Driving Impressions
reviewed by
Because this is a sport coupe, let's get right to the point. The 16 valves, upgraded turbocharger intercooler, dual overhead cams, 210 horses and 5-speed manual overdrive transmission conspired to give our Talon TSi AWD a breathless, slingshotlike 0-to-60 mph performance of 6.6 seconds. During this muscular launch, as the talon's nose carved through the wind and sent it whistling past our ears, all seemed right with the world.
Admittedly, sometimes that much power can be, well, overpowering. But the talon's AWD system reigns in some of that power by distributing it to all four wheels. Depending on speed, road surface and other driving conditions, the AWD system automatically increases the torque to the wheels with the most traction. When accelerating on a slippery surface, the AWD system helps the slipping wheels regain traction more quickly than rear-wheel drive.
AWD also makes a good deal more sense than a front-wheel-drive design, which can sometimes lead to a loss of control during rapid acceleration or emergency maneuvers. During our test drive, the talon's AWD system delivered impressive road-gripping power - especially coming out of high-speed turns and during darty multilane changes.
Credit for the talon's firm handling and assured responsiveness during such maneuvers also goes to the multi-link, double wishbone suspension and the gas-charged, variable-damping shock absorbers.
On the freeway at a moderate speed of 65 mph in fourth gear, our Talon TSi's tachometer simmered along at an unperturbed 3100 rpm. Then, when we simultaneously veered across three lanes (with only a single finger controlling the steering wheel) and punched the gas pedal up to 80 mph, we could feel and hear the Talon drawing confidently on its source as the tach topped out at a still-unruffled 4800 rpm. Exiting the freeway and downshifting, we then quickly tested the TAlon's acceleration power at lower speeds and found that it exploded similarly out of second gear.
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