F100: 1984 VW Rabbit GTI

The 1984 VW Rabbit GTI:


There's no other way to say this: this is technically the worst car in the Forza Motorsport 3.
With a PI of just 100, it hardly makes the cut. However, after spending some time with the hot hatch, it's not all bad.

The Specs:
Front Engine
Front Wheel Drive
Power: 90hp
Torque: 105 lb-ft
Weight: 2,100
Front: 63%
Displacement: 1.8L

Ratings:
Speed: 3.4
Handling: 4.4
Acceleration: 3.0
Launch: 4.0
Braking: 4.3

The specs tell the story of an underpowered car. However, the car's torque is acceptable, and gives the car a fairly strong launch. In the drags, the car was usually in the front half of the other F class cars.
It starts strong, but unfortunately it can't keep it up. The car's top speed can't handle the speed of other F class cars.
That aspect alone makes it a poor choice for longer tracks with extended straight-aways. Furthermore, the car understeers quite badly. In the corners in the New York Circuit, I was constantly worried about heading into the walls. The understeer can likely be attributed to the body roll exhibited during turns. This thing feels like a boat!
While the car understeered in the corners, it wasn't so bad in the chicanes in the New York circuit. The handling of the car is acceptable in smaller tracks. I felt it performed fairly well in smaller tracks like, on Ladera.
In all, the car isn't as bad as the PI indicates. It's not tough to drive, and isn't a complete waste of credits.
Spending some credits in upgrading the transmission for quicker shifts would be worthwhile. The most effective upgrades would be in upgrading the horsepower to get some more top-speed. Also, if you get sea-sick quickly, it'd benefit you to upgrade the suspension to reduce body-roll.

Test Results.

Drag 1/4-Mile Results:

0:17.383
0:17.366
0:17.400

Drag 1/2-Mile Results:
0:27.566
0:27.551
0:27.551

Full Circuit of the Ladera Test Track Results
1:04.071
1:04.304
1:04:473

Short Circuit of the Maple Valley Raceway Results
0:50.984
0:50.259
0:50.570

Full Circuit of the New York Circuit Results
1:26.706

1:25.772
1:25.665

Grand Prix Circuit of the Circuit de Catalunya Results
2:27.405

2:25.768