Cars you've driven that have impressed you

[scottyg938]

Originally Posted by SCUD

"get stuck driving.."?


I "get stuck driving" a sign written Camry. Hold your head high champ.

haha, note the sarcasm in there.

[DanielXR8]

2010 Porsche 911. Suddenly after a drive I found myself rationalising a car well into six figures was good value.

1976 Falcon 500. It was a one day loaner from my Ford dealer, while my Cortina was in for its annual repairs. Had been used as a paddock basher, there was the faint smell of water and mildew and the car veered constantly to the left. For some reason I cannot rationally explain, I loved driving that car.

2011 FG XR6 Falcon. Rental car for a 10 day holiday in WA, which I picked up from the airport with 2000K on the clock. Looked fantastic, drove better than any Falcon I had owned or driven before it in similar trim/spec and surprised my wife and I with its comfort and fuel economy. Put the FG series back on the shopping list for me. Missed that car when I got back home.

KF Ford Laser S. My first new car and a revolution compared to the Cortina S I drove and loved before it. Slick 5 speed gearbox, smooth quiet engine with no choke (thanks fuel injection), about twice the usable power and my favourite - power steering ($650 option) and airconditioning! Loved it to bits and it still is a car that has stood the test of time. Its a rare thing to find people who have bad things to say about owning a Laser.

2005 Mazda 6 MPS. My current weekender and a superb car. Lets get past the bad bits first. High beam is equivalent to one candle power and is for decorative purposes only. Mazda shoved 18" wheels under the guards of a car designed for 17" wheels and despite their best efforts to flare the guards on the MPS, the turning circle is appalling even for FWD.

The good bits. Handles superbly, great torque from the direct injected turbo engine, wonderful mechanical feel to the six speed manual and despite having heaps of high tech engineering in it, has been ultra reliable. Has no Turbo or AWD badges on it and the air intake is hidden in a bulged bonnet. A real sleeper that surprises quite a few. Also has the best brakes in any car I have owned - Brembo brakes included. A dozen laps of the old Oran Park track in this car, showed that Mazda really went the extra mile to make this a special car, compared to even the very good standard 6 of the day. I haven't looked seriously at a Mazda 6 since, because they simple haven't produced a car since that is as good as it.

2011 FG GS. After the great experience with the rental XR6, I decided it was time to check out the new supercharged donk in the FPV range. By the time the salesman had started the car and I heard that exhaust, the nightmares of my old GT were fading. A test drive later and I have decided this is my next new car.

[GTBenny]

Probably the most exciting cars I've experienced from best down.

R35 GTR
Lamborghini Gallardo
R33 GTR with 700hp, crazy
BF F6 600hp (Brian's)
C63 AMG
My old FG XRT.
Maserati Grantourismo
Aston Martin Vantage
Ferrari 360 Modena, very disappointing.

Benny.

[Mechan1k]

VW Golf MkV TDI 6-speed manual.
For what it is .... it's a damn nice car.
I'd be happy to have one as my daily if i was to go back to a smaller vehicle.

[XR_Strider_GuY]

Originally Posted by z80

2011 Corvette.

I got to 250km/h in fourth gear (with two gears to go) and chickened out.

Of course its a Corvette, you know they are going to be an exciting and hit the part of the brain that triggers excitement.

One surprise for me was back in 2009. Always wanted to drive a Cadillac and had the fortunate situation to have one for almost 1 month in South Carolina. It was a base Cadillac DTS. Why the surprise???

Well in Australia where a front wheel drive V8 is called an **** dragger, under steering shopping trolley I expected the DTS to be a soft, wollowy understeering badly made tank. This was not the case.

It handles much better than the rear drive Charger, can hustle it around the corners with more compliance and speed. Its smooth, very well built, quiet and has the nice top grade leather (Hello Ford Aus are you listening). The North Star 32 engine has got to be one of the nicest sounding engines out there. Aural at all revs, smooth, vibration free, deep with no annoying resonances.

The Cadillac has won me over. I have fond memories, cruising the interstate, sunroof on tilt listening to classic rock on the XM radio.

