How to drive a civillian vehicle

It's not quite clear to me what you're asking. But if you're asking if other people notice the difference between their Ferrari and another car designed for a completely different purpose, the answer is; "Yes, of course".

If you're asking if using the appropriate driving style and immediately adjusting the way I drive when I change from one car to the other is a problem, the answer in my case would be no. If it were yes, I would consider turning in my driving license.

My Fiat Grande Punto doesn't handle as well as my 360, but it's not all that bad either, considering what it is. On the other hand, the Fiat isn't the absolute best hauler for my two fat yellow labs, but it is WAY better than the Ferrari which fails miserably in that category. In any case, I certainly don't have any trouble knowing which is which and I don't have any trouble driving either my Fiat or my Ferrari in an appropriate way when I take into account how they perform.

My Ducati Monster provides a similar thrill level to that of my Ferrari, but riding it is completely different from driving my Ferrari. For one thing, it tips over when you stop if you don't put out a leg. For another, the gear change, brake, and clutch devices are all in completely different places. If I couldn't easily and quickly recognize how different my Ducati and Ferrari are when it comes to how they operate and perform, then I would say it's time for me to hang it up.

If you don't have a comfortable feeling about the dynamics of a particular motor vehicle by the time you get to the end of your driveway, you're asking for trouble.

 

Of course they feel different. They are designed for a different purpose.

A few years back I was running a TR, 348, Mondial t, and an F40. The F40 had such a performance gap that when I would drive one of the other Ferraris after the F40...... they felt broken!

 

if i am car hopping over a weekend, sometimes when i get into one of the older ones, my first sensation is that the steering is so heavy that i must have 2 flat tires!

if i have not driven a decent car in a few weeks, when i do get back into a ferrari, it feels like i just stepped into another world - faster, brighter, electric! modern fully automated normal cars, like a typical rental car, are just appliances. the spec is to start/stop, provide transport in some comfort from a to b, and that is it. a maytag on wheels.

 

I agree 100%. I was actually thinking this on the ride to work..

The Zombie Apocalypse has come. It is here. You can see the zombies in other cars when you drive down the road (here in the US). They're barely able to keep it between the lines, swerving, sipping on lattes.. sexting.. Most civillian cars are that way for a reason, because people dont' demand more and aren't capable of more.

I think part of the reason manufacturers give their cars such slop.. is that when you're an inattentive driver, you need alot of leeway in interpreting what the car is telling you. You're not going to tell that the appliance is about to slide off the road.. so they give it alot of lean that makes you feel uncomfortable, so that you correct what you're doing BEFORE it goes off the road or causes an accident. I like how even despite this.. people STILL end up in an accident. When we drive it, because we're attentive to our cars and their handling above normal drivers, these signals and feel are excessive.

When I drive my wifes 06' Passat I want to pull my hair out. You step on the accellerator and count 1..2..3.. then the car starts to move. In corners it's squishy. We just bought an A4 6sp manual so hopefully it won't be so frustrating. When I got rid of the Boxster, I seriously had to debate which car would have a similar experience. And the Mini, for a cheap civillian car, has a tight suspension. The mindless zombies complain about it coming from a cush Honda.. but I find it has the firm driving feel I can live with. Anything after driving the 360 is a crap experience...

 

I am the opposite. I drive my 328, then the 2012 Acura, and think the Acura A/C is much better, it is faster, the stereo sounds better, it handles better, better build quality, better seats, etc. Sort of like the Top Gear episode with the DB5 and E-Type compared to a modern hatchbox Honda. Honda was better in every way.

But I like the 328 more.

 

It's a pretty stark contrast when I park the 360 and immediately get into my daily driver, a 2010 Mercedes-Benz S550. But, you gotta drive what you gotta drive, and I don't have any car seats in the 360.

I think we automatically have to lower our sensitivity when we get into a "normal" vehicle. Along with that lowered sensitivity should also be lowered expectations, because not many other cars drive like our Ferraris do.

Still, having multiple cars at your disposal (we have 5 for 2 drivers) is a GOOD problem to have. I just remind myself of that every time I have to switch out of the Ferrari for any of the other cars at home.