The "I just drove a..." Thread

[Waugh-terfall]

A lightly 'pimped' 140,000mi 1999 SEAT Ibiza Special Edition 1.9TDI
(lowered, 17inch alloys, wide tyres, short-throw kit etc...)

[Sledgehammer]

2010 Hyundai Genesis Coupe 2.0t
Hands down the sweetest car I have driven in the last year. I almost, almost, traded my speed6 in for it right then and there.

The story starts as I went out car shopping yesterday. First stopped in looking at the new sti's, they wouldnt let me drive one. The next stop was at a nissan, no salesman came out to see me, next. Stopped into a mazda store to take a look at the new 6's and speed3's. Right out front was a white hyundai genesis. First impression was "holy $hit, a sporty hundai. I went inside then to look at the new 6's, big, bulky, hated the new steering wheel and interior. Went back outside to check on the hyundai and had the salesman tell me a little about it. It was the track package SE model with 19's. Seating in the rear, not ever gunna happen if your over 5'10. Drivers position was perfect for larger people with the shifter right where my hand lands. The dashboard was a little to computery and not as comforting. Trying to look a little too much like a new computer. Dashboard controls felt good and solid, unlike the new Dodge's. First drive impressions were very positive. The toe in on sharp turns was excellent with oversteer with a little throttle acceleration. This 2.0t feels more like 240 hp than the 212 or whatever quoted (not having the v6 I couldnt test drive it). HW feel was similar to a BMW 325i with firmer suspention. Steering was much better than my mazdaspeed6 due in majority to the wheels not following the road. Mine tend to grab and spin the wheel on varying camber roads. On the street before the dealership, I took a corner at speed with traction control disabled. Turn in at 25 and floored it at the apex ready for a little fun. The car delivered perfectly with the tail sliding out quickly to a heart pumping angle. I held it for a second and then let off hard. The cars dynamics were predictable and controlable with the back end snapping back into line without any additional countersteer needed. A Hyundai that I really like, that was the big supprise.

[Panoz]

My girlfriend through the bedroom

[Matra et Alpine]

girlfriemd ?

I'm betting you did it single-handed

[IBrake4Rainbows]

needed the other hand for "gear changes".

[Sledgehammer]

needed the other hand for "gear changes".

Which make a sort of click like sound.

[cmcpokey]

2009 Infiniti EX35

I have been rather busy and didn't have time to update this earlier, but last weekend I took my G to be serviced and got an EX35 as a loaner for the day. I had previously sat in one in the showroom, and was intrigued by it, but had never taken one for a drive. Having it for several hours, driving around town, on the freeway, and parking multiple times gave me a really good idea of what it was like to live with.

As a frame of reference, in addition to the G35 Coupe we also own a Mazda CX-7 which was the frame of reference when evaluating this car. I use car for the EX because it is much more car like than the CX-7, and doesn't have nearly the footprint of the larger crossover.

First impressions from the driver's seat. The seats are very comfortable, but offer very little when it comes to lateral support. This is acceptable in its typical use, but a bit out of concert with the drivetrain. The dash is logically laid out intuitively, and the controls are all nicely weighted, and everything feels nice to the touch. The steering wheel is covered in soft, rather grippy leather, unfortunately in this one it was cream colored and showed the grime of every hand that touched it. The infotainment screen is the same one found in every current Infiniti and contains is the only display for the stereo and navigation. It is a touch screen with a multitude of buttons around it, so there are multiple ways to input information. I found it much better to use than the CX-7's touchscreen with few additional buttons, but it wasn't as intuitive and was positioned so that it required you so lean forward to touch the screen. It was also quite a bit smaller. The rest of the interior is very well appointed, although feels much more intimate than the CX does. I am sure this is a function of the much smaller footprint. Rear storage is also much smaller for the same reason, but it is good enough to store as much shopping as you want to do in one day.

Now to the important part: the driving. Being built on the same chassis and running gear as my G35, and not the current G37, it feels very familiar. However as opposed to my rear wheel drive manual, this is only available as an all wheel drive automatic. The engine has also been slightly remapped to deliver a smoother driving experience, which was a bit of a relief after the very peaky power deliver of the manual coupe's VQ35DE. It pulls strong from a low rpm and goes all the way up to redline in a hurry. It can be difficult to come off the line smoothly due to the power delivery coming on from such a low rpm, but is very linear. The CX by comparison leaves the line with little drama, but as the turbo spools up, it has a sudden burst of power. I found the lack of a turbo and the lower center of gravity in the EX made it much more confident in the corners and quicker off the line, but not as easy to modulate at slow speeds as the off boost CX-7.

