[maestro]

Originally Posted by aaggoswami

Outlier here at the moment!

Voted for Only cars that are fast or really good handlers.

Good body control is a must for me to enjoy driving, just cant stand constant bobbing and pitching associated with softer suspension. Constant up and down movement make me uncomfortable and also fatigue quickly sets in for me. Tight handling cars allow for better average speeds over longer distances that I usually traverse. Confidence also goes up with me when I am driving good handling cars.

Fully agree. One such vehicle I sold with a heavy heart was the Peugeot 309. It had its faults, a rather weak front suspension, poor interior plastics, was underpowered and no power steering. But it handled like a dream, no vehicle I owned since has been so much like an extension of myself.

[sridhar24]

As an enthusiast, it's simply the love for Automobiles that drives me. It's got nothing to do with just a particular kind of car or a certain characteristic of the car.

I believe each car has its own character and personality and I love to experience them all. If if we start mentioning all of those in the poll options, list will just go on. I thoroughly enjoy driving anything from the humble Maruti 800 that we had in the beginning to anything on 4 wheels.

[300 KMPH]

Engineering perfection was the way to define fun to drive cars. Perfect Engine, Steering, Suspension, Brakes and so on. As all the cars have been becoming perfect these days, the Automotive Enthusiast is looking for a new definition, including me.

For me, a FTD car has a different personality altogether.

1. Iconic - Major factor for me. It should be an icon. Something which evolved the market, or was a trend-setter, or something with a unique personality which no-one ever thought of. It should be special.

2. Noise - Cabins of most of the cars are now almost sound-proof. I like a car which gives me some engine noise. I should come to know what my engine is doing, what my suspension is doing, what my tyres and brakes are doing, what speed I'm doing without even looking at the gauges.

3. Surprise - Mismatch of styling and powertrain makes it a delightful experience. For example, Hindustan Ambassador with a body style of 60s with an MPFI engine so that you can enjoy it like a modern car. Old Mahindra Thar with its raw offroader styling but with a butter smooth CRDe engine. Some cars feel outdated from the outside but when you get behind the wheel, it just turns a negative expectation into a positive one.

4. Egdes and Corners - Though judgement is something which we get used to after getting some experience with the car, there a few cars which just feel like you've driven it 1000s of kms already and it becomes very easy to drive in narrow roads, despite its size on day 1 itself.

5. Automatic - Save the manuals? AT cars are equally fun! Infact it could be the race track where you may see a difference where Manuals put a better time. But on a hill road, the convenience which you get climbing up the hill without worrying about downshifts is different kind of convenience converting it into FUN! In day to day driving, an average driver driving an AT car can outrun most of the MT cars.

6. Ride quality - No matter how good or bad the handling is, you can enjoy it if you don't have good ride quality. There are so many cars which are terrific in corners but the experience gets ruined if you encounter a pothole or undulations by breaking your spine. It may sound funny but on Indian Roads, you can compromise with handling in corners but not ride quality.

But communicative steering remains important. Otherwise the experience just blunts out if it's not an SUV.

[imzahid]

Enjoying a drive doesn't necessarily need a dynamic car which will stick to the road, having a sorted combination of ride and handling. The most fun I've ever had is still in my old Mahindra Scorpio which had the old school CRDe engine from the pre-mHawk days. Those drives along the ghats in Konkan were unforgettable and will live with me forever.

[Altocumulus]

For me Love Driving and having driving a 'fun to drive' car are 2 different things.

Since I love driving, I would do so at the wheel of any car. I hate being a passenger.
However if its 'fun to drive', it has to handle well and be fast when I want it to, even if it is for short spurts.

My Alto will never give the grin I will have when I take out the Rapid.

[V.Narayan]

Every car is a fun to drive car in its own unique way. My grandfather's 1936 6-cylinder Opel with double clutch and an oh so slow turning and unassisted steering wheel was also fun to drive in its own unique way, more so with my grandfathers heart in his mouth when his vintage car met his 20-year old grandson's enthusiasm. My fathers 'powerful' 40 bhp Standard Herald was driven by me imagining I am Sean Connery with Ursula Andress by my side!! With 40 bhp if you got past 70 kmph it was a bloody miracle but it didn't stop me from having fun or attempting, at least, to impress the girls. My Premier Padmini was such fun to drive that, living in Mumbai, I insisted in commuting to work by car each day Andheri West to South Bombay and back. Every flower is beautiful in its own way, every puppy is cute and lovable in its own way. Same way every car is fun to drive. It is up to the driver to know how to enjoy himself/herself with the machine at hand.

Billions of blue blistering barnacles even my 7 bhp Lambretta scooter was fun to drive made more enjoyable with my girl (later to be my wife) clinging onto me. I had done some jiggery-pokery with the silencer to give a louder sound to give me the kicks I was riding a powerful bike!!!

