Has anyone changed their preference from sporty to wafty?
Discussion
I thought it was just me! 56 and 2/3rds, got a Mk7.5 GTI Golf that's starting to wear a bit thin already after only 3 months. My majority trip lengths point to small and nippy but getting fed up of knobs driving badly, potholes, crashing suspension, interior rattles etc. Have flitted between C class Mercs, GTIs, 530D / 330D and back into GTi over the last few years. I take a similar time to get to destinations but I make better and safer progress in doing so. I really miss the 8 speed auto on the BMWs, it's a fantastic gearbox. Tried the DSG in a Golf and didn't like it at all, horses for courses I guess. The 7 speed in the C220 was very nice, it was a nice blend of sporty and comfort as it was an AMG specced car so sat on 17's.
CharlesdeGaulle said:
Nickbrapp said:
What I object to the most is with the premium brands, you lose out on so much if you chose not to have the sporty trim, take the current A3 for example, if you don’t get a S line, for some reason you can’t get decent LED headlights, or a sunroof. Why?
Same with a A class, unless you want a AMG line you can’t have a sunroof and you get halogen headlights. How crap is that?
Volvo seem to be the only people where the cars look decent in non R design trim
This is an interesting point. I don't know if it applies in the UK, but over here on the Continent BMW have a 'Luxury' trim line after SE and as an alternative to M-Sport. You can still have all the kit and options (although there are a few colours that are M-Sport-only) but you get less styling aggression and softer suspension. It's what I went for as I don't need my daily 3 Series Touring to be at all hard-core. Same with a A class, unless you want a AMG line you can’t have a sunroof and you get halogen headlights. How crap is that?
Volvo seem to be the only people where the cars look decent in non R design trim
I agree it's an annoying feature of UK car marketing/culture. The sport versions almost always look better but I don't want big wheels and stiff suspension on my luxury car, I want all the toys and for it to look decent but to drive like a motorized lazyboy chair.
cerb4.5lee said:
swisstoni said:
Age has a lot to do with it.
Getting rattled around becomes increasingly more physically uncomfortable as you age.
And mentally, tearing around just for the sheer fun of it, starts to seem a bit less of a draw.
I really hate the "what if?" that you get with age. When I was younger I would overtake pretty much everyone that was in front of me and I would often take questionable risks. Whereas now I'm older I seem to have such a boring outlook on driving which I find to be a shame(sensible but a shame). Plus the traffic volume is much higher now than it was when I first started driving too(1990). Getting rattled around becomes increasingly more physically uncomfortable as you age.
And mentally, tearing around just for the sheer fun of it, starts to seem a bit less of a draw.
Edited by swisstoni on Monday 7th June 00:05
It takes a few painful shunts and a realisation that you are actually only here for a while to knock a bit of sense in to some of us.
s m said:
Still haven’t got to that stage yet. Definitely don’t want anything wafty, auto or lazy diesel/V8 yet.
Roads are still fun round here, don’t have to do daily driving in heavy traffic so I’m happy to stick with things with a sporty edge
That’s fair enough, and I envy your quiet fun roads Roads are still fun round here, don’t have to do daily driving in heavy traffic so I’m happy to stick with things with a sporty edge
part of the reason for my change was that we sold the office car and the roads we have to drive on are s
te so wanted something a bit tougher. Plus my commuting route is, whilst a fast fun sweeping a-road, usually full of slow old s and lorries. 
DazzaSport said:
mintmansam said:
Honestly everyone is gonna hate this but try a GR Yaris I’ve posted about this before.
The suspension is fantastic for fast B road driving, it’s not too stiff so you can enjoy the slower pace. Previous hot hatches I’d think about going down a road or I’d get down it and I’d be sick of driving down due to the condition of the road.
I can’t get on with stiff hot hatches, I chose the softest tyre sidewall I could on my Mk7 Fiesta ST and put lighter wheels on to make the ride more comfortable
The Yaris is also quiet and comfortable. Issue is it’s small.
Yes, the Swift Sport is similar. It's not too stiff either. Some reviewers moan that the suspension is 'a bit soft', but they are missing the point entirely. When your car is lightweight - it doesn't need rock hard suspension in order to achieve great handling. Case in point - the Alpine A110.The suspension is fantastic for fast B road driving, it’s not too stiff so you can enjoy the slower pace. Previous hot hatches I’d think about going down a road or I’d get down it and I’d be sick of driving down due to the condition of the road.
