At last, managed to finally drive the thing. Didn’t take much, phone call to Oli at Roger Clark Motorsport and confirmation that he had 4 in stock sent me packing to Leicester. Mrs Blowdog came for the ride this time, it’s nice to get confirmation from the deadliest of all species.
Well, it was nice. Fast, but not faster, handled amazingly, but not better and stopped superbly, but again, not quicker. Not better that what? My car. The steering was real sharp but I didn’t notice a mass of difference between the two cars and I would like to hear from anyone that says it’s heaps better. Unfortunately, we listen so hard and dedicatedly to the words of journalists that whatever they say is written in stone. If they say Car (A) is good, we don’t question it, it’s taken for gospel. The 7 is a competent car, but not worth the extra capital I would have to fork out over mine to buy it.
I love the way the car just glides/hovers (delete as applicable) and shows an awesome prowess over regular country lanes. Pot holes, changes in road texture and general UK deficiencies are just gobbled up by the car. It’s still a very taut car, incredibly so, but it does a great job of dampening the harshness of it all. It’s taken a leaf out of the Impreza ‘book of conforming suspension’. The body is significantly stiffer, more seam-wields and strengthening points coupled with a quicker steering rack means the car is far quicker to respond to steering and throttle inputs. It also results in superb steering communication and means you are always aware of road conditions. I wasn’t able to really push the car, it was a 60 miler, so I was reluctant to rape the hell out of it, so I wasn’t able to test its roadholding capabilities and lay any judgement on revised suspension and the new Yokohama tyre treads.
The car felt quicker, although it isn’t. It has practically less torque and BHP than my car does now (I have better breathing mods; straight through exhaust de-cat) yet it felt much more responsive, again, perhaps more to do with the directness of all its components. It would be hugely interesting to see how the car reacts to better breathing by giving it a straight through exhaust and getting rid of the cat. The exhaust, inherently, is much shorter and straighter, so it should provide better torque than mine. That remains to be seen.
The interior is a funny one. Although it certainly has grown up, I can’t say that much money was spent on the design. It certainly makes the cabin feel much more spacious and roomy, but that’s also because of its wider track. It is also so much better built. Join lines are consistent and gaps between don’t have enormous disparity like the current models. I am also saddened to see the loss of the TV style climate control in favour of regular heating control knobs. The seats were amazing though, although not for those with wide berths. I have to lose some weight and despite what some friends may think, I am not fat.
So did we like it? Mrs Blowdog certainly did. She found it less aggressive and much more mature. Which is nice. If your a girl. But if your car can do all the things that the new 7 can with more competence in some areas, is it worth forking out thousands simply because of a new shell?
Didn’t think so. I’m not entirely convinced, although subconsciously, I still long for one, perhaps because I simply must have the latest gadget out. Or maybe I fear losing heaps of money on my existing car. Regardless, the car certainly had this ‘Been there, done that’ feeling.
I must be evolving for the sake of it.
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