[Aditya]

When one says fun to drive, most enthusiasts start thinking only about drivers' cars that have powerful engines and suspension + steering setups that make them tight handlers to be thrown into corners.

I am not a purist. According to me, one can have fun in any car, even if its not necessarily an enthusiast-oriented machine, or even fast / dynamically rich. Here are some instances where I have had an absolute blast in vehicles that don't make it to enthusiast lists.

NOTE: The views below are from someone who has driven these supercars on a race track (pic from my Yas Marina trip). Just saying!


The "boring" Toyota Corolla is always looked at as a family man's car or even an old man's car. It is no corner carver, but it is not a bad handler by any means. It does not have the stonking performance of an Octavia turbo-petrol, but it is not slow either. Recently, I did a round trip from Mumbai to Hyderabad in my Corolla and my wife, my daughter & I - all had a lot of fun. I drove responsibly and never gunned the engine, yet never felt the need to go any faster or attack corners. I enjoy cruising too and take a lot of pleasure in it. All of us loved the scenery that the states of Maharashtra, Karnataka and Telangana had to offer. Music was playing all the time and the interior space, air-conditioning, comfortable ride and insulation from the outside world kept us all smiling. It's Covid times, so we carried everything we would need, including food. In short, the car was our home on the road. This was truly a memorable journey and I wouldn't have it any other way.



By any parameter of "fun to drive", this old Jeep is a fail. Sometime back, I drove GTO's Mahindra Classic to Nasik and back. This drive would be no big deal in a modern car. However, the old Jeep is slow, bumpy and has none of the creature comforts that even entry-level hatchbacks provide today. Yet, I had a blast. To start with, the Jeep has no roof, so it was pure open-top all the way which is a pleasure in itself. Then, this vehicle needs to be "driven". It won’t do anything on its own. The steering has no power assistance and needs correction continuously, the gears are clunky (it's a tempo's gearbox IIRC) and need an experienced hand to slot. The driver needs to concentrate all the time to keep the vehicle on the road. This might sound painful for many, but for me, this was an enjoyable experience. Keep the car going at 70-80 km/h, put some rock music on and look / feel cool. Enjoying this old-school style of motoring in a basic, mechanical package which is so connected that you feel everything! This thing grabs the attention of other road users like a supercar. Did I mention that, the missing top means you have the wind in your hair all the time?

Classic car owners will know what I'm talking about. It's a different kind of "high". Also, go offroading in one and you'll have as much fun as redlining a Ferrari on the track. Including a picture of the '20 Thar as that is also an unconventional kind of driving pleasure.



The Tata Hexa is a damn MPV - say purists who will never associate it with the term "fun to drive". It's a big, heavy and relatively slow vehicle with flawed ergonomics. Guess what? I find an alternate kind of "driving pleasure in it". The practicality, suspension, stability & awesome AT make it fun for me. If you want to travel long distances with your entire family, including a dog and luggage, you will love the Hexa too. It has acres of space on the inside and the ride is among the best I have experienced in a body-on-frame UV. This will keep your passengers smiling as well.

This is the kind of car you enjoy with your family, on drives short & long, while admiring the view of the world outside.



What I am trying to say is, let's not be purists. We can have fun in any car. In fact, I would go a step further and say it is not even necessary to drive hard for driving pleasure! The ugly Maruti S-Presso is a mass-market econobox. Still, me & GTO had too much fun with the little car in the city. Under 80 - 90 km/h, the peppy engine + gearbox + chuckable nature left us grinning . Above that speed, it's scary, but again, it's fun in the city. Drive one with an open mind and you won't scoff at this ugly duckling anymore. Its engine has more than enough power to make it a peppy mover. The driveability is excellent & the light weight makes things easy for the little 1.0 under the hood (the best n/a 1.0 on sale in India IMHO). With its narrow width, small footprint, higher seating position, perfect ergonomics & lively engine, the S-Presso is an ideal city car.



In the same vein, I've taken my Contessa to Goa. It was a whole load of fun cruising calmly, exploring places I hadn’t seen before.

[GTO]

A topic close to my heart. Many friends & relatives ask me "what's the fastest you have driven" or "what's the fastest car you have driven" and I sigh! Please instead ask me what have been the most memorable / enjoyable drives and I'll regale you with stories for 2 hours minimum.

