Driving a slow car fast (e.g. Abarth) VS Driving a fast car slow

[burn_this_city]

Originally Posted by iggyformayor

Driving a Golf TDI right now and it's a helluva lot of fun to drive. A tonne of kick off the line and it handles awesome.

Wait until the Golf GTD comes to our shores next year. GTI handling with a diesel engine.

[Sliver]

Originally Posted by burn_this_city

Our 2012 GTI is the best daily driver we've owned, my wife and I fight over who gets it. For the money they are one of the best cars out there, you'd have to spend nearly twice as much to get a comparable. I've had a handful of straight line rockets, but they are pretty overrated and cost too much compared to the fun factor.

I have to take out a GTI again. I owned a 1995 GTI for a year in 2001 because every car magazine ever goes on and on about how awesome they are. I found it to be soooooooooo sloooooooooooow. It handled okay, but when Honda Accords kept taking me off the line without even knowing I was racing, it had to go. I'll give a new one another shot. I'm the only guy I've ever known to be completely underwhelmed by a GTI so maybe I had a dog or something.

[burn_this_city]

The older non-turbo cars weren't very quick, the new ones are awesome, and as Pylon alluded to you can get another 60hp with a tune.

[pylon]

Originally Posted by Table 5

Pylon, have you ever had a Golf R come through your shop? Curious how that thing compares to the GTI.

Golf R is a pretty cool car, but for 10k less, just get a GTI and APR tune the snot out of it, and end up with a quicker lighter car. No AWD, but nothing a set of Hakkapeliitta's can't fix.

[Sliver]

Originally Posted by Rathji

I drive a car to get from one place to another, in a reasonably reliable and affordable fashion. In that respect, this makes a lot more sense to me than a 'super car', whatever that means.

However, I can think of a dozen or so cars off the top of my head that are far better at that, compared to this car.

You honestly don't know what a super car is? Think Ferrari, Lamborghini, etc.

The Abarth is designed to be fun to drive. What are the dozen or so cars that are far better at that in this general price range? I can't think of many. Even the Cooper S and GTI are more expensive, but definitely fair comparables. That's two cars. Maybe MazdaSpeed3? That's a fun car and way faster...probably better than the Fiat, but not quite as wild a ride, IMO. Focus ST? I'm not a fan, but they're a respectable car. Maybe you could put the BRZ in this category, too?

[Sliver]

Originally Posted by pylon

Golf R is a pretty cool car, but for 10k less, just get a GTI and APR tune the snot out of it, and end up with a quicker lighter car. No AWD, but nothing a set of Hakkapeliitta's can't fix.

Yeah, I'm scared of tunes since I tried to tune my 300c and smoke started coming out of the tuner and I thought I fried my computer (turns out I just had to pull a fuse to reset it, but I was sweating balls for an hour while I figured it out). A GTI with an APR tune does sound awesome.

[pylon]

Originally Posted by Sliver

I have to take out a GTI again. I owned a 1995 GTI for a year in 2001 because every car magazine ever goes on and on about how awesome they are. I found it to be soooooooooo sloooooooooooow.

Considering that was a suck ass version with 115 HP (known in the VW world as the 2 point slow), yeah, it was a garbage car, unless of course it was a VR6, which it obviously wasn't, because those weren't slow.

GTI from 2000 on has been awesome, that's when they dropped the 20V 1.8T in as the standard engine. Those things are gnarly with an APR tune, they actually feel more potent than the current 2.0 once tuned, because they have a lot more lag at the bottom.

[Sliver]

Originally Posted by pylon

Considering that was a suck ass version with 115 HP (known in the VW world as the 2 point slow), yeah, it was a garbage car, unless of course it was a VR6, which it obviously wasn't, because those weren't slow.

GTI from 2000 on has been awesome, that's when they dropped the 20V 1.8T in as the standard engine. Those things are gnarly with an APR tune, they actually feel more potent than the current 2.0 once tuned, because they have a lot more lag at the bottom.

