- 2 years ago
In Part 3 of our special Best Drivers Car edition of The Downshift
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MotorTranscript
00:00 Previously on Best Driver's Car, we captured hard data
00:03 from each of the 11 contenders and let hot shoe Randy Popes
00:07 tell us which three didn't belong in a racetrack.
00:10 On this week's episode, Justin Bell and I
00:13 get to choose Motor Trend's Best Driver's Car.
00:15 [MUSIC PLAYING]
00:19 [MUSIC PLAYING]
00:22 You're not supposed to get in laughing like that.
00:48 [LAUGHTER]
00:49 Oh, my god.
00:51 Feel that on your neck.
00:53 Feel that on your neck.
00:55 Faster, harder.
00:57 More, more, more.
00:58 Words I've never heard before, but I love them.
01:01 [LAUGHTER]
01:04 I mean, that's amazing for a Mustang.
01:06 [TIRES SCREECHING]
01:07 Oh.
01:10 [LAUGHTER]
01:13 This car weighs two tons.
01:17 It's like a very confident plus size model.
01:22 I'm having fun.
01:23 Oh, front heavy.
01:27 Oh.
01:29 That's a third gear corner.
01:30 Very front heavy car.
01:31 [LAUGHTER]
01:32 He didn't just do that.
01:33 That was him demonstrating to me--
01:35 I was showing you how to push, right?
01:36 You were showing me how easy it is to save
01:38 it in a negative situation.
01:39 I was showing you how to totally [BLEEP] downshift.
01:42 That's how you do it.
01:43 Yeah.
01:43 [MUSIC PLAYING]
01:46 You know what this car's saying to me?
01:48 Captain, give me some more.
01:52 [TIRES SCREECHING]
01:54 [ENGINE REVVING]
01:56 Now, enjoy this.
01:57 Shut up and listen.
01:58 [ENGINE REVVING]
02:00 Oh.
02:01 Woo!
02:03 It's very hard for him to talk and drive.
02:05 Hey.
02:06 You feel that you can do 200 miles an hour with a Starbucks
02:09 in one hand and, you know, one hand on the wheel.
02:12 I mean, considering I've never touched this car before--
02:14 Yes.
02:15 --I feel incredibly at home in it.
02:17 Your esteemed estimation.
02:19 [ENGINE REVVING]
02:22 [LAUGHTER]
02:24 I don't know why-- I have nothing to say, except for like--
02:26 [LAUGHTER]
02:27 [ENGINE REVVING]
02:29 If you had to describe to a little boy what a real car
02:33 should be like, this is it.
02:34 Oh, I got him.
02:34 Oh, my god.
02:35 If you did get a--
02:35 Oh, I killed a squirrel.
02:37 But if you are a squirrel and you're
02:39 going to get killed by anything, at least
02:41 make it a 458 Italia.
02:42 It's like an honor, right?
02:44 You know?
02:45 We had good fun in every car we drove.
02:47 But as this is a competition, we had to cut some contenders.
02:51 Unfortunately, at this stage of the competition,
02:53 it's time to cut some more vehicles.
02:55 And it really is tough with the caliber of cars here.
02:58 So with that in mind, the next car to go is the Lexus LFA.
03:02 Now, it is the Lexus flagship product.
03:06 I love driving it.
03:07 The noise is extraordinary, both inside and out.
03:09 It gives you great feel.
03:10 The brakes are incredible.
03:12 But the downsides?
03:13 Well, the transmission literally is a generation
03:15 behind some of the other cars here.
03:17 And the jaw clutches are so good, this just feels slow.
03:21 The other thing is, unless you're a pro driver,
03:24 it doesn't actually fill you with as much confidence
03:27 as you'd hope for.
03:28 So with that in mind, it's not really the best driver's car.
03:31 There are five cars here with more horsepower
03:33 than the Corvette Z06, but it's the fastest car
03:36 around Laguna Seca.
03:37 It's incredible.
