Can a super daily car replace a supercar?

[maura]

DeejRC said:

The boring bit I don’t get. I’ve never got bored of any of my interesting car. Doing 73 in traffic on the M5 at 6am on a starse wet Monday morning in Feb in the 4C, exhaust being all boomy and I’d knock the bare carbon chassis floor and just laugh out loud. Im knocking a bare carbon tub whilst commuting along the M5!!! Htf can you ever find that boring???? You just have to laugh, it’s absurd! You have to marvel.
The F12, doing the same journey, or any journey actually I never ever, for a single moment, forgot that I was in a V12 donkey with over 700hp. Cruise on at 73 and I was aware all the time, every second - even when I had an audiobook playing or a Teams meeting going on. And yeah, I did plenty of Teams meetings on the M4/5 bumbling along in the F12. The absurdity of that, it never, ever failed to amuse me. It never bored me.
I’m in the middle of doing that journey at the moment, stopping at Taunton on the way back home, having landed at LHR about 20:30ish. It’s pissing it down, the Macan is finding it all uber easy, dull, ho hum. Every minute of the trip I’m wishing I was back in something silly and stupid and doing this.

Haha, great F12 story..

[Bispal]

davek_964 said:

Bispal said:

Now the feeling of driving a really special car on a long journey is offset by the people who try to race / chase you, photograph your car, tailgate you and at least once per journey almost side swipe you in their eagerness to get close or 'beat' you at something you were not aware you were competing in.

I am beginning to loathe Tesla drivers. Obviously there are good and bad - but so many of them that will sit 2" from your rear bumper to prove their car is just as fast - even when I'm sticking to speed limits / driving Miss Daisy.
It's not so bad when they're in front, since you can just let them disappear into the distance.

Obviously I spend a lot of my time thinking "Wish I'd bought a Tesla instead"............... not.

It's the motorway dilemma. What do you do? There is a Tesla, Range Rover, Audi, Transit van (all the usual suspects) 30cm from your bumper at 75mph while you are overtaking in the outside lane. What do you do?

Obviously you can't pull over. Brake checking them could land you in prison and others in hospital. Do you gently speed up to around 80/85 (to increase the distance then pull in when safe (I find they just stick with you). Do you just keep going at 75 then pull in while they steam past in their Audi A1 25 TFSi at 110 mph videoing you on their phone as they race to the pub to tell their mates they beat a McLaren / Ferrari / Porsche in a race, or do you drop 3 gears, floor the car well into 3 figures and well and truly drop them, your pride intact but risking a ban and a viral tiktok video they took telling the world what a dangerous privileged rich plonker you are.....

Its why I take the Subaru, unfortunately, as above never happens.....

[MDL111]

davek_964 said:

I am beginning to loathe Tesla drivers. Obviously there are good and bad - but so many of them that will sit 2" from your rear bumper to prove their car is just as fast - even when I'm sticking to speed limits / driving Miss Daisy.
It's not so bad when they're in front, since you can just let them disappear into the distance.

Obviously I spend a lot of my time thinking "Wish I'd bought a Tesla instead"............... not.

yes, I remember having one of the big ones with the weird doors sitting on my rear bumper while leisurely accelerating from c 140 to 250 - I just let him pass me once I realised and there was space to move over - he was clearly intent on staying ridiculously close to my bumper

[popeyewhite]

My car for all things is a Range Rover V8 Autobiography, remapped. My daily (and it's taken LOTS of experimentation to arrive at this), is a 500 bhp+ Golf r 7.5. It does the supermarket, commute, bimble etc, and is hilarious fun in all weathers when needs be. Cheapish to run and insure I'd rather it than my old 911, AMG or M cars. I realise the aforementioned are not supercars in the traditional sense, but I think it sort of fits the thread.

[ANOpax]

Bispal said:

davek_964 said:

Bispal said:

Now the feeling of driving a really special car on a long journey is offset by the people who try to race / chase you, photograph your car, tailgate you and at least once per journey almost side swipe you in their eagerness to get close or 'beat' you at something you were not aware you were competing in.

I am beginning to loathe Tesla drivers. Obviously there are good and bad - but so many of them that will sit 2" from your rear bumper to prove their car is just as fast - even when I'm sticking to speed limits / driving Miss Daisy.
It's not so bad when they're in front, since you can just let them disappear into the distance.

