On a dry, twisting road course at 75km / h, the outgoing Mazda3's front
tyres squealed in protest around the two tightest turns, while the new one remained unflustered and could have tackled it faster.
It's a pale shadow of the real thing, of course, but games like Forza give us a chance to see what these cars handle like, to hear the roar of their engine, and to be the one making
the tyres squeal in protest.
Meanwhile the backlighting on the analog sticks responds to actions in - game, so for example while playing Forza: Horizon the lights behind the sticks get brighter as
the tyres squeal in protest, or if you're playing a shooter they'll pulse when you get shot.
Not exact matches
There's a scintillating car chase around Boston, all shotguns, tommy - guns and
squealing tyres, like an update of any number of George Raft or Jimmy Cagney crime classics, and a climactic clash between rival gangs
in a Florida mansion which has more than a hint of Al Pacino's Scarface about it.
There's not much steering feel but the rate of response and weighting are both consistent, so you can place the car accurately — until
tyre squeal sets
in, quickly followed by persistent understeer.
The steering weights up nicely with speed but never feels very lively and the front
tyres squeal when pushed hard rather than the chassis indulging
in any firecracker tail - led antics.The GT goes from grip to slip progressively and didn't frustrate when we stumbled upon a gloriously sinuous and deserted road.
If it is the latter (the «hollywood
tyre squeal» effect), that is quite common, particularly on the smooth concrete you tend to find
in multi-story car parks.
A
tyre will
squeal in a corner because it can't give any more grip.
Tackling the many hairpins at Vallelunga, I can feel the massive weight transfer to the outside front
tyre, which
squeals loudly
in protest as I pile on the steering lock.
Despite some inevitable,
tyre squeal - inducing understeer seen
in the testing footage, it looks pretty handy
in the corners for a big, high - riding SUV.
Overall, the system works pretty well, but the two - wheel drive mode will naturally prompt some wheel spin and
tyre squeal off the mark — understandable with so much engine output available
in a relatively heavy vehicle.
Even
in heavy rain, with delicate steering inputs the Pirelli rubber offers decent grip and delivers reassuring handling however we noted it is very easy to elicit some
tyre squeal from the 17 - inch wheels on take - off
in the 595 Competizione.
Whatever it is, you'd have to be carrying quite a significant amount of speed into a corner before you make the front
tyres squeal, which of course is then kept
in check by the traction control system.