Quote:
Originally Posted by Nav-i-gator Consider me as an average enthusiast who drives his car daily, mostly to commute between home & office, occasionally on highways. But the enthusiast in me, road & traffic conditions permitting, once in a while indulge in throwing about my car around corners and pushing it a little further just to get an adrenaline rush and feel like a rally driver. Should I buy a punto Abarth? or Figo?
Now consider I like driving my car around a race track as my hobby. I drive an abarth and my friend drives with me on a figo. With 45 extra horses under my command, I can still see him always on my tail, sometimes leaving me behind too around corners. would I still be happy with Abarth?
An enthusiast is satisfied by his Figo, a pro-track driver is not satisfied with his Abarth.
Where does this leave Abarth punto? |
Frankly speaking None of our cars are track cars.
Some of them are better on the track, some are worse. But the summary is that none of them are built for track. (Like say a duke RC200/390). They are built for road.
None of the cars have 100% track focus.
A pro track driver, can always take any car with a good stiff chassis and then step by step modify it to make it 'track ready'. Lighten the weight, Tune up the suspension, tyres, ECU, so many things are there to be done, if some one wants to be a pro on the track.
Secondly, we are all mixing track times and actual 'handling'. Handling cannot be quantified. It is a feeling.
This feeling can be different for different people also.
But, generally, Handling is a combination of factors like:
How the car feels on turn in.
How it feels on the limit. (Oversteer & understeer balance)
How it feels under braking.
How it feedbacks the grip on the tyres to the driver.
How connected the steering feels to the tarmac.
A car that is blisteringly quick on the track, may not be the best handling car.
And the car that sets average times on the track, may still be the best Handler of them all. The Best example: Toyota GT-86
If we actually read the OD Report between the lines, and forget the Laptimes, we shall find out that the Humble Baleno, has actually the best handling out of all the small cars, despite posting slower laptimes.
Here are some of the Notes from OD mag regarding the Figo automatic & Diesel, which are applicable to the Figo diesel:
The steering is more vague than the Hyundai i20 on the racetrack. Aditya found the steering to be positioned a bit ahead too. Braking is weak and the rear end of the car tends to move around while doing so. . It isn’t a sensation one likes to experience, especially when one is braking from triple-digit speeds to a slow corner like C1 at Kari. Add to that an ABS unit that intervenes way too early.
Despite smaller and narrower tyres than the rest, the car grips surprisingly well. The Figo diesel oversteers slightly on corner entry and then understeers at the exit, making it quick around the track
OD Notes For the i20:
The Elite can put a smile on your face even when driven enthusiastically. Turns out it’s as exciting to drive even on the racetrack. The i20 displays great mechanical grip. In fact, the chassis is one of the best when compared to the rest in this test. Body roll is controlled and the suspension is well-balanced making the car ride nicely over the kerbs and bumpy sections of the track.
The ABS kicks in much earlier than expected, and one needs to modulate the brakes to find the right balance. Another negative is the steering. There is hardly any feedback from the unit and there’s quite a bit of play as well.
OD Notes, for the Baleno:
The car feels the most connected when compared to the others and changes direction really well. The chassis stays planted and makes the driver feel a lot more confident about pushing the car harder around the track. The brake feel isn’t as good as the Jazz but is good enough for track days. ABS is slightly intrusive, but it is possible to turn into corners without the system kicking in.
The steering is like the Swift and amongst the best in a hatchback today. It complements the light and grippy chassis.The gearbox has short throws that are also precise, making it a delight to use, especially on a racetrack.
Aditya felt that the Baleno is the car that he’d happily drive around Kari all day long. It was also the choice for people driving for the first time on a racetrack.