I've had my LCR since Friday afternoon and I'm now an 'R'-coholic 
I've tried it out on Motorways, fast A roads and slow B roads and its overall performance has been breathtaking. I feel as if I'm beginning to develop an understanding of how my LCR behaves and she is comfortable with how I am treating her
Firstly, the acceleration is insane especially in 1st, 2nd and 3rd gears. The steering becomes sooo light you end up nudging the steering wheel to compensate for the huge lurch forward you get in those gears. The shift is a little loose but fairly precise and could find each of the gears easily
Motorway cruising is effortless. Even in 6th and a quick blip of the right boot takes you past traffic with ease. Drop it down a gear or two and you will be rewarded with the sight of your speedo careering clockwise!
The stopping power is immense too. I was really suprised by this, and to be honest it gave me confidence and a sense of security knowing that if I had to stop hard, the LCR would oblige. I'd never overrate my abilities anyway but its nice to know that I have equipment to help me raise my confidence and driving ability level when I see fit to push it a little more.
Going slow is just as easy as going fast. Bizzarely I found myself just as content to amble along whilst appreciating the comfortable interior space and toys the LCR has to offer. With the window wound down I also liked the sound of the car, from the whistle of the turbo when it kicked in to the exhaust note, it added up to a pleasant acoustic experience.
The missus took to it really well too, and she is not an aggressive driver. She played a little in 4th and 5th gears when the surge of the turbo was not as pronounced, but I did remind her to keep an eye on the speedometer because a car with this ability always seems to look as if it is going slower that it really is when you drive it. Compared to her Punto which due to the engine noise and cabin noise feels uncomfortable at speed, the LCR seems at ease however you want to drive it.
The ride is a little bumpy, which to be honest I expected given the sporty nature of the car, but it seemed compliant enough at speed around the bends to inspire confidence. A couple of times though I'd hit a bump and be taken a little by suprise when the LCR shifted direction and fought again for grip. Lift off oversteer helps though in those circumstances. The steering feel is good, and you get good feedback from the road. You can feel the understeer when you power out of a corner and before long I knew what to expect on the other side before I turned into each corner.
All in all I'm extremely pleased with my purchase. I've not got a wealth of performance car experience so I can only really compare it to an Astra 2.0L turbo convertible I had for a week as a hire car and the LCR certainly blows that away.
I washed and waxed her yesterday and she looks immaculate. I'll have to open an imagebucket account and post some pics soon. It was approaching 7.00pm last night before I'd finished the wax so all but one of the pics came out too dark!
Cheers
Ck
I've tried it out on Motorways, fast A roads and slow B roads and its overall performance has been breathtaking. I feel as if I'm beginning to develop an understanding of how my LCR behaves and she is comfortable with how I am treating her
Firstly, the acceleration is insane especially in 1st, 2nd and 3rd gears. The steering becomes sooo light you end up nudging the steering wheel to compensate for the huge lurch forward you get in those gears. The shift is a little loose but fairly precise and could find each of the gears easily
Motorway cruising is effortless. Even in 6th and a quick blip of the right boot takes you past traffic with ease. Drop it down a gear or two and you will be rewarded with the sight of your speedo careering clockwise!
The stopping power is immense too. I was really suprised by this, and to be honest it gave me confidence and a sense of security knowing that if I had to stop hard, the LCR would oblige. I'd never overrate my abilities anyway but its nice to know that I have equipment to help me raise my confidence and driving ability level when I see fit to push it a little more.
Going slow is just as easy as going fast. Bizzarely I found myself just as content to amble along whilst appreciating the comfortable interior space and toys the LCR has to offer. With the window wound down I also liked the sound of the car, from the whistle of the turbo when it kicked in to the exhaust note, it added up to a pleasant acoustic experience.
The missus took to it really well too, and she is not an aggressive driver. She played a little in 4th and 5th gears when the surge of the turbo was not as pronounced, but I did remind her to keep an eye on the speedometer because a car with this ability always seems to look as if it is going slower that it really is when you drive it. Compared to her Punto which due to the engine noise and cabin noise feels uncomfortable at speed, the LCR seems at ease however you want to drive it.
The ride is a little bumpy, which to be honest I expected given the sporty nature of the car, but it seemed compliant enough at speed around the bends to inspire confidence. A couple of times though I'd hit a bump and be taken a little by suprise when the LCR shifted direction and fought again for grip. Lift off oversteer helps though in those circumstances. The steering feel is good, and you get good feedback from the road. You can feel the understeer when you power out of a corner and before long I knew what to expect on the other side before I turned into each corner.
All in all I'm extremely pleased with my purchase. I've not got a wealth of performance car experience so I can only really compare it to an Astra 2.0L turbo convertible I had for a week as a hire car and the LCR certainly blows that away.
I washed and waxed her yesterday and she looks immaculate. I'll have to open an imagebucket account and post some pics soon. It was approaching 7.00pm last night before I'd finished the wax so all but one of the pics came out too dark!
Cheers
Ck
