What constitutes 'character' in a car?
Discussion
It is always said that German cars lack it, but those plucky Brits have it in spades.
What actually constitutes character in a car? Breaking down every five minutes? Foibles like having to stick the heater on max when stuck in traffic on a hot summer day as you see the coolant temp edge up slowly but surely. Or perhaps parking in such a way that you always have access to the battery in case a jump start is required.
Is character applied only in retrospect? We've had a thread here recently suggesting all cars are dull like A3s. Competence = dullness = lack of character? Perhaps the cars which we now hold on the pedestal (E34 5 Series, W124 Merc) were considered dull compared to their earlier variants.
Do rose tinted specs add character?
Is character dependant on country of origin and do British cars always seem to get off lightly in this respect? (Hi TVR and Rover owners!). The new McLaren is considered clinical but brilliant, perhaps lacking in character. A superior machine (objectively) but failing to tug the heart strings - can it be considered succesful compared to more emotion inducing metal?
Going the other way - is 'character' something that can get tiresome, boring, annoying? I suppose that would depend on one's definition.
Opinions?
What actually constitutes character in a car? Breaking down every five minutes? Foibles like having to stick the heater on max when stuck in traffic on a hot summer day as you see the coolant temp edge up slowly but surely. Or perhaps parking in such a way that you always have access to the battery in case a jump start is required.
Is character applied only in retrospect? We've had a thread here recently suggesting all cars are dull like A3s. Competence = dullness = lack of character? Perhaps the cars which we now hold on the pedestal (E34 5 Series, W124 Merc) were considered dull compared to their earlier variants.
Do rose tinted specs add character?
Is character dependant on country of origin and do British cars always seem to get off lightly in this respect? (Hi TVR and Rover owners!). The new McLaren is considered clinical but brilliant, perhaps lacking in character. A superior machine (objectively) but failing to tug the heart strings - can it be considered succesful compared to more emotion inducing metal?
Going the other way - is 'character' something that can get tiresome, boring, annoying? I suppose that would depend on one's definition.
Opinions?
Just like in people there is no hard and fast rule, you can only take as you find.
For our 3 it goes like this:-
Boxster – Precision German engineering. Everything is calculated and exact and provided you match this with you in puts to the controls it will react as such.
S2K – schizophrenic half the time it is like a 2 seat rep mobile with bad manners, the other half banzi samurai warrior with an attitude.
Chim – Old fashioned Bulldog that drops stinking farts but is the most loveable dependable sod you have ever clapped eyes on. Treat him right and you’ll never find a more faithful companion. Mistreat him and don’t be surprised to be woken with your testacies in his mouth one day.
For our 3 it goes like this:-
Boxster – Precision German engineering. Everything is calculated and exact and provided you match this with you in puts to the controls it will react as such.
S2K – schizophrenic half the time it is like a 2 seat rep mobile with bad manners, the other half banzi samurai warrior with an attitude.
Chim – Old fashioned Bulldog that drops stinking farts but is the most loveable dependable sod you have ever clapped eyes on. Treat him right and you’ll never find a more faithful companion. Mistreat him and don’t be surprised to be woken with your testacies in his mouth one day.
My Mk3 Golf Cabrio has bags of character.
- A drivers window that refuses to work at precisely the least opportune time (turning up for a big interview)
- An exhaust that I cant get the right length so it smacks against the rear axle on bumps
- A drivers door that opens from the inside with no problem but only from the outside with a bloody good tug on the handle...
Accepting that the standard way of doing things will be compromised in the pursuit of an ideology.
Examples...
Thin hard plastic trim being used so the car is as light as possible even though many will complain it feels cheap.
Allowing a slightly lumpy idle as a compromise so it still revs keenly above 6000rpm.
Use a good looking dial in the dash even though you cannot read it in bright sunlight.
Examples...
Thin hard plastic trim being used so the car is as light as possible even though many will complain it feels cheap.
Allowing a slightly lumpy idle as a compromise so it still revs keenly above 6000rpm.
Use a good looking dial in the dash even though you cannot read it in bright sunlight.
g3org3y said:
Do rose tinted specs add character?
Massively.It's amazing how some people can justify things to themselves, all the died-in-the-wool Porsche and Ferrari fanatics have been going on about how the McLaren is 'characterless' and 'ugly', even though they haven't driven one.
They just don't want to like it.
Character?
It's the way the car talks to you. Some cars are just lifeless boxes. Some egg you on, reward you when you push them, challenge you. That to me is character.
The MR2 had character, it's eager engine wanting to rev, and the balance of the chassis which would get up on tiptoes when you were pressing on and get all adjustable through bends, it was like it was playing!
The BMW engine gives it character. It'll waft along silently, then you floor it and awaken the beast and it's got a lovely straight six growl....