03:38 However, I think Shakespeare said it best when he said,
03:41 "A throne, a throne.
03:42 My kingdom for a throne."
03:44 The seats in this car are just unacceptable.
03:46 I almost got thrown out of the car when Justin was driving.
03:48 It's just, at this level, you have to be able to sit
03:51 in the car properly for it to be a best driver's car,
03:54 and you just can't in the Corvette.
03:56 Now, coming into this competition, the Audi R8
03:58 was definitely one of my favorite cars.
04:00 And also, as she's exiting right now,
04:02 she still remains one of my favorite cars to drive.
04:05 The problem was, she almost had terminal understeer
04:08 in the middle of the corners.
04:09 Certainly hampered Randy's lap times.
04:12 The other thing is, when it comes to it,
04:14 the Audi R8 is so good, I'm just not sure
04:17 what the GT spec brought to the table.
04:19 So, she's gone.
04:22 The Ford Mustang Boss 302 Laguna Seca
04:24 is without question the best Mustang ever made.
04:28 Unfortunately, there are parts of it that are shared
04:30 with a $23,000 rental car, and that shows up here
04:33 on the track, especially with this feel.
04:35 It's a good car, but it's just not the best driver's car.
04:38 Now, perhaps, Johnny and I come to, well,
04:40 definitely one of the hardest decisions
04:42 of the competition so far.
04:44 We're faced with two Porsches, so what do you think, Johnny?
04:46 This is an actual head-scratcher.
04:48 I mean, I don't know where to start.
04:49 The Cayman R is wonderful, the Porsche GT3 RS is wonderful,
04:53 but on the other hand, that's wonderful,
04:55 but then that's also wonderful.
04:56 I mean, the Cayman R, it did--
04:58 I told you, I've never driven one before.
05:00 It did that and more than I expected.
05:03 So, I just really loved it.
05:05 But the GT3 RS...
05:09 Yeah, I mean, the Cayman has wonderful rotation,
05:11 it has perfect manners, it's just such a good car,
05:14 but then at the same time, you feel great
05:16 when you get the 911 to do what you want it to do.
05:18 You feel like a great driver.
05:21 It's just such a tough choice.
05:23 It really was a tough choice,
05:25 and the most controversial decision we made.
05:28 Half the staff was pulling hard for the Cayman,
05:30 but in the end, Justin and I felt the GT3 RS
05:34 was greater than R.
05:35 Either way, Porsche made the podium.
05:39 I know I'm stating the obvious,
05:40 but that was one of the best times I've ever had.
05:42 I mean, it was just incredible.
05:44 It really was, and just like any true talent competition,
05:47 we arguably had 11 of the top cars sold in North America today.
05:52 And it was really tough.
05:53 One of the toughest things I think that Randy and myself
05:55 and you have ever had to do is to whittle those cars down.
05:58 Absolutely.
05:59 We started with 11, we got rid of 8,
06:01 and now we're down to 3.
06:02 And you know what? I'm confident in our choice.
06:04 These are the three best drivers' cars.
06:06 But we've got to figure out which one's the best driver's car.
06:09 So Test Track, Mazda Raceway, Laguna Seca, what's next?
06:12 Well, what we're going to do is we're going to take these three
06:14 and go to one of my favorite roads in California
06:16 and see how they do in the real world.
06:18 Coming up next, the road trip.
06:20 [MUSIC]
06:46 Hello and welcome back to Motor Trend's Best Driver's Car.
06:48 Well, we started the competition with 11 of the best driver's car
06:52 on sale in North America today.
06:54 And here are our three finalists.
06:57 So, Johnny, tell us a little bit about the cars and how they made it.
07:01 These three really are the cream of the cream.
07:03 Now, what's remarkable to me is how different they are,
07:06 yet on the racetrack yesterday,
07:07 they were all within a half second of each other.
07:09 Let's break them down.
07:11 Here we've got the Porsche 911 GT3 RS,
07:14 and it is old school.
