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2,140 Posts
Well, I've been for my test drive.
First off, the driving position is just excellent. It feels lower than the AE86. With adjustment for rake and reach for the steering, it is really very easy to get a nice comfortable position in the car. The seats seem quite supportive, too. I would have liked adjustable lumbar support, but they are good and feel comfy. Perhaps it's the driving position that sets up how you feel about driving this car. The gearshift is short in throw and very precise. there is no notchiness to at all, it just clicks in and out of gear, it feels very positive.
So, so far so good then. The instrument cluster is clear and easy to read with a central rev counter and digital speedo incorporated at the end of the sweep. The speedo to the left seems completely superflous and I didn't look at it all during my test drive. On the move the car has a nice, if slightly unusual sound to the engine. It's a boxer alright, but not as we know it. This is good, because the car has a rorty sound to the engine which seems entirely in keeping with it's character. It's quiet when cruising, but comes alive when you point your right foot to the carpet. The engine is smooth and feels torquey enough from 3500rpm. It climbs the tacho needle with some eagerness and zings all the way round to the rev limiter, which I admit, I did find on a couple of occasions.
The car feels tight, lithe and shrinks around you. It is easy to place due to the bulges atop the front wings which help to guide you. Whilst the GT86 feels a little wider than it's forebear, this does not seem to hinder you.
I took a route up the A537, 'Cat & Fiddle', down the A54 to Bosley then along the A523 back to Macclesfield. Going up the Cat and Fiddle with stability and traction control on, the road was greasy and with not too much effort I could flick the tail out. I dare say with the stability and traction control off, I could have had some sideways fun with ease. The chassis felt playful with a well weighted front end that was always keen to turn in. Though the inevitable Sunday drivers on the ascent didn't let me play too much! The car was comfortable to cruise in and well resolved in it's damping to soak up the bumps and provide a compliant ride.
After the slow drive up the 'Cat' we got to the top and turned off to come back down the A54. This is a road full of bumps and crests and a mix of corners. This is where the car came alive. As I pointed my toe to the carpet in third, the car accelerated strongly, throttle response is good and there is a feeling of a nice balance to the chassis. The front end seems well connected to the road and even over the bumps and yumps of the A54, the front end remained well connected without bottoming out. Perhaps at this point it is the right time to talk about the steering. At first I felt that the steering seemed somewhat distant, but perhaps it was the lack of slack anywhere in the steering system that helped it feel nice and direct with a good amount of weight. It is electric, but it doesn't seem to suffer from the typical numbness of such a system. Maybe the feel is not as texturally rich as on an older hydraulic system or a system with no assistance, but it does a good job of connecting you to the road. You can feel something of the road surface through the steering, though it's not as rich as say an Elise. The brakes feel strong, but are slightly over servoed for my liking. Heel and toeing was fine when you were on the pace, but there was too much servo to do this when driving at a slower speed.
The car seems to settle nicely into higher speed bends with no wallowing and minimal body roll. This does bode well when it comes to direction changes as the car can dart from corner to corner and this is a car that can attack B roads with some aplomb. It doesn't get ruffled with bumpy surfaces or uncomprimising undulations, it holds true and has a lovely balance to the chassis. In respect of the alacrity of turn in, this car reminds me of my old Integra Type-R. It is very precise indeed and easy to place.
With regard to the interior, it's a nice place to be. The car I tested had JBL speakers. I'm not sure if this is the full upgraded sound system, but I tested it with a CD and it did seem lacking. It feels like it needs a subwoofer to deliver the goods. Otherwise the finish and fit is very good. It would have been nice if the 'nut' controls for the heating and climate control were made of brushed chrome or aluminium as the plastic feels cheap. It could be that the feel and quality of the rest of the controls serves to highlight this shortcoming though.
So, in summary, what did I think? I love it. I Iove my AE86, but this car is light years ahead in terms of dynamics and really feels like the whole experience is focused around the driver. I love the steering, the engine feels strong and sounds right. The chassis, is very, very good and communicative enough with good progression to provide a good amount of feedback and playfulness to the experience. I want one!
