5 Joys Of Driving A Non-Performance Car

1. There's no pressure or obligations

Unless it’s a sleeper or understated hot hatch, when you have a performance car, everyone knows it. And that means that there’s always someone egging you on to be silly, or a local boy racer challenging you to beat him away from the lights.

Even if you find it easy to ignore these distractions, they still become rather tiresome. In something more understated no one pays you any attention.

2. Hustling becomes all about you

Some cars just don’t enjoy being driven quickly, but it’s exactly at this point you discover how good you are behind the wheel. Loading up suspension and tyres that were designed to be calmly caressed can result in you and your motor getting to know a ditch a little too well. Instead, you’ve got to learn to be smooth and conserve momentum wherever possible; when you nail a quick section it’s all the more rewarding.

3. Sometimes it's nice to just chill

Don’t get me wrong, I love a stripped out road racer as much as the next guy, but sometimes there’s nothing more enjoyable than falling into a comfy chair and loafing about in comfort. I’ll probably get lynched for saying it, but there are days when 120bhp and an automatic gearbox are all I need.

4. You can hone your driving skills

When you’re to driving fast there’s a lot to take in, and things can go wrong very quickly. By slowing things down you give yourself more time to think and analyse your technique. For example, I taught myself to heel and toe in my old diesel Passat, which was easy because even when I messed up I had time to correct it.

5. Foot to the floor doesn't result in jail time

It’s great to put your foot to the floor. Mashing your right boot into the firewall is a pleasure that’s becoming less and less frequent thanks to our overcrowded roads now. But here’s the thing about slow cars: you can put your foot down everywhere and never get in trouble!