Test drove a 620S today
Discussion
So here's my mini review, I had about 15 mins passengering and 15 mins driving, so not exhaustive but it did give a flavour.
Exterior:
First impressions when you see the car are good. The grey demonstrator with orange stripes looks the business, and I think the wider SV chassis suits it well, makes it look v grown up. 15" wheels look great and I actually prefer them aesthetically to the 13" ones on my 620R.
Interior:
When you get in the car, the good news continues. I've not sat in an SV chassis-ed car since before I bought my 620R and I'd forgotten just how far a little extra room goes. The tillet seats are big enough for me to sit in with a warm jacket on (not possible in my car), the extra passenger legroom is great, ditto room for knees and pedals when you're driving. The dials are subtly different on the S to the R which I like, helps give the car it's own identity. As far as the heated seats go, yes they're okay, but the situation is a bit like in my Boxster: if it's cold enough to want heated seats on, you'd probably be wearing a jacket anyway, in which case you don't need the heated seats. But it's nice option to be able to spec if you want I guess.
Driving:
If you come from any other car than a 620R, this is going to feel seriously quick. 2 up and with the SV chassis's extra weight probably equalled an added 100kg compared to me on my todd in the 620R but it still shifted. The ride on the road is a revelation compared to the 620R - much more compliance, genuinely comfy even with the race seats. You can deploy your right foot with a lot more confidence but you haven't lost that lovely feedback and feelings like when you get on the gas and feel your corner line tighten slightly. This is going to sound a bit daft but the only bit I'm not sold on is the 5 sp gearbox. Can the car take it? Yes, clearly, there's oomph everywhere. But it just felt a little too cruisey, and given that you can't fully deploy your right foot in the R where 1st is long enough to take you to 60, having 1st which only takes you to 40 or so in the S is a bit pointless. That said, it could be different if you were without the extra weight of the passenger and SV. I'd have to drive the car with just me in it to be sure.
Overall:
Great car, and truth be told, if it had been available to order in October when I was looking, this is prob the car I would have bought rather than the R. But having now sampled my 620R for a few months, for my personal tastes (at the moment) the S feels a little too sanitized. For me a 620 should be batsh** crazy and frankly scare you a little bit, actually scratch that, a lot. It's why I bought and love mine. Otherwise in my head there's an argument that you should just get say a 420 S3 with a 6sp and the performance will prob feel just as exciting. Not having the seq box really highlights how much character it brings to the R. It's harder work, but more fun. So for the moment, I will be keeping my R
But, if you're in the market for a CSR and you're coming from a regular 7, you should def drive the 620S as I think it would make an interesting alternative.
Anyway, based on all that, the perfect 620 for me would prob be:
620R with seq 'box
SV chassis with the tillets that I fit in
Suspension between the S and R
A spare set of those 15" wheels with ZZSs on to use on the road
Since I can't magic my car into an SV chassis, I'll just have to lose some (lots!) weight instead and save up to buy the awesome wheels and some trick adjustable suspension from Meteor instead
Exterior:
First impressions when you see the car are good. The grey demonstrator with orange stripes looks the business, and I think the wider SV chassis suits it well, makes it look v grown up. 15" wheels look great and I actually prefer them aesthetically to the 13" ones on my 620R.
Interior:
When you get in the car, the good news continues. I've not sat in an SV chassis-ed car since before I bought my 620R and I'd forgotten just how far a little extra room goes. The tillet seats are big enough for me to sit in with a warm jacket on (not possible in my car), the extra passenger legroom is great, ditto room for knees and pedals when you're driving. The dials are subtly different on the S to the R which I like, helps give the car it's own identity. As far as the heated seats go, yes they're okay, but the situation is a bit like in my Boxster: if it's cold enough to want heated seats on, you'd probably be wearing a jacket anyway, in which case you don't need the heated seats. But it's nice option to be able to spec if you want I guess.
Driving:
If you come from any other car than a 620R, this is going to feel seriously quick. 2 up and with the SV chassis's extra weight probably equalled an added 100kg compared to me on my todd in the 620R but it still shifted. The ride on the road is a revelation compared to the 620R - much more compliance, genuinely comfy even with the race seats. You can deploy your right foot with a lot more confidence but you haven't lost that lovely feedback and feelings like when you get on the gas and feel your corner line tighten slightly. This is going to sound a bit daft but the only bit I'm not sold on is the 5 sp gearbox. Can the car take it? Yes, clearly, there's oomph everywhere. But it just felt a little too cruisey, and given that you can't fully deploy your right foot in the R where 1st is long enough to take you to 60, having 1st which only takes you to 40 or so in the S is a bit pointless. That said, it could be different if you were without the extra weight of the passenger and SV. I'd have to drive the car with just me in it to be sure.
Overall:
Great car, and truth be told, if it had been available to order in October when I was looking, this is prob the car I would have bought rather than the R. But having now sampled my 620R for a few months, for my personal tastes (at the moment) the S feels a little too sanitized. For me a 620 should be batsh** crazy and frankly scare you a little bit, actually scratch that, a lot. It's why I bought and love mine. Otherwise in my head there's an argument that you should just get say a 420 S3 with a 6sp and the performance will prob feel just as exciting. Not having the seq box really highlights how much character it brings to the R. It's harder work, but more fun. So for the moment, I will be keeping my R
But, if you're in the market for a CSR and you're coming from a regular 7, you should def drive the 620S as I think it would make an interesting alternative.
Anyway, based on all that, the perfect 620 for me would prob be:
620R with seq 'box
SV chassis with the tillets that I fit in
Suspension between the S and R
A spare set of those 15" wheels with ZZSs on to use on the road
Since I can't magic my car into an SV chassis, I'll just have to lose some (lots!) weight instead and save up to buy the awesome wheels and some trick adjustable suspension from Meteor instead
Edited by Mario149 on Saturday 30th January 19:09
ks. Ride is way more compliant than on the R.Gassing Station | Caterham | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff