Revised: Euro Sedan Comparo (Accord, Bora, C5, M6, Primera, Vectra)

Euro Sedan Comparo (Accord, Bora, C5, M6, Primera, Vectra)
Road&Trek Magazine

See SideBar below for recent acceleration and braking testing done by guest contributor ~SP33~ -ed

Mid-level managers looking for a good car nowadays are spoiled for choices. From the 330i über-sedan down to the humble but flashy new Mazda 6, there is something for anybody who wants a four-door sportscar.

The editorial staff at Road&Trek have always been envious of the enormous number of hot-hatches and sporty sedans available to our friends across the Atlantic. Despite our constant (and whiny) pleading, none of the automakers involved have seen fit to import any of these vehicles to our shores. But now, thanks to Polyphony Digital Garages, we have assembled a not-so-Motley Crew of mid-priced sedans filling roughly the same size and price category. Our two day testing schedule includes a few hot laps of the Infineon Raceway in California, as well as a long-distance road trip, ending in the undulating highways around Yosemite National Park.




Day One

Ten am. We're as excited as hell when PD's purple trailer drops by our offices laden with the goodies. Alongside the trailer, Bob is driving the Mazda6 we've acquired for the test. Unfortunately, thanks to a mix-up at the dealership, the car he drives in is a four-banger automatic. Howls go up all around, but the testing must go on! At least it's in a sporty shade of red, and is wearing 17" wheels, which should go well with the track day we've scheduled.

As we unload the trailer, we note with dismay that PD hasn't delivered us a Passat, but a Bora. And in V6 4Motion trim, at that. We're hesitant about this one, figuring it doesn't suit this competition... and we're right, but for the wrong reason.

The other cars include an Opel Vectra 3.2 V6, in a fetching metallic blue shade, and a Citroen C5, alas, also with an automatic transmission.



The other three cars are Japanese, but with a distinct european flavor. One is the aforementioned Mazda6, which is available here but should still suit this comparo, another is the Nissan Primera 20V, which had the boy-racers in our staff drooling over the SR20VE engine (think it'd fit in my wife's Sentra? -ed). And last, but not least, the car which we invented this comparo for, the Honda Accord Euro R. It lay there gleaming in the sun after we unloaded it, in glorious Milano Red. Despite the fact that it is available here as the Acura TSX, we wanted to try it in its unadulterated form.

Track Time - Infineon Sports Car Course

Honda Accord Euro R------------1:54.56
Nissan Primera 20V--------------1:55.17
Opel Vectra 3.2 V6---------------1:56.11
Citroen C5 V6 Exclusive---------1:57.94
Mazda 6 2.3-----------------------1:57.96
VW Bora V6 4Motion-------------1:58.33

We tried to get Bob to do the testing, but he got the Euro R into the gravel within the first two corners. We pulled him into the paddock and stripped him of his helmet and the keys. Bad Bob. (I told you he couldn't drive an FF car. -ed)

The rest of us took turns pushing the cars around the track. Lap times reflect the best times taken for each car. All cars were wearing summer sports tires supplied by PD. The Accord was on BBS rims, but PD assured us that they were the same weight and diameter as the stock rims.

Subjective Scoring

6th Place - C5 V6

This thing was slow, with the weight of the engine pushing the front around. The ratios of the four speed auto were too wide, and the car tended to hunt for the right gear in slow 1st-2nd gear turns. The suspension did a reasonably good job,
but was choppy for such a soft car.

5th Place - Vectra 3.2

This car is defined by its engine. The engine pushes the car wide through all the corners, but its incredible torque just pulls it through. Suspension was reasonably firm in corners, but the nose tended to plow on heavy braking.

4th Place - Bora V6 4Motion

Many of us, after stepping out of the Bora, couldn't believe how slow our lap times were. This car is about as quick through corners as the Accord, and the 4Motion drive provides terrific traction. The suspension allows almost no body motion through, despite being among the softest here. The engine is smooth and silky, sounding like a turbine mounted just aft of the nose. Unfortunately, the VW's bulk slows proceedings between corners, and resulted in dismal lap times.

Some of us loved the ease with which this car could be thrown around, others were turned off by the lack of drama and the lack of speed. But in the end, not many people took it out for more than a few laps.

