1000 miles by Tuscan
Discussion
The digital odometer made four digits on the A303 yesterday in the relentless rain. The car however has been so excellent and such a delight to drive and own I just can't keep to myself. Yet as I grow ever more impressed with it there is increasing sadness that the improvement in quality has just come too late for TVR. Overall I really think it is a superb product and a worthy and serious alternative to some of the more obvious £50k choices.
First up the famous 'snagging' list for the 1000mile service.
1. Passenger side rear light not working.
The end.
To be honest I'm a bit miffed about the light because it only went out yesterday on my drive back to London and it's ruined the clean sheet that I was looking forward to posting here.
In my opinion there is no question that quality has improved even since the beginning of 2005 when my Sagaris was built.
The extra ground clearance and softer dampers compared to the Sagaris are also welcome for everyday driving. The narrower body also contributes to this car being something of a b-road master. The Saggy was exceptional on A roads but less so on B's. But the Tuscan's set up introduces some compliance yet somehow maintains all the agility. The only downside of the softer damping would appear to be noticeably more dive under braking. Given it's noticeable on the road it can only feel worse on the track which is somewhere the Sagaris feels right at home. But I bought it for road use and so far the swap seems like the right thing to have done.
I've had the roof off plenty between showers and think the design works brilliantly. No leaks or squeaks to be seen or heard and it's very useful the way it stowes to preserve boot space. Roof-off it offers a glorious extra dimension to TVR ownership and you can do the whole thing single handed in seconds.
If was being extra picky I'd say you can detect a tiny bit of chassis flex after the fully caged Sagaris but it really is tiny and to me a worthwhile exchange. But the grip levels on the Goodyears continues to astound in both the wet and the dry. I was constantly impressed with these tyres on the Sagaris so I shouldn't be surprised but in outright grip levels the Tusc doesn't feel inferior at all. Somehow I was expecting it to. To those that don't know the later tuscan 2's like mine come with the same size wheels front to back and 255 tyres allround, as per the Sagaris. Some have suggested this is merely cost saving but personally I think it works extremely well and the car is incredibly hard to unstick either at the front or the rear, wet or dry. Something I know will change when the S6 is given free reign! I've yet to exceed 4k to date.
Overall thought the Tuscan and Sagaris feel quite different to drive given how much they have in common. The former feeling narrower and longer, more old school somehow. The Saggy feeling more squat, wide and aggressive with a complete sense of grip and appetite for cornering from the word go. The tuscan reveals its cornering prowess while you're actually in the corner, resisting roll and biting into the road in a way that's somehow more surprising. But there's something exquisite about the way the old school feel combines with devastating, very modern cornering ability and it's an addictive cocktail. It literally lifts my mood if I know I'll be driving it that day!
Having gotten to know the T350, Tamora, Sagaris and now the Tuscan well, there are definitely a few pleasures unique to Tuscan owners. It's really surprising how different these cars feel are given their obvious similarities (they all sound different too). But right now, mine's a Tuscan!
First up the famous 'snagging' list for the 1000mile service.
1. Passenger side rear light not working.
The end.
To be honest I'm a bit miffed about the light because it only went out yesterday on my drive back to London and it's ruined the clean sheet that I was looking forward to posting here.
In my opinion there is no question that quality has improved even since the beginning of 2005 when my Sagaris was built.
The extra ground clearance and softer dampers compared to the Sagaris are also welcome for everyday driving. The narrower body also contributes to this car being something of a b-road master. The Saggy was exceptional on A roads but less so on B's. But the Tuscan's set up introduces some compliance yet somehow maintains all the agility. The only downside of the softer damping would appear to be noticeably more dive under braking. Given it's noticeable on the road it can only feel worse on the track which is somewhere the Sagaris feels right at home. But I bought it for road use and so far the swap seems like the right thing to have done.
I've had the roof off plenty between showers and think the design works brilliantly. No leaks or squeaks to be seen or heard and it's very useful the way it stowes to preserve boot space. Roof-off it offers a glorious extra dimension to TVR ownership and you can do the whole thing single handed in seconds.
If was being extra picky I'd say you can detect a tiny bit of chassis flex after the fully caged Sagaris but it really is tiny and to me a worthwhile exchange. But the grip levels on the Goodyears continues to astound in both the wet and the dry. I was constantly impressed with these tyres on the Sagaris so I shouldn't be surprised but in outright grip levels the Tusc doesn't feel inferior at all. Somehow I was expecting it to. To those that don't know the later tuscan 2's like mine come with the same size wheels front to back and 255 tyres allround, as per the Sagaris. Some have suggested this is merely cost saving but personally I think it works extremely well and the car is incredibly hard to unstick either at the front or the rear, wet or dry. Something I know will change when the S6 is given free reign! I've yet to exceed 4k to date.
Overall thought the Tuscan and Sagaris feel quite different to drive given how much they have in common. The former feeling narrower and longer, more old school somehow. The Saggy feeling more squat, wide and aggressive with a complete sense of grip and appetite for cornering from the word go. The tuscan reveals its cornering prowess while you're actually in the corner, resisting roll and biting into the road in a way that's somehow more surprising. But there's something exquisite about the way the old school feel combines with devastating, very modern cornering ability and it's an addictive cocktail. It literally lifts my mood if I know I'll be driving it that day!
Having gotten to know the T350, Tamora, Sagaris and now the Tuscan well, there are definitely a few pleasures unique to Tuscan owners. It's really surprising how different these cars feel are given their obvious similarities (they all sound different too). But right now, mine's a Tuscan!
Edited by the pits on Tuesday 5th December 15:07
Edited by the pits on Tuesday 5th December 19:23
The Surveyor said:
Nice post Pits, i'm hoping that i'll be as happy with the T2 vert that i'm hoping to pick up next week.
I'll let you know my thoughts
Paul
I'll let you know my thoughts
Paul
Paul, Make sure you put some protection (3M clear tape or the seat belt covers) on your roll hoops where they meet the roof when folded down....otherwise you get nasty white marks on your rear window..A pain to keep cleaning with Renovo....Keith
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