Supercars. Meh.
Discussion
My wife bought me a 6 hour super car driving experience in Toronto last weekend, I thought some of you may be interested.
The event consisted of driving six cars out to the hills near the city, around a bit, lunch, more hills then back to base. Two people per car - my wife didn’t come so I shared with a guy who was also there on his own. More of this later. The group leader told me that the more “spirited driving” (not, as it turned out) happened near the end, so I started out with the most “normal” car and saved the more dramatic ones for the middle/end of the trip. Just worked out in that order. The group was led by a Tesla Model Y, which they also used to take video on the move. We were told to keep close to each other as it made the video better. As it turned out, it rather spoiled the driving. OK, to the cars, and my impressions. Bear in mind I’m in my 50s, I’ve had a couple of Porsches and a Maserati and rode big bikes for years, just for reference. I should also preface this by saying that there was a bit of a family argument that morning so I wasn’t in the most positive of moods! Also, sadly the two cars I really wanted to try, a 911 GT3RS and the new Corvette, weren’t available to us.
An Audi RS convertible was first. Since I’m on the wrong side of the car, I though this would be an easy start, and indeed it was. It’s like every decent spec Audi you’ve been in. Under 50mph or so, it may as well be a TT. Nice noises, looks ok, unmemorable. Then my driving companion took over. The only way he could get some full(ish) throttle action was to hang back from the car in front and nail it. Again. And Again. And… you get the idea.
Then an Acura NSX. This was more interesting. Way more dramatic to look at, more gadgets than anything else, stupidly good grip and traction as far as I could tell, but the electric to IC transition was just awful. My wife has a 330e and it just seamlessly moves from electric to hybrid. The NSX just got confused all the time, in any mode. Worst was making a left turn from a stop. It juddered, bucked a bit, decided what it was doing and took off like a nutter. Quite fun, and a surprisingly good ride, but driving at normal speeds with stop signs, traffic lights etc wasn’t much fun. I looked up the US price - it’s a lot, of course, but probably the best value in the group.
Into the hills, and into a Lambo Aventador. My partner was driving at first, and caught me unawares with his first “pull” and hurt my back. This thing is brutal, it kicks you in the kidneys and deafens at the same time. However, that seems to be its one party trick. The interior is shockingly bad, even down to the awful font on the buttons, cheap leather, plastic trim, confusing instrument display and badly placed controls. On the upside, the AC worked quite well (needed in that thing, it’s like an oven) and the seats aren’t bad. But oh my, what a stupid gearbox. In auto it changes gear at the slightest provocation. Oh look, there’s a tiny incline, I MUST CHANGE DOWN AND GO BWAAAH. It’s like a toddler with a sugar rush. It’s all LOOK AT ME BWAAAH BWAAAH ISN’T IT FUN TO HIT DADDY IN THE KIDNEYS. Engine felt like it had little torque either, especially compared to what came next. I honestly hated this thing. It’s an engine with some 90s arcade game wrapped around it. Wooden steering, crappy suspension, cheap and fragile everything - no wonder there seem to be lots of low mileage ones. The best bit was when we parked up for lunch, and a little kid was just staring at it. I let him sit in the drivers seat for his mum to take pictures.
OK, now a Ferrari 488. I’ve never been a huge Ferrari fan, having test driven a couple and decided not to buy, but this is actually a proper car. Great seats, amazing ride (by this point my back wanted to go home on its own), usable controls, lovely interior finish. And it’s a great mix of muscle car with low down torque, and supercar with a screaming, growling top end. Gearbox works well in auto or manual, grunt from any speed - you could put it in sixth and drive it anywhere pretty much. Probably the nicest view too, the front arches make it easy to see where the corners are and it’s a pretty cool sight. On the down side, I’m now a balding middle aged man in a Ferrari. With the roof down. And another bloke in the passenger seat. Nice car but you couldn’t even get hand luggage in it, so the cross-country tour is out.
And then the McLaren. A 670 I think? In “normal” mode, the steering is heavy and wooden, but improves in sport mode. Compared to most of the others, the engine/exhaust noise is nothing special, the ride is ok in Normal but pretty unpleasant in any other mode. It’s probably programmable but we didn’t have time. Sure it’s quick, but not terribly exciting. OMG the seat controls are awful - I ended up with the steering wheel in my chest until I found the “go back” control buried between the seat and the centre console. I’m sure this would be the best on track, otherwise pretty forgettable. The glass roof panels were a pain, there’s no way to cover them so it gets hot real fast and spoils the visibility as the sun got in my eyes. I haven’t lived in the US long enough to wear a baseball cap everywhere so no relief there.
