Gran Turismo 6: Big muscle or small hatch? A 47-second science question...

When it comes to mastering a certain racetrack, what kind of car do you choose? Would you go for a big V8-powered muscle car or a small but nimble hot hatchback?



To find out, I picked two prime specimens at this case and find out if size does matters in the science of Gran Turismo 6.



On the small side, I chose the Renaultsport Clio III RS200, the hot version of the third-generation Renault Clio and known to be the last hot Clio to come with the manual gearbox because the latest version, as GT6 failed to put it until further notice, has a double-clutch nonsense that purists found it in dismay. On the big side, I've gone for the 2013 Ford Mustang Boss 302 and Mustang enthusiasts want to call it a track-prepped Mustang because even though it produces less than the ultimate GT500, it's beefed up suspension setup and race-prepped updates truly deserves a reputation of being the successor of the original machine that was used for Trans-Am racing.

The setting - the Ascari track. The objective - fastest time wins.




And they're off! While the Boss has over twice the power than the Clio, the French hot hatch is lightweight and its more maneuverable on the corners. The Boss may catch the Clio on the straights but in the corners, the Clio makes a comeback but it's still wasn't enough to nabbed the horse and by the results, the Clio RS finished 4/5th of a second slower than the Boss.

So, it's a clear win for the Boss 302 but what if the Ascari track's getting all wet after a moderate rain? We're going to restart the experiment but this time, things will change because it's a wet lap and in theory, the Clio will surely make amends to the wet track...

Because of all the torque in the Boss 302, you might be having a hard time to survive the wet lap and even if you treat it gently, a slight mistake such as getting out of course or a spin will cost you a big damage but on the plus side, you can enjoy powersliding in the rain...for fun.



The Clio maybe dealing less mistakes in the wet lap but unlike the Mustang Boss 302, its front-wheel drive powertrain makes it easier to survive the rainy day and with good traction, there's nothing to go wrong with it and you won't do the same mistake as I did to the Boss 302.



In the end, the Clio RS managed a 2:39.144 lap time on a wet condition while the Boss 302, thanks to a spin, came to the finish line 11 seconds later.



Conclusive proof that even though high-powered sportscars like the Boss 302 eat the little guys for tea, it's the little guys like the Clio that can survive the wet lap better than a rear-wheel drive muscle car but you can try one for yourself and find out.