Need convincing on the T350....

[grale22]

I had a test drive in a T350T yesterday and have to say I was some what underwelmed by the drive. The looks and sound are fantastic, but the drive just didn't wow me like I hoped it would.

Was thinking it might just be that I need to get used to the car a bit as I've never driven a TVR before and spent most of the time in and out of school traffic.

So... thought I should hire one for a couple of days to get comfortable behind the wheel and see if it really suits me. Anyone know where I can hire one without paying completely through the nose?

[purpleperil]

Some dealers offer extended, unaccompanied test drives - it would be worth asking around, otherwise I can't see you getting much change from £400 for a day's hire - which IMO is money well spent and could save £££'s if you decide that the car is not for you!

[bigman1]

what have you driven before to compare it to ??

Did you get to rev it to the red line ?? That's its party piece.

Bigman.

[grale22]

I'm comparing it to my modified Evo, but exactly as you say, I didn't get to work through the revs anywhere. I'm sure the T350 has a lot more to offer than what I've seen, so think it deserves a closer look really which is why I want to spend some more time in one.

[bigman1]

I'd also suggest you spend time driving up and down high streets counting stares - that's a good trick too

[exx]

You compared it an Evo? Well I'm sorry but there's a bit of a difference. Trick 4 wheel drive, 4 cylinder Turbo Charged road legal Rally derivative and straight six, light-weight, front engined, rear wheel drive, traditional British muscle car. There is no comparison except if you are looking for performance in a straight line or the ability to deal with twisty bits (TVR will win the first, Evo the second (maybe in the hands of a skilled driver).
The T350 is not really happy in traffic; the clunking transmission is a clue to this. Then again its design brief is not a "take the kids to school" vehicle anyway. The Evo is (in the lesser tuned flavours) a glorified saloon commuter mobile. Get the T350 on the open road, preferably a good open A road with sweeping bends and long straights...... then you will appreciate it far more.
If it's to be your only car then I would be very careful here. I've just traded mine in for a Lotus Exige 240 Cup, which although a race car derivative is in fact more user friendly than the T350 ever was and in my opinion it's a car that is more useable on a day to day basis. If you want to know why I feel this way PM me as I'm loathe to start to explain in open forum due to the inevitable plebs and trolls that will make huge issues out of nothing....

Cheers

Ian

[sp6forever]

ok i may be a newbie but i do take my daughter to school everyday in the t350 and no worries at all, gotta behave cos the car is warming up and its the most positive gearbox ive used ( including imprezza p1 supra 3.0 twin turbo) only thing the i find a worry is turning circle.
depends what you want t350 is a supercar you can use everyday as long as you realise you may lose it for a few weeks now and then, but the second you get it back you will forhive it.
i'm just an average joe working 9 till 5 but i can afford her ( with a bit of clever budgeting)
finally before you decide get one fully warmed up and open it, up the second wave of power will make you decide one way or the other

[targarama]

If you test drove a T350 and it didn't feel special then to be brutally honest maybe TVRs are not your bag. They don't suit everyone. It shouldn't just be great to thrash the car on an open road, it needs to feel special every time you get in and drive it. If you don't have a silly grin just popping to the shops then I suspect you'll get fed up very quickly.

[rev-erend]

The T350 does have a hard and uncompromising ride.

If your daily drive is on roads like this and you are not planning on seeking more pleasurable roads at the weekend - well maybe it's just not the car for you.

I use mine everyday and love it but that does not stop the whining noise from the passenger seat - althought I can drown it out with the noise from the sports exhaust

[exx]

sp6forever said:

ok i may be a newbie but i do take my daughter to school everyday in the t350 and no worries at all, gotta behave cos the car is warming up and its the most positive gearbox ive used ( including imprezza p1 supra 3.0 twin turbo) only thing the i find a worry is turning circle. depends what you want t350 is a supercar you can use everyday as long as you realise you may lose it for a few weeks now and then, but the second you get it back you will forhive it. i'm just an average joe working 9 till 5 but i can afford her ( with a bit of clever budgeting) finally before you decide get one fully warmed up and open it, up the second wave of power will make you decide one way or the other

Second wave of power? What's that then? Sorry but the gearbox is the same as I had on my previous TVR (Cerbera 4.2) Borg Warner T5 box and will probably feel the same in ANY car it is fitted to. If you are saying that you get no transmission slap in stop-go commuter traffic, then I'm sorry to say I do not believe you. Commuting in a T350 involves a jerky, uneven experience.
If it's to be an everyday car then for you to state "as long as you realise you may lose it for a few weeks now and then, but the second you get it back you will forgive it" is surely a bloody good reason not to get one?
I'd be interested to hear how you are getting on with your car after a few more months of use..

