How Does Driving Experience Compare?

[JCZ5]

Glad to read you were able finally get behind the wheel. It's also good comparison to be able to hop out of a Porsche GT product and directly into an FL5 and then back. There's a lot of hype around the FL5, for better or worse, but I can say unequivocally it's a phenomenal car, faults and all. And like many here, I've owned and/or driven quite a few cars from mundane commuter cars to sport compacts to proper sports cars to supercars, foreign and domestic. The FL5 is very good and history will be kind to it.

It's interesting you mentioned the shifter feel. That's the #1 item I called out in the other thread about the feel of the shifter. The notchiness you reference in the GT3 transmission is the "mechanical" sensation I referred to. You can feel the gear shift selector engaging with the selector fork and output shaft. The FL5 is very smooth and much of that you don't feel in your right hand. My preference is to feel more of the transmission. Less sim rig and more natural or "real". A personal preference item for sure.

Completely agree on the seats. They are indeed superb. They are a liveable LWBS, if that makes sense. They're just to the right of center for a bucket seat. Not hardcore, but not unsupportive - it's like the Goldilocks.

So, what's the verdict? When are you picking one up?!

Our previous discussion and your inputs were spot on. But it took experiencing it myself to really understand what you wrote.

The verdict is eventually the FL5 will be in the garage. However, since I live in NYC, it is harder to justify another car, unless something else in the garage leaves. After all, I don't need a "daily" and every time I go outside of the city to drive, it is a very intentional act (albeit a huge PITA).

Not to derail the thread, but here are my two scenario:

1. Keep everything status quo, continue to take public transportation to outside of the city for drives
2. Reduce the garage size, pick up the FL5 as my car commuting to the garage or even use it as an in-between for some fun roads right outside of the city

...we shall see, in no rush.

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[Stan23]

I really enjoy the FL5 driving experience. It has really good steering feel, great gearbox, and if you don't mind FWD, the chassis is incredible. The feedback and overall grip is amazing. Add a hatch/usable rear seats, and it becomes a great all-arounder. My only gripes is the car is physically a little big, and I wish some more creature comforts came stock (homelink, heated seats, power folding mirrors, etc..)

Still, it's a great package that I don't find lacking at all in the driving experience department.

I will however be pairing it with a P car--possibly a 992 C2 in PDK or maaaybe a Cayman 718 GTS.

 

[JCZ5]

I really enjoy the FL5 driving experience. It has really good steering feel, great gearbox, and if you don't mind FWD, the chassis is incredible. The feedback and overall grip is amazing. Add a hatch/usable rear seats, and it becomes a great all-arounder. My only gripes is the car is physically a little big, and I wish some more creature comforts came stock (homelink, heated seats, power folding mirrors, etc..)

Still, it's a great package that I don't find lacking at all in the driving experience department.

I will however be pairing it with a P car--possibly a 992 C2 in PDK or maaaybe a Cayman 718 GTS.

Very good points on the creature comforts, I hope Honda will add it for a face lifted model (if Honda does that sort of thing). Sure, the ITS has these features, but come on, give me homelink and heated seats / wheel at the very least.

 

[firstcar]

If you love to drive then it doesn't matter what you are driving. I grew up racing karts and later shifter karts. They were more fun by far than any car you can buy. And I mean ANY car. I buy and sell supercars, hypercars, sports cars, etc for a living. I have driven them ALL.

I currently own

2020 AMG GTR
2022 R8 AWD Perf Spyder
2023 718 Spyder
2024 Civic Type R

(4,6,8,10 cylinder cars)

and a couple daily drivers (24 Silverado and a 24 Grand Highlander)

I don't have any more fun in one than the others.

I definitely have (significantly) more fun in some cars than others.

FL5 is a great car, until you bump up on the limits of the FWD. Then, it leaves you wanting more.

Fabulous nice-weather backroads car. You need to spend significantly more to get something sufficiently better for this specific purpose (Porsche GT and 992 Turbo/Turbo S products).

Anything low speed or in less than perfect weather, and the suddenly wheel-hopping, torque steering, understeering FL5 becomes a mildly frustrating experience. It's all good until this happens.

Crossing the limits in a RWD or RWD-biased AWD car is fun. Crossing the limits in a FWD car will have you thinking about whether to trade it in or sell privately.

 

[Stan23]

I definitely have (significantly) more fun in some cars than others.

FL5 is a great car, until you bump up on the limits of the FWD. Then, it leaves you wanting more.

Fabulous nice-weather backroads car. You need to spend significantly more to get something sufficiently better for this specific purpose (Porsche GT and 992 Turbo/Turbo S products).

Anything low speed or in less than perfect weather, and the suddenly wheel-hopping, torque steering, understeering FL5 becomes a mildly frustrating experience. It's all good until this happens.

Crossing the limits in a RWD or RWD-biased AWD car is fun. Crossing the limits in a FWD car will have you thinking about whether to trade it in or sell privately.