Obviously I spend a lot of my time thinking "Wish I'd bought a Tesla instead"............... not.

It's the motorway dilemma. What do you do? There is a Tesla, Range Rover, Audi, Transit van (all the usual suspects) 30cm from your bumper at 75mph while you are overtaking in the outside lane. What do you do?

Obviously you can't pull over. Brake checking them could land you in prison and others in hospital.

The obvious answer is to simply lift off. No need for a brake check as the engine braking (and in some cases, brake pre-load) is sufficiently strong that you'll have given the tailgater a fright and they sit well back from there on (at least they do in my experience).

[Trev450]

What makes for our personal ideal cars is of course very subjective. For me it's a GR Yaris as a daily and a 488 GTB for special occasions.

[ANOpax]

MDL111 said:

yes, I remember having one of the big ones with the weird doors sitting on my rear bumper while leisurely accelerating from c 140 to 250 - I just let him pass me once I realised and there was space to move over - he was clearly intent on staying ridiculously close to my bumper

He can't have been planning to travel far as 250kph will kill the range on any EV. That's the nice thing about being pursued by EVs on the autobahn, I know they can keep up with me but the question is, for how long? (not very, as it turns out).

[Bispal]

ANOpax said:

Bispal said:

davek_964 said:

Bispal said:

Now the feeling of driving a really special car on a long journey is offset by the people who try to race / chase you, photograph your car, tailgate you and at least once per journey almost side swipe you in their eagerness to get close or 'beat' you at something you were not aware you were competing in.

I am beginning to loathe Tesla drivers. Obviously there are good and bad - but so many of them that will sit 2" from your rear bumper to prove their car is just as fast - even when I'm sticking to speed limits / driving Miss Daisy.
It's not so bad when they're in front, since you can just let them disappear into the distance.

Obviously I spend a lot of my time thinking "Wish I'd bought a Tesla instead"............... not.

It's the motorway dilemma. What do you do? There is a Tesla, Range Rover, Audi, Transit van (all the usual suspects) 30cm from your bumper at 75mph while you are overtaking in the outside lane. What do you do?

Obviously you can't pull over. Brake checking them could land you in prison and others in hospital.

The obvious answer is to simply lift off. No need for a brake check as the engine braking (and in some cases, brake pre-load) is sufficiently strong that you'll have given the tailgater a fright and they sit well back from there on (at least they do in my experience).

Doesn't work if passing someone, they just end up behind you longer and they get more frustrated. It was just an excuse for not using 'nice' cars on the m-way but I guess those ****ers can pop up anywhere.....

[MDL111]

ANOpax said:

MDL111 said:

yes, I remember having one of the big ones with the weird doors sitting on my rear bumper while leisurely accelerating from c 140 to 250 - I just let him pass me once I realised and there was space to move over - he was clearly intent on staying ridiculously close to my bumper

He can't have been planning to travel far as 250kph will kill the range on any EV. That's the nice thing about being pursued by EVs on the autobahn, I know they can keep up with me but the question is, for how long? (not very, as it turns out).

in fairness I can't drive very far at that speed either

or in the city centre

[ANOpax]

MDL111 said:

in fairness I can't drive very far at that speed either

or in the city centre

That's hilarious given the four bars of fuel left in the tank! I'll normally be seeing over 200km of range at that level with 180-200kph driving. You must be running a traffic light derby in town or the extra 50kph over 200kph on the autobahn is murder on the consumption.

I've seen reports on Taycan usage which suggest that it would drain its battery in a little over half an hour at 250kph!

[murphyaj]

Bispal said:

davek_964 said:

Bispal said:

Now the feeling of driving a really special car on a long journey is offset by the people who try to race / chase you, photograph your car, tailgate you and at least once per journey almost side swipe you in their eagerness to get close or 'beat' you at something you were not aware you were competing in.

I am beginning to loathe Tesla drivers. Obviously there are good and bad - but so many of them that will sit 2" from your rear bumper to prove their car is just as fast - even when I'm sticking to speed limits / driving Miss Daisy.
It's not so bad when they're in front, since you can just let them disappear into the distance.

Obviously I spend a lot of my time thinking "Wish I'd bought a Tesla instead"............... not.

