I received this invitation about a month ago from Car and Driver/ Road & Track,for ride and drive event.
Has anyone done this? I would like to hear about the day if it is going to be a fun day. Of course, I'll drive down my XF. It is cleaned and Waxed.
I am scheduled to be there this Saturday the 12th at Englishtown NJ (Raceway Park).
I believe the testing vehicles include BMW, Cadillac, and Lexus. Let me know if anyone in the area is going to be there.
You can register at: http://www.rideanddrive.net/englishtown

 

I attended a similar Chrysler-sponsored event at Southfork Ranch, where drivers could A/B the Crossfire with a competitor (I chose the TT). This was maybe two years ago; evidently, the seed was planted.
It was a lavish marketing event, the likes of which Crossfire was never to enjoy again.

 

I've done them for Cadillac and Mazda and have always had a good time. Englishtown is just a bit too far. Just don't expect too much seat time and do expect lots of lines. They usually have large crowds especially around the popular cars.

 

I did something similar a couple years ago with Motor Trend in Indianapolis. It was a hoot to drive some high end vehicles very hard and push their limits a little. Go and have fun, it will be worth your time.

 

Porter... I did that exact test last year here in DC. BMW 5 series vs. Cadillac STS, Lexus vs. CTS. the set up two mini road courses, you get one lap in each car. You write an eval after each ride. You will drive with a full house (2 other testers plus an instructor).

It was definitely fun and I'd do it again.

 

Just came back from this event. What a beautiful day for this sort of an event. Today is probably the best day this year so far.
As Sennaspirit has posted, it is CarandDriver and Cadillac sponsored event. You get to drive a BMW 530xi versus the Cadillac STS-4. Both vehicle being 4 wheel drive and V6. Basically you run this short course on the parking lot of Raceway Park at Englishtown, NJ. I was quite surprised how well Cadillac drove versus the BMW. This thing definitely has better response.
The next comparo was the SUV from Lexus and Cadillac. RX350 vs SRX. Again both V6. This course had a bit more twist. A much sharper turn and even mini slalom cones. Again, SRX out performs Lexus. One thing I found very interesting was When the Lexus comes to abrupt braking then quick gas was applied, the transmission/engine took about 2 seconds to respond. My foot was floored and no response. This could be very dangerous on a real emergency situation. Does any RX owners experienced this? Everyone who attended the event had the same opinion. I always thought RX was the benchmark of SUVs as far as performance/luxury/convenience/craftsmanship was concerned. I know Cadillac didn't pick BMW X5 or Infinity FX as a comparo for a reason. LOL.
Over all it was a fun day.
Also, I was in the same group with this gentleman who attended World class Driving (www.wcdriving.com) where you test drive : F430, DB9 Volante, Continental GT, Z06, Gallardo and a Scaglietti (sub for Ford GT which someone crashed) for $995. Boy, was he a good driver. I only wish I could of taken my XF on the same course to find out how well the XF performs over other cars.
I also notice this car parked right in front of my Crossfire.