door Hakie » wo maart 22, 2017 7:07 am
Mooi stukje over de rij eigenschappen van de E500/500E:
If I ever drive an E60, i'll have to have the money to buy it, because I don't want anything sexier to take away from the unconditional love I have for my E500.
In the UK, we have to keep below 90mph pretty much all the time. Some motorways have less surveillance than others, same with the A-roads, but the time is coming where we'll be continually watched by cameras . As I get older, I'm appreciating more and more driving slowly, especially in the 500. A couple of weeks ago I was driving back from my kid's school - a good 2.5 hours in the car, and I purposely drove slowly - on or around 60mph all the way. I exulted in the new feel of the car. The smoothness, and the response from a little push on the accelerator and the feel of reeling it back in... (it's the only car i've ever really enjoyed driving in my stockinged feet)
Having said that - the UK didn't sign a European treaty of some kind that meant that speeding offenders could be chased back to their homes in England, so basically if you're not caught by a real policeman with a radar gun in Europe, you'll be ok.. If you are caught however, you can expect to be punished.
So without abusing the privilege (because who wants Johnny Foreigner speeding through your country at 140mph?) I did have several opportunities to drive the car fast in Europe on my trip from the UK to Italy last Christmas. Whereas in England you have to take your foot off the pedal at 100mph or you risk losing your licence, in France and Italy there's the freedom, occasionally, to do that.
The car completely changes character above 100mph. It becomes tighter and the engine snarls and you feel/hear another side to the car completely. From 100 to 120/130 and very occasionally beyond (I had a stint in Germany on the way back) it's like the car is completely made for those speeds. It hunkers down, like 911s, you lose very little of the quietness or comfort of course, but what you feel through the wheel and the suspension is magical, it was sublime, sporty, requiring full concentration like any brilliant sports car, communicating and making you forget completely that it's a saloon.
While I was looking to buy, I spoke to a very kind gentleman that said the E500 he had was better than his 5-year old Aston. He was fully aware of how that sounded, doubtful and absurd when he told me, but after a couple of thousand miles in the car in Europe I can only imagine that he was absolutely right. I'm so happy I didn't get a Continental GT instead.....