A bit more on the AW11 MR2: When going around the track with stock settings, the car feels very light and floaty. Combine that with the MR layout and the short-wheelbase, lightweight layout, and the result is that the car never actually feels under control. There's huge oversteer, and reasonable cornering pace, but there's nothing to really enjoy here, because there's no ability to be precise and composed while cornering.
When tuned, the car suddenly flies through low-speed (well,it's technically 'tight') corners with astonishing poise and swiftness. Upon the first corner of GVS, where one must brake at high speed while turning, the car shows a good measure of instability under braking, but that is to be expected of such a car, and it's a controllable tendency. It turns in with eagerness, and maintains a perfectly controlled and constant small angle of oversteer through the corner, exiting at the pace of heroes. The light, controllable, and consistent oversteer through any small, low-speed corner makes this thing absolutely joyous in the twisties, threading through the technical section of GVS with perfectly stunning grace. It moves naturally through the decreasing-radius corner with just light braking, but then transitions seamlessly into the increasing-radius switchback just afterwards. As the speeds rise, though, the car's oversteer becomes more prominent and its accelerative ability decreases. When thrown too enthusiatically into a high-speed turn, it slows to a snail's pace, then spins or runs off the road in the opposite direction. One must tiptoe around the car at high speed, being sure not to invoke the slightest bit of oversteer, fearing certain death. As Jeremy Clarkson said of the LP640, "You can't drive it at the limit, or anywhere near the limit, because exceeding it even by 1 percent means certain death." The top speed of the car iscaught between two philosophies, a setup for GVS-like circuits and Nurburgring-like circuits. It's not really ideal for anywhere, but it is satisfying regardless. Either way, high speeds make the car impossible, so that's not very usable.
It seems to me that this could be remedied by the use of a lower front-downforce value, even if it does reduce the car's responsiveness at low speeds. I would be willing to sacrifice a bit of liveliness for the ability to use the car at speed. I slightly want to lower the power and the gear ratios, and use this car solely for low-speed courses.
To summarize: It's fantastic at low speeds, but the car's severe high-speed handicaps outweigh the car's strength in technical sections by a huge margin. I give it a 6.5/10, because it feels like a great tune ruined by just a few unwise adjustments which demand godly skill. And, I just don't feel that a 250hp Toyota should be so difficult to use. It should be at least reasonably friendly, in my view.
Though, it seems that a lot of this is caused by a huge difference in the driving styles of Greycap and I: He is much,much, much, much better at dealing with high-speed oversteer than I am. I also can't use his Nismo 870GT (I think that's what he called it; the production Le Mans thingy) because the braking oversteer kills me every time I try the first turn of GVS.
I've begun using Active Steering recently, in the interest of drifting, but I'm not sure exactly how it affects grip-racing behaviour. Is it what's giving me problems here? I can tell that the G25's extra sensitivity helps Grey detect and kill slight oversteer, of course, but I'm not sure what this does.
I've also tested Leo's Godzilla R32 GT-R. The car's front wheels always lose grip before the rears, but the impression isn't one of relentless understeer. It feels more like one of forgiving, reassuring stability, making sure that, at speeds unimaginable, that no incidents will occur. It corners with impressive grip, though in an odd fashion. When one lifts the throttle, the car becomes more nimble. I suppose it's lift-oversteer, but no angle of drift is noticable at all. When either brakes or throttle are applied, the car pushes noticably more wide again, and this means that interesting cornering rythms must be used when driving the car. But, when it does finally become easy to do, the genius of the thing really begins to show. It leaves JGTC cars behind instantly, and a boxy, six-cylinder car from the late 80s becomes a jet-fighter (except, not as slow...). It truly remains completely composed, even when airborne, at mach speed. It is perfectly safe at all times, but there is no feeling of understeer. Ever.
I can't possibly imagine when I'll need such an unusually fast production car, but I love it nonetheless. I shall give it a 10/10! Well done, good sir!
Thinking back to my silent test of the Grim R34per, the only thing I find remarkable about that car versus this one is the laughable ease with which oversteer could be had despite the incredible speed. This is truly an excellent R32, and its smaller size has practical advantages.