opinions?

[monstertodd]

Ok car enthusiasts.........I have a question for the group:

I was thinking the other day, "does a car exist that is fun to drive, would make a practical daily driver (i.e. storage, haul some things), and could double duty as an occasional track day car?"

Does such a car exist, and if so, what are some of the possibilities?

Such a car would have to be good looking, comfortable (nav, nice interior, heated seats), fun to drive, practical (think station wagon or cross over), sporty, but yet could be set up for, and be a formidable track day car (think adjusting the coil over suspension from soft to hard)?

My idea for this scenario would be the Cadillac CTS-V wagon. The sedan handles very nicely, and is rather comfortable, so certainly the wagon version must be close in performance? I understand that the wagon is heavy, and so is the sedan, thus neither would really be the most ideal track car. But when you consider all of the factors above, would a car like the CTS-V station wagon still be fun to drive on a track if you were to tweak the suspension bits?

[damiiaaannn]

E63 Wagon

[monstertodd]

Originally Posted by damiiaaannn

E63 Wagon

I think this would be a good choice!

What about a light weight, compact, lowered crossover vehicle?

[CamaroSkooter]

I second the CTS-V Wagon

That, or the Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT-8

[fielderLS3]

Originally Posted by monstertodd

I think this would be a good choice!

What about a light weight, compact, lowered crossover vehicle?

The car you are describing is basically the hot-hatch segment....VW GTIs, rally Subarus, things along those lines.

Crossover vehicles, no. Crossovers tend to be too heavy, too soft, and too under powered for track use.

[JamesNoBrakes]

WRX Sti 5-door. Tons of fun, very practical. Best thing is that you don't have to get to like 120mph to "have fun" with acceleration and to outrun everything else on the road. Those huge wagons limited by traction and weight might be able to pull away in the quarter when they get going fast enough, but the STi is fun in a much more practical way. Time to pass someone and "get around"? Nothing presses you as much at low speeds/initial acceleration. No one around or on-ramp and want to get to 60-70 real fast? These will just "go" when you slam the throttle, rather than spin the wheels or have to get up to 5000rpm to make serious power. Tearing up curvy mountain roads? What if there's a little dust/sand from snow-removal or just a bit of loose stuff? Nothing will have the sure-footedness of the STi awd. I wouldn't include many others in this, some are too rock-hard with little interior volume, some are front-wheel-drive torque-steerers, some are big porky sedans and wagons. All of these can be fun, no doubt, but I don't think all that many are really practical.

Plus, you put a bigger turbo in that STi, downtube/exhaust, intercooler, injectors, basically the supporting mods for 400whp, and you're going to eat most everything out there on the track because you got the power AND the handling to do so. They are not bad stock for the track, compared to many cars that need significant suspension work.

Really about the only people that I know that use their DD as their track car drive something like an STi, and although "its a subaru", remember that it's their best offering, it's oriented towards sporting, but it's going to have the power-options, nice sound, etc. No cadillac, but on par with my 2SS.

Otherwise, if not a wagon, I'd be thinking M3/335. The rear room in my opinion is damn good and it makes good use of it's space. I never felt cramped in the rear and it's pretty darn practical. 335 with some turbo/downtube/exhaust upgrades can also put out some serious power, but you'd need more suspension and brake work most likely to make it really run on the track.

[SS 376]

Originally Posted by JamesNoBrakes

WRX Sti 5-door. Tons of fun, very practical. Best thing is that you don't have to get to like 120mph to "have fun" with acceleration and to outrun everything else on the road. Those huge wagons limited by traction and weight might be able to pull away in the quarter when they get going fast enough, but the STi is fun in a much more practical way. Time to pass someone and "get around"? Nothing presses you as much at low speeds/initial acceleration. No one around or on-ramp and want to get to 60-70 real fast? These will just "go" when you slam the throttle, rather than spin the wheels or have to get up to 5000rpm to make serious power. Tearing up curvy mountain roads? What if there's a little dust/sand from snow-removal or just a bit of loose stuff? Nothing will have the sure-footedness of the STi awd. I wouldn't include many others in this, some are too rock-hard with little interior volume, some are front-wheel-drive torque-steerers, some are big porky sedans and wagons. All of these can be fun, no doubt, but I don't think all that many are really practical.

Plus, you put a bigger turbo in that STi, downtube/exhaust, intercooler, injectors, basically the supporting mods for 400whp, and you're going to eat most everything out there on the track because you got the power AND the handling to do so. They are not bad stock for the track, compared to many cars that need significant suspension work.

Really about the only people that I know that use their DD as their track car drive something like an STi, and although "its a subaru", remember that it's their best offering, it's oriented towards sporting, but it's going to have the power-options, nice sound, etc. No cadillac, but on par with my 2SS.

Otherwise, if not a wagon, I'd be thinking M3/335. The rear room in my opinion is damn good and it makes good use of it's space. I never felt cramped in the rear and it's pretty darn practical. 335 with some turbo/downtube/exhaust upgrades can also put out some serious power, but you'd need more suspension and brake work most likely to make it really run on the track.

This is the best answer, I think. STi I think fits the bill best. C63/E63 are practical and fast in a straight line, but aren't the best track cars because they understeer quite a bit, are very heavy, and only come in automatic. Actually the 335 is a good idea too but needs more work to be a good track car. On the other hand, it doesn't look like a child's car. But by the time you've invested however many thousands of dollars in the 335, you could jussst about get a 1M... I'd also throw in a vote for a E36 sedan or a E39 M5.

[monstertodd]

Originally Posted by JamesNoBrakes

WRX Sti 5-door. Tons of fun, very practical. Best thing is that you don't have to get to like 120mph to "have fun" with acceleration and to outrun everything else on the road. Those huge wagons limited by traction and weight might be able to pull away in the quarter when they get going fast enough, but the STi is fun in a much more practical way. Time to pass someone and "get around"? Nothing presses you as much at low speeds/initial acceleration. No one around or on-ramp and want to get to 60-70 real fast? These will just "go" when you slam the throttle, rather than spin the wheels or have to get up to 5000rpm to make serious power. Tearing up curvy mountain roads? What if there's a little dust/sand from snow-removal or just a bit of loose stuff? Nothing will have the sure-footedness of the STi awd. I wouldn't include many others in this, some are too rock-hard with little interior volume, some are front-wheel-drive torque-steerers, some are big porky sedans and wagons. All of these can be fun, no doubt, but I don't think all that many are really practical.

Plus, you put a bigger turbo in that STi, downtube/exhaust, intercooler, injectors, basically the supporting mods for 400whp, and you're going to eat most everything out there on the track because you got the power AND the handling to do so. They are not bad stock for the track, compared to many cars that need significant suspension work.

Really about the only people that I know that use their DD as their track car drive something like an STi, and although "its a subaru", remember that it's their best offering, it's oriented towards sporting, but it's going to have the power-options, nice sound, etc. No cadillac, but on par with my 2SS.

Otherwise, if not a wagon, I'd be thinking M3/335. The rear room in my opinion is damn good and it makes good use of it's space. I never felt cramped in the rear and it's pretty darn practical. 335 with some turbo/downtube/exhaust upgrades can also put out some serious power, but you'd need more suspension and brake work most likely to make it really run on the track.

Fantastic answer. I forgot about the Subie. Great choice indeed. Although last time I test drove one in 2009, I was less than impressed by the interior. Perhaps they've improved it? The salesman at the time said to me that all of the money in that car went into the drive train and suspension leaving very little for the interior. Certainly seems like it would have the power to weight ratio to make it fun.