RE: PH Blog: go with the flow

RE: PH Blog: go with the flow

Monday 9th January 2012

PH Blog: go with the flow

Why flow matters more than horsepower or 0-60 willy waggling



It'll be a concept familiar to anyone who's ever indulged in the so-called gravity sports like mountain biking, skiing, snowboarding and the like. And so too driving.

Flow is a bit of a vague term but then the sensation it describes isn't easy to pin down or quantify. And it once again underlines quite how little the numbers on a spec sheet or performance stats really matter, when all's said and done.

In that gravity sport scenario there are three main ways to enjoy that delicious hit of adrenaline racing down a hill can deliver. You can go steep and technical - scary possibly and demanding of skill and commitment but not always that fast. You can get that speed hit perhaps - that wide open black run that doesn't really require a whole lot of skill but simply tests your bottle and how fast you dare let yourself go. Both claim quantifiable bragging rights: look at how steep and difficult that was/look how fast I went through the speed trap and all that. But the most fun runs are the ones that combine a bit of both in a way that's less measurable. Tricky enough to test your skill, fast enough to thrill and with some other element - perhaps an amazing view or trading places with a mate and pushing yourself that bit harder.

Even a Range Rover can have flow
Even a Range Rover can have flow
And here's where the gear bit comes in. To achieve this you don't want the moment dominated by the board, bike, skis or whatever you're on. You need it to add to the experience but you almost want it to become part of it, a contributory factor rather than the experience itself.

So how do you achieve flow in a car? This is where it gets tricky and, remarkably, the car that inspired this train of thought was the Range Rover Sport Supercharged I've recently handed back to its keepers with 1,000 very enjoyable miles added to its odometer.

There's nothing subtle about the Sport, from its 510hp to its looks and massive weight. And like most modern cars it relies heavily on technology like active dampers and stability control to mask some of its fundamental inadequacies, like where most of that weight is sitting.

But the way that thing flows down a challenging bit of road is simply astonishing and it's here where the human touch, skill and expertise are still vital, no matter how many black boxes you're involving in the job. Where Jaguar Land Rover and, indeed, many other British carmakers succeed is in that final few per cent of chassis tuning that separates cars that are merely effective from those that are rewarding, even when just trundling along.

The opposite end of this spectrum would, inevitably, be a car like the Audi RS5. Looks great. Incredibly rapid by the numbers. Sounds awesome. Great pose value. And, according to achieving its goals on some spreadsheet somewhere it's probably bang on. Fling it down that bit of road that was such a revelation in the Range Rover and it'd probably go faster. But there'd be no fun doing so because it remains aloof and any sense of flow or fun has been ruthlessly calculated out of the equation.

Basic E-Class estate flows with the best
Basic E-Class estate flows with the best
Trouble with this flow concept is you can't really measure it. It's one of those seat of the pants things. And the cars that have it aren't always the ones you'd expect. A base-model Mercedes E-Class has more of it than an E63 AMG. Sure, the latter will demolish it on the Autobahn or 'ring lap time. But, hand on heart, I can say I've had one of the best drives ever in an E220 CGI estate with an automatic gearbox. One of those runs along a classic B-road where it seems the wheel is hardly moving in your hands, your inputs utterly minimal to brake and throttle and yet you're covering ground at a discreetly invigorating rate and enjoying every second of the experience. I've driven the same road quicker - earlier in the same day in an Aston Martin Rapide in fact - but the sense of joy in motion that Merc offered was somehow far greater. Proper less is more stuff.

Same with Porsches. I love, love, love 911 GT3s. But it always takes me a good long while to settle into them and get into a groove. Sure, persevere and the rewards come. But, hand on heart, it's easier to get that sense of flow in a base Cayman or Boxster. A Nissan GT-R can demolish any stretch of tarmac you dare to mention and leave you giddy with the thrill - the fast black run of my earlier analogy - but do you actually get the same sense of sheer fun you'd get from a Lotus or an MX-5?

It's easy to get fixated with the numbers and forget these more intangible aspects of what makes driving fun. Which is why I'm always astounded at the lengths people will go to in order to say their car has 10hp more than before, or their mate's. So what if it's a tenth faster to 62mph? How does it make you feel?

I've a feeling with cars like the Toyobaru and a new Boxster on the way 2012 might be a bit of a watershed year where outright speed and spec sheet willy waggling might, finally, take a bit of a back seat. I hope so. I'm not sure how you measure flow in a car but it's something I think PHers can get behind.

Phew, rant over. And not a 'breathes with the road' in sight, I'm proud to say! The cliche-o-matic did register the inevitable MX-5 mention though...

Dan

 

Author
Discussion

Turbo Harry

Original Poster:

5,187 posts

236 months

Monday 9th January 2012
quotequote all
100% agree. Drove the new Impreza Cosworth 400 recently. No flow at all, just point, squirt, hang on, brake, whereas the 320bhp car felt as if it was a far sweeter and more cohesive thing.

It's one reason why I hold the Honda Accord Type-R in such high regard. Its paper stats don't look thrilling but it covers ground entertainingly and fluidly.

IMI A

9,410 posts

200 months

Monday 9th January 2012
quotequote all
Had similar experience with Esprit GT3 vs Esprit V8 at Hethel many years ago. Lower powered Esprit GT3 was far more rewarding. My two Boxster S and 944s2/turbo were far more fun to drive than my current steed which is a turbo. Less is more defo!