[Greggy]

Maserati Quattroporte V8
AMG C63
Maserati Shamal
Giocattolo Group B
Fiat 125 Special
My XR8 ute
Volkswagen R32 Golf
Mercedes-Benz 500SL
Alfa GTV6

[MOTIV8]

Originally Posted by Mr Hardware

So most of us here like to try different cars every now and then. I want to know what cars you've driven lately that have impressed you

Only 'cause I cant see myself in the near future of getting one, a good friend of mine let me drive his 458 Italia around the track for a few familiarisation laps...... WOW, what an awesome machine to drive and the acceleration and braking (those HUGE carbon-fibre discs) is phenomenal for a road car and what an opportunity to have and especially the trust of the owner to allow me to do so.

[TATT2]

VW Jetta had it as a hire car in cairns

[SSD-85]

2001 Lincoln LS V8.

Having read up on all the atrocious build quality horror stories of this model, I was quite skeptical on getting behind the wheel.

I absolutely loved it. I would seriously overlook the apparent issues these cars have & buy one if I got it cheap enough.

[grandpa_spec_F6]

Mr Hardwares AU Falcon, couldn't believe how easy it was to drive, the power and the comfort it all combined. Probably why I got an AU Fairmont Ghia back in the day.

Also, my curret car, mind blown and so much more fun than the GS (waits for the miami execution squad )

[Bent8]

Originally Posted by F6 FOON

Merc SL65 AMG, have never experienced a car as awesome as one of these, I personally don't like Merc but these are a great car, handling and brakes are sensational and the power from the bi Turbo 6L was a rush, the 7 Speed is sublime like anything you would expect from the Merc factory.

Pretty sure the SL65 has the 5-speed auto as the 7G can't handle the 1000Nm of torque

Had a go in a friend's R35... very clinical (and mild understeer) but the thrust of this machine is amazing, almost defies physics !! Tight gear ratios, super-fast shifts and the launch control feature is just awesome.

If only it sounded like the C63 I drove a few months back, now here's a machine that you can practically do anything with... fits all your mates in the back, has all the comfort features yet hauls like a big block muscle car.

The lack of LSD was a bit scary when coupled with 600Nm and short gearing and I think I left the TC on for most of the time except for a brief blast to 220kph... the exhaust note is perfectly tuned to the 6.2L V8 and is surprisingly quiet below 2500rpm.

Apart from the thrill I get driving my 430hp XR8 on a daily basis, these 2 beasts really stood out for me.

[1TUFFUTE]

the new FORD FOCUS was way better then i was preparing for and on a similair note the HOLDEN CRUZE was a shocking drive after being in the focus.

JEEP WRANGLER amazing acceleration(early gears) and comfort for a JEEP.Awesome offroad in stock form...just awesome.

[falconator]

My 2000 Pajero,5 speed semi manual,best car i have ever owned.Cannot fault it.

[malazn mafia]

LAX Rental 2011 Cadillac Escalade with 300 miles on the clock. Lounge suite on wheels. Sound system fantastic, with XM satellite radio set on the 80s channel ftw . The engine note was perfect. Silent below 1500 revs. Anything above and the 6.2L rumble was simply addictive. Going back into a Ford Territory after the trip felt like hopping into a Toyota Rav 4.

[nipper575]

First car that always comes to mind on this topic is the Honda S2000. I wanted one before I bought the XR8 but couldn't afford a decent one. I've driven a couple of them on a few occasions and I've always come out with a huge smile. How a 2.0 NA 4 cylinder can move like that is deserving of praise, that and its 9000 RPM redline which is an experience in itself. As mentioned by another member, they go mad above 6000 RPM. Great handling too, usually hate convertibles but I would make an exception here.

Audi S3. Mate owned one which was APR tuned. Fantastic build quality, probably the best panel fitment I've seen myself, puts my falcon to absolute shame in that regard. Only complaint is that its refinement was also it's downfall, it was boring as **** to drive despite being fast.

VZ SS Thunder. Not much to say about it, but it wasn't disappointing. Made me start considering owning a V8 manual ute.

My BA XR8 ute. If not for (what I assume is) an intermittent throttle position problem that no one can diagnose and the dreaded timing chain tensioner rattle, I wouldn't really have a bad thing to say about this vehicle. Love the way it looks and drives for a large, heavy car. Love the noise above all else.

