[TSM330i]

A neighbor of mine had one. He was really happy with everything except the torque steer. He was to the point that he wanted to return the car. When he ordered the car, the dealer told him that torque steer wasn't an issue.
He was seriously thinking about switching to a BMW, but he moved before he made a decision.

[gaifaun]

Originally Posted by .:bHd:.

Don't get me wrong I know they're not made to compete with 335s. I'm just saying that a FWD car is not fun to drive. Ya you can have some fun on a spirited drive in a GTI or a mini cooper, but once you push it a little too much all that understeer, tourqesteer, wheel hop is gonna ruin it.

There are cheap cars that are fun to drive. The mazda miata has the best MT and perfect 50/50 weight balance. Its slow as hell but you can still have a blast driving it. Also you mentioned the genesis. I believe that is a RWD with an LSD which is why it would be a lot of fun to drive.

torque steer yes, wheel hop yes, understeer, more or less yes. but you cannot say FWD cars are not fun to drive, period. There is a reason why Hot Hatchbacks are so popular and praised these days. with the proper techniques such as left foot braking, and a correct car set-up can mitigate understeer.

Hot hatches are definitely fun to drive. Not by laying down rubber and going sideways, but having extremely high levels of grip ironically and extremely balanced.

I agree, many fwd cars handle poorly but it cannot be said for all fwd cars. Understeer occurs in rwd cars too. its just a matter of more or less. The same can be said that oversteer can ruin the handling of a rwd car as shown in the youtube clip below.
Renault Megane R26.R VS Caterham 7

[spiike32]

The 3g TL-S is by far the best TL for looks and performance. I would know, since I owned a 2007 TL-S and drove it to 100k miles in 3 years until I got the 335i. (Drove from Chicago to Des Moines every other weekend).

I have a small review about it floating around somewhere on these forums, but the gist is that for what it is... it's a great car. Yes there is slight torque steer, but nothing uncontrollable (its actually quite predictable), and it feels like a heavy sedan. The TL-S was supposed to feel similar to a bimmer in that the steering is tight, and everyday handling is like 90% of my 335. There are some mods that kinda help and you can bring the whp to around 300 fully modded. It is also much roomier than the 3 series.

That said the 335i blows the car out of the water. Handling is better, power is better (especially modded), fit and finish of the interior is better (my leather seats were cracking after 3 years and that was with conditioning each year), there were no fold down seats on the TL-S, everyone questions why does the car have a tape deck, and the platform dates from 2004-2009 and is now a bit dated. The 335i with snow tires outhandle the TL-S with all seasons in the winter so out goes the theory that fwd is better in the winter. Acurazine.com is a good community.. just don't go in the "what will your next car be" thread because maybe 80% of the people say bmw.

That said, only reason I took the car to the dealer was for oil changes and free carwashes since my car was titanium silver. Also the nav was great and much better than the prelci e90/92.

In response to one of the earlier responders, the suspension is different in the TL-S and it is much firmer than the regular TL. You can't compare the two.

Hope that helps.

[johanness]

Originally Posted by gaifaun

The same can be said that oversteer can ruin the handling of a rwd car as shown in the youtube clip below.
Renault Megane R26.R VS Caterham 7

I admire hot hatches, but leave it to Fifth Gear to use a retarded comparison

[gaifaun]

lol tons of hot hatches reviews out there. Top gear has a lot. autocar did some as well. here North America we don't get anything good.