Mermaid

21,492 posts

170 months

Monday 9th January 2012
quotequote all
Good theme.


& why a PH'er needs at least 2 cars. smile

DeadMeat_UK

3,058 posts

281 months

Monday 9th January 2012
quotequote all
Great article. I'd agree 100% with this.

My favourites amongst the cars that I've owned (Elise, 993) have been all about the flow. My current XKR is also proving to be very adept at it although on a different wavelength to the other two I believe.


LuS1fer

41,082 posts

244 months

Monday 9th January 2012
quotequote all
Mini 1000 - you had to develop flow as it was the art of going fast by never going slow. Lose the momentum and you were back among the underpowered sloggers.

Kawasicki

13,041 posts

234 months

Monday 9th January 2012
quotequote all
I think the flow comes from the driver more than the car. Flow can also happen a long way from the limit. It takes a very skilled driver to make a fast car flow above 5/10ths (and it is massively illegal in most countries).

VerySideways

10,237 posts

271 months

Monday 9th January 2012
quotequote all
Great piece Dan
clap

dukebox9reg

1,570 posts

147 months

Monday 9th January 2012
quotequote all
As with the majority i agree. I have a tweaked diesel that is quicker than most warm/hotish hatches and for all the fun it is in a straight line and its ability to overtake and pull away from slow corners with ease it has not a tiny bit of 'flow'.

Its a lot quicker than my old F7R Megane cab but i would rather be in the cab for 'flow'

Schnellmann

1,893 posts

203 months

Monday 9th January 2012
quotequote all
Fully agree. My current 993 C2 has it. Thought about changing to a 993 tt but found on an extended test drive that although the 993 tt was much quicker in a straight line it didn't "flow" like the standard C2 over rough roads.

IMO horsepower can get in the way. Too much power and you end up arriving at corners going too fast, which might be good for getting from A to be B more quickly but spoils the rhythm of the drive (as another poster said, it becomes staccato).

Charlie Michael

2,750 posts

183 months

Monday 9th January 2012
quotequote all
Echoing other comments here; great article Dan. thumbup

My Punto had 60hp and was incredibly slow, however, on the right road and in the right conditions, it could crack on with the best of them.

Rawwr

22,722 posts

233 months

Monday 9th January 2012
quotequote all
Ford Ka has flow, which is good because it kinda needs it.

TonyHetherington

32,091 posts

249 months

Monday 9th January 2012
quotequote all
Excellent blog - I agree with every word biggrin

doggydog33

245 posts

252 months

Monday 9th January 2012
quotequote all
Some magazines call it 'Evo-ness'.
It's the fun factor that's needed.

MX5
Elise
Honda Beat
Smart Roadster
Suzuki Cappucino
Pug 106
205 gti
Citroen AX GT

All the sort of cars to have down a twisty bit of clear road. Problem comes when you need to overtake something, then you will wish you had a bit more oomph!

TobesH

550 posts

206 months

Monday 9th January 2012
quotequote all
Interesting article. I ran a Mk5 Golf GTTDI 140 with the DSG box. It was so smooth with it's standard 16inch wheels and quite rapid, it had a compliant ride and left in 'D' it made effortless progress.

Jduncan78963

31 posts

184 months

Monday 9th January 2012
quotequote all
Mercedes C180 Touring Sport Edition. Pitlochry to Braemar on a Friday evening in summer. One of the most memorable drives of my life.

Good article.

TobesH

550 posts

206 months

Monday 9th January 2012
quotequote all
As it happens one of the boys on our 2010 Le Mans Pilgrimage brought his '10 model Range Rover Sport TDV8. It was real-world fast, but so smooth and relaxing with it. The brakes suffered...

Itsallicanafford

2,759 posts

158 months

Monday 9th January 2012
quotequote all
100% agree and a great theme... initially learnt the concept in an 'E' reg land rover 90, to make any progress you had to make sure you carried as much speed as possible through corner and really concentrate on not loosing momentum as with a lack of power (or excess of weight) it was very hard to get it back. Now, 15 years later, it my Mk1 Mx-5 that further enhances this, just in a more nimble way, it the same idea.

Itsallicanafford

2,759 posts

158 months

Monday 9th January 2012
quotequote all
doggydog33 said:
Some magazines call it 'Evo-ness'.
It's the fun factor that's needed.

MX5
Elise
Honda Beat
Smart Roadster
Suzuki Cappucino
Pug 106
205 gti
Citroen AX GT

All the sort of cars to have down a twisty bit of clear road. Problem comes when you need to overtake something, then you will wish you had a bit more oomph!
Agree with you and also, no need to overtake,if it a great road, just pull-over and let the traffic go, then enjoy a clear stretch all to yourself...magic!

VerySideways

10,237 posts

271 months

Monday 9th January 2012
quotequote all
Schnellmann said:
Fully agree. My current 993 C2 has it. Thought about changing to a 993 tt but found on an extended test drive that although the 993 tt was much quicker in a straight line it didn't "flow" like the standard C2 over rough roads.
Been there, done that. C4S to C2 to TT to C2. C4S was my favourite, with that n/a engine and throttle response and noise, along with the suspension and brakes from the turbo. Wonderful machine. But much preferred the C2 to the turbo smile

Mattt

16,661 posts

217 months

Monday 9th January 2012
quotequote all
VerySideways said:
Great piece Dan
clap
Indeed, however I lay part of the blame at Journos - who all too often turn to the stats in comparison tests, hence why manufacturers have been chasing them rather than 'flow'.