Minimal

Two weeks and not a single post. To get me back into my stride, I reckon a few missives about motors should do the trick. :)

A couple of weekends back, I had my very first taste of a real-wheel-drive car, courtesy of the boardmeister, Gav, and his Toyota MR2. Although we spent only five minutes blatting up and down a country lane near York, it was an interesting five minutes. I’d hoped I would be able to gush about how different it felt to all the FWD cars I’ve ever driven, but that just wasn’t the case. Perhaps on track, pushing the limits of adhesion, it would’ve felt different. On the road, however, it just felt... normal. Solid. Planted. Not what I’d expected. Hey ho.

To be fair, it actually felt a lot more planted than my Mini, absorbing the undulations with much more grace and inspiring the confidence to push on. I was less keen on the greater degrees of steering lock required to make the corners, but the ride was far more controlled. There was none of the tramlining and buffeting I’ve come to expect with the Mini.

In raw straight-line performance terms, the MR2 felt on a par with the Cooper S. Nothing staggering, but certainly nothing to sniff at. This wasn’t really a revelation, though — it’s been borne out at least once or twice on the way home from karting. The one extra thing you get from being in the car during acceleration, however, is the noise of the engine over your shoulder. It’s nice to get such immediate aural feedback, but I surprised myself by longing for the whine of a supercharger I’d previously thought a bit pathetic. Maybe Gav needs the turbo model... :)

Overall, I enjoyed my little jaunt and really appreciate being given the opportunity, but feel there’s a lot more to be had from the MR2. Gav, get the car on track man! That’s an order. Oh, and can I be your passenger, please?