One Take of a low miles 308 GTS https://youtu.be/MflidaGzcVc
It was a sold car, he's not in a position to go to red line and slide it around corners. It seems like a good review. It is true it isn't a high horsepower car, but it is a sweet, tight ride when everything is in good shape. It's a fun-to-drive touring car that can be pushed around a bit and has styling that has withstood the test of time.
That's a very good video review. In 10 mins, he nails what these cars are all about. He absolutely does the right thing to focus on speaking eloquently about the vehicle, rather than screaming someone else's property through those gorgeous canyon sweepers. The terrain reminds me of the south of France.
I'm thinking we drive our cars differently. Screaming is the only way I think this engine should be driven Of course after warming up
I doubt it. I think you're overestimating your driving exuberance I don't think you're getting the point. It's clearly not his car. He's treating it gently, as I would yours unless expressly told otherwise. You don't need to see a 308 being redlined at every gear change to learn about it. I think the video is a great intro to what a 308 is.
I thought it was refreshingly even-handed. I could see some other reviewers/sites playing up the lack of "modern" power disparagingly, or making fun of strawman stereotypes like engine fires, belt service costs, etc. He hit on the essence of what makes it a uniquely enjoyable car (driving position, gated shifter, sounds), while acknowledging its weak points (small seat bolsters, awkward pedal placement). He said he was going 10 mph over the speed limit with someone else's car on open public roads in the mountains, while keeping it in the 4k rev range and heel-and-toeing when appropriate; seemed like a good balance of responsible/enjoyable. My best friend here in Chicago is an American Muscle guy who would otherwise think of these cars as "wimpy." He drove the 308 once, and exclaimed with a huge grin on his face: "This isn't driving. It's motoring!" I think this reviewer got it. Would rather watch HIM than Doug DeMuro, Rob Ferretti or anything from Jalopnik, portraying for the uninitiated how price-accessible, unremarkable, and disappointingly fragile these things are. Good introductory vid for someone looking to discover what the 308 is about.
Trouble is that everyone is used to watching shows like Top Gear and seeing the huge tyre smoking slides they do on that airfield. I occasionally get access to an airfield and I can tell you that when you know there's no traffic and no police, you can go absolutely bloody mental and without any fear at all. On these sessions you can learn so much about how your car handles and way better than any track day. Wet driving is the best on the airfield because it reveals far most about the nature of the car. 100+ mph slides in the dry across the intersection are just amazing. But none of this at all would I ever do on a public road because track speed on the road is very unsociable. So yes I'm not surprised your reviewer took it easy, least of all because he was making a video and didn't want to do anything that would get him nicked after the fact.... All the best Bell
So I watched twice again and came to the conclusion there is something wrong with that car. Twice he says he gives it full power and the revs hardly rise... And it has nothing to do with not being his car or him babying it or not having power slides etc - I am not into that stuff either... but full throttle is full throttle. Maybe its the original restrictive cats or the awful thermomuffler. A Euro or even NA with no/new cats and the ANSA free flow exhaust would drive differently I think. Mine certainly does.
Didn't watch again but iirc I heard him say "open the taps" once, but not explicitly "full power". I don't think he ever had pedal to the metal (in our case, isn't it fibreglass ).
What is hard to tell in a video is the steepness of the road. I took my 308 to the Virginia City Hill Climb this summer and was amazed at how, entering a straight, flooring the accelerator pedal had almost no effect on acceleration. Journalist and TV Presenters have stripped down car performance reviews to a few numbers about 0-60, 1.04g etc, which with the absurd performance levels of modern cars have lost their relevance and meaning. I really like this video; it is very gentlemanly and, in a way, erudite. It is honest to what the car is really used for. I am glad to see that published car reviews are swinging around a little bit too. I recently read a review of a new Rolls-Royce limousine where the reviewer evaluated all the backseat emenities and admitting to not actually driving the car since details regarding vehicle operation were chauffeur issues and irrelevant to ownership.
He's pretty much the only reviewer where I value their opinion. He drives tons and tons of vehicles. From stock to modded, and isn't working for anyone that would have a bias.
I like that he takes a subjective view versus the objective stats. He hits on the points that are truly the driving experience in these cars. The ethereal sound of the engine, the clicks of the gated shifter, the pop-up flash to pass. Could he have driven it harder? Of course. But, this was a 4000 mile car that didn't belong to him. I think he treated it respectfully while capturing the essence of a 308. "It's a lovely car to drive" I couldn't agree more.
