Up until recently I was under the impression that my 240 had drum brakes, which contributed to the "smoother" braking feeling it has when compared to newer cars. Then I read that it has disc brakes, just like my mom's S40 and the Hondas I used for Driver's Ed. I was wondering, why do the 240 brakes not grab on as tightly as many of the newer cars with disc brakes seem to do?

When I was learning how to drive, the Civic I used always seemed to come to a sudden and jerky stop. I wasn't as gentle back then, but on the whole all cars with disc brakes seem to brake and stop a lot faster than the 240s seem to do. Are there any significant differences in the disc brakes between cars or makes?
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'89 244 GL -- 109,030 miles (see profile for info on car)