My old Alfa 75 3.0 V6 and Alfetta GTV2000. Both of these were great drivers cars in their own way. The GTV despite being slower had a bigger grin factor, A pair of twin barrel side draft dellortos mounted to a 2.0 4 cyl made for an awesome sound.

[Dilzzyy]

Id have to say fg f6 . Was really impressed with that car

[Jonno ba]

My mates LC 2door torana was like a go kart to drive I will never forget that car, pretty hard to find now days. My XR6T was the best test drive I ever took, and I was buying that things soon as got that funny feeling in my tummy when the turbo was winding up. Miss that to much...anything with big turbo horse is exciting.

[CAT600]

A Subaru WRX STi "S201" of my mate Ramons............. one of only 78 built and arguably one of the best.

1200kg and 210kw at all 4 wheels in a stiff little AWD chassis, awesome fun and the Phase III of Subaru's!

Obviously my three cars, the R35 being such a revelation of a car.... you just dont believe a factory can turn out such an uncompromised vehicle!

[Crazy Dazz]

Santa Fe, I did my D-Tec in one. TD was very smooth and quiet, nice interior and driving position. Was initially a bit skittish at high speeds on corrugated gravel, but once you got the hang of it the light steering was nice and direct.

TTG, just plain awesome.

[Ben73]

1 month ago drove a lamborgihni galardo V10.
I kept changing gears up to early on the flappy paddle gear box. I'm used to redlining at about 6000 rpm so it took a bit of getting used to reving it out too 8000 odd RPM.
I was on a race track btw.

[Ben73]

Originally Posted by malazn mafia

LAX Rental 2011 Cadillac Escalade with 300 miles on the clock. Lounge suite on wheels. Sound system fantastic, with XM satellite radio set on the 80s channel ftw . The engine note was perfect. Silent below 1500 revs. Anything above and the 6.2L rumble was simply addictive. Going back into a Ford Territory after the trip felt like hopping into a Toyota Rav 4.

Yes. Today I decided next time I got to Los Angeles I am hiring an escalade.
Last month I hired a Mustang convertible. It was good, but not big enough. Plus you need a big laid back luxury cruiser to deal with hectic LA traffic. Escalade will be my next pick.

[XF Falcon]

Originally Posted by CAT600

A Subaru WRX STi "S201" of my mate Ramons............. one of only 78 built and arguably one of the best.

1200kg and 210kw at all 4 wheels in a stiff little AWD chassis, awesome fun and the Phase III of Subaru's!

Driven that car once a few years back, and although I didn't give it any stick it really feels like it would be a very fun car to thrash around!

[robertjp]

Hired the last of the Fairlanes in Perth and was amazed at the size, comfort and ecconomy it had, still would get one. The only quibble was the styling which was fine since you cant see it when you are driving.

[NickyN]

Hummer and the H3.

No one drove a Hummer before? Yea I got to drive one, and the H3. Talk about feeling like I'm in a tank! I felt like I ruled from where I sat, but it made me feel really really short climbing back out of it. Was kinda funny as my friends would agree.

[BAXR8_Ute]

New Mercedes 250 CDI. Beautiful car. Great handling, superb comfort, economical and surprisingly quick!

[TMC]

In 2007 a TX Ford Territory. Hence I own one now.

[Polyal]

1. Mondeo ST220 - The UK version, was here with Ford for a few reasons and the V6 in that thing was so nice and smooth. I love my I6 but damn it was a nice package. I tried to buy that car but no deal...was sent back to the mother land or crushed I cant remember

2. MkV Golf TDI - the second TDi I have driven and wow certainly enough punch for most people in that little car

Not performance or mind blowing cars by any stretch of the imagination...but surprising.

[Copesy]

Definately a FG F6 310, smooth, insane acceleration, before you know it you're doing 250. Do prefer the bent 8 though

[big_landau]

xd ex police chaser,gee did it handle and would still hold its own in the right hands today.a realy well balanced car and i dont even like xd's that much.my uncle has a 6.0L thunder ute and it went realy well,i didnt feel safe in it in the wet but maybe tha was because of the power.

[CFOUR]

Ozemail V8 supercar, it wasn't the power, it was the grip that got me.