100% agreed with the premise of this thread and have voted for "No". I enjoy driving any kind of car. It is not necessary for fun-to-drive to mean 200+ BHP or corner carving abilities - I can have the time of my life calmly cruising too. In fact, the best example that comes to mind is the MG Hector. Not a cornering machine from any angle, and absolutely nothing about it is enthusiast-oriented. But hey, that's not its purpose! Me & my family enjoyed the driving holiday to Pune, cruising at 100 - 120 kmph and appreciating the spacious cabin + hot sound system + soft ride quality + the view of the world outside. We enjoy road-trips. Period. The fact that it was a wet & green Maharashtra made it all the more fun.



I drive every new car that is launched in India and of the recent ones, some non-enthusiast models I have been entertained by are the Tucson, Magnite CVT (not the clunky MT), Thar (as much fun as a Ferrari if you know how to 4x4), EQC & Kona (a different kind of pleasure), Altroz diesel (pleased even without driving it hard), Carnival (YES - a damn van) etc. etc. I have also driven a few 500 - 600 BHP cars and of course, they were insanely memorable drives. But the point of this thread is, it's not necessary to spend big money or have a fast car to go out & have fun. Give me an Alto K10 or an S-Presso and I'll still be . Let us celebrate driving...any kind of car.

I LOVE CARS. Period.

In fact, I feel our breed is luckier because we can enjoy all types of cars – whether fast or slow – unlike purists who can only have fun in powerful handlers. We are happy at a buffet, while purists need an à la carte meal. Everytime I am hitting the highway in a media car, I greatly look forward to it, be it a 5-lakh rupee mass market machine or a 2-crore rupee CBU. Me & my best friend had once gone to Lonavla with our respective families. On the way back, for going down the Lonavla ghat, I swapped my C220 6-speed MT for his Maruti 800. By the time I finished the ghat section, I wanted to take a u-turn and do it all over again!

Of the 50 cars or so that I've driven in the last ~2 years, I've perhaps enjoyed 49 of them. The sole car I didn’t have fun in was the Triber because I found its 1.0 n/a petrol awful, with not a single redeeming quality. The car is highly intelligent otherwise and I remain a fan of its packaging, but will only drive it with a 1.0 Turbo under the hood.

[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.

[CARDEEP]

I am a bit confused. Have voted for "I enjoy driving any kind of car" as feel it's closer to what I want than just driving fast around corner & straight line top speeds. Have done that & nearly caused an accident to the competitor (I'm sorry to all including myself). Moreover, there aren't much safe fast driving roads up North at least. It's better I try to safely drive & enjoy more cars & fill the check boxes of cars that I have/ may have on wishlist than put self & others at risk.

[saikarthik]

I enjoy any car which puts a grin on my face, not just with an impressive spec sheet.

For example, I loved using my friend's old santro xing because it felt simple and mechanical and go kart like after driving bigger cars.

Also, I was driving few cars for benchmarking in my previous workplace and I absolutely loved the Nano, was peppy (I was expecting it to be an auto, although sounds like one).

Was driving around few test tracks on Scorpio 120hp pre-facelift and when 140hp automatic pick up was introduced for export, I had the privilege to drive it in same test tracks and it had a different character (that kick post the turbo spool and responsive AT) but put a grin on my face.

[YD14]

No, I enjoy driving any car.

For sure the only car I have driven is our 2nd gen Dzire which is a pretty tight handling car, but I have never pushed it to its limits. For me joy of driving is not limited to pushing a car to its limit or taking corners at speed. Spending time behind the wheel and mastering the art of driving that particular car is the real joy. The challenge to adapt and change myself is what excites me.

Contrary to the popular opinion, I think even softly sprung cars can be fun (though not fast) on twisty roads, because they require a slow approach and smooth steering inputs which are harder to master. Sitting on the co-driver seat of bolero taxis, I always admired how smoothly and jerklessly the drivers changed directions, accelerated or braked in such a bouncy car.

[Jaggu]

I enjoy driving most automobiles, trying to figure out where their sweet spot is like having a seductive conversation with that car/bike. Most of them have their quirks also, which is sometimes the best part about having driven/ridden the car. Top speeds are irrelevant most of the times, maybe apart from those occasional blasts on a track or something. Have to admit with age I have grown to be a chicken for high speeds on public roads, esp in India. The most important thing for me is the vehicle has to communicate and make a connection. If that is not there, then it is a dud... even if it is the best product out there. End of mad rant!

[karanddd]

In a country in which fast or good handling cars are absolutely rare, and even an aspiring enthusiast can at best hope for a 3 series or Octavia VRS – which are bottom of the barrel "enthusiast" cars anywhere else in the world – there's no point in being a purist, as it's simply not possible to be one. It's a kind of sour grapes thing really. If there were genuine affordable second-hand sports cars in India, then the poll would make sense. The Indian enthusiast has no choice, he or she has to settle with the Harriers and Hectors because what else even is there.