3rd Place - Primera 20V

Another car defined by its engine. Its terrific engine. With its light weight and high revving 2.0, we had figured the Primera to be nearly a match for the Accord. According to the numbers, it is... but numbers don't tell the whole story. The Primera understeered, rolled, and plowed its way around the course. It was ultimately predictable, but not as confidence inspiring. The 20V pulled hard, and despite its claimed lower power output, it pulled quicker to the redline than the Accord (whose redline was far higher). The engine was zipper quick and wonderful.

2nd Place - Mazda 6

"This is a car in desperate need of an engine. Any engine!" -ed

The Mazda 6 is a hoot to drive. The automatic shifts well, and it tackles corners with aplomb, at times better than the Honda. It is let down, however, by a small and underpowered engine. Paradoxically, it also ranks as one of the noisiest here, and certainly the most tuneless. It does however, sound and feel fast. And to some people, that's what matters.

1st Place - Accord Euro R

This car spent more time on track than anything else. Even though we'd committed ourselves to a ten lap limit, the Accord went out again and again. The Accord takes corners flat, and can be controlled quite easily with a dab on the throttle or brakes. It's stiff and unyielding, and feels rougher than most under hard acceleration. Negative points include an engine that needs to be revved, and revved hard. There are times when it can catch you unawares and out of the power band, in need of a downshift after a particularly awkward corner.

It's the car that spent the most time on the grass, too. It inspires perhaps a little more confidence than is justified, and that stiff suspension just has no give when you exceed its limits.




Day Two

The "El Capitan" road course was laid out and blocked off to public traffic by PD for our track day. This allowed us to run these cars on public roads in a manner that would otherwise land us in jail. As before, we left Bob on the sidelines to take notes.

Unlike Infineon, with its mix of slow, medium, and fast corners and esses, El Capitan is a quick-ish layout, which works to the benefit of faster cars. We found that it also eliminated most of the weaknesses of slow-accelerating cars, as many of the turns can be taken with just a slight lift.

In addition to lap times, we took speed trap readings through the fast sweeper after the tunnel, the last turn before the main straight, and near the first turn (to get top speed). THe results are as follows.

Yosemite Park (El Capitan) Times

Lap - Sweeper(kmh) - Last Turn(kmh) - Terminal Speed (kmh)

Honda Accord Euro R-----------2:07.2--170--133--200
Nissan Primera 20V-------------2:08.6--162--125--200
VW Bora V6 4Motion------------2:09.8--170--130--190
Citroen C5 V6 Exclusive--------2:10.1--165--126--192
Opel Vectra 3.2 V6--------------2:10.2--160--130--195
Mazda 6 2.3----------------------2:11.3--165--130--191

Subjective Scoring

6th Place - Vectra 3.2 V6

Disappointing. With the most cubes in this comparison, the second highest horsepower output, and the most torque, this car was slow around this undulating course. Proved hairy at times, where the heavy nose plowed into some corners, and the rear end stepped out on a downhill hairpin. It recorded the slowest speed around our sweeper, and despite its power advantage, couldn't keep up with the Primera or the Accord on the straight.

5th Place - C5 V6

This layout does wonders for this car... if merely for the fact that you're not going the see the overly long first gear very often (if at all -ed), it also proves so vexing to the other big V6 in this comparo (the Vectra), that it makes the C5 look good by comparison. This car doesn't push as much as the Vectra, but the tail can get worryingly light on off-camber or downhill turns.

4th Place - Primera 20V

I can hear the angry cries of the Nissan lovers now, but I'm not listening. Because, even if this car was second fastest on this course, it was also the ONLY one in which we had to lift the throttle (albeit slightly) at the kink in the main straight. Sure it's fast, but the bias towards understeer, and the crude body control mask what is an acceptably good suspension and an undeniably great engine. And by this time, we had outgrown our fascination with the engine, and started to look harder at the rest of the package. Pity, it could be better.

3rd Place - Mazda 6

Again, not the fastest (Last I looked, it was the slowest -ed), but undeniably fun. Just not as much fun as it would be with more oomph. This car has great body control, despite having among the softest suspensions. This bodes well for future models with the Mazdaspeed label. It's a great base for Mazda to build a sports car on, but it's not the best one here.

