Volvo "Arrive and Drive" Event

[rammstein]

I went to this yesterday. It was a big promotional shin-dig about the new S40. So they talk for awhile and put on an infomercial-type presentation (blah blah blah). Then you get to drive it on an AutoX course. The unfortunate part was, they discouraged over-exuberant driving. I bet its because they set up the course kind of stupid, with a concrete wall on the OUTSIDE of 2 turns, such that any jackass who skids 30ft off course would wreck a car (trust me, I kind of understood theirattitude after watching some of the dweebs drive).

Anyhow, I drove the 2.4 5 spd and the T5 Turbo 6spd (about 4 times each). The cars felt quite tight considering their sedan duties. Of course, the shifter feels fantastic compared to the 944 shifters. I guess there's been technological improvement since '86 . And the clutch was like a toy. The sad part was, being front wheel drive, the car was far more limited than it should have been. The 60/40 weight distribution doesn't help. Whereas our cars, when properly set up, will drift at the limit and perhaps oversteer in a controlled fashion, these cars want to push. The faster you go, the harder they push. It seemed in the corners, the only option you have when understeer begins is just to slow down. The braking was nice and uneventful. The seats felt good for the short time I was in there. On this particular 38 degree Boston day, my posterior was appreciative of the heaters in the seat. I must be getting old, it felt a little TOO good.

The 2.4 had a nice linear powerband, and it wasn't slow, but at the same time it wasn't thrilling either. Considering the couple extra thousand it takes to get into a T5, its hard to justify not going for the Turbo. The T5 felt much happier of course. The Turbo lag is almost nonexistant, being more or less all on by 2000 RPM. This engine is much better suited for AutoX than the 951, where you must exit the corner, wait + wait + WHAM (right when you are getting back on the brakes). Again, its too bad that the power was going to the front wheels.

Overall, it was a fun day. Its hard to go wrong when something is completely free. As an added bonus, my girlfriend got to try out a pseudo AutoX in a stress-free environment, in somebody else's car (she drove an Auto). It was fun to ride with her and see her starting to get the idea of how to go about driving in it by the end.

Porsche needs to have an event like this so I can drive a 911 Turbo to see if I like it. :P

[Z-man]

Moving to OT.
-Z-man.

[rammstein]

Wow Z-Man, you're on your game today!

[Trevor]

My parents have an 02 or 03 S40, great car, too bad it doesn't come with a 5 speed.

[Tishabet]

Yeah, my mom has an S80. They live in salt lake, and I got to take it out for a spin a few times....great car! Absolutely loved it as a highway cruising sedan, but never got to put it through any cornering paces.

[vital-transform]

Hey check out www.Mazdarevitup.com

[rammstein]

Yup- already signed up last week. You gonna be there?

This should be more fun as competitive driving is going to be encouraged.

Again- if Porsche did something like this, oh man- what fun!

[vital-transform]

I'll be goin to Shea stadium on the 16th