Test Drive Subaru Impreza WRX STI 2003 - 2005 Sedan

Comparative Test Drive for cars with the right and left steering

Disputes about the advantages and disadvantages of the right and left steering wheel are no longer the first year and, mostly, are reduced to the statement of personal opinions of drivers. Unfortunately, to the present, there were practically no comparative test drives of machines with different location of the control. In the past Wednesday, June 2, AUTO.VL.RU engaged in its own field tests of the left-handed and right-handed Japanese cars on the road in Vladivostok.
For comparison, we chose Toyota Land Cruiser and Subaru Impreza WRX cars. Land Cruiser's left-handed Land Cruiser in Vladivostok was not a lot of work, since we have no lack of SUVs of the representative class. I was found and levoryukh impreza.
So, the second half of the day, the sun hardened fresh sea air, a pleasant breeze blows over the track. We arrange a distinctive cone on the strip.
Participants still stand aside. Tell a little about them. Drivers were invited with experience, which are not the first year at the wheel. Alexey, who managed the left-handed Toyota Land Cruiser, has not had practice on the right-hand drivers for several years. Dmitry, sitting at the left-hand Impreza, periodically moves from the right to the left steering wheel and back. It is clear that finding a person in Vladivostok, who would not go to the right steering wheel at all, it's quite difficult, but the drivers of the right-hand drive Land Cruiser and Impreza (both Andrei) are not recalling at all when the last time went by car with the left steering wheel.
Our task was to establish how felt by the drivers the difference when changing the steering wheel and how it affects the handling of the machine. For an indicative run, we chose two traditional maneuver travel along the corridor and snake.
First exercise travel by the corridor. At first, every driver rides on his car, we look at how he passes the corridor in his native steering wheel, to which side it is pressed more, then the participants change with machines. For the purity of the experiment, the exchange of rugs took place between classmates.
Subaru Impreza comes to the start. Both cars drive the corridor in the middle, pure and fast. In another way, however, it could not be because everyone feels confident driving his car. Then drivers change cars and immediately go to the start - we did not specifically gave them time to master. Impreza with the right wheel also calmly passes the corridor under the control of the left-hander, as well as just drove with his owner. This process is clearly visible in the photo. But by the landing for the left handlebar, Andrei arose, as he then said, the stylistic problems of Impreza in his hands clearly cuddled to the right edge of the corridor. But it was the first run. After Andrei, they gave about 15 minutes to master the management, and on the second run everything went completely usually, even somehow in everyday.
With Toyota Land Cruiser, the situation has developed almost exactly the same, but still made themselves to know and dimensions of cars. The corridor gave over the right steering wheel, the corridor passed quite calmly, then noting that after half an hour of driving the right-hand drive, would feel calmly behind him: there is most importantly a little practice. But problems with the left wheel arose: if Andrei on Impreza was only pressed against the right edge of the corridor, then his namesake the driver of a ruling SUV, sowing for the left-handed Land Cruiser, just knocked down the right row of cones. Coming out of the car, he said that he did it not on purpose ... I just could not immediately feel the new car for him.
 
How the snake is performed, we think it is not necessary to tell. The first to the Toyota Land Cruiser Ioba go, even when changing the steering wheel, the exercise is practically pure. Note that drivers ride at a speed of about 30 km / h, which for the execution of such a maneuver on SUVs of the Land Cruiser class at a cell of the body is very significant. Both participants went through the track in two attempts. We note from myself that Andrei led the Land Cruiser levorigant is still not so confident, although it passed without mistakes.
Approximately the same was the case of Subaru Impreza drivers. For native steering wheels, naturally, everyone drove without problems. Changed by the drivers also normally followed the snake, but Andrei at one of the turns hung the Right rear wheel cone. There was no longer on the second run of this. Dmitry drove behind the right wheel completely usually as already mentioned above, it periodically moves from the right to the left steering wheel and back, so no problems are experiencing. Practice does its job.
After that, the drivers of Subaru Impreza on non-vertical machines pretty confidently drove several circles on an autodrome in the style corresponding to the sports qualities of their cars. The main problem in changing the steering wheel, as drivers were told, this is a psychological discomfort from the change of position, which goes pretty quickly.
What conclusions can be made from the experiment?
When transplanting to another steering wheel, just sit down and will not go. When driving on a car with an unusually arrangement of the steering wheel, there are certain difficulties in managing and sensing the dimensions of the car, which are eliminated after the half-hour practice. This conclusion confirms the opinion of many owners of the right-hand drives, which declare that they needed quite a bit of time to adapt.
It is interesting to observe that the left-handers did not make mistakes on the right steering wheel, unlike the right-handers on the left. But, of course, this is not a reason to declare that the left handlebar is dangerous, although it is similar to the argument, alas, often found in the statements of opponents of the right steering. It is possible that with a different scenario with other drivers everything would be the opposite.
I would like to note that this article is not written in order to convince someone to transplant to the right-hand drivers. Everyone must ride on what he likes. We just wanted to show that the problem of the steering wheel is infined, and just a little workout and attentiveness is required to adapt.
AUTO.VL.RU.
 

A source: AUTO.VL.RU.