Finally into the AMG SLS. Instantly at home after my R-class and a couple of A classes and a rental S class, it’s standard Merc parts bin. Without the shouty engine it could be a S class with the back cut off and welded on the front. All bonnet and hairy-chested grunt, it’s pretty good fun. Tons of torque, pops and bangs on the overrun, much faster than it feels probably because it has that looong bonnet and the others have little to see in front of the windscreen. It’s clearly a GT, there’s luggage space, proper grown up seats, auto everything like the S-class and it all just works. But I don’t see the point of it. It doesn’t have the gullwing doors, an E63 makes more or less the same noise and the interior is the usual mess of satin chrome, piano black and silly mouse-like interface.
They say you shouldn’t meet your heroes. None of these was my hero, but I really expected something special. My companion’s driving style left me pretty nauseous at times too, and the bone-jarring ride in everything but the Ferrari didn’t help. It was quite telling for me that the most memorable car was the ‘57 Cadillac Eldorado Biarritz convertible which was pulling out of a driveway. Super rare, hand built, fabulous looks and that great OHV V8. As for the supercars, the Ferrari was clearly the pick of the bunch with the NSX second, but the Tesla leading the group probably had more acceleration in real world road driving and I bet none of the guys in that needed pain killers after the trip!
Anyway, hope you found this interesting or maybe entertaining, I’m expecting to be flamed for hating the Lambo, but there you go.
The event consisted of driving six cars out to the hills near the city, around a bit, lunch, more hills then back to base. Two people per car - my wife didn’t come so I shared with a guy who was also there on his own. More of this later. The group leader told me that the more “spirited driving” (not, as it turned out) happened near the end, so I started out with the most “normal” car and saved the more dramatic ones for the middle/end of the trip. Just worked out in that order. The group was led by a Tesla Model Y, which they also used to take video on the move. We were told to keep close to each other as it made the video better. As it turned out, it rather spoiled the driving. OK, to the cars, and my impressions. Bear in mind I’m in my 50s, I’ve had a couple of Porsches and a Maserati and rode big bikes for years, just for reference. I should also preface this by saying that there was a bit of a family argument that morning so I wasn’t in the most positive of moods! Also, sadly the two cars I really wanted to try, a 911 GT3RS and the new Corvette, weren’t available to us.
An Audi RS convertible was first. Since I’m on the wrong side of the car, I though this would be an easy start, and indeed it was. It’s like every decent spec Audi you’ve been in. Under 50mph or so, it may as well be a TT. Nice noises, looks ok, unmemorable. Then my driving companion took over. The only way he could get some full(ish) throttle action was to hang back from the car in front and nail it. Again. And Again. And… you get the idea.
Then an Acura NSX. This was more interesting. Way more dramatic to look at, more gadgets than anything else, stupidly good grip and traction as far as I could tell, but the electric to IC transition was just awful. My wife has a 330e and it just seamlessly moves from electric to hybrid. The NSX just got confused all the time, in any mode. Worst was making a left turn from a stop. It juddered, bucked a bit, decided what it was doing and took off like a nutter. Quite fun, and a surprisingly good ride, but driving at normal speeds with stop signs, traffic lights etc wasn’t much fun. I looked up the US price - it’s a lot, of course, but probably the best value in the group.
Into the hills, and into a Lambo Aventador. My partner was driving at first, and caught me unawares with his first “pull” and hurt my back. This thing is brutal, it kicks you in the kidneys and deafens at the same time. However, that seems to be its one party trick. The interior is shockingly bad, even down to the awful font on the buttons, cheap leather, plastic trim, confusing instrument display and badly placed controls. On the upside, the AC worked quite well (needed in that thing, it’s like an oven) and the seats aren’t bad. But oh my, what a stupid gearbox. In auto it changes gear at the slightest provocation. Oh look, there’s a tiny incline, I MUST CHANGE DOWN AND GO BWAAAH. It’s like a toddler with a sugar rush. It’s all LOOK AT ME BWAAAH BWAAAH ISN’T IT FUN TO HIT DADDY IN THE KIDNEYS. Engine felt like it had little torque either, especially compared to what came next. I honestly hated this thing. It’s an engine with some 90s arcade game wrapped around it. Wooden steering, crappy suspension, cheap and fragile everything - no wonder there seem to be lots of low mileage ones. The best bit was when we parked up for lunch, and a little kid was just staring at it. I let him sit in the drivers seat for his mum to take pictures.
OK, now a Ferrari 488. I’ve never been a huge Ferrari fan, having test driven a couple and decided not to buy, but this is actually a proper car. Great seats, amazing ride (by this point my back wanted to go home on its own), usable controls, lovely interior finish. And it’s a great mix of muscle car with low down torque, and supercar with a screaming, growling top end. Gearbox works well in auto or manual, grunt from any speed - you could put it in sixth and drive it anywhere pretty much. Probably the nicest view too, the front arches make it easy to see where the corners are and it’s a pretty cool sight. On the down side, I’m now a balding middle aged man in a Ferrari. With the roof down. And another bloke in the passenger seat. Nice car but you couldn’t even get hand luggage in it, so the cross-country tour is out.
