Whenever the phrase 'fun to drive car' is heard among car enthusiasts, loads of different ideas of fun cars conjured up. Some would envision a fun car as a tech-laden, highly computerized supercars that make one feel like an Autobahn warrior (Bugatti Veyron with its stonking 427 kph top speed), an old school classic cars with oodles of power and physically demanding to drive (Ferrari F40 comes to mind with its twin turbo V8, no ABS, no Stability Control, no Traction Control, no power brakes, no power steering, no dual clutch wizardry and instead, its lovely open gated 6 speed manual box), rally icons (Subaru Impreza, Audi Quattro, Mitsubishi Evo), or even modern supercars with dearth electronic driver aids and massive horsepower to boot (Noble M600 with its barking 650 bhp V8, manual gearbox, no ABS and no Stability Control). Different strokes for different folks, what is considered as a fun car to one camp may not always be fun to the other camp, which leads me to my own version of 'fun to drive cars':
1) Razor sharp pick-up
Nothing beats the feel of laying on the loud pedal and feel immediate surge of acceleration. It does not matter if the car in question is Kancil or Porsche 911 GT3, there is no fun in slamming on the throttle and wait for ages for the car to build up speed. There is also no fun when it takes forever to complete an overtaking manoeuvre only because the car being driven accelerates like a lazy bum. Hence, I personally believe cars with slow pick-up is a bane to the thrill of driving.
2) Handles like a boss
Horsepower. Always the most talked about subject when discussing about 'fun to drive cars'. Now, I can see the appeal of horsepower. Fun cars are supposed to be fast, but all those brute power is meaningless if the car handles like a piece of junk. A fun car strikes the balance between sheer power and handling prowess. Imagine chucking your 1000 bhp car into a fast sweeper, only to wind up upside down in the ditch when you get back on the power. Not fun right? Furthermore, the driving aspects that fascinates me most is handling dynamic. Lots of complex but interesting forces take charge as you barrel down your favourite roads which can affect the car's handling, ranging from the change in suspension geometry, change in weight distribution over the front axle relative to the rear and sundry more stuff at play in the handling department.
3) Manual transmission
I have to admit. Today's automatics are so brilliant that the performance advantages and stellar fuel efficiency that manuals used to enjoy are going out the window, especially if you are speaking of highly sophisticated 8 speed automatic or the highly vaunted dual clutch transmission. Pit two cars of the same models, year, brand and specs, but one is manual and the other is automatic, the latter is going to be faster as computers can shift way faster than any humans. But, nothing beats the tactile pleasure of feeling the cogs meshing under your arm, timing the coordination of the clutch and throttle and nailing a smooth heel toe downshift as you approach your favourite turns, things that cannot be replicated with automatics. Now before you get any wrong ideas, I am no way claiming that manual is the only means of upping the pleasure of driving. I have driven my mum's BMW which is an automatic and I have so much fun driving that thing. The argument on which is fun, manual or automatic, is highly subjective. But, if given the choice between manual or automatic, I personally crave for the engaging driving experience (subjective) of the manual.
