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Taking a break in Stockton Lake at the marina. My car is on the right.
Some friends and I drove one of the most famous routes in Missouri, known by bikers and sports car drivers as one of the premier driving experiences in the Midwest, at least on a public road: the MO-76 highway. This highway is partially so well-known for going right through Branson, a popular tourist destination in Missouri for its curiosities and stage shows - not to mention the great views one can get of the surrounding mountainside. What it's really known for, however, is the elevation changes, snaking switchbacks, and the occasional hairpin. It's a road that demands attention if you're to exceed the posted speed limit of 55 MPH.
To give you an idea, here are the twisty bits of our journey:
There were no shortages of turns. I think this type of environment really is the place you want to drive the IS. The issue was my friends who were along. There was a 2014 BMW 335i - with the Dynamic Handling Package, of course, a 2007 Porsche Cayman S, a 2019 Challenger Scat Pack, and another IS, a 2015 IS 350 F Sport. My IS 300 AWD F Sport was of course, the slowest of the bunch in a straight line. It was also the second-heaviest behind the Dodge. I thought for sure that my car being the slowest would be a handicap.
Maybe it was, but following both the Porsche and the Dodge, I was able to mostly keep pace. On the 76 leg of the journey, the road surface was very smooth, as if it had recently been resurfaced. Combined with the generous banking applied in many of the turns, I never felt like I was pushing too hard to keep up with the Porsche, who was leading the pack. Let's be honest - I had to stay at least somewhat close in order to hear the flat-six a few times. As this was the first leg of the curvy bits of the drive, no one wanted to go nine-tenths pace, especially given the occasional blind corner. Driving this section of road was a sensory experience - the shadows of trees rushing by, the feeling of my stomach dropping when we hit a sudden crest, and of course, trying desperately to stay planted in my seat around corners, all added up to a surprisingly intense drive.
I suppose it was exciting, except for the parts where we were stuck behind an older Dodge Ram pickup truck, complete with aftermarket tail lights, and a strange sort of Plymouth Superbird homage in the form of a dressed-up Challenger with a massive wing. With all that downforce, I figured we could go faster, but I respect that driver's restraint.
We took a short break in Cassville to clean splattered bugs off of our windshields before embarking on what was, unbeknownst to me, the most difficult sections of road. MO-90 mostly looks like a slightly less-tight version of 76 at first glance, but the pavement job was interesting, to put it mildly. Strange undulations in the road happened from time to time, and there was a constant roar from the coarse surface beneath the G-Force Comp-2 A/S tires, which already can be noisy occasionally without the assistance of the pavement. I ended up second in line again, this time behind the Scat Pack Challenger. He never quite left me behind, but let's say he was driving more spiritedly than my former leader was. It was a much more exciting drive, since there were better views, both of the road ahead and of surrounding hills, and the aforementioned imperfect road surface. There were a few times where I knew I was feeling the most lateral G force I had ever felt in my IS, but it hung on, and I never experienced understeer once in chasing the big ol' Dodge. Third gear was the MVP of this section, for sure.
Finally, we took at turn (or, straight, as it were) into the Huckleberry Ridge Conservation area, on MO-K. This state-maintained road was the most dicey of the three, as it was narrow, occasionally rough, and had homes with gravel driveways to either side in several areas. I had to pay attention to those, as hitting gravel at the same time as turning does not make the car go where I want it to. That said, it had some of the best turns of the entire route. I was bracing myself into the seat a lot. The Dodge actually ran away from me for a short while on this section, but to me it was just scary. I didn't feel comfortable really pushing the car too hard, since visibility was much worse than before, not to again mention random gravel here and there. I did catch up eventually - I assume someone must have held up the Dodge and then turned somewhere - and stayed with him for the remainder of the drive.
I think auto magazines often underrate the importance of predictability in cars' handling. OK, sure, your car can hit .99 G's on the skidpad, but how's it to drive on an unfamiliar mountain road? Do you feel safe and in control, even when going quickly? I have had my IS for 2.5 years now, but I can say I'd never driven it as hard as I did yesterday. Yet, I was pretty sure I knew exactly what it could do at all times. Even running with categorically faster cars, it didn't fall apart - in fact, the driver of the BMW told me I had a "really good pace" on the last, scariest leg of the drive. Maybe all my time in playing sim racing games helps, but it doesn't compare to the amount of sensory input in real life.
In any case, this trip was a blast. I definitely want to try driving this road again, perhaps in the IS, or perhaps in a rental. I should mention the Challenger was a Budget rental. It seems insane to me that I can potentially rent a 485-horsepower hooliganmobile at the airport, but I'll take it. If you guys ever get bored with your IS... just find a good road, is all I'm saying.
Be sure to read more about that Challenger over on my friend's Oppositelock article.
Last edited by arentz07; 01-17-24 at 01:40 PM.
Reason: Oppositelock link
Awesome. Only so many of us still truly enjoy driving.
Particularly like where you said... "...I can say I'd never driven it as hard as I did yesterday. Yet, I was pretty sure I knew exactly what it could do at all times."
I've felt that way in the car as well. Like I feel I know exactly where my limits are and what to expect say with oversteer as I surpass them. Only thing is power...some days the car seems to have more/less when I need it...trans more quick at times I believe is the cause, if that makes sense.
04-21-19, 07:08 AM
Taking the IS on the best roads in Missouri
