Owning a Ferrari is the dream of many car enthusiasts the world over, since the iconic Italian brand is forever linked with performance and handling.
According to a new United Kingdom study conducted by insurer AXA Group, you’d probably be happier behind the wheel of a BMW or an Aston Martin.
The study surveyed 2,000 drivers from the U.K. on a variety of factors relating to happiness behind the wheel, and the results may be a bit surprising. Overall, 69 percent of motorists claimed to enjoy driving, with only 20 percent viewing it only as a necessary evil.
Among all brands, BMW drivers were happiest, with 82 percent savoring the time spent in their vehicles. Aston Martin drivers were next-happiest (78 percent), followed by Lexus (also 78 percent), Seat (76 percent) and Peugeot (75 percent).
Ferrari drivers, surprisingly enough, scored below the average for driving enjoyment. Only 57 percent of those surveyed found driving to be an entertaining task, likely due to factors such as cost of ownership, ever-tightening regulations and traffic congestion on public roads.
Land Rover owners weren’t particularly happy, either, with just 59 percent enjoying the daily commute. That’s still better than Volvo owners, of which only 46 percent relish time spent at the helm.
MINI drivers are 73 percent happy, putting the brand on par with Seat and Peugeot. That seems to back up our theory that driving a slow car fast is far more entertaining than driving a fast car slow.
In fact, our vision of heaven involves a Mazda MX-5 with a bottomless fuel tank on an endless, winding road. Hell, to us, would be an eternity spent behind the wheel of a Ferrari F40, stuck behind a gaggle of Toyota Camrys circulating the Nürburgring Nordschleife at a maximum speed of 40 mph.
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