2nd Place - Accord Euro R

The fastest car here gets second place? Why?

The Accord grips its way through this course, taking a neutral line through corners, but rarely ever stepping out of line. And that's its failing. Where you can wrestle the other cars through some tail-happy tomfoolery in other corners, the Accord just grinds through, like a robot. And the suspension was stiff... perhaps too stiff. Only the Vectra and the C5 reacted worse to bumpy turns than the Accord.

On the plus side, the shifting blues we had at the racetrack, though, are largely absent here, and you can exploit the terrific VTEC engine to its fullest.

And it is fast... most definitely fast.

1st Place - Bora V6 4Motion

The Bora didn't exactly blaze down the highway in this test, posting the slowest speed trap numbers at the end of the straight, but it more than held its own here. Look at the numbers, only the Accord could match it for cornering velocity through the fast sweepers and turns. It held flat through just about everything, giving way to more gradual slides than the two V6 euro-cars, and turning more incisively than the lighter japanese sports-sedans. No, it's not the fastest car in this company, but on the rolling hills of Yosemite, it's the one that we feel most comfortable in.



CONCLUSION

Scoring: Each track position counts for 1 point plus the number of cars below the entry. Each subjective position counts for 1 point plus the number of cars below that entry, then multiplied by 1.5 to give more emphasis on the driving experience.

Track: Infineon
Honda Accord Euro R 15
Nissan Primera 20V 11
Mazda 6 2.3 9.5
Opel Vectra 3.2 V6 7.5
VW Bora V6 4Motion 5.5
Citroen C5 V6 Exclusive 4.5

Road: El Capitan
Honda Accord Euro R 13.5

VW Bora V6 4Motion 13
Nissan Primera 20V 9.5
Mazda 6 2.3 7
Citroen C5 V6 Exclusive 6.5
Opel Vectra 3.2 V6 3.5

Overall:
Honda Accord Euro R 28.5
Nissan Primera 20V 20.5
VW Bora V6 4Motion 18.5
Mazda 6 2.3 16.5
Opel Vectra 3.2 V6 11
Citroen C5 V6 Exclusive 11


As an overall package, we'd pick the VW Bora as a winner, but in a comparison like this, numbers don't lie. The Accord Euro R romps all over the competition, followed by the Nissan Primera 20V. Even though we gave the Primera poor marks for its body control, you can't really argue with an engine like that, and despite the groaning of the outdated chassis, pulls it to two second-best-in-test times. Maybe in a better car, this engine could give Honda a run for its money. The Mazda6 does admirably, but is let down by its poor engine-drivetrain combo. We look forward to trying out the turbocharged Mazdaspeed 6 in our next comparo, and hope it does better there. The Vectra and the C5, despite major advances in chassis development and fine suspension tuning, are just too heavy and unbalanced to even count as sports sedans. In company like this, they'll never rank as more than passably good highway cruisers.




Data Sheet


Honda Accord Euro R
1998cc DOHC I4
216hp at 8000rpm / 205.79Nm at 6000rpm
1390 kg
suspension: 10.4kg front / 6.4kg rear
Handling Bias: mild understeer


Nissan Primera 20V
1998cc DOHC I4
201hp at 7200rpm / 205.79Nm at 5200rpm
1320 kg
suspension: 7.0kg / 5.4kg
Handling Bias: moderate understeer


VW Bora V6 4Motion
2791cc SOHC V6
201hp at 6200rpm / 269.49Nm at 3200rpm
1540kg
suspension: 5.6kg / 4.4kg
Handling Bias: mild understeer to neutral


Mazda6
2260cc DOHC I4
175hp at 6500rpm / 214.61Nm at 4000rpm
1360kg* (production weight simulated)
suspension: 4.6kg / 4.0
Handling Bias: mild understeer


Opel Vectra 3.2 V6
3174cc DOHC V6
208hp at 6200rpm / 299.87Nm at 4000rpm
1510kg
suspension: 4.6kg / 4.0
Handling Bias: heavy understeer


Citroen C5 V6 Exclusive
2946cc DOHC V6
207hp at 6000rpm / 293.99Nm at 3750rpm
1540kg
suspension: 4.8kg / 4.6kg
Handling Bias: moderate to heavy understeer


Other Road&Trek Articles
King of the Ring Comparo

Nice writeup/comparison! A very interesting read. My only question, though, about the Mazda 6 - one is the Concept version and the other would be the production version? And did it really have a 4-speed ATX? I guess I own the car but I don't think I've ever driven it or looked at the specs.

