Top Gear tests cornering ability

The Top Gear crew tests out the cornering ability of three cars, a Toyota Prius, a Perodua Kenari and a Smart ForTwo as compared to a Lotus Exige which has excellent cornering ability.

Video is after the jump!

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Paul Tan

After dabbling for years in the IT industry, Paul Tan initially began this site as a general blog covering various topics of personal interest. With an increasing number of readers paying rapt attention to the motoring stories, one thing led to another and the rest, as they say, is history.

 

Comments

  • paramsingwalia (Member) on Jan 12, 2006 at 3:03 am

    aiyooo..already seen this…stupid cheap kenari…also jeremy have tested the kelisa cornering while sitting at the passenger car..hahahahhha..stupid seats he said…anyway gen2 only comments are plastisc interior…same as avanza..

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 11 Thumb down 1
  • Paul Tan on Jan 12, 2006 at 3:13 am

    Why are you talking about the Gen2 and Avanza in this thread? Stop going off topic.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 1 Thumb down 1
  • paramsingwalia (Member) on Jan 12, 2006 at 3:18 am

    heheheheh..sorry paul…ok..the kelisa is ridicilousy unstable,.the smart is horrible and the prius…well not fair cos of the tyre…well that's about it…

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 1
  • stevarac (Member) on Jan 12, 2006 at 3:27 am

    It would be great if Savvy was one of the car in comparison. Interesting to see what would be the result. The smart for 2 was funny especially when it went out of control. Reminded me of my children when they learn how to walk… ha ha ha !

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 1
  • stevarac (Member) on Jan 12, 2006 at 3:33 am

    Oh yes Param , nice to see you back on this blog man.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 1 Thumb down 0
  • paramsingwalia (Member) on Jan 12, 2006 at 3:44 am

    #

    stevarac said,

    January 11, 2006 @ 7:27 pm

    It would be great if Savvy was one of the car in comparison. Interesting to see what would be the result. The smart for 2 was funny especially when it went out of control. Reminded me of my children when they learn how to walk… ha ha ha !

    ——————————————————————————

    yup…but i think the savvy will do well..i remember in last year's sso the savvy stock standard with just minimal weight reduction(spare tyre,jack etc)blew the myvi with semi slick.roll cage.stripped int..minimal engine mod and p2 test driver…both 1.0 and 1.3 were beaten…i doubt the savvy can't outhandle these lot..(prius,kenari,smart)….but cannot discuss la..out of topic…heheheheheh

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 1 Thumb down 0
  • paramsingwalia (Member) on Jan 12, 2006 at 3:49 am

    i think this clip only proves that the smart for two is quite dangerous..ehehehehehhe

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 1
  • catborg (Member) on Jan 12, 2006 at 4:20 am

    and it's also show how british still love soo much of their EX-Lotus :D

    oversteer and understeer in one small complete pakage.. what a poor kenari.

    but the way.. its better and fair all car in the same class.. i think kenari, Prius smart4two is not in the same class..

    yeah.. hoping that savvy will be test like that after this. (and i pretty sure savvy is in jeremy's list – because he love to test every proton / malaysian car ) :D

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 1
  • cbljkkj (Member) on Jan 12, 2006 at 5:22 am

    Haha, I still remember this very clearly. This was a good laugh for about 6 months of my life. You can't really blame the Kenari though. The car isnt meant for roughhousing in that sense.

    Oh well, at least it steers better than a car that is nearly three times the value and that is good enough for me. Try looking at it in that perspective people =) No offense to any Smart ForTwo owners.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 1
  • yhtan (Member) on Jan 12, 2006 at 6:16 am

    i saw this clip last month,smart forfour handling ability is the worst,

    wonder when will be proton car turn since they bought over lotus,as lotus car famous of handling

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 1
  • Isamu (Member) on Jan 12, 2006 at 7:28 am

    Kenari, Prius and ForTwo was never meant to be a good handling car. They are more like economical city cars. However, that is should not be an excuse for carmakers..

    To yhtan,

    Aiks.. I thought Proton cars handle very well after the purchase of Lotus? Perdana V6, Waja, Gen.2, Satria GTi and Savvy are supposed to handle very well..

