Originally Posted by Tromatic
One of the big ones, the Prius V. I borrowed it from my sister to drag my seabag to my new compound. Jeebus, that thing sucks. If you are starting to wonder about the awesomeness of your FR-S/BRZ, drive almost anything else to be reminded of how friggin' lucky we are to have it.
The Prius is totally isolated from the road, or at least as good as it gets in a Prius. The steering was amazing on the freeway. Here's a turn, "ten degrees left rudder". WTF, nothing is happening. "20 degrees left rudder!" Now, all of a sudden, you get all 20 degrees and bunch of roll. Now you have too much rudder on and a serious list. Correct a bit to the right. Shit! Nothing is happening! A bit more right rudder! And again, you get it all at once. I used to think Prius drivers were NDF's (Non-driving Fucks) but I am now willing to concede that the car itself is an NDF.
Passing lane? Great, I can get around this brain-dead Prius driver. Wait.... All head full! WTF. I said ALL AHEAD FULL! WTF. ALL AHEAD FLANK! Finally, with great dignity, we begin to gain on the car ahead. When finally ahead, repeat the flappy-tiller steering. I will no longer blame my sister for causing me to white-knuckle it when she is driving. It's not her fault I'm seasick and we are going so slowly that we are going to be run down by a brodozer, it's the car.
J. Clarkson was right when he said everything about the 86 is immediate. It responds instantly and predictably to the smallest steering input, and you can feel it in both the steering wheel and gut. The car rotates around my ass like my MC does. It IS like a 250cc bike. The gas pedal will not save you, and if that is the only tool (or fun you have) "you bought the wrong fucking car". Throttle response is instant (providing you are in the right gear or not in the "torque dip", and if you can't do either you suck, get a Prius). You can feel trailing and off-throttle, and you have real engine-braking. You can feel what the car is doing, unlike the totally numb Prius. Seat of the pants vs. I have become comfortably numb.
I almost crashed because of the brakes. Unlike my fellow Oregonians, I'm looking two or three cars ahead, not at the bumper of the car directly in front of me, or better yet, a cell phone. Brakes on, three cars ahead! I'm already braking before the dolt ahead notices and I was still almost too late on the brakes. I'm just short of panic-braking, and I'm thinking this must be how it feels to crash an oil tanker. Stop, you fuck!
The FR-S/BRZ/86 is a fucking BRILLIANT car. I've said it before, and will say it again, knowing full well it will bring out the 'tards: this car is a taste of supercar for us plebes. It really is a miracle it got built at all.
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