I went to the event at Charlotte, NC, today. Thank you to dparm for the heads up on this event. You can see that original post here:
https://bobistheoilguy.com/forums/posts/3049469/
First, the good stuff. I set the best lap for the day (at least at that time), in a Fiesta ST.
I competed in the shootout against two other drivers and came home with the grand prize, a brand new Fiesta ST. Though it's scaled down... A model of a Fiesta ST. No matter. I told my wife I was going to go win a new car, and that I did. They told us that this is "one of" the faster courses they had set up, so it appears that they're not all laid out equally, unfortunately. So we can't bench race with times.
These two cars are an absolute riot. I love driving small cars; wish I were in the market for one. The Focus felt heavier (it was) but more planted. The Fiesta was a touch "skaty" around the course, though both had tremendous grip. Predictably, I would prefer the Fiesta on a road course, but prefer the Focus on a daily-driven route. I don't recall which car had it (maybe both), but the steering wheel material was a very soft sponge-like material. I really liked it.
I also drove a C-Max and Fusion Hybrid, but didn't get excellent mpg numbers. I did drive their Escape 2.0T and Fusion 2.0T against the Honda CR-V and the Toyota Camry. I was surprised at a few of my reactions. First, you can't really tell the EcoBoost 4s are turbocharged...there's very little lag, instant throttle response, and no turbo whistle. These are all good in my opinion. Unfortunately, however, when I say that you can't tell that they're turbocharged, you really can't tell they're turbocharged. I expected a lot more peanuts from those engines than they gave. They felt quick to be sure, but I guess I was expecting more. The Camry was the real hotrod; they had a V-6 XLE to try. I was blown away at how taut the Camry's suspension is, and how well it handled. It's a world of difference from the 2011 Camry I used to own. In the end, the Escape and Fusion did have more lateral grip compared with their competition, but they were riding on 19s with performance tires (the Fusion had Eagles), while the Honda and Toyota wore Bridgestone Duelers and Michelin Energy Savers in 17" guise.
I had a blast, and had much fun tossing the Focus and Fiesta around the track. I highly recommend the event if you have not yet signed up for a future date near you. I'm probably much less impressed with the Escape and Fusion than Ford wants me to be, but am absolutely smitten with their two performance hatches.
https://bobistheoilguy.com/forums/posts/3049469/
First, the good stuff. I set the best lap for the day (at least at that time), in a Fiesta ST.
I competed in the shootout against two other drivers and came home with the grand prize, a brand new Fiesta ST. Though it's scaled down... A model of a Fiesta ST. No matter. I told my wife I was going to go win a new car, and that I did. They told us that this is "one of" the faster courses they had set up, so it appears that they're not all laid out equally, unfortunately. So we can't bench race with times.
These two cars are an absolute riot. I love driving small cars; wish I were in the market for one. The Focus felt heavier (it was) but more planted. The Fiesta was a touch "skaty" around the course, though both had tremendous grip. Predictably, I would prefer the Fiesta on a road course, but prefer the Focus on a daily-driven route. I don't recall which car had it (maybe both), but the steering wheel material was a very soft sponge-like material. I really liked it.
I also drove a C-Max and Fusion Hybrid, but didn't get excellent mpg numbers. I did drive their Escape 2.0T and Fusion 2.0T against the Honda CR-V and the Toyota Camry. I was surprised at a few of my reactions. First, you can't really tell the EcoBoost 4s are turbocharged...there's very little lag, instant throttle response, and no turbo whistle. These are all good in my opinion. Unfortunately, however, when I say that you can't tell that they're turbocharged, you really can't tell they're turbocharged. I expected a lot more peanuts from those engines than they gave. They felt quick to be sure, but I guess I was expecting more. The Camry was the real hotrod; they had a V-6 XLE to try. I was blown away at how taut the Camry's suspension is, and how well it handled. It's a world of difference from the 2011 Camry I used to own. In the end, the Escape and Fusion did have more lateral grip compared with their competition, but they were riding on 19s with performance tires (the Fusion had Eagles), while the Honda and Toyota wore Bridgestone Duelers and Michelin Energy Savers in 17" guise.
I had a blast, and had much fun tossing the Focus and Fiesta around the track. I highly recommend the event if you have not yet signed up for a future date near you. I'm probably much less impressed with the Escape and Fusion than Ford wants me to be, but am absolutely smitten with their two performance hatches.
