2015.03.02 Electric Car: Day 027

Last Friday, Violet insisted that we drive the Subaru. No reason; she's 2.

The commute is an incredibly familiar drive, which it seems I've now acclimated to doing in the B-class. Because driving the Subaru GT wagon seemed faintly ridiculous.

The two cars have approximately similar power. But the differences in the way that power arrives is drastic. For the B-class, wherever the accelerator pedal is set is how much torque is being applied to the road. It's easy to get accustomed to. Meanwhile, the Subaru has a "torque curve". Most drivers are so familiar with the way internal combustion engines spool up they have difficulty imagining anything much different. But now I have to admit it feels odd to be able to put the throttle to the floor with no significant effect when at low engine speeds. It makes the Subaru seem vaguely asthmatic - needing to catch its breath before it can actually get going.

Also, when at a stop, the relatively minor vibrations from the idling boxer engine made me giggle with distraction. It's just so... quaint.

Plus there's the annoying driveline spasms of the Subaru when transitioning between thrust and compression. I'm sure it could be reduced by getting stiffer bushings, but at the expense of some NVH. For the sake of my dignity as a smooth driver, I tend to clutch through the transition, which is a bit tedious. In contrast, the smoothly-feathered dabbling of thrust versus regenerative braking in the B-class is seamless and effortless.

This in no way denies that the Subaru will completely kick the B-classes ass in adverse conditions. Nor the fact that the Subaru handles better generally. Low-slung all-wheel-drive and ample wheelbase will do that...
I can hardly wait to drive the Tesla P85D this week.