It's a doozie. Maybe it's dumb to attempt it, but it's such a topic of debate and FUD...
How do we define a car handling well? It's certainly subjective, and the behavior we want from a car depends on what we want to do with it.
It's an age-old discussion, but for some arbitrary reason the thing which made me want to request the article is the comparisons I've been hearing between the latest Mustang in guises like the Boss 302 and the M3.
They lap a road course in similar times. Some people say the new Mustang handles beautifully and is a quantum leap for the model. Others insist it's still completely agricultural and has no business being compared to an M3. Are they driving the same car?
Unless we're racing for a living, the manner in which the times are turned matters. Driving fast is a tactile endeavor, and the steering feel, chassis balance, behavior at all phases of corner entry, middle, and exit all affect how it feels, and how good it feels.
So, the central question is a qualitative comparison of these two cars, but I'd love to see a deeper discussion, perhaps comparing other similar sets of cars and what's feels good or bad about each.
Can of worms? Totally. No concrete result? Of course not. But I think it would be compelling to hear some sensitive and skilled drivers discussing these finer points of what makes a car feel good.
