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With most manufacturers trying to out-do each other with the best handling cars in all catagories,i can understand this in sports cars and the like,but in the humdrum family saloon is it so important about having a pin-sharp chassis which encourages you to drive harder causing the kids to throw up and the missus to scream?
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>a pin-sharp chassis which encourages you to drive harder causing the kids to throw up and the missus to scream?
No such animal.
There is brain (or lack of) that can have that effect.
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So what happens if you need to avoid something or someone that appears in front of you in a emergency?
All the EBA & ABS in the world wont help you if you try & steer round the object in question & spin out of control & hit a crash barrier / tree / building.
You need a good braking system backed up by a chassis that can get you out of trouble.
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I totally agree leepower but i do think that some people have no idea about what they've got underneath them and it takes a hell of a lot to upset an average family car into something overtly dangerous.
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I know the kind of people your are on about.
I saw one idiot myself this week, Twisty country & hilly road in Yorkshire + over confident driver in a Cavalier = one less Vauxhall on the road & a Cavalier shapped hole in a stone wall.
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To be totally frank the modern car chassis dynamics are wasted on 85% of the population. I see people slowing for corners, braking halfway round etc even in so called performance cars such as BMWs. And yes I know the Alfa is particularly good but even in the previous Suzuki Wagon R I'd frequently out drive cars which handled better. I was brought up on cars with mediocre brakes & suspension so I assume therefore learnt to drive. A vast amount of people out their have never driven without drum brakes, idiot proof front wheel drive etc. SO I suppose the point is yes the manufacturers are probably wasting their time!
Jim
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I suspect it's mostly a function of so much of the road-testing being done by folks who are driving enthusiasts, which most drivers aren't.
As a result, cars seem to be getting more and more like go-karts: sharp handling, sometimes to the point of twitchiness, and deteriorating ride quality. That even seems to apply to apply to French cars, which used to have lovely soft rides and soft seats.
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What bothers me is those drivers who go into a blind bend(has hedges) skilled or otherwise, at such a speed that they have no chance of stopping before the bang, should there be something broken down just round the bend. Fortunately this is rare.
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Yes, but how many times have you gone around a corner, found traffic stationary either for a jam or lights and spent the next seconds / minutes praying the guy behind you is being sensible! One of the worst roads I've seen for this is the A6 in the peak district. Lots of twisty bits, lots of people in a hurry and often stationary traffic.
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Well having just spent a week in pembrokeshire with the family, I for one have revelled in the handling and ride of modern cars on wonderfully challenging roads.
With good handling, flat stance, supportive seats and a good ride, we could hustle with comfort and pace.
Even then probably never even pushed the limits the car could give.
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Ah, I see.
It's the roads fault then. Not the drivers?
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I see your screen name is rather apt... (IOW, read the post again and see if you understand this time)
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