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Old 02-11-2021, 04:53 PM   #231
robg
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Originally Posted by Nick M3 View Post
On the plus side, they got $4k off in the exact spec they wanted. Apparently there were almost no Autobahsn stocked, presumably because that's a hilarious amount of money to charge for a GTI.
Personally, I'd also have to suck it up and get an autobahn spec if I ever got one since I decided that I never want another daily driver type car without adaptive cruise. Unfortunately, it looks like they only include that with the autobahn. Adaptive dampers are also really nice to have.
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Old 02-11-2021, 05:14 PM   #232
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weird, I haven't used cruise control in any form since the 90s. Under what circumstances do you find Adpative Cruise to be a must have?
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Old 02-11-2021, 05:18 PM   #233
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weird, I haven't used cruise control in any form since the 90s. Under what circumstances do you find Adpative Cruise to be a must have?
I use cruise control all the time especially now with the pleasant covid traffic
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Old 02-11-2021, 05:26 PM   #234
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weird, I haven't used cruise control in any form since the 90s. Under what circumstances do you find Adpative Cruise to be a must have?
-Slow moving or stop and go type traffic.
-Longer highway trips where the roads are just crowded enough that you get people in front of you slowing down and speeding up all the time.

I actually never used regular cruise control much either until I got adaptive cruise control since its really only useful on wide open highways. I find that it really reduces my annoyance and stress in those types of (fairly common) situations. Was one of those things i didn't know I needed until after i had it. Anyway, its becoming more and more common as a standard feature now so it's not asking too much to have in a daily driver.
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Old 02-11-2021, 05:36 PM   #235
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-Slow moving or stop and go type traffic.
-Longer highway trips where the roads are just crowded enough that you get people in front of you slowing down and speeding up all the time.

I actually never used regular cruise control much either until I got adaptive cruise control since its really only useful on wide open highways. I find that it really reduces my annoyance and stress in those types of (fairly common) situations. Was one of those things i didn't know I needed until after i had it. Anyway, its becoming more and more common as a standard feature now so it's not asking too much to have in a daily driver.
Always wondered if adaptive cruise control has made the passing lane worse since people with it seem to park in it sitting behind a slow car instead of going around them.
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Old 02-11-2021, 06:06 PM   #236
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Personally, I'd also have to suck it up and get an autobahn spec if I ever got one since I decided that I never want another daily driver type car without adaptive cruise. Unfortunately, it looks like they only include that with the autobahn. Adaptive dampers are also really nice to have.
The key for them was PDC, funnily enough.
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Old 02-11-2021, 06:47 PM   #237
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The key for them was PDC, funnily enough.
Yep. All these features steered me to the Signature trim in the Mazda. Have yet to try the ACC, yet, though. But I use the 3D cameras all the time (and PDC) getting the car into my tight garage—and avoiding the hot water heater that’s there as well.
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Old 02-12-2021, 01:50 PM   #238
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Always wondered if adaptive cruise control has made the passing lane worse since people with it seem to park in it sitting behind a slow car instead of going around them.
Possibly. Although passing lane squatters have been an annoyance for as long as i can remember. I do notice that I'll sit behind a tractor trailer (in the regular lane) going slower than I'd otherwise have patience for. Annoys my wife (when she's a passenger), but oh well. Noticed I got great fuel economy on a long trip (close to 30 in our heavy SUV), likely because of this.
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Old 06-14-2021, 09:22 AM   #239
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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.

Last edited by FC; 06-14-2021 at 09:49 AM.
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Old 06-14-2021, 09:31 AM   #240
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Thanks--good writeup, and mirrors my feelings about the Mk VII R pretty closely. That was a good car but not a great one, and the drawbacks you describe in terms of engagement were pretty clear. I think that would be a lot more tolerable in a GTI than an R, but as you point out, a GTI as an only car leaves a big gap in terms of potential driving enjoyment.
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