07-12-2021, 02:43 PM | #1511 | |
Chief title editor
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If turns with a modest amount of lateral acceleration counts, but not necessarily thrust, then yes and I don't recall anything like you describe...which I'm still having a hard time imagining being anything but something tightly tied to the specific combination of speeds, pavement type, tire (including treadblock shape, size, depth, and compound), surroundings, and other environmental conditions. We may not be able to get any further on this with just written words.
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07-12-2021, 05:39 PM | #1512 | |
Carmudgeon
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I was also on a nice twisty road this weekend...even in our SUV it's fun but I got stuck behind several Subarus and Lexi doing 10 under the speed limit. |
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07-15-2021, 09:45 PM | #1513 |
•••••••
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Admittedly drive by semi-drunk posting here but I have a hard time believing anyone here doesn't by definition completely understand the appeal of having outrageously ridiculous instantaneous kidney-punching acceleration on tap at all times. I mean, come on.
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07-16-2021, 07:26 AM | #1514 |
No more BMWs
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I understand the appeal for sure. But practically speaking, it is a party trick that gets old after a couple times behind the wheel. The other things that make enjoyable cars enjoyable like chassis balance, steering and brake feel and ride quality never get old. At least not to me.
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07-16-2021, 07:50 AM | #1515 | |
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No objection to having a stupifying amount of power under my right foot, but the value of that appeal dwindles rapidly when the opportunities to use it are so rare. Things that can be appreciated while sitting still at a traffic light and when stuck behind a train of cars led by a Prius trundling along 3 mph below the already way-to-low posted speed limit provide more relative value because they can be used and appreciated more often.
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07-16-2021, 09:56 AM | #1516 | |
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The Tesla's power is a party trick but eventually you stop gunning it from light to light and just start to appreciate how effortless it makes all city driving, from dawdling along to passing to inserting yourself into small gaps. In that sense it's way more useful than the power in the M3, which is a lot more trouble to access and mostly doesn't do anything for you around town. |
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07-16-2021, 10:00 AM | #1517 |
swinging for the fences
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I agree with this 100%
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07-16-2021, 11:22 AM | #1518 | |
Crazy Old Man
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07-16-2021, 11:33 AM | #1519 |
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I do! It's a very different driving experience than the Tesla, and is rewarding in its own right. I keep it because I need to have two four-door cars, still. If I had to choose between the Model 3 and the M3, I'm honestly not sure which way I'd go. The Model 3 is (perhaps surprisingly) far more practical and a lot easier to drive; in addition to exceling around town, it's frankly a better trip car, too, because it has more space and is more comfortable on the highway. The M3 is kind of loud and tiresome after a few hours on the interstate.
But the M3 is fun in an analogue, muscle-car kind of way, and it's neat to hear the turbos spool, and a manual transmission is still more rewarding than the Tesla. Plus, there are still some very small corner cases where a gas car is easier to use than an EV (though given the size of the Tesla charging network, around here those cases are really rare). I also don't see them making a better car than the M3 any time soon, with the possible exception of the G87, so maybe I just have to hold this one until the bearings spin. |
07-16-2021, 11:46 AM | #1520 | |
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A well-damped, taut chassis is something you can feel and appreciate with every motion of the car no matter what its non-zero speed or proximity to the edge of its envelope. The behavior and feel at its limits are something separate. It's what you feel when you're taking a casual stroll with the car, not what it's like to try dancing with it. The first time I really understood this was on an off-ramp at an anonymous and totally unremarkable speed the first night I had the RX-8. The tiniest changes in throttle input had a most predictable and natural effect on the car's arc. This was not in a high-strung, nervous, or twitchy kind of way, but rather in a this-is-how-it's-supposed-to-work way. It was not something that any "normal" driver would have noticed, but very much present and someone attuned to vehicle dynamics couldn't miss.
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