Motor Trend's Best Drivers Car 2013

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Oh, why not:

911
Cayman
SLS
GTR
R8
E63
Viper
Vanquish
ST
M6
F-Type
Bentley
 
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Danoff
Somehow the Viper gets two entries? That's not fair. Also I have a hard time seeing the M6 and F-Type fall that far.
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Oops, thanks for catching that. I don't think that the M6 will fare well, given how heavy it is.
 
Cano
I'd really like to see the Cayman get on top. The damn thing is a joy.
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I'm assuming it'll take it this year. R8 and 911 to round out the podium 👍
 
McLaren
You never know. A C63 Black Series came 2nd last year behind the 911 S. :)
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Yeah, that did happen. You never know, and with this test the results seem like they're always surprising.
 
Between the Porsches,GTR and SLS,R8 with an outside chance.

Or wait I guess the Ford will have a high finish as well :lol:
 
I'm interested to see that they're praising the dual clutch transmissions so much. They didn't spare a single word for nostalgia for the traditional manual.
 
They do let you concentrate more, I'll grant them that.

I thought it was amazing how many quality problems the Viper had! :eek: That's absolutely inexcuseable in a car costing $100,000. Heck, a car costing $5,000 should not have all those problems, especially the brake issue. Bad, bad build quality.

EDIT: Uh, what's wtih this in the video?
Screenshotfrom2013-08-22175935_zpsaefaba87.png
 
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So, my take on the video:

Very long video, but worth it if you can watch the whole thing. Spoiler alert ahead.

The three cars that I really like are the R8, C4S, and Cayman S. All three are very precise and very smooth, making them very attractive to me. Also, all three can be had witha manual.

Disappointments? The Viper, M6, and Vanquish. The Viper was appalling in its quality, and I am really not a fan of the very raw, crazy experience. Sure, it works for some, but not me. The M6 was, as they said over and over, not a true M car. Too big and too disconnected. The Vanquish, while I sort of expected it, was disappointing for its laid back manner. It's pretty, and sounds great, but it clearly isn't a sports car.

Surprises? The E63 and Bentley. The E63 was better than I expected. I'm still not a fan of it for some reason, perhaps because of the AWD. Also, I think it looks a bit ugly. The Bentley was surprisingly good, and I'm a big fan of the Continental. it just crystalised my love for the GT Speed. It's no sports car but it would make a great daily driver.

That leaves the SLS, GTR, and ST. The SLS is almost revolting to me, because it loks, in my eyes, ugly and childish. The Aston is flamboyant, but also grown up. The SLS Black Series looks like it was designed by a 10 year old, it's so rdidiculous and over the top. Perhaps it would look better in black, rather than the ugly yellow, but I could never respect myself if I drove around in one. Too crazy. The ST is obciously the outlier. I prefer the Golf GTI as a hto hatch, but there's no denying the Focus's fun factor. I feel like it's a bit wild and unrefined, though. Not precise enough for me. The GTR is, as ever, incredible. But I've never been a GTR fan. It'sa great car, and really, really goes quickly. But I'd rather have a 911 C2S and go slower, savouring the extra feedback and RWD.

TL;DR - I like the C4S, R8, and Cayman, and dislike the Viper and M6.
 
ummm go ford focus st and caymen s and e63 (wagon mafia for life lolol)
i think with all the cars we are just going off of someones opinions maybe we should drive the cars ourselves ( at least the ones that we would be able too like the focus ST and maybe a GTR or the porches.
 
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drag race was as expected especially since they use the date from the individual road tests

not sure what happened with the 2014 GTR at leguna as both the 2012(1:36.35) and 2013 (1:36.3) GTRs beat the Viper's time and the GTR should have placed at least 2nd
 
MCNAGTROC
drag race was as expected especially since they use the date from the individual road tests

not sure what happened with the 2014 GTR at leguna as both the 2012(1:36.35) and 2013 (1:36.3) GTRs beat the Viper's time and the GTR should have placed at least 2nd
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Could it be that it didn't have the track alignment despite of being the track pack?
 