It's the motorway dilemma. What do you do? There is a Tesla, Range Rover, Audi, Transit van (all the usual suspects) 30cm from your bumper at 75mph while you are overtaking in the outside lane. What do you do?

Obviously you can't pull over. Brake checking them could land you in prison and others in hospital. Do you gently speed up to around 80/85 (to increase the distance then pull in when safe (I find they just stick with you). Do you just keep going at 75 then pull in while they steam past in their Audi A1 25 TFSi at 110 mph videoing you on their phone as they race to the pub to tell their mates they beat a McLaren / Ferrari / Porsche in a race, or do you drop 3 gears, floor the car well into 3 figures and well and truly drop them, your pride intact but risking a ban and a viral tiktok video they took telling the world what a dangerous privileged rich plonker you are.....

Its why I take the Subaru, unfortunately, as above never happens.....

I don't do any of the above. I get the odd proper tailgater when I am in the Mclaren, and most I ignore, but some get really, REALLY close and are very obviously trying to bully me out of the way. I could pretty easily floor it and out-accelerate most cars, but i don't. What I do is gently lift off and slow down to the speed of the car I am overtaking, then turn on my hazard lights. Eventually they always get the message and back off to leave an appropriate distance, at which point I then speed up to my previous speed and pull in at the earliest opportunity. I make a point of not looking at them as they come past, so they don't get the satisfaction of giving me a death stare.

[ex-devonpaul]

CLK-GTR said:

I've got an RS6 Performance. It's a brilliant car, hugely capable and not much can live with it on British roads. The kids love the soundtrack and I've had everything from dogs to furniture in the back.

Don't expect a sports car but its great fun in its own way. It bludgeons its way down a fast road without any great finesse but always puts a smile on my face that a 2 tonne estate car can move like that.

A friend had one aout 3 years ago - a 2015ish model tat had been to Litchfield and apparently had about 700 BHP. It was mental fast in a straight line, a real animal, but there was a trade of...... As the owner said "It can pass pretty much anything except a petrol station".

[MDL111]

ANOpax said:

MDL111 said:

in fairness I can't drive very far at that speed either

or in the city centre

That's hilarious given the four bars of fuel left in the tank! I'll normally be seeing over 200km of range at that level with 180-200kph driving. You must be running a traffic light derby in town or the extra 50kph over 200kph on the autobahn is murder on the consumption.

I've seen reports on Taycan usage which suggest that it would drain its battery in a little over half an hour at 250kph!

ha no, this is just driving normally from one light to the next in the flow of traffic in Munich - I am not surprised though, when I used my 355 to commmute from West London to Canary Wharf, it usually managed about 90 miles on a full tank

[CLK-GTR]

ex-devonpaul said:

A friend had one aout 3 years ago - a 2015ish model tat had been to Litchfield and apparently had about 700 BHP. It was mental fast in a straight line, a real animal, but there was a trade of...... As the owner said "It can pass pretty much anything except a petrol station".

Theyre a Jekyll and Hyde car, i can see well over 30mpg on a sedate motorway cruise or just as easily dip into the single digits. I wouldn't modify mine as I think you lose the comfort and over 600hp standard is really more than enough.

In the OPs case I think it's a great compromise car when you can't justify a weekend toy, but be aware it IS a compromise.

[DeejRC]

MDL111 said:

ANOpax said:

MDL111 said:

in fairness I can't drive very far at that speed either

or in the city centre

That's hilarious given the four bars of fuel left in the tank! I'll normally be seeing over 200km of range at that level with 180-200kph driving. You must be running a traffic light derby in town or the extra 50kph over 200kph on the autobahn is murder on the consumption.

I've seen reports on Taycan usage which suggest that it would drain its battery in a little over half an hour at 250kph!

ha no, this is just driving normally from one light to the next in the flow of traffic in Munich - I am not surprised though, when I used my 355 to commmute from West London to Canary Wharf, it usually managed about 90 miles on a full tank

A Bayerisch MDL? Man, I miss that town
I lived there 2013-15, had some bloody awesome nights!

[NickyF]

CLK-GTR said:

Theyre a Jekyll and Hyde car, i can see well over 30mpg on a sedate motorway cruise or just as easily dip into the single digits. I wouldn't modify mine as I think you lose the comfort and over 600hp standard is really more than enough.