And then the McLaren. A 670 I think? In “normal” mode, the steering is heavy and wooden, but improves in sport mode. Compared to most of the others, the engine/exhaust noise is nothing special, the ride is ok in Normal but pretty unpleasant in any other mode. It’s probably programmable but we didn’t have time. Sure it’s quick, but not terribly exciting. OMG the seat controls are awful - I ended up with the steering wheel in my chest until I found the “go back” control buried between the seat and the centre console. I’m sure this would be the best on track, otherwise pretty forgettable. The glass roof panels were a pain, there’s no way to cover them so it gets hot real fast and spoils the visibility as the sun got in my eyes. I haven’t lived in the US long enough to wear a baseball cap everywhere so no relief there.
Finally into the AMG SLS. Instantly at home after my R-class and a couple of A classes and a rental S class, it’s standard Merc parts bin. Without the shouty engine it could be a S class with the back cut off and welded on the front. All bonnet and hairy-chested grunt, it’s pretty good fun. Tons of torque, pops and bangs on the overrun, much faster than it feels probably because it has that looong bonnet and the others have little to see in front of the windscreen. It’s clearly a GT, there’s luggage space, proper grown up seats, auto everything like the S-class and it all just works. But I don’t see the point of it. It doesn’t have the gullwing doors, an E63 makes more or less the same noise and the interior is the usual mess of satin chrome, piano black and silly mouse-like interface.
They say you shouldn’t meet your heroes. None of these was my hero, but I really expected something special. My companion’s driving style left me pretty nauseous at times too, and the bone-jarring ride in everything but the Ferrari didn’t help. It was quite telling for me that the most memorable car was the ‘57 Cadillac Eldorado Biarritz convertible which was pulling out of a driveway. Super rare, hand built, fabulous looks and that great OHV V8. As for the supercars, the Ferrari was clearly the pick of the bunch with the NSX second, but the Tesla leading the group probably had more acceleration in real world road driving and I bet none of the guys in that needed pain killers after the trip!
Anyway, hope you found this interesting or maybe entertaining, I’m expecting to be flamed for hating the Lambo, but there you go.
georgeyboy12345 said:
I had a drive of a Gallardo a few years ago and thought it was a horrible thing too. Might have just been a bad, unloved example.
Was that at Avon Park raceway out of interest? I drove one there and once was enough. Ferrari was disappointing too.The 996 Turbo and V8 Vantage were better for me
Maybe it would be different if “…..someone threw me the keys for a week “ ( classic PH throwaway line )
Very interesting, I do wonder how leggy these cars are. I’ve got a track experience at the end of July that was bought for me and I deliberately picked the non-supercars in the hope I might be able to drive them a bit more enthusiastically.
On another note, screw getting into a supercar with a random stranger who may have no idea how to drive or not kill themselves.
On another note, screw getting into a supercar with a random stranger who may have no idea how to drive or not kill themselves.
Edited by lb3nson on Friday 13th May 07:49
lb3nson said:
Very interesting, I do wonder how leggy these cars are.
This can make quite a difference. My brother had a Ferrari 360 when they were current and I thought everything about it was great. About 10 years later a mate borrowed one from a local hire place. Looked ok on the outside. It was awful. Seats looked like they had done 200k, plastics were all scratched, lacquer peeling off the carbon, writing / pictures worn off the buttons, rattles and noises.
If that had been my first / only Ferrari experience I’d be out telling everyone how rubbish they are.
mr_spock said:
. On the down side, I’m now a balding middle aged man in a Ferrari. With the roof down. And another bloke in the passenger seat.
That was a great read! The line above especially made me laugh.A little story (Qualification - I've no experience with supercars). In the West Highlands last year we met a nice couple with a new Aston; it looked and sounded magnificent in it's metallic red paint, all vents and diffusers with (I think) 21" wheels. After the owner left, gingerly manoeuvring out of the dirt car park, my wife asked if I would prefer something like that to my current MX-5. I thought for a moment and with all honesty replied, 'No'. For the roads that I drive on and my level of driving ability, concern over damage/running costs, I know I'll have much more fun with the MX-5.
Supercars - glad they exist, like to look at them, but no desire to own, or even drive one .
jhonn said:
That was a great read! The line above especially made me laugh.