Cheers

Ian

[targarama]

exx said:

sp6forever said: ok i may be a newbie but i do take my daughter to school everyday in the t350 and no worries at all, gotta behave cos the car is warming up and its the most positive gearbox ive used ( including imprezza p1 supra 3.0 twin turbo) only thing the i find a worry is turning circle. depends what you want t350 is a supercar you can use everyday as long as you realise you may lose it for a few weeks now and then, but the second you get it back you will forhive it. i'm just an average joe working 9 till 5 but i can afford her ( with a bit of clever budgeting) finally before you decide get one fully warmed up and open it, up the second wave of power will make you decide one way or the other Second wave of power? What's that then? Sorry but the gearbox is the same as I had on my previous TVR (Cerbera 4.2) Borg Warner T5 box and will probably feel the same in ANY car it is fitted to. If you are saying that you get no transmission slap in stop-go commuter traffic, then I'm sorry to say I do not believe you. Commuting in a T350 involves a jerky, uneven experience. If it's to be an everyday car then for you to state "as long as you realise you may lose it for a few weeks now and then, but the second you get it back you will forgive it" is surely a bloody good reason not to get one? I'd be interested to hear how you are getting on with your car after a few more months of use.. Cheers Ian

My T350 is not remotely jerky (apart from the one behind the wheel). Plus the clutch is light than my Audi's. Very easy to use. Yes, if I left the car in 4th and tried to do 20mph it wouldn't like it, but driving properly it is a big pussycat and not remotely jerky. In contrast, my Chimaera was a PITA in traffic.

FWIW I find my T350 no more crashy suspensionwise than my girlfriend's Audi TT.

[milu]

i find mine very easy in traffic too,and the gearbox is nice.
in fact i was only thinking this yesterday as the warmest day of ownership so far for me,the car was sweet as a nut by the time i got home AND behaved itself in some heavy traffic.

ride is hard though,but after some investigation it seems im hitting the rear bump-stops most of the time,so ive got some new stuff on order to remedy that.
mike.

[silverT350t]

exx said:

If you are saying that you get no transmission slap in stop-go commuter traffic, then I'm sorry to say I do not believe you. Commuting in a T350 involves a jerky, uneven experience.

sorry, but that's just not true, in my expoerience anyway ('05 T350). It's no different driving a T350 in traffic than any other "normal" car I would say. I would concede that the gearbox gets better once the car is warmed up properly, but it's certainly not "bad" before that. Controls are light and it's only when you press that right pedal more than an inch or so that it makes the difference!.........

Turning circle probably biggest niggle "around the houses", but, as said before, it's not primarily what it was designed to do.

Oh, and it doesn't sound like you had much of a test drive really, get out again before making any decisions.

cheers.

[grale22]

I must say that in the relatively short time I was driving, I thought it handled itself fine in traffic with both clutch and gearbox causing no issues.

I think I just didn't get the chance to see the fun part of tvr driving. Going to take another look on Saturday.

[225]

plus you wont have the instant torque of a turbo motor so its all in the revs.

[sacha]

grale22 said:

I must say that in the relatively short time I was driving, I thought it handled itself fine in traffic with both clutch and gearbox causing no issues. I think I just didn't get the chance to see the fun part of tvr driving. Going to take another look on Saturday.

Having had a few impreza's and going to a TVR, the main difference in driving the two is the kick from the turbo on the jap cars. The TVRs are smoother so much so that at first I thought "how slow is this car" until I looked down at the speedo and saw how fast I was going.

Also on the T350, you really need to start getting over the 4k rpm were it starts to seriously shift!

Sacha
www.t350.net

[roadsweeper]

exx said:

If you are saying that you get no transmission slap in stop-go commuter traffic, then I'm sorry to say I do not believe you. Commuting in a T350 involves a jerky, uneven experience.

Yes, how dare someone disagree with you when talking about their own car that you've never driven. That's right, tell him he's lying. Jesus.

[madbadger]

roadsweeper said:

exx said: If you are saying that you get no transmission slap in stop-go commuter traffic, then I'm sorry to say I do not believe you. Commuting in a T350 involves a jerky, uneven experience. Yes, how dare someone disagree with you when talking about their own car that you've never driven. That's right, tell him he's lying. Jesus.

Mine is smoother than a smooth thing on a smooth day, with smooth friends.

[exx]

roadsweeper said:

exx said: If you are saying that you get no transmission slap in stop-go commuter traffic, then I'm sorry to say I do not believe you. Commuting in a T350 involves a jerky, uneven experience. Yes, how dare someone disagree with you when talking about their own car that you've never driven. That's right, tell him he's lying. Jesus.

Yeah roll on hypocracy..... I had one for three years. Have you ever driven one beyond a test drive?


>> Edited by exx on Friday 5th May 14:41

[grale22]

exx said:

Yeah roll on..... I had one for three years muppet!

Sorry, wouldn't that mean you had one of the very early T350s? Maybe they've got better since then?