I can’t get on with stiff hot hatches, I chose the softest tyre sidewall I could on my Mk7 Fiesta ST and put lighter wheels on to make the ride more comfortable
The Yaris is also quiet and comfortable. Issue is it’s small.
This is why the overly heavy German performance cars tend to be made much stiffer and therefore a jiggly mess down very poor condition 'B' roads.
The Swift Sport is plenty taut enough, but can demolish a 'B' road without being bounced all over the place. When the suspension is just right, it should allow the tyre to stay in contact with the surface at all times. If your suspension is too stiff - it just hops and skips over the poor surface which means you can end up with literally no grip on occasion when you need it.
I'm amazed at how many YouTube wannabe car reviewers don't understand this concept. Many suggest that softer suspension, or more roll is a negative aspect, without really understanding the reason why.
Love the GR Yaris BTW!
t. Very disappointing. I've got it booked in for an alignment and corner weighting so hoping that fixes it otherwise I've just wasted a lot of money.
DazzaSport said:
I'm amazed at how many YouTube wannabe car reviewers don't understand this concept. Many suggest that softer suspension, or more roll is a negative aspect, without really understanding the reason why.
It’s very, very rare for even professional car journalists to understand what handling is either. More than one chassis engineer I know despairs at having to make a car handle objectively worse in order to stop the car being criticised for poor handling in reviews. I seem to have veered from wafty to sporty then back again, and repeat!
Bought a MK2 Granada Ghia in 1981 then replaced it with a MK2 Escort RS 2000 in 1983 which got replaced by a Capri 2.8 Injection in 1984 that I had to sell for the deposit on my first house.
Had a couple of sheds until I could afford another Capri 2.8i but in 1990 I replaced it with a 2.8i Scorpio followed by a Mercedes W123 280e.
Then nothing too extreme either way until I got a BMW Z4MC 18 months ago, but I suppose my E90 330iSE daily is more wafty than sporty!
Bought a MK2 Granada Ghia in 1981 then replaced it with a MK2 Escort RS 2000 in 1983 which got replaced by a Capri 2.8 Injection in 1984 that I had to sell for the deposit on my first house.
Had a couple of sheds until I could afford another Capri 2.8i but in 1990 I replaced it with a 2.8i Scorpio followed by a Mercedes W123 280e.
Then nothing too extreme either way until I got a BMW Z4MC 18 months ago, but I suppose my E90 330iSE daily is more wafty than sporty!
I'm not there yet tbh. Currently use my mr2 turbo as a weekend car but wouldn't mind it as a daily. Yes it's abit harsh but that's the price you pay with a sporty car of that age...
That being said I have driven a s3 67 plate and find them very comfortable compared to the turbo so for those that find them harsh I'm lost for words.
Btw I'm 25 if that helps (turn 26 on the 9th
)
That being said I have driven a s3 67 plate and find them very comfortable compared to the turbo so for those that find them harsh I'm lost for words.
Btw I'm 25 if that helps (turn 26 on the 9th
) TameRacingDriver said:
Funnily enough I've been trying to make my Mini ride better... added coilovers and the ride is much better and the handling was fantastic. Then went and got a tyre with a slighter higher sidewall - nothing too drastic, going from 205/45/16 to 205/50/16 and the ride is even better but it now handles like st. Very disappointing. I've got it booked in for an alignment and corner weighting so hoping that fixes it otherwise I've just wasted a lot of money.
Ah the trouble there is you’ve added mass the wheel, looks better less arch gap, but you’ve given the suspension a harder time controlling the wheel and more flex. You’ve also changed the geometry a fair bit as well. I was going to go down a similar option but didn’t as I sold before I did, interesting to hear about someone else doing itt. Very disappointing. I've got it booked in for an alignment and corner weighting so hoping that fixes it otherwise I've just wasted a lot of money.Suzuki Swift Sport is such a fun car. I suppose that’s the issue cars are focused about being fast and not fun. Nothing beats weight transfer and a bit of roll, in terms of communication. And you can drive a car in so many ways when it softer sprung. Dive on the bends, let the back rotate round.
I did swap an Abarth 595 for a Range Rover last year, and enjoy the far more relaxed drive, but I also have a "proper" sports car still.
On the oyther hand, my "proper" sports car was supposed to replace a Mercedes SL, which does wafting quite well, and I've ended up keeping both, as I seem to prefer keeping the sportier car for when I want a fun drive.
On the oyther hand, my "proper" sports car was supposed to replace a Mercedes SL, which does wafting quite well, and I've ended up keeping both, as I seem to prefer keeping the sportier car for when I want a fun drive.
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