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 1
  • HatukNgkau (Member) on Jan 12, 2006 at 9:10 am

    as u said, "supposed to be"… hmm…

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 1 Thumb down 0
  • aksMs (Member) on Jan 12, 2006 at 9:11 am

    Hahaha…this is damn funny one. Esp. the Smartfortwo. I remember watching it early last year and I laugh my head off. As for the Kelisa, I have to agree that their seats are slippery. I got mine the Limited Edition which comes with leather seats. I had to re-adjust my sitting position everytime I took a fast conner. That's mad!

    Mr param, I'd say iSmartfortwo is not just quite dangerous but VERY DANGEROUS car to an average driver, don't you think? Alrite…maybe I'm axeggerating. LOL!

    Isamu, those car you mentioned does have an ok handling, but for me I still havent found the best as yet compared to other brand. Anyhow, that is subjected to the preference of the driver. I might love the handling of the Savvy but that doesnt mean other people will too, right?

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 1 Thumb down 0
  • HatukNgkau (Member) on Jan 12, 2006 at 9:26 am

    it's a fun watch, yes, i have to agree… it's purely entertainment to me anyway… hahaha… take things with a pinch of salt…

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 1 Thumb down 0
  • paramsingwalia (Member) on Jan 12, 2006 at 3:49 pm

    #

    yhtan said,

    January 11, 2006 @ 10:16 pm

    i saw this clip last month,smart forfour handling ability is the worst,

    wonder when will be proton car turn since they bought over lotus,as lotus car famous of handling

    ——————————————-

    JC tested the gen2…it handle great compared to the koreans and p2…only critisism is about the plastics in the interior.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0
  • paramsingwalia (Member) on Jan 12, 2006 at 3:54 pm

    agree with u aksMs…the p2 seats are slippery…jc tested it and he slide to the passenger side..hhahahahah..damn funny..good to see it had been blown up..didnt feel proud at all when jc kelisa is malaysian and loses to the koreans…pls tell jc its daihatsu..bikin malu saja aiyoooo

    also agree that the smart is very dangerous…imagine a housewife driving in the rain..then lock up the brakes then undertsteer to the tree…no amount of air bags will save u..hahhahahahahhahaha….in fact in the states there's been documented that airbags have been the caused of fatalities..especially infants..

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 1
  • honda_driver (Member) on Jan 12, 2006 at 4:50 pm

    i thought the kenari looked really fun to drive in this video, it was literally sideways all the way throught the corner. ;)

    the smart was just downright dangerous, understeer and nothing but understeer.

    they should have tested the kelisa also, i always liked the way the kelisa handled.

    as for proton cars in general, in stock form out of the showroom, i think they still have one of the best handling around, even when compared to a stock standard civic imho. as for the satria R3, its really one big leap above the rest when it comes to handling. i was lucky enough to drive one.

    hope i didnt go off topic here.haha.. i'm still talking about handling in general ;)

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 1
  • ec (Member) on Jan 12, 2006 at 8:00 pm

    Those are just in highspeed test.

    Most people driving Kenari, Smartfor2 and Prius won't go at that speed, except those speeding driver!!

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 1
  • honda_driver (Member) on Jan 12, 2006 at 8:49 pm

    ec, those tests done by top gear, in such a sharp bend like that, and with the surface wet, speeds wouldn't have been more than 70-80km/h. I dont think that really qualifies as "high speed".

    Besides, i think it has everything to do with real world driving for people who buy those cars. If a car has good handling characteristics, the safer it will be for normal drivers.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0
  • Jake (Member) on Jan 12, 2006 at 11:01 pm

    hahahaha…very funny; i drove kenari once, it's that fun…ny, macam buai ;-)

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0
  • shaymen (Member) on Jan 13, 2006 at 12:32 am

    i already saw this clip..that kelisa seat really sucks,the handling also bad..the smart for two is the car to buy if u hate ur wife and wanna kill her…hehehe!very dangerous car it is….but people still like the kelisa.i wonder why?

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0
  • paramsingwalia (Member) on Jan 13, 2006 at 12:44 am

    that kenari…understeer..oversteer…under..over…that kelisa cannot make up his mind…very dangerous for average drivers..haahhaaahahha…and lets not forget the seats…corner kuat2 then driver or passenger will become like pank panther that people stick to their windows…

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0
  • shaymen (Member) on Jan 13, 2006 at 1:45 am

    wahh,good to hear from u mr param….i totally agreed with u bout the cornering ability of this two cars…it really has a bad handling.very dangerous,under,over,under,over….sure will kill u one..