Nice write-up 👍 enjoyed reading that.

I was thinking of doing something like this myself but you've done it alot better than i would have managed. The photo's added nicely to the style you've written in.

Nice write-up, look forward to reading more 👍

A7X

Thanks. The Mazda 6 used is the concept version. It's narrower than the Mazda 6 5-door, and the suspension tuning is softer. I couldn't get the numbers to match the production V6 exactly, so I left it as is. It's one of the few new cars in the game with a 4 speed automatic. Guess PD really didn't have access to a manual version, as the 5 door is, too.

niky

Thanks. The Mazda 6 used is the concept version. It's narrower than the Mazda 6 5-door, and the suspension tuning is softer. I couldn't get the numbers to match the production V6 exactly, so I left it as is. It's one of the few new cars in the game with a 4 speed automatic. Guess PD really didn't have access to a manual version, as the 5 door is, too.

Click to expand...

I thought that the 5-door was a 5 speed? I was just driving it last week, and I'm sure it wasn't a 4spd auto...

Great write up. It was good because it was more like a real story than of the others.
BTW: did you mean it to be Road & Trek?

spykerdriver

Great write up. It was good because it was more like a real story than of the others.
BTW: did you mean it to be Road & Trek?

Click to expand...

I assume he's trying to avoid getting a nastygram from Road&Track's lawyers...

Duke

I assume he's trying to avoid getting a nastygram from Road&Track's lawyers...

Click to expand...

Nice write up, a good and informative read.

Hehe... i finally read it... i was helping him take the pics for this.... Niky is my brother... am working on the pics for his next writeup which should be finished soon.... hahahahaha!

Ive done my own comparisons between euro sedans, mainly comprising of the vectra, accord euro and mazda 6. This was before i found this. I cam eto very similar results though. The vectra was very torquey but just proved to be very understeery and suffers from axel tramp off the line. The 6 would have done much MUCH better if it wasnt for that diplorable transmission that the great engine is cooped to. And ofcourse the Accord Euro pretty much kicked between the legs and did skidmarks on their faces. I did my testing on tsukuba, <-- great track for testing stability and load shifting abilities.

out of suspiscion i also matched the Accord and the 6 for power and weight to see how handling would prevail. Now this was REALY close. As a matter of fact they were with 00.00.00.030 of each other. (thats in hours mins secs micro secs.) Using the ghost replays i monitered there track positioning and how both tackled similar corners. The 6 pushed further into the corner, but its large torque band pulled it out with ease, the Accord was super steady through the corner, mainly relying on superior handling to win. And that it did. But with times so close, its down to driver error.

I would figure that they'd be on par with each other with a better engine in the Mazda 6... that's why I ranked it very high in my subjective rankings. Most front-wheel drive Mazdas can handle much more power than they actually put out.

Forgot to write about the axle-tramp on the Vectra in the turns, but then, since you feel a ton of vibration in the Honda Accord no matter where you hit the throttle, it didn't really register, and I haven't thought about it till you mentioned it. The S60 T5 is another car that suffers extensively from this.

I havent noticed it during turns.. mainly only when accelerating hard from a slow pace. The accord shaky all the time?... hmm i didnt notice that either. unless i took it 4wd'ing, or riple strip hunting

shaky as in shuddering under acceleration. Well, almost all 200hp+ FF cars do that on the dual shock in GT... which is kinda a stupid way to model it, as I've never noticed it when driving powerful FF cars in real life...

yeah, they seem alot more.. spongey.. hm.. poor choice of words on my behalf.. but i cant describe it.. you know what im talking bout.. ( i hope ).

