KTM X-Bow (since 2008): Track test
You only realize it through the little things. For example, when sinfully expensive sports cars gallantly release the ideal line. When pilots of finely built touring cars wave you through without any problems. And the wild racing flounders don't pass by as unearthly as expected: This KTM X-Bow is extremely fast.
Sure, a 270 hp track tool doesn't seem slow even in lonely corner combinations. Especially when the helmet is in the airstream. And even more so if you watched the Razoon - more than Racing team in the pits putting on the Michelin slicks. But how much is possible with a minimum of 790 kilograms and whistling for all everyday requirements is surprising. You also suspect that after the initial laps around the F1 track, the greatest potential is between the steering wheel and the seat. Still, at least.
KTM X-Bow: (Light) oversteer is your friend
30 fast, hilly and slightly oversteer minutes over the Hungaroring are always followed by static moments of truth. Namely, when instructor Dominik Olbert turns on the laptop and puts the data on the screen. And shows that the mid-engine sports car with a light front axle on the brakes turns in more greedily. That beyond some curbs at the exit of the curve there are still a few centimeters of drivable asphalt. That you don't have to organize Audi's 2.0-liter turbocharged gasoline engine like a two-cylinder in a moped car. All information behind which there are potentially a few tenths.
So, get out of the pit lane again and dive into the tight turn one. In the braking zone, an X-Bow requires a lot of feeling in the right foot. Optionally, of course, also in the left - but notorious left-hand brakers soon notice that the KTM does not tolerate any overlapping of throttle use and brake. After all, it is the only intervening variable in the deceleration process, because the small-series sports car has neither ABS nor a brake booster.
The tricky turn 2 is followed by a fast uphill section. Basically, you can give the X-Bow some spin in the fast corners. The slight side steps of the rear often come in handy. At least as long as the drift angle remains within limits – a manageable maximum steering angle is moderately suitable for bringing the sports car back from really adventurous slides.
KTM X-Bow prices: This is what racetrack training and used models cost
Tight chicane. "It doesn't make sense to drive on the high curbs," GT4 pro Olbert told us for this upcoming fast section. On the other hand, we build the flat rattling stones into the line with impunity. Where other mid-engine sports cars have at least minimal storage space at the front, a pushrod suspension takes up space on the KTM.
In general, there are few concessions to trackday drivers without a garage and trailer: A fixed roof is only available in the GT4 and GTX racing derivatives. If you travel to the track on the road, the X-Bow GT with a raised windshield and optional luggage backpack at the rear has the best cards – but no logical daily driver. This makes the rental options for racetrack training a reasonable deal. Razoon starts at 349 euros for 15-minute turns on well-known race tracks (including track rental). In the owner-occupied KTM, sports riders glow from around 50,000 euros. At these prices, well-preserved used models are for sale on mobile.de.
KTM X-Bow drivetrain: Freedom to top up
It goes on the short intermediate straight. It's nice that you can sometimes neglect the rev counter on the small digital screen. After all, Audi's four-cylinder copes great in the lower rev range and does not necessarily need a shift point at the ultimate last precursor to the rev limiter. Depending on the variant, around 400 Newton meters of torque go to the rear axle via the six-speed transmission.
Even if the X-Bow can be considered a road-legal racing car, the leisurely approach works best when changing gears. For all its sporting seriousness, the X-Bow needs to step on the clutch. The metallic clacking of the stiff pedal is quite cool. The lever can be guided along short and relatively precisely defined paths - but you won't work on the X-Bow gearshift as wonderfully precisely as in Cup versions of the lightweight competitor Lotus Elise.
Was it one of those Elise Cup that we just passed on the inside of the final corner? It's hard to say, for the catchy type analysis, this eternally long 180-degree curve simply robs you of too much cognitive capacity. So, take the flat outer curb with you and head towards the start-finish line of the Hungaroring. For another round. In 2021, Razoon will offer dates at other racetrack classics such as the Red Bull Ring, Pannoniaring and Slovakiaring. The closest to the German border are the racetrack turns on the Salzburgring. In each case, in a car that tends to be higher up in the food chain of sports equipment than expected.
KTM X-Bow: Technical data
| Abstract | Lightweight sports car with carbon base structure and mid-engine |
|---|---|
| Drive | 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbocharged petrol engine |
| Achievement | 270 hp in tested variant |
| Transmission | Six-speed manual transmission, rear-wheel drive |
| Length | 3,738 mm |
| Weight | from 790 kg |
| Competitors | In terms of weight, Lotus Elise, Renault Alpine, Ariel Atom, Radical Road Rapture. And a few more that are formally much higher. |
| Prices Racetrack Training | 599 Euro / 30-minute turn (Razoon more than Racing) |
| Prices used models on mobile.de | from around 50,000 euros with a valid technical inspection |
KTM X-Bow (since 2008) | Gallery