07:16 It's rear engine, it's naturally aspirated,
07:18 and it still has a manual transmission.
07:21 On the other end of the spectrum, we have the Nissan GT-R.
07:24 This is better driving through science.
07:27 It's front engine, twin turbo, it's all-wheel drive,
07:30 and it weighs two tons.
07:32 Half of that weight is its computers.
07:34 Then you've got the Ferrari 458 Italia,
07:36 and this one's an intriguing mixture of the new and the old.
07:39 It's a classic mid-engine, rear-wheel drive supercar,
07:43 but it's got a lot of fancy electronics
07:45 that help it go faster and work better.
07:48 So you could say that all three cars had the same destination,
07:52 but that they got there by vastly different routes.
07:54 Extremely different routes, absolutely.
07:56 So we had the dynamic testing,
07:58 we had the racetrack, which was mine and Randy's world,
08:01 and now we're on the open road.
08:03 What are the motor trend criteria for such a road test?
08:07 Well, there's a couple of things we look for.
08:09 On the racetrack, the ride quality isn't that important,
08:12 but in the real world it is.
08:14 If it's going to be a best driver's car,
08:16 you have to want to drive it.
08:18 You don't want a car that beats you up.
08:20 If your favourite road is two hours from home,
08:22 you don't want to arrive a sweaty mess.
08:24 The other thing is, the car still has to make you feel good,
08:27 even if you're not flat on a racetrack.
08:29 You have to want to drive it in all sorts of conditions,
08:32 not just in extreme conditions.
08:34 So three absolutely stunning finalists here.
08:37 - Johnny, just one last question. - What's that?
08:39 What are we doing standing here?
08:41 I do have the key to the GT3 RS in my hand.
08:44 It's your turn.
08:46 Now, one of the things you mentioned in every car yesterday
08:57 was the confidence that that car gave you on the track
09:01 to do your thing. What do you feel here?
09:04 I actually feel more confident today on the road
09:07 than I did on the track in this thing.
09:09 The thing is with 911s is, especially the older ones,
09:12 in the back of your head, you always got,
09:14 "It's going to plough, it's going to snap around on me,
09:16 it's going to come around."
09:18 I just don't have that with this car.
09:20 Now, it very well might do that,
09:22 but it's a nice feeling not to have.
09:24 It's just the steering is so good.
09:26 It's more than precise.
09:28 I mean, the feedback you get is telling you where it is,
09:31 what it's doing.
09:33 The ride is, the car is just so tied to the road.
09:35 Throttle response is great.
09:37 I have to say, unlike a lot of the other cars,
09:39 it's really nice to have three pedals.
09:41 So, Justin, yesterday at the track,
09:47 you were saying that the GT3 RS,
09:49 it's the first car that really woke up
09:51 the race car driver part of your brain.
09:53 Yeah, it really did. And it still does,
09:55 just to give you a heads up.
09:57 So, on the road, you're getting that same sense?
09:59 Yeah. I mean, what it allows you to do
10:02 is to have 100% control of where the car is
10:06 on the road at any point in the corner.
10:09 And you talk about confidence.
10:11 I talk about positive sort of reinforcement
10:15 of what I think I can do in a car.
10:17 I mean, right now, this is a very well-behaved sports car
10:22 on the road, right?
10:23 I mean, we're not bouncing around.
10:24 We're not leaping around.
10:25 But when I want to drive a little bit faster,
10:27 I mean, it is absolutely spectacular.
10:30 If you are a driver,
10:32 I don't mind of what level you are,
10:35 you will be able to be rewarded
10:38 for the more focus, the more concentration,
10:41 the more energy and application
10:43 you put into your driving.
10:45 Because, you know, driving is not about
10:47 Starbucks, phone, you know,
10:49 pulling up to the supermarket.
10:51 That's what we do in everyday life.
10:53 But this is the best driver's car competition.