You ever thrashed a new vectra in real life?.. id like to know if it suffers from the same probs as it does in GT4

I've thrashed a real-life Volvo S80 T6... which is a lot more powerful and about the same size... but I didn't learn a lot from it... because by the time dynamics become interesting, you're stuck in traffic again... too fast.

But I've driven enough big front-drivers to recognize the ton of push and I've experienced that kind of axle tramp. And I've also experienced in real life what happens to a big front-heavy car when you hit the brakes hard in a downhill turn (so I guess I shouldn't be surprised that they do that in GT4, eh... )... I think the problems with this car are just endemic with big FFs, possibly excluding the newer Japanese, as they're much better balanced.

Ive heard alot about them, they go like clappers, but are very uncouth for a biiiig front driver of these days. Yeah's the Japanese sedans of today are much better balanced, they finally found the formula ^^,

Duke

I assume he's trying to avoid getting a nastygram from Road&Track's lawyers...

Click to expand...

I see....

NickT.

It's been a couple of weeks since our Euro-sedan test, and Bob is still sulking, as Ed Irons, our chief, still won't let him near his pretty new Accord Euro R. As you may recall from our first issue test, Bob almost totalled the Accord at Infineon. Ed has never forgiven him for that. Particularly since Ed bought that particular Accord the next week, and had to spend the next few days having the car re-aligned. Plus a wobble that wouldn't go away was traced to a slightly bent (but still beautiful) BBS rim, which cost a pretty penny to replace.

Click to expand...

One of our staffers suggested a follow-up comparo at the drag strip would be nice, and Bob volunteered to do some of the runs. Ed agreed... the sole condition being that we get a new Euro R from PD for the test, instead of using Ed's well-abused red chariot. A call to PD and the local racetrack, and we were scheduled to go.

The Euro-Sedan Comparo continues, this time focusing specifically on the performance potential of the car. The following information was collected and collated from these tests.

- 0-100Kph
- 0-200Kph
- 0- 400m (1/4 mile)
- 0-1000m.
- 200-0Kph (braking)

All six cars previously tested are assembled and are getting ready for round two. Engines running, tire pressures checked, and safety crew on standby, we start our tests.

Accord Euro

First comes the Accord Euro R. Much anticipation surrounds this car due to its previous win, and as it rolls up to the line, the countdown timer starts. The green flashes and the revs drop momentarily and the car finds traction... or tries to. It scrambles for grip until the upshift to 2nd gear. 80... 90... The 0-100 time is impeded by the 2nd - 3rd shift which comes close to the triple digit mark. 100 kph passes in 9.260 seconds as we proceed to hunt down the double century. The 400m mark whooshes past with just 16:595 seconds on the clock. A constant surge of unrelenting power pushes us past 150 kph, 180... The 1000m mark approaches, with the clock reading 29:016 seconds. 5th gear arrives soon, as does 200kph with a class leading 31:840secs. The engine sounds busy as the accelerator is released and then it's hard on the brakes 150-80-20-0kph. Composure is strong and the brakes, which have much initial bite, don't relent, stopping the Accord in a satisfactory 115.6m.



Nissan Primera

With plump proportions and conservative styling, the Primera rolls up primly to the start line. Although it doesn't have the visual impact of the Accord, one blip of the throttle is enough to show how serious this car is under the skin. The green light flashes, reflecting harshly off its swoopy body panels, as the tires spin furiously, attempting to turn rotation into momentum. The back end sags with the forward thrust, but already it's noticeable how much less fuss the Primera makes than the high-reving Honda. Almost as lazy as a drive around the countryside, 100 kph passes in second gear in a not-so-shabby 9:240 seconds, neck and neck with the Accord. 400m comes merely 7 seconds later at 16:595 seconds, almost identical to the Honda. Time goes by, as do the meter posts. A glance at the clock shows 29:114 secs as the 1000m sign drifts past. My attention is wrenched violently away from the scenery as the driver jabs on the brakes, as 200 kph is reached (32:540 seconds). The seatbelt digs in as the anchors are applied. The nose dives almost instantly, stays down for a few seconds, then comes back up as the car comes to a rest. 117.2m is sufficient room to pull this car up to a complete stop.