The transmission is nicely judged in ratios and shifts very smoothly and quickly. The Infiniti SUVs/Crossovers do without the CVTs found in their sister Nissan models, and are subsequently much nicer to drive. There is a manual mode, but it doesn't have the wheel mounted paddles of the Nissans, but given the clientele this car wont be driven in manual mode very often anyway. In both automatic mode and manual mode it shifts faster than the mazda, and I generally preferred it the Mazda's. One thing Infiniti did borrow from the Nissans was the steering rack. I disliked it in the Murano and Rogue, and it felt very out of place here. It was extremely light at low speeds and while it did firm up substantially as speed increased, it wasn't enough that I ever really enjoyed the helm.

So the sum up. I found the car very enjoyable to drive for the most part. It has a comfortable interior, and an excellent engine. It is small enough that you never struggle to fit in a parking space or feel ponderous on the road. Had it been available when we purchased our Mazda, it is very possible that we would have the EX in our driveway instead.

[Revo]

Yesterday:
2006 Saab 9-3 (154 kW)
2003 & 2005 Saab 9-3 (110 kw)

Today:
2006 Volvo S40 2,4. That inline-5 sound is unbeatable...
2009 VW Polo 1,2
2006 Alfa Romeo 159 2,2 JTS. Quite simply, 159 is automotive heaven. There is no other way of describing the experience.

Yeah, I've been busy recently

[Ferrer]

Yesterday:
2006 Saab 9-3 (154 kW)
2003 & 2005 Saab 9-3 (110 kw)

Today:
2006 Volvo S40 2,4. That inline-5 sound is unbeatable...
2009 VW Polo 1,2
2006 Alfa Romeo 159 2,2 JTS. Quite simply, 159 is automotive heaven. There is no other way of describing the experience.

Yeah, I've been busy recently

You'll need to elaborate a bit more...

[Revo]

You'll need to elaborate a bit more...

Fine then. Please excuse the long post.

For the past week me and my two associates have been looking for a second car for my company. The idea is to purchase a second hand, low mileage junior executive car.

Inspired by my recent classic 900 Turbo purchase, my mate had an idea that Saab 9-3 would be really nice. After all, we design buildings and a Saab has a certain image and so on...Anyways, we almost bought one, however - the techical inspection showed some serious faults. Misfire in one cylinder, the loss of coolant without any trace of leaking, lack of engine oil and totally weared out brake pads. Mind you, it was a 2005 one owner car with 60,000 km and full service history.

Frustrated, yesterday we tried some three or four other Saabs 9-3 which all had somewhat bigger mileage (130,000...170,000 kms), but were good, honest cars IMO. Unfortunately, my mate has this thing against high mileage cars so no deal again.

Today I found a 2006 Volvo S40 with 12,000 kms on the clock. Unfortunately the reality was that the Volvo was a lemon. Poorly repaired accident damage, missing key set, missing boot carpet (what-the-hell?), missing tool set, burned out xenon high beam lamps, driver seat belt was in need of replacing (at least 1,000€ job) and so on.

Frustrated in secon hand car market, we went straight to VW dealers to check out the new Polo. It looks damn good in black. Foolproof buy. However, it really doesn't fit the idea of junior executive car and - why buy a brand new Polo if you can have a second hand Punto about one third the cost of a new Polo? Or you can have something more exiting, albeit second hand?

Then I had a brainwave - Alfa 159. Coincidentally, there is one for sale here - one owner, full history, 48,000 kms, full set of keys, tools, papers, winter tyres, the lot.

Today afternoon I had a test drive which erased all the frustration that had been building. It is official now - 159 is a fantastic drive. Even if we won't end up buying that particular car, at least I had a wonderful driving experience that I wanted to share with UCP.

Right, 159. Brilliant. Absolutely brilliant. It remined me of my old Fiat Coupe - that special ambience in interior that only Italians are able to produce. Right engine note. Quite firm ride. Some serious ergonomic faults. Beautiful leather seats. The unmistakable feeling of you driving the car, not the car driving you.

To conclude the 159 experience, I'd like to quote Jermey Clarkson. The man rarely makes sense, nevertheless, here he speaks the truth.

A car can be a tool but it can also be so much more. It can be a heart-starter, it can be a drug, it can be a piece of art and it can stir your soul.

[Ferrer]

Nice to see that Alfa can still cut it.

I didn't realise the second hand market was so tough though.

[Revo]

Yeah, it can be stressful and time-consuming, yet definitely worthwhile IMO.

[NSXType-R]

It's funny that the Alfa 159 comes with a full tool set. I don't think any cars some with a tool set (standard?) anymore.

But yeah, glad you enjoy the Alfa!

[Ferrer]

It's funny that the Alfa 159 comes with a full tool set. I don't think any cars some with a tool set (standard?) anymore.

But yeah, glad you enjoy the Alfa!

It's an italian car. Parts will fall off. You'll need screwdrivers to bolt them back on.

[Revo]

It's an italian car. Parts will fall off. You'll need screwdrivers to bolt them back on.

I don't mind mending.

For the record - my search is over. 159 checked out quite nicely and the deal is done.