Driving Enjoyment

Although it should go without saying that you and I enjoy driving our cars in motorsport, how about all those other miles of driving?

The vast majority of my mileage is on main roads and motorways, but I still want to get some enjoyment out of it. I don't want to be one of those people who say that 'Driving is just a means of getting from A to B'. If that's what they think, they should get off the roads and use public transport!

So, is it possible to have some fun on Britain's busy roads, without driving aggressively or dangerously? I'd like to think so. First thing to help will be a car that allows you to have fun.

In my case, I've got a fast road car (an Evo VIII) but most of my road mileage is in my old Heep - a Grand Cherokee V8. Not the most exciting car for most, admittedly, but when feeling like taking it easy, the auto box, torquey engine, comfy seats and cruise control really help. But one small tweak which makes the car much for fun for me is the addition of a replacement exhaust system. Fitted with a 3" high-flow cat and exhaust, I can now hear that good old V8 noise. Previously, it was so well-muted that you would hardly know what engine was in the car.

So, starting the engine, blipping the throttle, roaring away from the lights all now much more fun. And, would you believe, the fuel economy and mileage range has increased by a noticeable amount. From a usual range of 250 miles, with 300 possible on a good day, I now regularly get 300 to 350 miles per tankful and have stretched this to 400 on a long motorway trip. Point being that I can have some fun with the lovely exhaust note at lower speed, and saved some money into the process. I guess the car may also be a bit quicker too - but that is so hard to say as it sounds so much quicker, it could all be in the mind.

Other opportunities for fun, in either of these vehicles, can include the occasional exercise of balancing grip against throttle on clear roundabouts. With the higher centre of gravity of the Jeep, it is actually quite easy to slide the back out on a slightly greasy surface. Not that I'd do anything like that on purpose. And doing it in an Evo brings in the actions of the electronically controlled rear diff, which is designed to include an amount of oversteer.

Hmm, best not to say how much fun that can be, since I've only had one chance so far to play with the Evo on private land, so obviously I cannot have challenged the limits of grip with this car on the public road. Then again, I have had the car out in snowy conditions - another chance of fun, but that fun wears thin when encountering many other drivers who can and cannot cope with the conditions.

Thinking of driving fun in the Jeep brings to mind the benefits of all-wheel-drive, a big engine and an auto gearbox. It can certainly surprise some other numpty drivers when pulling away from the lights. Even known to leave behind some cars whilst towing a trailer with my Strat on board. Some other people just don't know how to drive, even in a straight line. Admittedly, that does the consumption figure from 20-25mpg down to the low teens, but I think it's worth it.

On a more sedate note, it can even be fun to hone judgement when driving on motorways, using cruise control and the fine adjustment up/down/pause/resume buttons to avoid using any of the pedals for as long as possible, whilst still maintaining a reasonable distance to other cars and making good progress. After all, if you use your brakes on the motorway, it is either because your judgement and awareness is lacking, or someone else has done something really stupid in front of you.

TTFN