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First off, the driving position is just excellent. It feels lower than the AE86. With adjustment for rake and reach for the steering, it is really very easy to get a nice comfortable position in the car. The seats seem quite supportive, too. I would have liked adjustable lumbar support, but they are good and feel comfy. Perhaps it's the driving position that sets up how you feel about driving this car. The gearshift is short in throw and very precise. there is no notchiness to at all, it just clicks in and out of gear, it feels very positive.
So, so far so good then. The instrument cluster is clear and easy to read with a central rev counter and digital speedo incorporated at the end of the sweep. The speedo to the left seems completely superflous and I didn't look at it all during my test drive. On the move the car has a nice, if slightly unusual sound to the engine. It's a boxer alright, but not as we know it. This is good, because the car has a rorty sound to the engine which seems entirely in keeping with it's character. It's quiet when cruising, but comes alive when you point your right foot to the carpet. The engine is smooth and feels torquey enough from 3500rpm. It climbs the tacho needle with some eagerness and zings all the way round to the rev limiter, which I admit, I did find on a couple of occasions.
The car feels tight, lithe and shrinks around you. It is easy to place due to the bulges atop the front wings which help to guide you. Whilst the GT86 feels a little wider than it's forebear, this does not seem to hinder you.
I took a route up the A537, 'Cat & Fiddle', down the A54 to Bosley then along the A523 back to Macclesfield. Going up the Cat and Fiddle with stability and traction control on, the road was greasy and with not too much effort I could flick the tail out. I dare say with the stability and traction control off, I could have had some sideways fun with ease. The chassis felt playful with a well weighted front end that was always keen to turn in. Though the inevitable Sunday drivers on the ascent didn't let me play too much! The car was comfortable to cruise in and well resolved in it's damping to soak up the bumps and provide a compliant ride.
After the slow drive up the 'Cat' we got to the top and turned off to come back down the A54. This is a road full of bumps and crests and a mix of corners. This is where the car came alive. As I pointed my toe to the carpet in third, the car accelerated strongly, throttle response is good and there is a feeling of a nice balance to the chassis. The front end seems well connected to the road and even over the bumps and yumps of the A54, the front end remained well connected without bottoming out. Perhaps at this point it is the right time to talk about the steering. At first I felt that the steering seemed somewhat distant, but perhaps it was the lack of slack anywhere in the steering system that helped it feel nice and direct with a good amount of weight. It is electric, but it doesn't seem to suffer from the typical numbness of such a system. Maybe the feel is not as texturally rich as on an older hydraulic system or a system with no assistance, but it does a good job of connecting you to the road. You can feel something of the road surface through the steering, though it's not as rich as say an Elise. The brakes feel strong, but are slightly over servoed for my liking. Heel and toeing was fine when you were on the pace, but there was too much servo to do this when driving at a slower speed.
The car seems to settle nicely into higher speed bends with no wallowing and minimal body roll. This does bode well when it comes to direction changes as the car can dart from corner to corner and this is a car that can attack B roads with some aplomb. It doesn't get ruffled with bumpy surfaces or uncomprimising undulations, it holds true and has a lovely balance to the chassis. In respect of the alacrity of turn in, this car reminds me of my old Integra Type-R. It is very precise indeed and easy to place.
With regard to the interior, it's a nice place to be. The car I tested had JBL speakers. I'm not sure if this is the full upgraded sound system, but I tested it with a CD and it did seem lacking. It feels like it needs a subwoofer to deliver the goods. Otherwise the finish and fit is very good. It would have been nice if the 'nut' controls for the heating and climate control were made of brushed chrome or aluminium as the plastic feels cheap. It could be that the feel and quality of the rest of the controls serves to highlight this shortcoming though.
So, in summary, what did I think? I love it. I Iove my AE86, but this car is light years ahead in terms of dynamics and really feels like the whole experience is focused around the driver. I love the steering, the engine feels strong and sounds right. The chassis, is very, very good and communicative enough with good progression to provide a good amount of feedback and playfulness to the experience. I want one!
