If 10Best testing is like any form of motorsports, it’s like rallying. No, we don’t time our laps around our 13.5-mile loop because we are not entirely insane. And unlike rallying, we don’t have co-drivers barking coded messages at us about what dangers lie beyond the next turn. Yet a full-tilt pace around our course (not that anyone attempts it) would touch triple digits in several places. And, as in rallying, we travel roads maintained by taxpayer-funded entities and that are in every conceivable way imperfect—actually, perfectly imperfect for revealing both the talents and shortcomings of any production car. Here are some staples of what our route holds and what we learn from them:
-The Esses and Magnum XL-200
-At just nine-tenths of a mile, this nine-corner sequence is the reason our 10Best loop is here. With the exception of two sequential corners, this is a busy bit of road, with alternating left- and right-hand curves and the occasional sprinting terrapin to avoid. By quickly loading and unloading one side of the car, this section reveals more about transient response than does any other patch of asphalt. At least four pucker-inducing blind rises give a car’s suspension a good workout. Unloading the front tires over these whoops, these backwoods Flugplatzes, reveals peculiarities in steering feel and effort. Treetops and telephone poles give a hint of where the road is headed beyond the precipice, so it’s best to look up.
-Sammy Hagar Cool-Down Section
- -This segment is the straightest, flattest, and smoothest stretch on our loop. It also carries the most civilian traffic. All is not lost, though. Nothing allows you to concentrate more on wind and tire noise, engine sound and vibration, and on-center steering feel than following a ’94 Ford Taurus wagon with a “WWJD” sticker on the bumper and a tuft of blue hair at the controls. Indeed, what would Jesus drive?
-On Driving in the Rain
- -10Best testing is a rigidly scientific, precision undertaking, at least until Mother Nature blows us a wet one. Occasionally, we are forced to drive in mixed or downright crappy conditions, and oncoming traffic requires that we always observe centerlines, even when it means plowing through rainbow sheens of percolating oil. Heavy rain turns some sections of the loop, particularly near our base camp, into a series of fast-flowing creeks, and our unpaved parking lot becomes caramel pudding. It’s really fun in the same way that serving in the Albanian army is fun.
-On the Rough Stuff
- -A smooth, flat road reveals little about a vehicle’s ride. The Torturous Road section of the loop, however, exposes the demons in the suspension. It used to be patched together about as well as Iraq, and some of the larger potholes were deep enough to consume a low-profile tire. However, this past year the section was repaved, although not entirely smoothly, with lots of undulation near the shoulder. Even this less-severe stuff provides a perfect test venue, and the best performers isolate the cabin and its occupants with only as much suspension travel as needed and little head toss. The worst performers transmit every bump, or magnify them with reverberations through their structures.
--
-
- -
- 2016 10Best Cars: The Winners, Features, Photos, and More
- -
- The Best Around: Car and Driver‘s 10Best Winners from Every Year
- -
- Like, Totally Rad: The Car and Driver Covers of the 1980s
- -
-
-
On Going Both Ways
- -While some editors prefer a clockwise circulation, some prefer counterclockwise. And others may deviate from the route entirely. However, the most important thing during 10Best testing is to eliminate variables. For example, if you drive the Mazda 6 in one direction, you’d better lap the Honda Accord the same way. If you polished off a coconut doughnut in the Porsche Cayman, don’t switch to Red Hots for the Chevy Corvette. Corner intensity depends on the direction of travel. An extreme example is the southernmost bend on the loop’s western edge, which we’ve nicknamed “Oh, Rouge.” Going north, the left-hander is fairly wide and followed by a short, suspension-compressing hill. Coming the other way, the suspension fully compresses at the bottom of the hill before a tighter-radius right.
--
-
2016 10Best Cars: Return to Overview
--
from Car and Driver Blog http://ift.tt/1SEYjRT
إرسال تعليق