Regarding RWD vs FWD, I also have a G80 M3 6MT which is RWD only. I find myself quicker in the backroads and twisties in the FL5, because I can use all the power and like the slightly bigger safety net of FWD. But yes... when torque steer shows itself (and it will at times) it's not the most enaging car to drive. But when everything clicks, I don't feel like I can go any faster around a corner.

 

[superporpoise]

I definitely have (significantly) more fun in some cars than others.

FL5 is a great car, until you bump up on the limits of the FWD. Then, it leaves you wanting more.

Fabulous nice-weather backroads car. You need to spend significantly more to get something sufficiently better for this specific purpose (Porsche GT and 992 Turbo/Turbo S products).

Anything low speed or in less than perfect weather, and the suddenly wheel-hopping, torque steering, understeering FL5 becomes a mildly frustrating experience. It's all good until this happens.

Crossing the limits in a RWD or RWD-biased AWD car is fun. Crossing the limits in a FWD car will have you thinking about whether to trade it in or sell privately.

People don't talk about this enough, but yeah — the FL5 is fun when the weather is good. It's not a fun car in rain or snow, and depending on how much of your year is spent in those two conditions it might not be an enjoyable choice as a daily.

Even the FWD-based AWD RS3 (at least the 8Y with the new rear diff) is much more enjoyable when conditions are not perfect.

 

[TO_FL5_CW]

I definitely have (significantly) more fun in some cars than others.

FL5 is a great car, until you bump up on the limits of the FWD. Then, it leaves you wanting more.

Fabulous nice-weather backroads car. You need to spend significantly more to get something sufficiently better for this specific purpose (Porsche GT and 992 Turbo/Turbo S products).

Anything low speed or in less than perfect weather, and the suddenly wheel-hopping, torque steering, understeering FL5 becomes a mildly frustrating experience. It's all good until this happens.

Crossing the limits in a RWD or RWD-biased AWD car is fun. Crossing the limits in a FWD car will have you thinking about whether to trade it in or sell privately.

Absolutely not true in my experience! I drove mine in downpours and rain and car felt very confident. Yes there is a wheel hop but you need to adjust to conditions. It’s more confident vs many performance cars I had (excluding RS3).

 

[firstcar]

Absolutely not true in my experience! I drove mine in downpours and rain and car felt very confident. Yes there is a wheel hop but you need to adjust to conditions. It’s more confident vs many performance cars I had (excluding RS3).

Go drive a GR Corolla in the wet. The FL5 is quite good for FWD, but there are absolutely better tools for the job.

Most reviews don’t acknowledge the reality that we all don’t live in Southern California. I almost skipped driving the GRC and Golf R because of the reviews.

 

[TO_FL5_CW]

Go drive a GR Corolla in the wet. The FL5 is quite good for FWD, but there are absolutely better tools for the job.

Most reviews don’t acknowledge the reality that we all don’t live in Southern California. I almost skipped driving the GRC and Golf R because of the reviews.

LOL bro, I sold my GR Circuit after 5 weeks owning haha

 

[superporpoise]

Absolutely not true in my experience! I drove mine in downpours and rain and car felt very confident. Yes there is a wheel hop but you need to adjust to conditions. It’s more confident vs many performance cars I had (excluding RS3).

To me it feels like any other FWD car with an LSD in the rain, but with more road noise. So... safe? Yes. Capable? Sure. Fun? Not really.

 

[TO_FL5_CW]

To me it feels like any other FWD car with an LSD in the rain, but with more road noise. So... safe? Yes. Capable? Sure. Fun? Not really.

what are the "other" FWD cars with LSD that you drove?

 

[superporpoise]

what are the "other" FWD car with LSD that you drove?

I owned two Elantra Ns (one manual, one DCT) and a Mazdaspeed3, and I've driven a MK 7.5 GTI and Kona N. I also owned a Fiesta ST which doesn't have an LSD but does brake torque vectoring. And I live in the PNW where it rains a lot.

If I had to drive a FWD car on a rainy day, I'd choose the one that's the most comfortable.

 

[TO_FL5_CW]

I owned two Elantra Ns (one manual, one DCT) and a Mazdaspeed3, and I've driven a MK 7.5 GTI and Kona N. I also owned a Fiesta ST which doesn't have an LSD but does brake torque vectoring. And I live in the PNW where it rains a lot.

If I had to drive a FWD car on a rainy day, I'd choose the one that's the most comfortable.

No disrespect but none of the above are even close to driving FL5 on a rainy day for me.. I like it even better than MK7 Golf R I also had.

 

[JCZ5]

You guys brought up something I didn't even realize - Rain and inclement weather with FWD...Last time I drove a FWD car was more than a decade ago - a Camry and Mazdaspeed 3.

So what I have gathered from the previous few threads is expect wheel hop and torque steer? How bad is it?

 

[firstcar]

LOL bro, I sold my GR Circuit after 5 weeks owning haha

Great. So you know what I’m talking about.

Or are you suggesting that the FL5 does better than the GRC in wet weather?

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