, along with a silver DB9 and a black R35 (but that belongs in a different thread).

I saw it coming up behind me and I thought it to be a deformed S Class right off the bat but then I realized it was a Hyundai once it passed. I don't like it to be honest. I don't like the concept I should say. It's not that it's an ugly car because it's not, and I can't comment on the way it drives because I haven't had the opportunity. I just don't like how Hyundai is drastically changing its image so fast. One minute they make Kia type autos and the next minute they tout off their "luxury" style with a would-be S Class. I'd have more respect for the brand if it just stuck with one idea and did a good job with it. Hyundai is the reverse of Porsche as far as image is concerned.

[LeonOfTheDead]

for the record, Hyundai owns Kia.

[LTSmash]

for the record, Hyundai owns Kia.

Well there you go.

[DesmoRob]

I'm not quite sure of what Hyundai is trying to do with these new cars, but one thing's for sure, they are turning some heads. They offer cars suitable for students, those just looking for affordable practicality, and lately even for individuals that have hit a midlife crisis or want an executive car for a non executive price. They seem to be all over the map with their products. The only problem is, does anybody want to spend $50K on a new Hyundai, or rather a previously loved Lexus/MB/Audi/BMW. I can't say, because I'm not in the market for a car like this. All I know, is I don't feel like owning something with a Hyundai badge.

[Ferrer]

I'm not quite sure of what Hyundai is trying to do with these new cars, but one thing's for sure, they are turning some heads. They offer cars suitable for students, those just looking for affordable practicality, and lately even for individuals that have hit a midlife crisis or want an executive car for a non executive price. They seem to be all over the map with their products. The only problem is, does anybody want to spend $50K on a new Hyundai, or rather a previously loved Lexus/MB/Audi/BMW. I can't say, because I'm not in the market for a car like this. All I know, is I don't feel like owning something with a Hyundai badge.

Well, you've got a second hand Merc, so you sort of were in the market for such a car and already answered the question.

[Rockefella]

Hyundai or Kia can't just enter the market and make luxury vehicles being, 1: new, and 2: from Korea. Honda and Toyota were no different two decades+ ago, and are now sought after as good, albeit boring cars. You can't escape the image of being cheap if you never leave that comfort zone. It took a little while for Infiniti to gain respect in the same market Hyundai is trying to creep into.

[LeonOfTheDead]

I'm not quite sure of what Hyundai is trying to do with these new cars, but one thing's for sure, they are turning some heads. They offer cars suitable for students, those just looking for affordable practicality, and lately even for individuals that have hit a midlife crisis or want an executive car for a non executive price. They seem to be all over the map with their products. The only problem is, does anybody want to spend $50K on a new Hyundai, or rather a previously loved Lexus/MB/Audi/BMW. I can't say, because I'm not in the market for a car like this. All I know, is I don't feel like owning something with a Hyundai badge.

indeed the Genesis doesn't have a badge

Hyundai or Kia can't just enter the market and make luxury vehicles being, 1: new, and 2: from Korea. Honda and Toyota were no different two decades+ ago, and are now sought after as good, albeit boring cars. You can't escape the image of being cheap if you never leave that comfort zone. It took a little while for Infiniti to gain respect in the same market Hyundai is trying to creep into.

Hyundai Motors: 1967
Kia Motors: 1944
not quite new, surely new for the segment though.

I don't know, I think the Genesis offers a good deal for the price. It's not cheap, but definitely cheaper than the competition, and I happen to like it somehow.

[NSXType-R]

I'm not quite sure of what Hyundai is trying to do with these new cars, but one thing's for sure, they are turning some heads. They offer cars suitable for students, those just looking for affordable practicality, and lately even for individuals that have hit a midlife crisis or want an executive car for a non executive price. They seem to be all over the map with their products. The only problem is, does anybody want to spend $50K on a new Hyundai, or rather a previously loved Lexus/MB/Audi/BMW. I can't say, because I'm not in the market for a car like this. All I know, is I don't feel like owning something with a Hyundai badge.

They need to spin off their badge, like all the Japanese automakers that entered the market in the late 80's.

Why Hyundai didn't do it to introduce the Genesis I think is a marketing nightmare. It cheapens the brand so much.

[DesmoRob]

Well, you've got a second hand Merc, so you sort of were in the market for such a car and already answered the question.

Lets face it, my little C 240 isn't in Genesis territory, so I wouldn't go so far as to say I was in that given market. I don't even think my C class cost as much as the Genesis does new, and that's with a Merc badge.

indeed the Genesis doesn't have a badge

lol, the one on the steering wheel and boot lid is bad enough. Plenty of reminder for you not to forget what brand you're driving .