[KenL]

One thing they ignored completely was the fact that the Golf, altough quick, was virtually falling off the track at every corner - I can't believe they were happy to say the car was faster when on most cuircuits it would have hit something hard. Thanks goodness they use an airfield!! You couln't drive the Golf on public roads anywhere near its limits as you would just hit oncoming traffic etc.

How can you say that, have you driven one?

If you watch the Stig testing a lot of cars he will clip the sides, we didn't get to see the MINI or the other cars sadly this time.

I have a pretty standard standard Golf mkV and don't think it handles noticable worse than a MINI, if anything the roadholding in the wet is better and the ESP stability program is amazing - no doubt this was switched off during the lap.

I am surpised though that the MINI was behind the Golf and even the honda. The big 18" wheels and runflat tyres would definitely not help.

 

[KenL]

I can't see how Top Gear would test a JCW with runflats to begin with. They know the JCW is the enthusiasts' choice and that the runflats would probably be ditched before 50 miles had been driven. So why test the vehicle with something that is probably not on 95% of them in the real world or definitely not on them on the track?!

Is it because they are just sticking to what comes OEM?! I don't get this.

They should IMO be testing cars as they come out the factory (works S is a special case though) as if they start comparing modded cars it would never be a level playing field.

The MINI is only available with runflats so that is how it should be tested, no?