10:56 So, if you fancy yourself as someone
10:58 that is a decent driver and enjoys driving,
11:01 and it's a pastime, it's a habit,
11:04 it's a hobby,
11:06 this, this is pretty darn good.
11:09 Okay, so, yesterday was your first time
11:13 really pounding on a GT-R.
11:15 And to say you were impressed
11:17 is a gross understatement.
11:18 You were giddy getting out of this car.
11:21 Giddy, completely.
11:22 It absolutely is a car that rewards
11:27 and stimulates and encourages
11:30 bad behavior on a track.
11:32 But when I say bad behavior,
11:34 I mean pushing yourself to the limit.
11:36 Because it does what it does
11:38 extraordinarily well.
11:39 I do feel as though I'm sitting on top
11:41 of a big ball at the moment
11:43 and bouncing around.
11:44 I mean, can you feel that as we go through there?
11:46 On the bumps?
11:47 It's like I'm having to place the car
11:49 and modulate my position on the road
11:52 just to be able to hold it.
11:54 But how are you feeling?
11:56 That you're going to lose it?
11:57 Oh, no way am I going to lose it.
11:59 It's just when I go off the cliff,
12:00 I will have all-wheel drive.
12:01 You'll be curious as to why you lost it.
12:05 Yeah.
12:06 It is an extraordinary car.
12:08 Yeah.
12:09 But it is a car that wants to be driven
12:12 on the edge all the time.
12:14 Right.
12:15 I'm not sure about how it is
12:17 in just an everyday situation.
12:19 That's just my take on it.
12:20 Yeah, but what about,
12:21 go back to the GT3 RS for a second.
12:25 I mean, this seems to be a lot faster
12:28 than that car, right?
12:30 Yeah, I mean, Jesus.
12:32 I mean, it's got acceleration
12:34 and hook-up and traction
12:36 that is almost second to none.
12:39 And it's the way it delivers that power too.
12:41 I mean, it's that raucous through.
12:44 But I am not getting, you know, if I can...
12:49 But to be clear,
12:51 as a race driver on the road now,
12:54 I rely a lot on what I feel through my hands,
12:57 the seat of my pants,
12:59 you know, through my feet,
13:01 through my eyes and ears.
13:03 And it's as though the car is doing so much for me,
13:08 I'm not quite sure how I'm doing what I'm doing.
13:10 Right.
13:11 And I'm not entirely comfortable with that.
13:13 Does that make sense to you?
13:14 Yeah, absolutely.
13:15 Well, you know, Justin,
13:20 as an automotive journalist,
13:22 I listen to my stomach,
13:23 and my gut is telling me
13:25 that this car is incredible.
13:27 The guys from Ferrari were telling us
13:28 that they've taken everything they know about the GT-R,
13:30 and they've entered it into their Nürburgring simulator,
13:33 and they cannot figure out
13:35 how it goes around that thing so quickly.
13:37 Randy was standing there, and he said,
13:39 "Oh, I know why. Driver confidence."
13:42 You can be more confident in this car
13:45 than you can be in anything else.
13:46 It's just gonna get you through.
13:48 Now, is that the computers and all the blah, blah, blah, blah,
13:52 doing it for you?
13:53 Does that matter?
13:54 Is it better driving through science?
13:55 And who cares at the end of the day?
13:57 I mean, I just feel wonderful.
14:00 You feel like quite a monster in this car.
14:01 I do. I do.
14:02 You definitely look a little taller to me right now.
14:06 A little more masculine.
14:07 Well, the other thing is,
14:08 I felt you were able to drive the 911
14:11 a little bit harder than I was,
14:12 but I feel I could drive this
14:13 about as hard as you could on this road.
14:15 Yeah, I agree.
14:16 And that really is something.
14:18 Something to consider for, you know, best drivers.
14:25 Now, I'm gonna watch this very carefully,
14:27 because on the track,
14:28 this car gave you a bucket load of confidence.
14:32 And we just got out of those other cars,
14:34 and you're king of the castle right now.
14:36 So what do you feel like?