Character is what you make of it. It doesn't have to mean faults, IMO, just the unique attributes of a car that make it mean something to you.
It's the way the car talks to you. Some cars are just lifeless boxes. Some egg you on, reward you when you push them, challenge you. That to me is character.
The MR2 had character, it's eager engine wanting to rev, and the balance of the chassis which would get up on tiptoes when you were pressing on and get all adjustable through bends, it was like it was playing!
The BMW engine gives it character. It'll waft along silently, then you floor it and awaken the beast and it's got a lovely straight six growl....
Character is what you make of it. It doesn't have to mean faults, IMO, just the unique attributes of a car that make it mean something to you.
I'd classify car character is something which would try to kill you at every opportunity if you do not respect it. A car which you requires concentration when you drive it. A car where it is not purely as a means from getting from A to B, but would also do it while putting a smile on your face.
A car where it doesnt just feel like a white good for its owner.
All cars have characters, its whether or not the owner appreciates its characters.
A car where it doesnt just feel like a white good for its owner.
All cars have characters, its whether or not the owner appreciates its characters.
I suspect age gives a car character, as well as faults. 20 years ago my Astra was just a boring repmobile, but I do think (and other people have mentioned) it has a degree of character. A lot of it's derived through the way you're always proud of it for making a long journey I guess 
Whereas I wouldn't say my mum's 05 Fabia, for example, has character. It's 100000x the car the Astra is, but now it's much more of a white good, and it does the job fantastically. But maybe too fantastically. It's all very clinical, which takes away the feel that it has a personality, and it does feel like a machine. I must admit I find that with almost all early-mid 90's onwards German metal tbh.
Whereas I wouldn't say my mum's 05 Fabia, for example, has character. It's 100000x the car the Astra is, but now it's much more of a white good, and it does the job fantastically. But maybe too fantastically. It's all very clinical, which takes away the feel that it has a personality, and it does feel like a machine. I must admit I find that with almost all early-mid 90's onwards German metal tbh.
tVery complex thing this "character" thing in cars. My first cat - 1956 Vauxhall Velox, black with bench seats, 3-spd column 'change and carnation red & white interior had it in spades................all 62bhp of it.
My current S60 D5 is very competent and a brilliant long distance tourer but - well, it's very competent in a low key Scandinavian sort of way.
However, my old bog-standard Fabia vRS was "character" on wheels. Didn't do anything supremely well but did it all more than adequately. It did bring a smile just about every time I got into it and even a regular drive home to Essex from Brussels at 4 o'clock on a Friday never seemed less than entertaining. It became known as Jack by the whole family. It was very much like a feisty Jack Russell terrier. Always up for a scrap; the bigger the opposition the better. Wonderful little car and still much missed.
My current S60 D5 is very competent and a brilliant long distance tourer but - well, it's very competent in a low key Scandinavian sort of way.
However, my old bog-standard Fabia vRS was "character" on wheels. Didn't do anything supremely well but did it all more than adequately. It did bring a smile just about every time I got into it and even a regular drive home to Essex from Brussels at 4 o'clock on a Friday never seemed less than entertaining. It became known as Jack by the whole family. It was very much like a feisty Jack Russell terrier. Always up for a scrap; the bigger the opposition the better. Wonderful little car and still much missed.
Character is that which you notice.
Cars that are perfectly adequate implements, that you use rather than drive, have little character. Cars with details large and small that attract your attention, in good ways and bad, have character.
Someone at work who quietly does a good job, doesn't moan, doesn't crack jokes, doesn't gossip, doesn't have any 'craic', just gets on with things, might be said to be lacking a bit of character.
If he was more noticeable (in good or bad ways) people might attribute that to his having some 'character'.
Cars that are perfectly adequate implements, that you use rather than drive, have little character. Cars with details large and small that attract your attention, in good ways and bad, have character.
Someone at work who quietly does a good job, doesn't moan, doesn't crack jokes, doesn't gossip, doesn't have any 'craic', just gets on with things, might be said to be lacking a bit of character.
If he was more noticeable (in good or bad ways) people might attribute that to his having some 'character'.
I'm trying my best to think of any car on sale TODAY that have character??
HMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM
well,
911gt3
Noble- too fat and big though
Ford Focus RS - not great mind you
Nissan GT-R - very big and bloated with it but good
Clio
Jaguar Xk/XF
thats about it. 6 cars. And the 911, the Focus, the Clio and Jaguar will all be retired soon, of course by far blander cars.
It doesn't look good. j
HMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM
well,
911gt3
Noble- too fat and big though
Ford Focus RS - not great mind you
Nissan GT-R - very big and bloated with it but good
Clio
Jaguar Xk/XF
thats about it. 6 cars. And the 911, the Focus, the Clio and Jaguar will all be retired soon, of course by far blander cars.
It doesn't look good. j
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