Getting back to mid engine for a moment, I'm kindof a road car enthusiast. Not so much a track car enthusiast. And I see a lot of difference between those categories of car. For road cars, mid engine offers a lightness in the front end and a feeling of balance and enthusiasm in a turn that a front engine rear wheel drive simply cannot offer. And it's intoxicating and I love it.
Kinda off topic, but cornering in an MR car is so much fun. As you mentioned, the front end feels very agile and so turn in response is high and mid corner grip & balance is great. My favorite part is corner exit though.
A good FF car tends to feel like its "clawing" its way out of the corner (especially if the car has an LSD and decent torque) - you kind of point with the steering wheel, white-knuckle hold on, and the car wrestles with physics to make it work, as long as you don't break traction
A good FR car, depending on wheelbase (GT86 is best I've experienced) kind of yaws out, depending on traction - you consult with the steering and throttle to chart a path through the corner, but it doesn't feel like your on rails unless you have a lot more tire than cornering speed.
I find that AWD cars tend to feel like FF cars at corner exit, but I've not driven many hard
MR cars have this awesome feeling like the whole car is simultaneously digging in, but also rotating, something like a slingshot - you feel like you are being wrenched around the corner by some other force. Your inertia and weight transfer vectors are basically pushing you around the corner while also forcing the drive wheels into the tarmac. It's awesome. Best experienced in high camber corners
Sadly, I've not driven an RR car so I can't really comment. They're all fun in their own way, but I find MR to be the most sophisticated/satisfying, FR to be the most playful, and FF/AWD to be the most intense.
Shame we didn't get the MK1 Elise in the US. I'm certain those are going to be worth a boatload of money in the future. Far better looking than the cyborg models we got.