A little story (Qualification - I've no experience with supercars). In the West Highlands last year we met a nice couple with a new Aston; it looked and sounded magnificent in it's metallic red paint, all vents and diffusers with (I think) 21" wheels. After the owner left, gingerly manoeuvring out of the dirt car park, my wife asked if I would prefer something like that to my current MX-5. I thought for a moment and with all honesty replied, 'No'. For the roads that I drive on and my level of driving ability, concern over damage/running costs, I know I'll have much more fun with the MX-5.
Supercars - glad they exist, like to look at them, but no desire to own, or even drive one .
Having spent a week in the Highlands last month, I can’t imagine anything worse to drive there than a massively wide, low super car. On sone of the really bad surfaces I was having a hard time keeping up with SUV’s!A little story (Qualification - I've no experience with supercars). In the West Highlands last year we met a nice couple with a new Aston; it looked and sounded magnificent in it's metallic red paint, all vents and diffusers with (I think) 21" wheels. After the owner left, gingerly manoeuvring out of the dirt car park, my wife asked if I would prefer something like that to my current MX-5. I thought for a moment and with all honesty replied, 'No'. For the roads that I drive on and my level of driving ability, concern over damage/running costs, I know I'll have much more fun with the MX-5.
Supercars - glad they exist, like to look at them, but no desire to own, or even drive one .
Sounds like the NSX was in quiet or sport mode where it will cycle between full EV and hybrid.
It needs to be put into Sport+ Or track(no stability control) for full hybrid and no annoying engine on/off tricks.
You have summarised alot of what puts me off more modern supercars these days tbh.
It needs to be put into Sport+ Or track(no stability control) for full hybrid and no annoying engine on/off tricks.
You have summarised alot of what puts me off more modern supercars these days tbh.
georgeyboy12345 said:
I had a drive of a Gallardo a few years ago and thought it was a horrible thing too. Might have just been a bad, unloved example.
I drove one at Rockingham, and it wasn't very nice, and did not seem particularly sprightly, so like your drive, it may have been an unloved example. I dont particularly feel much inclination to drive one again.take-good-care-of-the-forest-dewey said:
Love the analogy, but aren't all Supercar supposed to be like a toddler with a sugar rush... It's ALL about the Theatre. Everything else is secondary.
Want driver engagement... By an Elise / Caterham.
Want comfort... By a wafty barge.
Is what I kept thinking while reading. I think a super car that is refined and comfortable and easy to live with would get a load of criticism for having no drama or theatre. Want driver engagement... By an Elise / Caterham.
Want comfort... By a wafty barge.
They're not about being good, they're about being mental.
Having said that. A good read OP and although it's a shame your day wasn't what you would have hoped, at least you have had the experience and thanks for taking the time to share it.
I felt pretty much the same after my supercar experience. The cars all seemed to have some big flaws, only mitigated by decent acceleration and some theater.
All round my Elise was a better car to drive, and far more useable on public roads.
If I won the lottery I would of course have one, but in real life I would be better with Porsche or Lotus which are fortunately attainable without a lottery win.
All round my Elise was a better car to drive, and far more useable on public roads.
If I won the lottery I would of course have one, but in real life I would be better with Porsche or Lotus which are fortunately attainable without a lottery win.
Supercars never really interested me much as an adult. As a child, I obviously loved the likes of the Countach QV, the Porsche 930 Turbo (when a 911 was considered almost a supercar), Ferrari F40, Jaguar XJ220 etc.
I think now though, I just can't get very interested in a car that will never be attainable, and quite honestly, they're a lot more common than they were.
If I was going for a driving experience day, I'd be more interested in driving a Caterham, Elise or Ariel Atom than any Ferrari, Lambo, Aston etc. For some reason, I just look at cars like those as being like posher versions of my old Z4 Coupe, Boxster or 350Z, rightly or wrongly
I think now though, I just can't get very interested in a car that will never be attainable, and quite honestly, they're a lot more common than they were.
If I was going for a driving experience day, I'd be more interested in driving a Caterham, Elise or Ariel Atom than any Ferrari, Lambo, Aston etc. For some reason, I just look at cars like those as being like posher versions of my old Z4 Coupe, Boxster or 350Z, rightly or wrongly
s m said:
georgeyboy12345 said:
I had a drive of a Gallardo a few years ago and thought it was a horrible thing too. Might have just been a bad, unloved example.
Was that at Avon Park raceway out of interest? I drove one there and once was enough. Ferrari was disappointing too.The 996 Turbo and V8 Vantage were better for me
Maybe it would be different if “…..someone threw me the keys for a week “ ( classic PH throwaway line )
Pan Pan Pan said:
I drove one at Rockingham, and it wasn't very nice, and did not seem particularly sprightly, so like your drive, it may have been an unloved example. I dont particularly feel much inclination to drive one again.
That was where I got to drive one too - possibly even the same car maybe. Didn’t enjoy it & it looked knackered.Gassing Station | Supercar General | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff