Cars with that special feel?
Discussion
Matt UK said:
I'll vote for the R53 mini cooper s.
Whenever I drive ours (on 15" winters) it always impresses me and I end nabbing the keys for a few days in a row.
Mine was on 16" non runflat 195s ( when it wasn't on winters ) and had a great feel too. The LSD gave the front end tenacious bite as wellWhenever I drive ours (on 15" winters) it always impresses me and I end nabbing the keys for a few days in a row.
For me an M6 10V with 500 glorious ponies and a sound track to match - I'd just leave it in first, 8000+rpm at 30ish mph. The old grannires would be shaking their sticks at me!
It a bit of an ugly barge but it had presence, it could power slide on demand, handled, managed to take the (petite) family and was a mile muncher.
Unfortunately I bought it when super unleaded was around 1.50 a litre
.. And at 15mpg, it had to go...
(Not my actual car but I'm on the wrong computer for that - I'll edit when I can back from the principality)
It a bit of an ugly barge but it had presence, it could power slide on demand, handled, managed to take the (petite) family and was a mile muncher.
Unfortunately I bought it when super unleaded was around 1.50 a litre
.. And at 15mpg, it had to go...(Not my actual car but I'm on the wrong computer for that - I'll edit when I can back from the principality)
the thing that makes a car special to me is smell and sound. I used to have a fiat coupe 5pot turbo, you could smell the oily engine smells from new, the problem nowadays most modern cars are well insulated, sound proofing etc, which fiat seemed to have less of all that in the coupe
iam sure if for example someone jumped into a race car, no sound proofing, all the engine oily smells in the cockpit, noisy engine, gearbox, makes for a great experience etc, also when I jump into my off road racer, putting on a helmet, strapping yourself into the 5 point harness, sitting into the body hugging seat, the noise, heat, smell, makes for a assault on your human senses, makes for a fantastic experience, which is like been addicted to drug lol
iam sure if for example someone jumped into a race car, no sound proofing, all the engine oily smells in the cockpit, noisy engine, gearbox, makes for a great experience etc, also when I jump into my off road racer, putting on a helmet, strapping yourself into the 5 point harness, sitting into the body hugging seat, the noise, heat, smell, makes for a assault on your human senses, makes for a fantastic experience, which is like been addicted to drug lol
donaircooleone said:
Zadkiel said:
I'm surprised about the number of FWD cars people are mentioning!
A car that could in theory power slide doesn't necessarily mean that its special.I'm going to use a cliché and say that a good number of Alfa Romeos have it.
I don't disagree, but I'm curious to know what others have experienced. When I had my 164, i loved the instantaneous throttle response. It made it more fun to drive on A/B roads but downside was that around town it was more tricky to drive smoothly than a more modern car. It tequired that bit more concentration to avoid making it jerky, not difficult but also not as relaxing as something with a more linear throttle.
Also, the willingness to rev from the Busso V6 added a lot to the experience.
Not sure how other or newer Alfas compare to that, not had a chance to experience them. But hopefully they kept it the same, adds a lot to the charm of an otherwise average car.
It's a rare thing. Of all the mainstream new cars I've driven, only the GT86 has it. I must mention the original Ford Ka, without power steering, in base, base spec. That had it. I'm struggling to think of anything... The 190e 2.3 16 was a good shout, no doubt about that one. I drove a really nice, early 996 Carrera manual recently and that surprised me with it's 'it' levels. I think it's sort of the feeling that, when pressing on, the car itself tries to help you go faster, whether it succeeds or not isn't really the point. The 4C - I've driven one, IMHO that is the most 'it' car you can currently buy (if indeed you still can) - forget all the nonsense you've read on here about them. That car is alive.
kambites said:
It is an enormously personal thing. Most of the cars that people are saying feel special to them don't to me and probably vice versa. 
This. I have driven some cars which were `supposed' to be special, and whilst they were indeed very good cars, I felt a little disappointed because (in my) view, they did not turn out to be all that special, if at all.
The Caterham would be a case in point, it always feels special to me, particularly if I have not used it for a while, but for some, it just could not be further from what `they' feel is a special car.
It is definitely a marmite car, in that some who I have given rides in it, wanted to stop and get out of it after a mile (but to be fair that could also be down to my driving) whereas for others I could not get them to come out of it, if I tried to prize them out with a crowbar, with them saying please could I just have another X miles / half an hour in it?
What perhaps makes them a little special is that anyone with a hole in his backside could produce a superb car if they spent billions of pounds, in its design and production ( and charged countless thousands in its purchase price ) but doing that, using off the shelf parts from mainstream car manufacturers, does seem to require something that is perhaps a little special.
Chris944_S2 said:
donaircooleone said:
Zadkiel said:
I'm surprised about the number of FWD cars people are mentioning!
A car that could in theory power slide doesn't necessarily mean that its special.I'm going to use a cliché and say that a good number of Alfa Romeos have it.
I don't disagree, but I'm curious to know what others have experienced. When I had my 164, i loved the instantaneous throttle response. It made it more fun to drive on A/B roads but downside was that around town it was more tricky to drive smoothly than a more modern car. It tequired that bit more concentration to avoid making it jerky, not difficult but also not as relaxing as something with a more linear throttle.
Also, the willingness to rev from the Busso V6 added a lot to the experience.
Not sure how other or newer Alfas compare to that, not had a chance to experience them. But hopefully they kept it the same, adds a clot to the charm of an otherwise average car.
Id say the full size range rover also has it, every journey feels like an occasion.
AmitG said:
Jaguar steve said:
Poor boot space, poor leg room, poor head room, too long to park easily (especially the LWB), dated even when it came out. But they have a special feel about them that (IMHO) the 7-series and S-class of the same era do not have.
Definitely this. I've got one and it's a magnificent thing. Beautiful from so many angles, very low and graceful looking. I love the classic looks of it. Yes, it's compromised in terms of interior space, boot dimensions etc etc. But getting in it, you genuinely feel it has something that the other large barges, however nice, just don't have.
I've also had a couple of the other 'special' cars in this thread and would echo the sentiments expressed about them.
My 106 Rallye was a little belter of a car. To sit in, it didn't feel like anything special. It was full of rattling plastics, the gearshift wasn't exactly positive, the seats were tight and you could feel the frame on your thighs. Even driving slowly, it didn't feel great. The low speed ride was stiff and chattery, the stereo was crap, the cabin was noisy, the heater blew a smell of hot plastic at you. But press on, and it suddenly all came together. A full tilt speed, the ride and damping settles into a superlative experience; tight body control matched with sublime handling and an eager suppleness that kept the short wheelbase in touch with the roads. The engine perks up at 3500rpm and at 4000rpm, hits a barking stride until 7000rpm. The gearshift, when moved quickly, feel tight and assured, and the short ratios meant the car was never off the boil on a B road. And the handling, the communication. For years it'll be talked about. In my experience, it's the ultimate distillation of what hot hatch handling was all about before massive tyres and understeer became the order of the day.
I also had an MR2 Turbo. I bought this after having owned an MX5 and thought the MR2 better in most ways. Again, it did genuinely feel special. I'd been out in an MR2 Roadster by that point so I knew the MR2 was a good family tree, but I was still surprised by just how good the Turbo was. The noises were always interesting, I loved hearing the whistle of the turbo behind my head. To me, it encapsulated so much of those Gran Turismo years and it was what the Japanese import boom was all about. The Japanese manuals, the sign on the petrol filler cap, the floor mats...
BrownBottle said:
A bit surprised by all the Alfa GTV comments, IMO they were an understeering mess with poor control weights and the TS engine was rough as badgers.
106 Gti was an absolute blinder, blew me away with its go kart like handling.
306 Gti-6 was a cracker as well.
"Special" is not the same as "good" though. A car can be complete crap and still feel special or can be exceptionally good and feel thoroughly dull. In fact one could argue that a car needs flaws in order to feel special; otherwise it just feel competent and boring. 106 Gti was an absolute blinder, blew me away with its go kart like handling.
306 Gti-6 was a cracker as well.
kambites said:
BrownBottle said:
A bit surprised by all the Alfa GTV comments, IMO they were an understeering mess with poor control weights and the TS engine was rough as badgers.
106 Gti was an absolute blinder, blew me away with its go kart like handling.
306 Gti-6 was a cracker as well.
"Special" is not the same as "good" though. A car can be complete crap and still feel special or can be exceptionally good and feel thoroughly dull. In fact one could argue that a car needs flaws in order to feel special; otherwise it just feel competent and boring. 106 Gti was an absolute blinder, blew me away with its go kart like handling.
306 Gti-6 was a cracker as well.
I know some people don't think a fast saloon can't feel special, but my C63 did feel special from the moment I started it with the Full System (Inc Manifolds) letting it's presence being heard then the ride was great (Coilovers) the way you could teeter on the edge of the grip or just smoke the tyres great fun my MV F4 feels very special as well, especially now I've had the suspension set up, it's not as polished as my BMW S1000R but it feels more special & every journey feels special.
Here's the one I really wanted but the man maths couldn't get me there.
Here's the one I really wanted but the man maths couldn't get me there.
Edited by ZX10R NIN on Sunday 8th March 19:31
Well, I think Alfas have that special feel in bucketloads (although I can't speak from a Mito/Giullietta standpoint, too new)
I agree they are responsive and passionate but isn't the downside you mention also a positive? I mean, if you take all the driver involvement away round town, make the car do all the thinking then surely that's a bad thing? Keeping the driver involved and concentrating more will mean he/she is more aware and able to avoid that child/granny that steps out unexpectedly. It means that even the slow speeds are an event and require concentration and involvement. A good thing I think that a lot of modern metal have taken away...
I don't disagree, but I'm curious to know what others have experienced. When I had my 164, i loved the instantaneous throttle response. It made it more fun to drive on A/B roads but downside was that around town it was more tricky to drive smoothly than a more modern car. It tequired that bit more concentration to avoid making it jerky, not difficult but also not as relaxing as something with a more linear throttle.
Also, the willingness to rev from the Busso V6 added a lot to the experience.
Not sure how other or newer Alfas compare to that, not had a chance to experience them. But hopefully they kept it the same, adds a lot to the charm of an otherwise average car.
I agree they are responsive and passionate but isn't the downside you mention also a positive? I mean, if you take all the driver involvement away round town, make the car do all the thinking then surely that's a bad thing? Keeping the driver involved and concentrating more will mean he/she is more aware and able to avoid that child/granny that steps out unexpectedly. It means that even the slow speeds are an event and require concentration and involvement. A good thing I think that a lot of modern metal have taken away...
Chris944_S2 said:
donaircooleone said:
Zadkiel said:
I'm surprised about the number of FWD cars people are mentioning!
What is it that makes you think that of Alfas?I don't disagree, but I'm curious to know what others have experienced. When I had my 164, i loved the instantaneous throttle response. It made it more fun to drive on A/B roads but downside was that around town it was more tricky to drive smoothly than a more modern car. It tequired that bit more concentration to avoid making it jerky, not difficult but also not as relaxing as something with a more linear throttle.
Also, the willingness to rev from the Busso V6 added a lot to the experience.
Not sure how other or newer Alfas compare to that, not had a chance to experience them. But hopefully they kept it the same, adds a lot to the charm of an otherwise average car.
Just to echo the sentiments throughout this thread, I'm going to show a little bias here.
My VX220 has 'it' for me. Absolutely flawed, slightly underpowered, squeaky, rattly, cheap as fook interior (and that's coming from an Impreza!) hot in the summer, comfortably warm to cold in the winter dependent on if the wind-up windows are open....etc, etc. Most of these 'issues' might put others off, or convince them that the car doesn't have 'it'. They probably wouldn't be wrong either, but the flawed nature of the car is its beauty. It offers nothing but the most fantastic driving experience, EVERY TIME. That'll be why I use it happily as a daily driver!
My VX220 has 'it' for me. Absolutely flawed, slightly underpowered, squeaky, rattly, cheap as fook interior (and that's coming from an Impreza!) hot in the summer, comfortably warm to cold in the winter dependent on if the wind-up windows are open....etc, etc. Most of these 'issues' might put others off, or convince them that the car doesn't have 'it'. They probably wouldn't be wrong either, but the flawed nature of the car is its beauty. It offers nothing but the most fantastic driving experience, EVERY TIME. That'll be why I use it happily as a daily driver!
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