GTI Waffle thread

[Jeff_DML]

Originally Posted by FC

Not really. But I probably could have explained things a bit better.

I downshift when I really want to pass someone, but sometimes you want to just get around people non-aggressively. The Miata, for example, could do this fine with its high revs and the M3 does it with sheer power. I don't recall the ZHP being so non-responsive despite similar power, so I am attributing this to the high gearing.

I think it is fine for non-aggressively passing, again you need to drive my 4runner

[FC]

Originally Posted by John V

And here I am wishing more cars had an uber-overdrive 6th gear. One of my annoyances with the Boxster and the Mazdaspeed is the wonky gearing, particularly 6th gear not being tall enough. Give me a gear to basically put the engine to sleep and make for efficient and quiet 75MPH cruising, please. The Mazda is at something like 3,500 RPM at that speed. Annoying. These modern turbo motors make peak torque somewhere around 2,000-3,000 RPM so it's not like they can't cruise at that RPM.

I think the uber-overdrive 6th is great. Fuel economy is excellent. I am just not used to needing to downshift for minor passing.

[Nick M3]

Originally Posted by John V

And here I am wishing more cars had an uber-overdrive 6th gear. One of my annoyances with the Boxster and the Mazdaspeed is the wonky gearing, particularly 6th gear not being tall enough. Give me a gear to basically put the engine to sleep and make for efficient and quiet 75MPH cruising, please. The Mazda is at something like 3,500 RPM at that speed. Annoying. These modern turbo motors make peak torque somewhere around 2,000-3,000 RPM so it's not like they can't cruise at that RPM.

Yes. I want super short gearing for most gears, but then give me a really tall top gear. So what if the spacing is weird?

[FC]

Originally Posted by Jeff_DML

I think it is fine for non-aggressively passing, again you need to drive my 4runner

Let me remind you that I had a rockin' 190D 2.2 with a blistering 72hp and 96lb-ft.

[robg]

Originally Posted by FC

After 5 months and 3k miles, I thought I'd give some more thoughts on the GTI.

Overall, very pleased with the purchase and it was the right car for us. It is an excellent do-it-all car, but it is not perfect.

The car is very well built. It feels upscale, refined, and as a commuter, I am appreciating having the larger screen and Carplay. Seats are great and the ride is surprisingly comfortable for how well it handles given the 18" wheels. We had an MK7 eGolf for 3 years so all that we liked about ergonomics, roominess, cargo, etc. remains.

As far as driving, I give it the highest marks for handling and braking. The brakes have excellent feel and are very powerful. The car hardly ever feels FWD, takes high speed turns with ease and minimal lean, and the tires have high grip levels despite being the all-season Pirellis (Centauro?). Very impressed with these. As a commuter car, I am frankly second-guessing the expected move to replace these with summer tires after they wear out.

As far as power and transmission, this is where I am most torn. The car is incredibly quiet at idle. It's easily the smoothest 4-cyl I've ever driven. You'd think the engine was off at a stop light. This remarkable smoothness is a double-edged sword. It allows the car to drive smoothly and quietly at very low rpms, which is good for (excellent) fuel economy, but at times, when you want to "go," you sort of get caught with your pants down and realize you need to go down at least one more gear. This is particularly the case in 6th gear which is geared spectacularly high. No passing should be attempted on 6th.

That brings me to the actual performance. Around town, or at speeds below ~70, once in the correct gear, it is downright quick, but you do need to let the rpms build. Sure, it may produce a bunch of torque down low, but you really need to be deep in the 3k range to get it to pull properly. At that point, the character of the car changes and gets louder and racier. Not in a bad way, but in an unexpected way because you can really drive around in surprising quiet and comfort most of the time. Passing at higher hwy speeds is a different matter though, with the GTI just not being able to get around a 75mph car all that quickly. 6th gear is useless, 5th is much better but not great, and 4th gets the job done but not exactly effortlessly. I blame the M3 for this, which is of course tremendous at this.