Leonidae@MFT
Could it be that it didn't have the track alignment despite of being the track pack?
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i doubt it the car was provided by nissan and they come from the factory in track alignment. could be a host of things but one prevailing theory is if you look at about the 1:29 mark in the hot lap video "it appears" the 3 Race mode switches are not lit up which would change the characteristic of the car. less stiff suspension and not to mention VDC would be more intrusive possibly causing the understeer he complained of

again who knows but its hard to imagine same driver same track the 2014 track pack is slower than a 2012 or 2013 GTR
 
Seriously, that E63 wagon... I want it bad. That and Jessi Lang, who seems to be the one driving it.... :lol:
 
I'll take the Viper, but preferably one that hasn't been thrashed to absolute buggery like the test one that was given to MotorTrend.

Quality control mustn't have been high on SRT's list that particular day.

Other than that I'd take the E63 S AMG wagon that we get which is rather interestingly RWD instead of AWD.

And then devote a lifetime of savings to rear tyres.
 
Spoilers Below

Transmission Results:

1st - 7-speed DCT
2nd - 7-speed DCT
3rd - 7-speed DCT
4th - 8-speed Auto
5th - 7-speed DCT
6th - 6-speed DCT
7th - 7-speed Auto
8th - 6-speed Auto
9th - 8-speed Auto
10th - 7-speed DCT
11th - 6-speed Manual
12th - 6-speed Manual


According to many on GTPlanet, these reviewers must not know how to drive stick - because if they did, they'd realize that automatics and DCTs can never be best driver's car. Nobody who really knows how to drive stick can prefer a DCT right? This isn't a lap time competition, or ranking of drag race results, this is a driver's car competition. So obviously, according to so many GTP'ers, no car belongs in this competition that has anything but a traditional manual...

DCT is just better.
 
Labeling the extreme opposite opinion of your own held by a select few with the purposely vague "many" quantifier to imply it's a more common belief than it actually is. Interesting.
 
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As far as i understand, some people like manual transmissions better because it allows them to get a better feel of the car and more control. This, then, should be thrown out of the window if the car feels bad and it isn't very controllable to begin with, which i suspect might be the case with the SRT Viper at least.

Also consider that most manufacturers nowadays engineer their DCT transmission to help give more feedback to the driver, whether it be by quickly jerking the car a bit by shifting upward or giving the peddle a resounding click when you change gear.

It sounds to me like they're trying their damnedest to appeal to manual fans, but i suppose you can't win everyone over.
 
Exorcet
In a test of speed? Then sure.
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...but this isn't a test of speed. It's a competition where control, feedback, precision, and pure enjoyment are all among the chief metrics and yet somehow having a stick doesn't seem to be a requirement for those things...
 
Danoff
...but this isn't a test of speed. It's a competition where control, feedback, precision, and pure enjoyment are all among the chief metrics and yet somehow having a stick doesn't seem to be a requirement for those things...
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I know this isn't a test of speed. I agree that a manual isn't a requirement, and I know you're aiming for the "manual or it's a garbage car" crowd, but the test is still subjective, so it doesn't make sense to say that DCT is better, the end.

I think car reviews try to mix subjective and objective analysis too much anyway. It's part of the reason why one car can be loads of fun, but then a few years later the same journalists will hate it.

DCT has plenty of objective advantages, but those advantages don't necessarily make them more fun. Maybe you can get away with saying most of the people most of the time will prefer DCT, but that doesn't make DCT better than manual (unless you're trying to sell cars).
 
A DCT lets you forget about shifting and concentrate on driving. I prefer the extra involvement of a manual, but I also see the value in a dual-clutch. Is till rpefer a manual, but I realise that their tastes vary. Also, the chassis is way more impoprtant than the transmission, and the Viper and Focus just aren't as good in that respect. if the 911 had a manual, I bet it still would have won.
 

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