SafeSpeed wrote:
What about the related question: What's the effect on our own driving of the car we drive?
I've been trying to answer the question myself, and I'm actually finding it quite hard.
Putting aside the deviations from our "normal" driving style that may be imposed by dynamic limitations of the vehicle in question (e.g. poor acceleration / braking / roadholding), it is definitely true that certain cars exude a "character" that encourages a certain type of behaviour. It is related to things like noise levels, steering feel, throttle travel and gearing.
On holiday in New Zealand last year I had a rented Holden Statesman WL with "old school" 5.7 litre pushrod V8 and four speed autobox. With 340bhp it was capable of that unstoppable airliner-on-a-runway delivery that big V8s can do - but it didn't encourage that kind of driving, it "preferred" to be wafted, and it contributed to a very relaxing holiday, not to mention managing 26-27mpg.
It was quite amusing actually - I'd had an otherwise identical car in Sydney the previous week but with a 3.6 litre V6 and five speed auto. Landing in Auckland at 10pm in the dark, I was thinking about finding my hotel and getting a good night's sleep, and I wasn't really thinking about the car. But on the journey into the city, it did occur to me that this particular Statesman was quieter and more laidback than the one I'd got out of, and I wondered how the New Zealand spec models were different. It wasn't until the following morning that I realised exactly what I'd been given...
On the other hand, I have driven cars in the past (e.g. Peugeot 406 1.8) with relatively low torque and therefore relatively short gearing, that seemed to "like" being whanged up to high revs in every gear and driven fast.
My present car (Volvo S60 T5) I regard as "neutral" in this respect- it will potter along without fuss or commotion and without "wanting" to be pushed, but if you choose to use the full range of the loud pedal, everyone else starts going backwards.
What does all this mean... well, if you are by nature a safe driver, with good observation and attention to detail, I think you will still be safe regardless of what you are driving. You won't start tailgating or pulling out in front of people just because today you happen to be in a BMW. But you might find yourself adopting a "sportier" attitude and others' perceptions of you may be altered as a result.