Print

Please login or register.
1 Hour 1 Day 1 Week 1 Month Forever
Login with username, password and session length

[Field Marshal Dr. Opti]

I'm interested, actually... Has anyone ever driven a vehicle with more appalling handling characteristics than a Marina / Ital?

I can't say I have, in a list that includes a Leyland Atlantean double decker bus, a Bedford MK, Volvo 340, a Maxi, a Ford 5000 tractor, a Land rover with about 4 inches of play at the steering wheel (a good one, then!), various dire minibuses from the likes of LDV and a load of other stuff too terrible to mention.

I don't think any other vehicle hits that exquisite combination of nauseating body roll, lack of synergy between front and rear axles, utter unpredictability and absence of any feedback whatsoever.

The original 1972 road test of the Morris Marina described the handling as 'terrible'


42 years on I expect it would seem even worse.

[Andy B]

I'm interested, actually... Has anyone ever driven a vehicle with more appalling handling characteristics than a Marina / Ital? .....

Yes ...... an Austin AllAgro with fubar'd hydrolastic suspension     

[henryd]

I'm interested, actually... Has anyone ever driven a vehicle with more appalling handling characteristics than a Marina / Ital? .....

Yes ...... an Austin AllAgro with fubar'd hydrolastic suspension     

Hydragas

[Field Marshal Dr. Opti]

I'm interested, actually... Has anyone ever driven a vehicle with more appalling handling characteristics than a Marina / Ital? .....

Yes ...... an Austin AllAgro with fubar'd hydrolastic suspension     

Yes...but the All-aggro had that futuristic steering wheel that made it handle better than an Alfasud.

[henryd]

I'm interested, actually... Has anyone ever driven a vehicle with more appalling handling characteristics than a Marina / Ital? .....

Yes ...... an Austin AllAgro with fubar'd hydrolastic suspension     

Yes...but the All-aggro had that futuristic steering wheel that made it handle better than an Alfasud.

I have to confess to once owning a Quartic steering wheel equipped aggro

[Andy B]

.....
Hydragas

yes ..... that too   

[TheBoy]

I'm interested, actually... Has anyone ever driven a vehicle with more appalling handling characteristics than a Marina / Ital?

I can't say I have, in a list that includes a Leyland Atlantean double decker bus, a Bedford MK, Volvo 340, a Maxi, a Ford 5000 tractor, a Land rover with about 4 inches of play at the steering wheel (a good one, then!), various dire minibuses from the likes of LDV and a load of other stuff too terrible to mention.

I don't think any other vehicle hits that exquisite combination of nauseating body roll, lack of synergy between front and rear axles, utter unpredictability and absence of any feedback whatsoever.

The Escort van that replaced my Ital van (actually, there may have been a Maestro or 2 in between, can't remember) I'd say handled worse.

By worse, I mean shear unpredicatability. At least with the Ital, if you went slow, you knew you'd get around a corner, if you went fast you knew you wouldn't. With the Escort, every corner was in the lap of the Gods, usually ending up with having to crawl out of ditches, or disentangle bushes from the bumpers.

[TheBoy]

Mind you, and Omega in the damp with Autogrip tyres handles far worse than anything I've ever driven. Yet incredibly predictable, you know every corner is going to end in tears, no matter how slow you go.

[TheBoy]

But what a hoot. But it does become tiresome. Sometimes you look through the windscreen instead of side windows.

[Kevin Wood]

But what a hoot. But it does become tiresome. Sometimes you look through the windscreen instead of side windows.

Disqualified, then.  Doesn't matter what the ultimate grip level is like. There are cars with very little grip that can be a hoot to drive, and others that stick like the proverbial that are no fun at all.

I'm talking about vehicles that bring on the desire, whenever behind the wheel, to simply drive the damn thing off the nearest cliff and end it all, such is the pure tedium of the driving experience.

But yes, presumably Mk 3 Escrot? It's certainly up there somewhere.

[Marks DTM Calib]

Mini with a goosed subframe was an interesting experience as was a 1300 Mk2 escort with its cart springs.

Mk1 Polo was bloody awful, I also had some very scary moments in a 2.0 Monte-no-go Estate, not least because it turned out very little structual steel was left in place (company pool car to!).

[Martin_1962]

I'm interested, actually... Has anyone ever driven a vehicle with more appalling handling characteristics than a Marina / Ital?

I can't say I have, in a list that includes a Leyland Atlantean double decker bus, a Bedford MK, Volvo 340, a Maxi, a Ford 5000 tractor, a Land rover with about 4 inches of play at the steering wheel (a good one, then!), various dire minibuses from the likes of LDV and a load of other stuff too terrible to mention.

I don't think any other vehicle hits that exquisite combination of nauseating body roll, lack of synergy between front and rear axles, utter unpredictability and absence of any feedback whatsoever.

The last model Ford Escort, terrible things, had a pool van at a previous job for moving computers around, it was terrible. The Rover Ballade 1600 was OK as was the Maestro, best was an Astra van,

[Martin_1962]

My best handling ever was a Sunbeam

[Nick W]

My best handling ever was a Sunbeam

My first car was a Sunbeam Ti, which was a little ambitious. I'd had it less than 48hours before I managed to bend the back axle exiting a roundabout. I think the Avenger's extra foot of wheelbase makes for a much better handling car. Before we pulled the original 1500cc engine and auto-box, my slightly lowered Avenger on 175/70 13s had little need to slow down for anything.

The last Escorts were excellent to drive(my mother had two), better than the Focus that replaced it as they were a more suitable compromise for a family hatchback between handling and ride. Not to mention looks, space and usefulness.

I have so many miles in 2.0l Capris that a well setup one is still damn good fun on a country road, if not particularly quick in a straight line. Even a good Capri doesn't like sudden changes mid-bend, which teaches you to get it properly settled into a bend, and accelerate hard through and out of it. That turns out to be such a good technique for any road vehicle, that I constantly find myself gaining on what should be much faster vehicles in corners and roundabouts.

[TheBoy]

But yes, presumably Mk 3 Escrot? It's certainly up there somewhere.

I think it was the Mk4 (it was H reg). But fear not, I stuffed my dads Mk3 into a signpost, tree and ploughed field. In fact, I think any FWD Escort I drove ended up with jousting marks. They were all horrible.

Can I throw in the original Focus. Never have I had to endure such a dull, uninspiring, flat (made the Astra 1.6 look eager), unfeeling, unpredictable shitbox as the one we leased for a couple of years. Except the one her brother had (1.8, still flat) or the hire ones I've been forced to drive since. Every one of them ended up with a jousting mark as well. Mind you, that's unfair on the Focus, it was miles better than the Escort. Still utter shite mind.