14:38 You know, this car just feels more athletic than those guys.
14:41 I know I can brake later in it.
14:43 Even, I shouldn't say that.
14:45 I think I can brake later in it.
14:47 I feel I can turn in later.
14:48 I feel as confident in this as I do in the GT-R.
14:54 And here's the thing.
14:55 I'm probably driving this just as quickly as I drove the GT-R,
14:59 but I feel even better.
15:00 I mean, this is-- look at that.
15:02 You know, an observation for me sitting next to you is,
15:05 you're very precise in this car.
15:07 It feels smooth, very smooth.
15:09 It's easy to be smooth.
15:10 And, you know, if you think about it,
15:12 the Ferrari, the 458 Italia,
15:15 is a mix of the other two.
15:17 It's all that good old-school stuff,
15:20 with all the, you know--
15:21 and then the electronics where you need it.
15:23 It has the art where it should be
15:25 and the science where it should be.
15:27 I mean, it's just an incredible vehicle.
15:30 Yeah.
15:31 What about steering feel?
15:32 It's the best I've ever felt in a road car.
15:34 You know, I've driven open-wheeled stuff,
15:36 like a Caterham 7, maybe.
15:38 That's a little bit better,
15:40 but as far as an actual production car,
15:42 this is the best steering feel.
15:44 This is the best brake feel.
15:46 The throttle feel's perfect.
15:48 I mean, I don't know if this means anything
15:50 in the evaluative nature of our test,
15:53 but the Ferrari is so good,
15:55 it makes me as a passenger feel so good,
15:58 I would make out with you right now.
16:00 [laughs]
16:02 [engine revving]
16:05 The GT3 RS, it makes me feel good
16:10 when I do something good.
16:12 The GT-R just makes me feel like a good driver, right?
16:16 Yeah.
16:17 This makes me feel lucky.
16:19 This makes me feel special.
16:21 This is just--this is it.
16:23 I mean, I don't know whether it's faster than me
16:25 in the Nissan or me in the Porsche,
16:27 because they're extraordinary.
16:29 But you feel better.
16:30 Ah.
16:31 It's also handling the bumps and the transitions very well.
16:35 And at about 100 miles an hour very well.
16:37 I mean, this is just incredible.
16:38 For the California State Police, he didn't mean 100.
16:40 He meant 100 kilometers an hour.
16:41 Kilometers an hour. [laughs]
16:43 Silly me.
16:44 No, it really is.
16:46 And what I like about the Ferrari is
16:49 I've driven this on the more sedate roads.
16:52 Yeah.
16:53 I still felt good about myself.
16:54 So--and right now I'm getting a little bit racy and sporty
16:57 on this mountain road, and--
17:00 [engine revving]
17:02 Can I tell everyone that's watching this,
17:04 before you die,
17:06 you do need to do what we're doing now.
17:08 You absolutely must do what we're doing now.
17:11 Boom!
17:12 Feel those brakes.
17:13 [laughs]
17:15 God.
17:16 It's really good, isn't it?
17:17 It's really good.
17:18 I mean, it really is good.
17:20 Well, we're coming to the end of our competition,
17:24 and, you know, Johnny, I still can't believe
17:26 how difficult this elimination process has been
17:29 for the entire Motor Trend team.
17:30 After all, all these cars are superb.
17:33 That's right, Justin.
17:34 I mean, there is no bad choice here.
17:36 We've run out of negatives.
17:37 There's nothing bad to say about these cars.
17:40 But we have to make a decision.
17:42 Yeah, we do have to find a winner.
17:44 Let's start first, the Ferrari 458 Italia.
17:47 I mean, the Ferrari let you and Randy
17:49 be the best race car drivers you could be,
17:51 and it made me feel as if I was a race car driver.
17:53 It's a wonderful machine.
17:55 As every good car should do.
17:56 The Nissan GT-R.
17:58 I've seen the future, and the future is good.