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0
  • paramsingwalia (Member) on Jan 13, 2006 at 1:49 am

    ayoyo shaymen…u long time no visit here friend…see la that smart…not so smart after all la..ahhahahahahaha…kenari also acted like the bird…fly here and there…prius?..it just go piuuussss straight..hahahahahahahahah

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  • shaymen (Member) on Jan 13, 2006 at 1:50 am

    could somebody tell me bout the smart for two….i need to know if someone ram the car from behind,is the passenger and the driver still have a chance to survive…it is really crampy inside.does this car pass the crash test?

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0
  • paramsingwalia (Member) on Jan 13, 2006 at 1:52 am

    no worrys shaymen…malaysian dont care about crash test punya…they only care about airbags…see previous post?myvi got airbag blalalaalallaal.accident die frog also

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0
  • shaymen (Member) on Jan 13, 2006 at 1:53 am

    yesss mr param…they dont just put the name without a cause.they name it kenari because it can fly la mr param…hehehehe.

    but ppl seems to like them as a car?why ahh?…..to me all this car should not be on the road.i wonder if they pass the crash test?do u know anything bout it?

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0
  • paramsingwalia (Member) on Jan 13, 2006 at 1:59 am

    no la…crash test horrible…anyway only kadang kadang car pass ncap test with flying colours…but here..got airbag only…then wahhh so safe..heheheheheh…handles like a train..straight je..no problem…

    i think handling and car strenght is important…for safety…and not airbag alone…that kenari and smart is bloody dangerous…lean mean killing machines

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0
  • shaymen (Member) on Jan 13, 2006 at 2:01 am

    yes mr param…i agree with u there.i think in the us the airbag kill most of the baby inside the car when acc occurs…i think bout 8% of ppl died bcos of the airbag in the survey made by the us gov lately…

    of cos what,u tersalah lepas cluth,then terhantuk kereta kat depan sikit pun the airbag will go off,hittin ur kid and most likely,kill them…..f1 cars dont even need an airbag,what we really need is a tough bodyshell to protect us when acc occurs…like the blue proton savvy photo,taken by paul last time…really tough i tell u.

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  • shaymen (Member) on Jan 13, 2006 at 2:03 am

    this clip is really good….it just shows the good and the bad thing bout those cars…ppl just have to evaluate for themself…..

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  • paramsingwalia (Member) on Jan 13, 2006 at 2:07 am

    true true…hehehehehhe…no point in having air bags then put little toys in front of the dash that can hurt the occupants…eheheheheheh…malaysians…

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  • waimak (Member) on Jan 13, 2006 at 6:51 pm

    oh my god, not again!

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  • clark_kent (Member) on Jan 14, 2006 at 7:29 pm

    well, at one glance we can all see that the kelisa and ForTwo is hopeless right? At least the Prius looks more like a stable-r set of wheels, but too bad ain't it? makes me wonder why doesnt JC do a hammerhead test with Satria's so called lotus-engineered chassis?

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  • paramsingwalia (Member) on Jan 16, 2006 at 5:44 am

    #

    clark_kent said,

    January 14, 2006 @ 11:29 am

    well, at one glance we can all see that the kelisa and ForTwo is hopeless right? At least the Prius looks more like a stable-r set of wheels, but too bad ain’t it? makes me wonder why doesnt JC do a hammerhead test with Satria’s so called lotus-engineered chassis?

    ———————-

    he tested it long ago la…and if ur wondering,in this episode,jc wants to find those bad handling cars only…to compare to the exige…so,protons handles very well thankyou.

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  • shaymen (Member) on Jan 17, 2006 at 1:25 am

    paramsingwalia said,

    January 15, 2006 @ 9:44 pm

    ———————————————————

    haha…agree with param there..

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  • shaymen (Member) on Jan 18, 2006 at 1:42 am

    i think jeremy should do a test with the 'GELI' car from china…

    sure the jeremy will go dead frog one….huhuhuhuhuhuh!

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  • paramsingwalia (Member) on Jan 18, 2006 at 8:20 pm

    GELI from china..muahahahahahahhahaha..what a joke..yup…sure JC die frog one…

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