Holden Vectra

A V6 front driver with mountains of torque.... This could be interesting. A quick glimpse of green sends this hefty sedan on a lumpy ride to the sunset in an unexpectedly rapid manner. 1st gear is long, but the Vectra copes with ease, shifting to second and again nailing the throttle. A class leading 8:520 seconds to 100kph is recorded as the stretch between us and the 400m mark closes. Wind resistance picks up noticeably, slowing the acceleration rate at the 1/4 mile; an impressive 16:352 second pass. The Big Holden mid-sizer starts having trouble with the long gearing and noticeably slows its now not-so-rapid acceleration whilst passing the 1000m mark at a still encouraging 28:991. With the wind roaring around the A-pillars and time passing on the stopwatch, 200Kph creeps up at 34:020 secs. Again, the anchors are released and the forward motion gets wiped off. Rapidly. In no time at all the engine returns to idle in just 113.5m.



Mazda 6

With only 178Ps of power, the lowest of the class, the sporty looking Mazda takes its turn at the grid. Interested faces turn and examine its subtle wedge profile as the lights indicate that its go time. Foot buried, car surging, tires on the limit of adhesion... and... immediately it's noticeable that this car's gears have been tuned too 'looooong'. The engine bogs down.. and slugs along... but surprisingly surges with zest to the redline before the change to 2nd at 53 kph. If it wasnt for the grunt being arranged soley in the mid-range section this car's performance would be poor by all standards. Second gear holds on long enough to surpass 100Kph at 9:240seconds. The shift to 3rd comes on the way to 400m... going, going, gone... at 16:938. Last in its class. Rather dissapointedly, the engine heaves on, never sounding breathless but clearly not in the same class as the other finely-tuned metal here. 1km. 30:116seconds. Slower and Slower. It becomes evident that whatever shine this engine had, has already been and gone. At 39:160 seconds and 200 kph, the stoppers are applied. The car pitches, heavily. Initial bite is nothing to be proud of. 150..90... 50... At this stage the brakes have picked up their game. The seatbelt tightens its grip, and as quickly as it started, the voyage is now over. Footage taken shows that the car may have bottomed out, scraping its chin on the pavement... Maybe that why it stopped in a class leading 106.1m.



Citroen C5

Quirky comes to mind as the dark pink C5 makes its individuality present on the starting line. Distracted by its swoopy surfaces, and having missed the presence of the green, the Citroen is off. This isnt a high reving car like its japanese counterparts. The wheels scrable for grip and momentarily find it before the engine bogs down to 3500rpm. The grunt-filled engine picks up its game and leaps ahead snatching second at 64 kph and continuing its quest for momentum. 100 kph passes at 9.140 seconds whilst still in second, but the box hits 3rd soon after. 16:597 seconds come up on the watch as it passes 400m, not impressive but not dissapointing. There's a relaxed surge that the Citroen has making it feel like it has infinite boundaries in its grasp. Before you know it, 1km has passed leaving nothing but 29:365 seconds in its wake. I have just enough time to brace as I record the 200 kph time of 35:480 seconds before the driver mashes his foot on the correction pedal. There's lurching.. and then there's the Citroen C5, which leads you to believe it has the ability to lift its back wheels off the ground. Although the urgency is apparent as the tires fight to hold onto the tarmac, the force is nothing astounding. Neither are the figures it seems, last in its class, in fact, at 120.3 m.



Volkswagen Bora 4 motion

All wheel drive? Check. V6? Check. Germanic good looks? Check. Green light? Wait for it... go! There is no scrabbling for grip, unlike the other cars here. This VW means business. 1st gear passes with ease as does second and in that brief time, 100 kph has passed. In just 8:920 seconds. Impressive. 400 meters go in what seems like no time at all, only 16:238 seconds, to be precise. Class leading comes to mind on the home stretch, but the Bora lacks top end grunt. Some of this is compensated by great gearing, but the 1000m mark shows its dominance is fleeting, with a 29:433 second time, which is not spectacular in this group. 200 kmh comes at 38:400, only ahead of the sadly underpowered mazda. Brakes, nice. Firm, solid and very stable come to mind as the VW maintains its stance through the panic stop. A not so good 119.1 is recorded which kinda puts a downer on a nice, but flawed, run.