In the OPs case I think it's a great compromise car when you can't justify a weekend toy, but be aware it IS a compromise.

I think your car has the same engine as my Panamera Turbo S (630hp). The stage 1 I had done at DMS doesn't change the character of the car at all, it just makes it even better. Insurance was £50 extra too.

[tberg]

I have actually had the experience the OP talks about. I have owned a gorgeous '72 De Tomaso Pantera for about 30 years. The sense of "occasion" when driving is there at any speed whether it's 30mph or 130mph. The roar, the rawness, the banging through the gated shifter, the wonder whether or not the car would make it to its destination without overheating or breaking down, it was (is) always thrilling. The problem was that it would overheat before I could back the 35' out of my driveway. It would break down often before I reached my destination, and starting it was always a 30 minute exercise in frustration. So, driving it on a regular basis was just not possible. I longed to have a car I could enjoy on a regular basis, could track on weekends, that had adequate performance, and was reliable. In 2013, I bought the cheapest used 5.0L Jaguar XKR that I could find in the United States. It was located about 15 minutes from my home, and with a little work became all i could ever want from a car. It was quicker than my Pantera, it was civilized (meaning I could wear shoes when I drove it unlike the Pantera which doesn't have room for my size 14 feet.) It was so good, in fact, that I parked the Pantera in my driveway for nearly 3 years, never even attempting to start it I had pulleyed and tuned the XKR to about 600hp, so it could easily outrun the Pantera, so I got the performance I wanted, it was extremely reliable, very handsome looking, and never overheated. After 3 years of sitting in the driveway, because of how good the XKR was, I made an executive decision, either I was going to make the Pantera into a luxurious, comfortable, reliable car which I could drive whenever and wherever I wanted in confidence, or I was going to give it away! It spent four years being modified and lightly restored, and for the last 4-5 years I drive it every single weekend, 217,000 miles later, my XKR is still my daily driver, it's just too good and reliable to change it for something else that I know I'll be disappointed with. I have the best of both worlds, but if I had to get rid of one car, it would be the Pantera, the Jag just does it all for me. I have no doubt I'll expire before the XKR, but with the high mileage on her, you just never know. Knowing how good the 5.0L supercharged Jag V8 is, I would probably look at an F-type R to capture the same engine and its capabilities. Below are what both look like today.

Edited by tberg on Wednesday 13th November 02:45

[Jules Sunley]

Interesting thread. My solution currently (Ranger bought in June) which I'm loving is a pickup for daily duties. Lots of comfy and roomy motorway miles for client reviews (I'm an IFA, own practice) but also useful for weekends as we live in the country (lots of leaves and hedges/tip runs) and I like my DIY so the load bed comes in handy for bigger purchases.

Clients know me well and the move from previous cars to the 'truck' just made some chuckle and they liked the practical approach.

My weekend car/toy but also used for client on nice days and where decent parking is my Alpina. I also have several motorbikes for weekend fun on nice days.

I'm really happy with the split and having previously had nice 'daily cars' I'm convinced that a comfy practical more utilitarian daily is better for me than anything 'exec' or sporty. The added bonus of the truck with high profile tyres is that potholes no longer bother me! It also makes it more special when I get a chance to drive the Alpina and rediscover acceleration

[WCZ]

MDL111 said:

ha no, this is just driving normally from one light to the next in the flow of traffic in Munich - I am not surprised though, when I used my 355 to commmute from West London to Canary Wharf, it usually managed about 90 miles on a full tank

that's pretty bad to be fair, similar to what some Aventadors are gettting though with a much bigger tank

[footsoldier]

I’ve used various things as daily drivers, including a Lusso, which did 20k miles in 2 years, not in 1. Did the job very well, and surprisingly under the radar
RS6 too (C7), it was probably best all round if you want something low key. I’m not so much a fan of the later ones which are more flash than sleeper.
If i was looking for something similar now, it would probably be an Alpina B3, or the M5CS

Had an early Urus after the RS6, but it got more attention than anything!
As mentioned by others, am currently split between a Giulia GTA, (my 3rd ‘Quadrifoglio - good choice!) and a Yaris, which cover most bases. Have to say it’s very easy to just jump in the Yaris a lot of the time…