[Jeroen]

On the whole I just like driving, irrespective of the car. So it does not have to be a particular fast and or tight handling car as such. I always loved my 1998 Jeep Cherokee. Not a particular fast or tight handling car at all.

I find driving very relaxing, I am happy to cruise hour after hour on a motorway or across B-roads. I just like being on the road, by myself, or with my wife or friend(s).

I also think fast is overrated. Yes, it is cool and I certainly enjoy my 400BHP Jaguar, but handling is way more important. Truth be told, a current Ford Fiesta is probably a better, tighter, handling car than my Jaguar.


Jeroen

[condor]

I think the poll looks at things in Black & White. A third option is what I would choose: I drive the cars that I enjoy.

We have a Storme, and an A-Star. I prefer the Storme, and the A-Star is for the occasional use. I would like to drive a pick-up truck, which would be a different animal standing apart from the regular cars. There are other SUV's out there, but I dont find the connect to these. Heck, I enjoyed my Sumo as long as I had it.

During the lockdown, I was able to drive around and there was not much traffic. It was fun just to drive around - and I drove slow, soaking in the experience

No, the car does not have to be fast.

[ashis89]

Each car is unique and I have loved their strength. I don't remember hating any car that I driven till date.

I just love cars.

Be it the Mercedes, the Thar, the Nano or the old rusty 800 - I have loved them all and still cherish the respective drives. As long as I don't compare any two cars on the same parameters, I enjoy them.

My WagonR feels fast at >80 kmph while the Seltos feels fast at >120 kmph. I drive them accordingly and with the same level of satisfaction!

[Sanidhya mukund]

“It is a lot more fun to drive a slow car fast than it is to drive a fast car slow.”

I am a firm believer of the above. Especially in India, there are very few roads where you can actually enjoy performance cars. If you don’t go on too many road trips, then your usage is restricted to city driving, which mostly involves bumper to bumper traffic.
In fact if you ask me, the most fun I have ever had driving a car was this one:



Our 2016 Maruti Omni. This was purchased to do various sorts of rough duties. Everything about it looks and feels mundane, but if you are used to driving conventional automobiles, then you are likely to have a truck load of fun while driving the Omni. Everything is so basic and archaic in this car, everything is manual. The fact that it does not have a bonnet makes it very nimble. The pure, mechanical nature makes it very enjoyable. It is almost like a go-kart.

Another example of this is my Ford Ikon 1.3 Endura-E. This particular engine is a slow, lazy pushrod engine that takes ages to reach 100. It produced a mere 59 BHP of power.
But the car is still a hoot to drive, thanks to it’s suspension and steering tuning. This car also has a very mechanical, connected feel to it. You don’t need a fast car to have fun.

[Durango Dude]

I enjoy smooth drives than fast drives. If the road is empty, on a clear day and arrow straight then you can drive 'spiritedly'. Look out for others and be ready for surprises, keep sufficient distance from the guy in front always have a look into the OVRMS and IVRM. Don't dazzle the guy coming opposite. Let your accelerator and brake inputs be as gentle as possible. That way you're at peace with yourself, others who are on the road with you and whoever you're are ferrying. This is more so in India, where we can get nasty surprises.

[KiloAlpha]

When I saw the topic in the list of threads, I jumped right in. It is a subject that is close to my heart. But alas, my heart sank when I saw the options in the poll. I am so deeply disappointed that the true meaning of "fun to drive" isn't on the options list. Sad.

Needless to say, I did not participate in the poll.

"Fun to Drive" is a term that implies that the car is involving to drive. The driver gets input from all possible sense organs - ears (sound and g-forces), eyes, nose, butt, hands, feet - about what the car is doing and what it is about to do. A certain "mechanical" feel that is deeply primitive and visceral.
It does not necessarily mean speed, neither does it imply tight handling. But as long as the driver is not insulated from the car or the road, the drive will be fun. The driver also needs to put in effort to understand the quirks and foibles of the car, and work around it to extract performance. This is what "Fun to Drive" means to most car enthusiasts, whether they understand it or not, and whether they choose to admit to it or not.

[narayans80]

It is subjective and has nothing to do with the car!

By definition I've only owned cars with 'boring' engines/transmissions with 2 of them registered poor handlers. I could even be classified as a 'boring' driver who puts kids to sleep, at times better half

In fact I don't enjoy driving fast (120+) on our roads, did it only once when we were on clock to reach a funeral.

Cars are brought to be enjoyed, and we enjoy it by making it our home and become part of the family. We have made innumerable trips, and lot of memories associated with our drive trips than being at our residence