Driving the Tank

I don’t normally give cars nicknames. With the Zed, however, I’m tempted to call it The Tank. Not because of its size or muscularity, but as an abbreviation of sensory deprivation tank.

Yep, that’s right — and it’s not a good thing. The test-drive concerns I had about the 350Z being too comfortable a car are still with me. Except now, I’ve translated that nebulous feeling of unease into a sense that it simply doesn’t provide enough feedback. Journeys at night and in wet weather can be absolutely exhausting. I find myself trying to heighten my senses to the tiniest cues coming through the steering wheel, chassis and pedals. Often I’ll end up leaning forward in my seat, as if listening to a quiet friend in a noisy pub.

Thankfully, however, it’s not like that all the time. When you put your foot down and hustle it a bit, the car starts talking again. You begin to feel you’re dictating things rather than reacting to them. Sadly, I’ve had very little opportunity to grab the bull by the horns so far, as the roads have been decidedly slippery in the past 3 weeks. On one early occasion when I did give it some welly, I learned just how naïve I was about RWD cars. Despite accelerating in a straight line, the back stepped out rather suddenly, only being caught by the ESP rather than my panicked reactions. That shot across the bows has seen me drive considerably more gently ever since.

Although I’m slowly getting a feel for the limits of grip now, I still feel I’ve got a lot to learn before I can really have confidence in my ability to work the car hard. I can’t help feeling I need a safe environment in which to learn and, for me, that means a trackday. Perhaps Bedford Autodrome, with its extensive run-off, is the place to go, although I know Croft a lot better and it’s much closer to home. Either will do, I suppose. Just got to get the car serviced first...