Conclusion



An overall winner would be hard to pick. Most excel in different areas, some in more then others. The information here does have a few ‘trends’. First off:

0-100Kph: Cars with long gear ratios outclassed their shorter-geared rivals due to shift times. And of course the all-wheel-drive capabilities of the VW were definitely an advantage compared to its front wheel drive counterparts which where left scrambling for grip for several seconds after the green light.

0-1000m: Cars with a large amount of mid-range grunt slowed dramatically as they ran out of gears to upshift to when the revs climbed out of their torque band. Peaky engines shined, pulling away from the rest of the pack.

200 kph - 0 kph: This one was strange. Expectedly, the cars with well-balanced chassis and suspension components should have blown their pitching counterparts away. But this wasn’t the result at all. The Mazda 6 managed a 106.1m from its nose dive into the pavement. The recognizably more taut cars ( Accord and the Bora) managed only average 115.6 and 119.1 respectively.

Turismo Notes:

*All cars tested where fitted with traction control set at ‘1’.

*Road tires were used for all testing.

*Acceleration times consisted of holding the foot to the floor for uniformity reasons. The cars are more than likely capable of going faster, but keeping out variables meant that all cars were launched the same.

*No special techniques were used to stop the cars, pedal to the metal for consistency reasons was used.

*These times are NOT indicative of fastest acceleration and deceleration times, but are a good measure of how well each car puts down its power, and how easy it is to stop.

Thank you, kind sir, your check is in the mail.

I'd like to add, I'd expected the front heavy and soft cars to stop faster, if merely because of the weight transfer... but then that leads to snap-oversteer if the suspension isn't set right. I see best hook-up was by the heaviest cars here... guess a stiff suspension is no match for weight in producing traction.

Well the front heavy-est of all was the Mazda 6. And that stopped the fastest. but as for the others.. I dont know what their problems are.

Ah... the Mazda isn't really that heavy, but it's got some of the damn softest spring rates I've seen. Strange thing about GT, that soft suspension doesn't show up in the turns, but you can really see it in that screenshot.

niky

Ah... the Mazda isn't really that heavy, but it's got some of the damn softest spring rates I've seen. Strange thing about GT, that soft suspension doesn't show up in the turns, but you can really see it in that screenshot.

Click to expand...

The mazdas engine is located in front of the axle so, yeah it is front heavy, and its styling although attempting to try and hide this, doesnt do a real great job .

That is a factor in gran turismo that realy sets it apart from real life. When throwing a car into a corner the suspensions reaction is very slow. And when large amounts of weight transfers quickly it isnt shown at all. But with the braking, because its applied fopr quite some time the suspension has time to settle.

Interesting stuff! Good work, guys.

I drive a 2002 Vectra 1.8 base model and it too shares the faults you have mentioned. The car does get twitchy on uneven surfaces and the back end will get out of line, which is mightily exciting and scary at the same time in a 5 door hatchback.

Look at that Mazda 6! XD

With the front all the way down, and it's rear up in the air, it's like a Mazda 6 Drag Car...that's awesome...

haha sideways in a vectra, that would be rather snappy... tehehe nice to see your still alive though

It only happens under extreme provocation and helps if our crappy British tarmac is greasy. Best slide was on gravel, that was fun. My car has the 'Flying Chicken' badge. I heard that is what the Holden fans call Vauxhall's badge. Does the Vectra sell ok over there or is the Commodore still king? We were lucky enough to get the Monaro in the last couple of years. It culminated in the 6.0 Z06 Corvette engine putting out close to 400bhp and had one of the wilder HSV bodykits.

um.. you call it the VXR or something dont you? hmm i cant remember.. Commodore still reigns of here too, the holden vectra isnt in the top 20 either. The astra sold well, but the new model is ugly and slow, so expect those sales to drop.

I see a lot of them around here. But they're not big sellers here either.

Big FFs with big engines generally have that fault, with weight balances around 65-35, there's not much over the rear wheels when you're braking, and if the car doesn't have stability control or good ABS, things get pretty hairy. Newer models generally have better brake balance, though, mitigating the effect.

Thanks for the resurrection, guys.