There is a joy of driving a car slowly and steadily soaking in the growl of the engine, the beat of the pistons, the rolling of the tyres. Twice a week I do a 110 kms round trip on a highway run as apart of my work. Instead of driving fast and creating stress for myself I drive at a steady 70-80 kmph with the window open and soak in the car, its torque, its growl, the wind, the tyre gripping the road - this I usually do with my Volvo XC60 AWD.

I believe it is a myth we have sold our selves that only fast and tight turning cars are fun to drive.

[justwheels]

In the end, a car or bike is only a means and it's the destination or journey which makes even a slouch ride memorable. I agree that fun to drive is and should not be limited to fast and tight turning cars unless the baseline for comparison is a track.

I have had many memorable fun to drive stints with my humble celerio and so with a much more dynamic Ecosport now.

Also, I feel fun to drive is also a mental state of the driver. If one who is used to low slung cars with enough grunt, is given a high GC SUV that drives like a boat, I am sure the fun to drive factor will be a lot lower.

[SSD2122]

I would have said no but then I recalled doing a test drive of Xylo. The way it swayed and rolled like a boat on every turn, it definitely made me uncomfortable. Surely not meant for me. I would never be as happy in it as I currently am in my linea tjet.

I think it comes down to our own driving style. The way we like to drive. I myself like peppy and fast responsive engines to be happy. Not that I want to scorch the tarmac or something.

So am clear on what gives me pleasure of driving.

[GTO]

Last to last week, I took the S-Class on the highway. Last week, I took the Kushaq 1.5 DSG. I can tell you with conviction that I had equal fun in both, despite the former costing TEN times the latter!

In fact, I feel bad for people who only enjoy expensive cars because their joy is limited. True enthusiasts can have fun even in an Alto K10, Swift 1.2 or the new i10 turbo-petrol! Heck, give me an old Ambassador 1.8 ISZ and I'll have a blast driving it to Mahabaleshwar.

[JKBKS]

I started with an Ambassador in early 90s followed by M800, UNO, Zen, Scorpio (India), Mazda MX3, Corolla, Sienna, Escape (US). And after nearly 30 years of driving, have realized its more a function of one's state of mind than anything else when it comes to enjoying the car one is driving!!

One can have a sense of joy/exhilaration when driving an M800 too. I remember us taking two M800s on rent from Hertz (a group of 8 friends) in early 90s, on our first trip out of Delhi, and taking them to the mountains for the 1st time with no one having a slightest idea of how to drive there. It was some fun!! The result was a couple of near-death experiences and completely worn out tires when we returned the cars after 4-5 days. Even Hertz guys were scratching their heads on how could this be done to brand new tires . But that trip taught us how not to drive in the mountains! We have had many long drives/trips together in different cars ever since but that 1st trip is still so fresh in our memories

[darkLightning]

For me driving/riding is fun when the vehicle feels a part of the group/family. Does not matter if it is a humble Splendor or Maruti 800 or Tata Safari or XUV500. It's all about the connection.

[tilt]

Originally Posted by GTO

*SNIP*

True enthusiasts can have fun even in an Alto K10, Swift 1.2 or the new i10 turbo-petrol! Heck, give me an old Ambassador 1.8 ISZ and I'll have a blast driving it to Mahabaleshwar.

Take a look at my signatures

Cheers

[Poitive]

Quoting myself from 2011:

Originally Posted by Poitive

So, it was time to get a new car. I quite love such periods in life. Looking forward to driving a new machine. To learn a bit more about it – more by driving it. Learning to love the car for what it is, than what it is not. To enjoy the nuances it offers. To learn to enjoy it ‘despite’. To feel it. To experience it. To get joy from some quirks it has. To just enjoy the idea of a new car.
----
Over time, it has seemed to me that getting pleasure out of the car one has, is a bit of an art. An art I was supposedly learning. Have even enjoyed a Maruti 800 immensely; and that too with no significant modification.

Further:
More than handling or outright performance, what I value in a car is it's ability to slow down with composure and surety when needed.

While not all cars, I'd say I can enjoy most cars, as long as the seat and cabin is acceptably comfortable for my frame, and it doesn't make me nervous with it's inability to slow down rapidly. IMO, brakes and composure (especially under duress) are often undervalued in the enthusiast community. Simply knowing that one can slow down appropriately allows one to drive in a certain way, which adds much to the experience.

[Chetan_Rao]

Some of the most fun I've had driving was in vehicles that handled like a drunk sailor in heels and had a 0-100 timing of 'MAYBE'.

[iamahunter]

I drive an Ecosport but and equally enjoy driving mom's wagonR.

Where as the Ecosport has a tall seating and very good road manners, the wagon R has height and comparatively low seating. Also, at times the body roll on the wagonR makes it feel like an upside down swing, and who doesn't enjoy swings!

The revv happy K-series engine with the light weight car is so much fun to gun between the stop lights.

Basically, for an car lover, "driving" puts a smile on the face, doesn't matter what's the automotive.