Finally, my biggest pet peeve, and admittedly something I did not notice early in the ownership is the throttle lag off-idle. I've stalled or come close to stalling way too many times on this car, particularly after backing up. I usually can get the car going very smoothly without going over 1krpm with a light blip. But in this car not enough happens quickly enough so it has to be a more deliberate engagement. This brings me to the clutch, which is far too light. It is too smooth and without enough feedback and it is very easy to ride the clutch. You can barely feel it. I can see why people wear the clutch out so quickly on these cars. I am sure most drivers feel they "shift so smoothly" and are surprised when it is worn at 40-60k miles.

In the end, like I said, it is a great all-around car, but as a driving fun toy, it can't touch the Miata. Frankly, it can't touch the M3 either. I drive both cars 2-3 times a week so it's easy for me to compare on the same roads and situations.

For the typical person or most car guys, the GTI is a perfect all-round car. But if you value feel, response, engagement, etc., the GTI alone may not scratch the itch. You'd be leaving a lot on the table. I'd recommend complementing the GTI with some kind of Miata.

That brings me to the point that the GTI reinforces my waffling desire for owning a cream puff Miata or some kind of Boxster in the future.

Great write-up! Knowing what you know now, would you have gotten a DSG instead?

[Nick M3]

I think that the thing that surprised me most driving the Autobahn was how much it felt like a boat.

[Jeff_DML]

Originally Posted by Nick M3

I think that the thing that surprised me most driving the Autobahn was how much it felt like a boat.

compared to your e90?

[Nick M3]

Originally Posted by Jeff_DML

compared to your e90?

My reference at that point was a month of driving the Audi Q7.

Edit: And no, I'm not saying that it was more of a boat than the Q7. But I'd expected it to feel meaningfully tighter in ways that it just... wasn't.

[clyde]

Originally Posted by FC

Not really. But I probably could have explained things a bit better.

I downshift when I really want to pass someone, but sometimes you want to just get around people non-aggressively. The Miata, for example, could do this fine with its high revs and the M3 does it with sheer power. I don't recall the ZHP being so non-responsive despite similar power, so I am attributing this to the high gearing.

Driving the E46 325i a bit has kind of shocked me a bit. When I had the 325xiT wagon, I never thought it was powerful or anything, but I never felt like it was a ridiculously underpowered joke. At the time, I thought it was perfectly fine. It is no longer that time.

Originally Posted by John V

And here I am wishing more cars had an uber-overdrive 6th gear. One of my annoyances with the Boxster and the Mazdaspeed is the wonky gearing, particularly 6th gear not being tall enough. Give me a gear to basically put the engine to sleep and make for efficient and quiet 75MPH cruising, please. The Mazda is at something like 3,500 RPM at that speed. Annoying. These modern turbo motors make peak torque somewhere around 2,000-3,000 RPM so it's not like they can't cruise at that RPM.

Uber-overdrive 6th gear? I didn't think that would be something you might appreciate, but it occurs to me that you have not yet had a post-break in test drive.

Originally Posted by FC

I think the uber-overdrive 6th is great. Fuel economy is excellent. I am just not used to needing to downshift for minor passing.

I am honestly confused by how sluggish the Camaro is in 6th gear. Even at very high speeds, acceleration is stupefyingly slow. It can maintain going uphill just fine as long as you're already going at least 70. Under that speed, if the grade is extended at over 2% or so, you'll want to shift to fifth.

Camaro gearing:

Gear ratio/overall
1 2.66/7.9
2 1.78/11.8
3 1.30/16.1
4 1.00/21.0
5 0.74/28.3
6 0.50/41.7

Final 3.73

Originally Posted by FC

Let me remind you that I had a rockin' 190D 2.2 with a blistering 72hp and 96lb-ft.

The 325 is 184/175 IIRC. Okay. You win.

[FC]

Originally Posted by robg

Great write-up! Knowing what you know now, would you have gotten a DSG instead?

Nope. No way. I have no regrets about this car. But I would not be happy with it as my only car.

Considering that for my purposes it was a replacement to the Miata as a hwy commuter, the GTI is miles better. It's not even close. Comfort, quietness, features, amenities, etc., all much better. For short errands around town, I do miss the Miata - and its drop top. That's easy to fix with an ND soon enough if I must.