So I'm not quite sure what to say
lol
It buzzes and fizzes with energy, at idle and as it goes through the rev range. It has that deep gargling sound of an unfiltered V engine on the overrun. It has what I imagine to be the character of an over-engined yank tank, snuffling and burbling along, the engine dominating the experience but in a totally enjoyable way. It can do coasting along quietly through a village but bellow its way through to the limiter with total ease - the bonkers torque and power curve means that it runs into the limiter easily, because it just feels like it could keep on pulling for another couple of thousand revs, with no tail-off in power at all.
The effortless pull makes overtaking a doddle - pull out in third, use about 1/3 of the pedal travel, ride the swell of torque and you'll be zipping past a line of vehicles like they are parked up. Need a stupidly quick overtake? Slot second, pull out, use about half the pedal's travel and you'll be going 'woah!!' and past the car in front in what feels like a second.
It has incredible traction in the dry - I was totally surprised at the fact it didn't break traction with a boot full of power in third off a roundabout, but also very pleased it didn't...
lol. In the wet? Somewhat squeaky-bum time with any power applied due to fear of it breaking away, lol, but it still has good grip on PS3 tyres and there weren't any unintentional moments (amazingly!).
First is basically redundant after getting off the line, short-shifting into second needed to reduce the feeling that it's going to step out if you add more power, but despite the mental power (well, in the dry at least
) it is not that scary to drive steadily. Once you've been pottering along for a while quietly in fifth it is easy to forget what's under the bonnet, it's all just minimal fuss and effort. But then you change down for a corner, blipping the throttle mid-change to rev-match, and you are reminded of what it has - the throttle response is instant, remarkably so, and the growl it produces on the blip feels slightly feral
lol. You're then into the middle of the rev range, where it feels a lot more dangerous and worthy of respect!
I think it's a mark of a good overall package that it feels 'together' - I feel there might be a smidge of 'wander' in the steering, only a teeny tiny fraction, but it could also just have a touch of understeer to warn you of the limits approaching. TBH I think point-and-squirt is the main driving style until some airfield track time is undertaken, to enable limits to be learnt in an environment with nothing to hit! haha. The manual rack works well IMO, though - unfiltered, not that heavy when moving, and feels like the right number of turns lock-to-lock, being not too hyper-alert and not weighting up too much mid-corner. My dePAS rack and smaller steering wheel gets a lot heavier on corners! lol I think the manual rack also encourages a more 'measured' approach to cornering, which I think is important when one has ridiculous power and zero traction control or stability aids...
It's a bit of a bitch in traffic, lol, as it really doesn't like slow-speed trickling off the line - you can't pull off and then feather the throttle, it much prefers some firm acceleration, and the 1000rpm idle speed and ridiculous torque means you can't just slot first and trundle along in queueing traffic, because it feels like it wants to do about 15mph
so you have to be on-off the clutch a lot of the time if you want a slower rolling speed, but I don't think that's entirely unexpected in any car with a higher state of tuning and an uprated clutch.
It's hard to sum up
as the engine dominates the experience to such an extent, but it is so enjoyable to drive and really not that scary in the dry. If you drive with a decent amount of respect for the power, forward plan and look well ahead in traffic (like we should do anyway...) it's not really any more scary than any 'normal' car - if anything I would say it feels less scary, as there is no frustration about being stuck behind someone because you can overtake in tiny opportunities, it feels small and nimble due to being lightweight, and you don't ever feel like you're giving it death to make progress (whereas thrashing the tits off a 'normal' car can feel obviously antisocial and difficult to maintain over any time or in any amount of traffic). Wringing it out in second is laugh-out-loud fast
and the top-end of third sees you around 100 (kph
), but looking down and seeing you're doing 90 really doesn't feel like you are doing that speed - it all feels composed and no effort whatsoever. I think that could see you arrive at a situation faster than planned
lol, but the brakes are at least decent!
Full-bore acceleration in third is utterly, utterly insane, and I doubt anyone could use that level of power regularly on the road - quite why all these modern cars have 400bhp when 5 seconds of full power sees you past the national speed limit and well into Ban territory, I don't know. The benefits of that power in a 5, though, is that it is a completely consuming experience. You can't do anything *but* drive and pay attention, as to not do so could easily see you in trouble. Driving it is an event, every time, and it's awesome to have something that takes your mind away from everyday life. Could it be a daily? Maybe, if you don't like petrol or money in your account or your hearing
lol
So, overall... Mentalist, in a very good way, and I'm lucky to have experienced it - thank you V6!
It needs space to really run free (and ideally no Police...
) so I think some airfield track time is a must, and it does sort of take away from the 'fun on any road' mentality of the 5 (because I think it would be very 'interesting' on a muddy, single-track country road... lol) but it is most definitely an experience.
I think the best indicator of how good it is, is the fact that despite needing total concentration 100% of the time (especially in drizzly rush-hour traffic), and feeling totally drained afterwards, it just makes you want to point it down the road and keep on driving until it runs out of petrol
I recommend!
lol
lol. In the wet? Somewhat squeaky-bum time with any power applied due to fear of it breaking away, lol, but it still has good grip on PS3 tyres and there weren't any unintentional moments (amazingly!).
), but looking down and seeing you're doing 90 really doesn't feel like you are doing that speed - it all feels composed and no effort whatsoever. I think that could see you arrive at a situation faster than planned 
le sigh