Plus its beaten by the Mundano ST220 :D

http://www.carkeys.co.uk/features/FE000461.htm

Blimey. I really wanted an RS but gave up waiting and bought the RB5 instead. Now I know I made the right choice.

I'm not sure what the author was expecting, he explained why the car had problems during the article. Any powerful 2WD car is going to have traction problems through the lower gears in the wet, this will be exagerated the lighter the car and the firmer the suspension.
As for his comments about the car being dangerous in the hands of an inexperienced driver :rolleyes:

try driving a BMW on a wet road let alone track, Now this is dangerous

Give me AWD anyday - I've had 11 - especially when you don't know the road.

What crap! Its only dangerous if you are an idiot. You find the limits of a car and drive accordingly.

I agree with cossie on this, my last 3 series was appalling in the wet, very very skittish around the front end. I though it may have been just mine but speaking to other owners their's were the same.
Yes you do find the limits and drive accordingly, but the limits on my 3 series were way below what I would consider acceptable.

Edited to say this was a latest generation 3 series

[Edited by MooseRacer - 10/18/2002 11:58:05 AM]

co55ie and moose,

I'd kinda agree with you. Been in a friends 3 series and it was all over the place. Admittedly it was an old shedlike 318i and i'd imagine the newer/better versions would handle a lot better.

In Davyboys defense. I had a 200sx with the similar reputation for poor handling in the wet. I didn't have any problems with it on slippery surfaces (a few anxious moments but nothing serious). As long as you know not to push too hard in the wet and have the real fun when it's dry.

Another thing i should mention is the amount of fun that could be had on the right bit of wet road in something like a BW or a 200. Serious tail out fun. Not near as fast as the scoob round corners but a damn sight more enjoyable. :D

[edited to spell proply]

[Edited by marty_t3 - 10/18/2002 9:59:30 AM]

I'd have to agree with the comments made. After owning a E36 325i for 4 years and several fwd cars (some with quite a lot of power)in the wet you can't beat AWD. The beemer was very adjustable in the dry but even though I had it for 4 years and learnt the car very well it could still catch you out in the wet. Sometimes worryingly for now particular reason at slow speeds and there wasn't anything wrong with the suspension setup either as it was on Eibachs.

The fwd cars I had all wanted to go straight on in the wet when I wanted to turn and most applications of power especially in the turbo FWD cars I had where met by ludicrous amounts of wheelspin.

Having seen an E46 M3 going around Bedford in the wet laster year , I would say that the traction control etc made it as good as AWD. It was doing some stunning laps.

[Edited by Neil Smalley - 10/18/2002 12:27:09 PM]

But i bet it was only doing about 10 miles an hour.
You get any beemer on the road after we have had a dry spell then a bit of drizzle. They are horrendous all over the shop including the new ones.

Co55ie

It was'nt. It was Arron in his M3 and it was matching the P1, skylines for laptimes. Very impressed, as was everyone who saw it.

I am only engaging in banter. I am fully aware of the cars potential and as you say it is an impressive machine in the right hands. Still seriously overpriced in my opinion though.

Re the first comment Mundano ST200. These looklike cracking cars to me the same engine minus the valve timing gizmo's as the jags nice interior and they great quite understated but purposeful and will make a great purchase in a couple of years time much like the Vectra GSi is now. Cheap with a great spec economical to run and in saloon form I think they look good even having nice alloys you sure get alot of 3 year old car for your 7k.

[Edited by co55ie - 10/18/2002 1:55:20 PM]

So weight, weight distribution, vehicle height, springs, dampers and roll bars have no effect on body roll then?

So it's not the unweighted, inside wheel loosing grip then? To a point, I'd say adding weight would increase grip in wet conditions?

Not the best report I've ever read and yes I am a Ford fan but I'd rather make my own mind up or at least read a report by someone who can drive!

Bob

Does anyone really have any faith in the trash Car Keys write - they are always way off the mark in my exoerience!

And here's a more technical opinion:

Perhaps the most inaccurate article in the world - since when has weight transfer onto an front outer wheel reduced it's grip? - think you'll find that the curve of a tyres lateral acceleration is proportional to the load applied to it vertically. As everyone whose ever driven knows, when you come into a courner and lift off it's the back that slides first.

As for having to use 3rd gear not 2nd - think thats a good think as every gearchange takes 0.25 secs even for an ace driver, and the RS's flat, tall torque curve peaks at 3500rpm, whereas 220 and ST need to be reved to get anywhere (hence 2ng gear)!

As for "just a fraction too much throttle and the front would push wide" - you want to try driving a RWD car with 220 bhp in the wet - a whole lot of arm twirling , barrier facing, but clenching fun that is!

Wait for the next series of Topgear which starts on Sunday...

The E46 M3 is faster round a damp track than the new (4wd) Lambo, oh and the Focus RS is faster round a damp track than a WRX (so I guess the WRX would be scalped by a Mondeo ST220 then!), but thats not to say Clarkson wasn't scathing about the RS on the road!

[Edited by polarbearit - 10/19/2002 10:33:22 AM]

i think most journalists spout crap to be honest.......its all down to the LSD and front wheel drive.......all front wheel drive cars understeer into bends with too much throttle and the fact its got 220 going through the front wheels......

we shall have to wait and see what its like for ourselves....or those that are interested :)

Actually Bob, David Finlay has been a pretty succesful hillclimb/club racing driver - he can drive a bit! ;)