Well, i had a conversation earlier today with a friend, who owns a bimmer (and is proud about it), about the feeling of each car.

At first he started bragging about his car, who wouldn't anyway, and then he told me about the feeling of sportiness that this car "gave" to him. He says that every time he turns on the engine, revs the car a little bit, he feels that this car can offer him great pleasure, can be as sporty as hell.

Even though i don't agree about how sporty his 3er feels/looks, i do agree though that you feel something when you enter some cars. For example, when i get into my S60, i feel that "feeling of safety". I feel that if anything bad happens, a crash for example, then i will survive and hopefully will be able to get out of the car perfectly intact. This feeling may not be totally great, as the car "feels" heavy and you know that you can't push it to the limits.

But it offers you the "feeling of safety" and IMO it is the most important thing about a car. What do you think about this, guys? Do you think that cars have a "feel(ing)" and if yes, what would you want the feeling of your car to be?

I beleive that cars do give feelings and I remember several weeks ago when I sat behind the wheel of a Porsche for the first time. It was a white 997 Carrera with brown interior and just by only standing next to it was body temperature was higher than normal. Then when I opened the door and sat in the driver's seat I went "OMG!!", sitting behind the wheel was a sensation. The shape of the cockpit, sitting position and the perfectly crafted steering wheel giving feeling that I could do some serious driving(and ass kicking) in that car. I have sat in many new cars and never ever have any other car made me feel that way.
The whole experience was like touching a girl's body for the first time and hell yeah I loved it.

so you agree with me. As for me i remember two things.
1) the first time i sat in a luxury car. It was a pre-facelift 7er. I sat in the back seat, and i thought it was the definition of safety.
2) when i got my driving licence, i got that old crappy clio i have. then we got the S60. When i drove it for the first time (after driving for 7 years a 1990 1.4l 78hp Renault Clio) it was like driving a tank or something like this. When i opened the door and sat in i felt that it was safe, very safe. And i still feel it everytime i get in.


PS. i just remembered me first ride in a bimmer. It was a friends E36 coupe. It was on a wonderfull curvy road, and he was driving sideways most of the time. even though i was in the passengers seat, i could feel the sports spirit of the car.

I believe when you enter the certain car there sure is a special feeling that makes you love it. For example, when I sat in M5, I closed the door and started paddle-shifting. I imagined I'm on the road driving this beat. I was feeling awesome. Later on, when I sat in CLS I felt more comfortably, the interior was more pleasant and I had this feeling like the car is made more for pleasure than for sport driving. I think many modern and powerful/luxurious cars can offer such a feeling (because of history, reputation etc.), but you can feel something special just in some of them. That makes certain car special and makes us love it!

I like this topic Giannis, great idea!!!

It was a special feeling for me to drive the new M6 in 200km/h, especially when you did it on a sharp courvy road I would like to do it again please.

That is certainly true of the Volvos, in fact all the generations that I have known of the Volvo cars, the feeling of safety has always been there.
I could say the exact opposite of my new (old) car, the 1989 RUF BTR conversion. When I drive that car, I am constantly aware of the fact that I might meet my maker in that car. The 996s and 997s feel different. They feel a lot safer. Hopefully this feeling subsides as I get more used to driving it.

I guess there always is the feeling generated by many small stimuli in the car. The way the car sounds, the way the suspension travels over bumps and around corners, the way the steering reacts to your direction. The way the pedals react to your feet, whether they are spongy or not.

I won't go into the actual cornering ability, but I think the feeling is a large part about driving a car. I'd also rather have a good feel and slower speed than better outright speed but not feel good, such as poor responsiveness or jerkiness.

Then, apart from these stimuli, I think the other part of the feel of a car is in the mind - what we know of the car's brand, any prestige, and just the mystique that goes along with it.

What immediately drew us to the Phaeton was because it felt like a tank.

The suspension together with its hefty weight literally flattened any potholes on the road, wind noise was kept to a minimum and the doors were extra thick, more so than the A8, 7 or S. It really sealed the deal for my dad because he wanted a feeling similar to the W140 he owned several years ago.

A car's feeling certainly is very important - for me, I like to feel solidity, safety at high speeds and an interior with no creaking/clattering.