18:01 One of my favorite points of the whole competition
18:03 was watching you climb out of a GT-R for the first time
18:06 after banging around Laguna Seca.
18:08 You were like a kid on Christmas morning.
18:09 I mean, the car is amazing.
18:12 And last but not least, of course, the Porsche GT3 RS.
18:15 Yeah, I mean, this is the seasoned veteran.
18:17 This is the old school warrior.
18:18 This is probably the last 911 that's ever going to have
18:20 a manual transmission.
18:22 And this car has been defining the best driver's car
18:24 for decades, since before you and I were born.
18:27 But it's still so good, it's here.
18:29 All three of these cars are so good,
18:31 they're almost beyond description.
18:33 However, we have to have a winner.
18:35 And for 2011, the Motor Trend Best Driver's Car is...
18:41 [MUSIC PLAYING]
18:44 The Ferrari 458 Italia.
18:47 We started Best Driver's Car with 10 very good cars
18:51 and one exceptional one.
18:53 The Ferrari was not only Randy's favorite car
18:55 of the competition, but Justin's and mine as well.
18:59 In some areas, some competitors came close.
19:02 But at the end of the day, the only question remaining
19:05 is what color to order the Ferrari in.
19:07 Because the 458 Italia is a true classic.
19:10 Because the 458 Italia is Motor Trend's Best Driver's Car.
19:14 [MUSIC PLAYING]
19:18 [MUSIC PLAYING]
19:22 [MUSIC PLAYING]
19:25 [MUSIC PLAYING]
19:28 [MUSIC PLAYING]
19:32 [MUSIC PLAYING]
19:35 [MUSIC PLAYING]
19:39 [MUSIC PLAYING]
19:43 [MUSIC PLAYING]
19:47 [MUSIC PLAYING]
19:51 [MUSIC PLAYING]
20:00 Can we shut that bird up?
20:02 You are very noisy.
20:03 They are.
20:04 They're doing something out there.
20:05 That [BLEEP] bird.
20:07 Then we've got the--
20:09 Sorry.
20:10 That mind?
20:13 Yeah.
20:14 Are we ready?
20:15 I'm very good.
20:22 I'm very-- yeah.
20:25 OK, take two.
20:26 Take two more.
20:27 Take five.
20:28 We'll do this one.
20:29 [MUSIC PLAYING]
20:32 He doesn't talk about it anymore.
20:39 He wants to show us what you got.
20:41 I'm ready.
20:42 All right.
20:43 We little--
20:44 [INTERPOSING VOICES]
20:46 That was like crossing--
20:47 [MUSIC PLAYING]
20:50 Oops.
20:52 [MUSIC PLAYING]
20:55 One take.
20:56 [MUSIC PLAYING]
20:58 One shot Johnny.
21:00 Two shots.
21:01 One shot Justin.
21:03 One and a half.
21:04 [MUSIC PLAYING]
21:07 [LAUGHTER]
21:11 [LAUGHTER]
21:13 Sorry.
21:15 Well, I think we're going to do this.
21:19 That was the worst--
21:20 [LAUGHTER]
21:21 That was the worst puffing I've ever heard in my life.
21:24 So, hello, do you like this?
21:26 Airplane.
21:27 Yes.
21:28 Far away.
21:29 They hate airplanes.
21:30 Oh, I hate airplanes.
21:32 Coming up next, a road trip.
21:35 [MUSIC PLAYING]
21:37 Shooting me on that shooting range.
21:40 You've got nothing to bounce.
21:41 11 of the top best cars on Sterling's Stale.
21:46 The best driver's car.
21:47 Best driver's car.
21:49 [MUSIC PLAYING]
21:52 [INAUDIBLE]
21:53 [MUSIC PLAYING]
21:56 [GROAN]
22:00 [INAUDIBLE]
22:02 If you're listening, I'm pissing right now.
22:05 This is the sound of me urinating on a barbed wire fence.
22:09 I hope it sounds good.
22:11 (upbeat music)
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