Why does the British motoring press hype the Ford handling?

patronniall

facade wrote: »

I had 2 e30 318s (actually, one could have been a 316), a 2 door and a 4 door, and they were both evil handling little cars in the wet. There was an urban myth that Sweden banned the 6 cylinder.

In my yoof, I briefly had a 2002 auto, that was a better car, but the steering was somewhat reminiscent of a boat, swapped it for a P6 V8 . Wish I still had either of those in good nick now. (The P6 was miles better apart from trim quality)

I don't think its far to make generalised unfair sweeping comments on a manufacturer just because you were unable to properly drive a RWD in the wet.

GTE_Boy

Strider590 wrote: »

These cars you've driven, were they brand new?

Once owners have fit new tyres and new inferior shocks/springs, thats millions of £ worth of development down the drain. Beyond 40k miles most cars will be on different tyres and most large cars will be on new shocks (partly due to owners going and getting ripped off at crapfit type places).

My 2009 Mondeo has terrible tyres (Goodyear NoGrip) and someone has definitely swapped the shocks for some cheap replacements (probably KYB).
New tyres and shocks are high on my list, as right now it's terrible compared to my previous 2004 Vectra. You throw it onto a roundabout at 2/3 the speed of the Vectra and it just carried on in a straight line. Yet ironically the motoring press really slated the handling of the 2004 Vectra.

It can't be that bad or else you'd have changed the shocks and tyres. Or are you going to be as bad as the people you criticize and you'll run them until they need replacing.

BeenThroughItAll

Kingsd316 wrote: »

I had a focus ST 2007 which had immense handling, decided i needed a family car and went for a 2010 325 BMW, after 2 days of ownership you quickly notice how bad a RWD car in in any type of condition other than dry, that car was quickly replaced!

I've had countless RWD cars over the years, and certainly never found them that bad. If it was that awful, either there was something wrong with it, or the tyres were cheap and nasty.


My current 330Ci is going beautifully in the damp, cold, icy stuff we have at the moment. No concerns at all.

facade

patronniall wrote: »

I don't think its far to make generalised unfair sweeping comments on a manufacturer just because you were unable to properly drive a RWD in the wet.

Why not, life isn't fair.

Maybe they have improved massively in the last 20 years, or maybe they are for "drivers" who like to fight the car all the time and feel good when they "tame the beast", I like to drive a car that if I sneeze I don't wake up in Hospital.

Sure I'd have one if someone gave it to me, but with the amount of engine problems I hear about I won't be spending my money on one.

On the other hand if they gave me a free $20,000 holiday I'd praise them to the Heavens (I watched some of that video )

I'm much more likely to spend my own money on a Ford

neilmcl

Predictability is the key to driving safely and in control and tbh driving a RWD car imho is a lot more predictable than a FWD version. There is a good reason why most performance or racing cars are RWD and that's for their predictable handling. Yes I know we're talking about the average driver in the average car on the day to day journey but I find a lot of people will dismiss RWD cars as dangerous for no other reason that they're simply not used to driving one, oh and I apologise for coming across all DM

patronniall

neilmcl wrote: »

Predictability is the key to driving safely and in control and tbh driving a RWD car imho is a lot more predictable than a FWD version. There is a good reason why most performance or racing cars are RWD and that's for their predictable handling. Yes I know we're talking about the average driver in the average car on the day to day journey but I find a lot of people will dismiss RWD cars as dangerous for no other reason that they're simply not used to driving one, oh and I apologise for coming across all DM

There is good reason why most premium car manufactures like BMW make RWD, and that's superior handling. They have more of a neutral handling experience, part due to their 50/50 weight distribution and part due the front wheels with the sole responsibility of turning thereby eliminating torque steer. For most of the Jo public, they couldn't give two fingers about better handling provided by RWD cars. With the guy who compared a 2010 Focus ST to a 2010 325, completely different cars for different markets. In any case the 325 should be a lot better at the limits on track.

GTE_Boy

patronniall wrote: »

There is good reason why most premium car manufactures like BMW make RWD, and that's superior handling. They have more of a neutral handling experience, part due to their 50/50 weight distribution and part due the front wheels with the sole responsibility of turning thereby eliminating torque steer. For most of the Jo public, they couldn't give two fingers about better handling provided by RWD cars. With the guy who compared a 2010 Focus ST to a 2010 325, completely different cars for different markets. In any case the 325 should be a lot better at the limits on track.

And most touring cars are what wheel drive?

parking_question_chap

In my late teens I owned a T reg 1.4 Fiesta Zetec. Best handling car I have ever owned, remember being able to flick the back out in damp conditions on gentle (and I hasten to add) empty roundabouts and hold it there for ages, it would always come back perfectly with a flick of the wheel. Pretty sure thats the industry standard test.

neilmcl

GTE_Boy wrote: »

And most touring cars are what wheel drive?

Actually the BTCC allows all types, FWD, RWD and AWD and that depends on the base car manufacture, but they're pretty much unique as most championships around the world only allow RWD cars.

patronniall

parking_question_chap wrote: »

In my late teens I owned a T reg 1.4 Fiesta Zetec. Best handling car I have ever owned, remember being able to flick the back out in damp conditions on gentle (and I hasten to add) empty roundabouts and hold it there for ages, it would always come back perfectly with a flick of the wheel. Pretty sure thats the industry standard test.

Yeah, the back doesn't usually "flick out" on a FWD car. You you appear to be describing is drifting, a RWD car trait and that too you need a bit of power to drift but in reality what you experienced was most likely under steer.