It only had 115 horsepower? Wow, that's about 50 more horsepower than it felt like lol. I'll take a new one out for a test drive. I know it's not fair to dislike them based on my experience with one from 18 years ago.

[burn_this_city]

Originally Posted by Sliver

Yeah, I'm scared of tunes since I tried to tune my 300c and smoke started coming out of the tuner and I thought I fried my computer (turns out I just had to pull a fuse to reset it, but I was sweating balls for an hour while I figured it out). A GTI with an APR tune does sound awesome.

You have to take it to a shop to get the tune done on these cars, it's not a handheld like your 300C. With a tune, the GTI would crush your 300, I know because I've done it to a Charger RT.

[pylon]

Originally Posted by Ironhorse

We drove a GTI alongside the Cooper S around 2007. While the GTI was fun enough to drive, it felt sluggish going into the corners compared to the MINI and not nearly as smooth. The extra power was not really usable. The Audi A3 was comparable to an old Buick when it came to tight handling, very soft and squishy.

They ironed out all that with the 2010-current MKVI car. To date, that has been the best version IMHO. The 2002 GTI 337 was pretty damn close though. That car was frikkin cool. BBS wheels, genuine Recarro interior, chuck wagon suspension, all the aluminum they could squeeze into the interior, and of course the famous golf ball shift knob:

[Table 5]

The tune would negate your VW warranty though right? I would be a little nervous about that.

[Sliver]

Originally Posted by burn_this_city

You have to take it to a shop to get the tune done on these cars, it's not a handheld like your 300C. With a tune, the GTI would crush your 300, I know because I've done it to a Charger RT.

I think my 0-60 is 5.9 (5.5 in the non-AWD). A 2011 GTI is 6.4. That tune must really awaken your GTI to be able to shave a second off the 0-60. You could probably take my Mustang, too.

[pylon]

Originally Posted by Table 5

The tune would negate your VW warranty though right? I would be a little nervous about that.

I cannot comment on that on a public forum, but 'apparently' there are ways around it. I cannot condone it, but I have heard you can get a tune with a mode that de-activates the chip and locks it into stock mode. This is all hear say as I would never condone or recommend such a thing.

[pylon]

Originally Posted by Sliver

I think my 0-60 is 5.9 (5.5 in the non-AWD). A 2011 GTI is 6.4. That tune must really awaken your GTI to be able to shave a second off the 0-60. You could probably take my Mustang, too.

Your car at this altitude will not deliver those numbers, a turbo charged car however will deliver the advertised numbers, as altitude has little or no effect on performance on a forced induction car. Also VW is notorious for under claiming performance numbers. I can guarantee you a stock GTI DSG is quicker than 6.4 secs.

[Sliver]

Originally Posted by pylon

Your car at this altitude will not deliver those numbers, a turbo charged car however will deliver the advertised numbers, as altitude has little or no effect on performance on a forced induction car. Also VW is notorious for under claiming performance numbers. I can guarantee you a stock GTI DSG is quicker than 6.4 secs.

Okay, I looked up a 2012 GTI 35 DSG and that is 5.4 0-60. Is a 35 DSG just the standard GTI I'd get if I went to VW today to buy it, or is that a special edition of some sort?

[burn_this_city]

That's the regular GTI, 35 anniversary is last years Autobahn with cloth seats. The DSG is the best transmission I've ever experienced, made the forced switch to auto livable.

[ignite09]

If you want to think out of the box a little bit, and "fun too drive" is your mantra. The Evo 6 will be available for import next year. 280+ horse, awd, standard and not a big car.

[Sliver]

Originally Posted by burn_this_city

That's the regular GTI, 35 anniversary is last years Autobahn with cloth seats. The DSG is the best transmission I've ever experienced, made the forced switch to auto livable.

No way, that's much more impressive than I thought. I'd also jump to auto if it was a daily driver. I didn't drive my Mustang as much this summer just because I never wanted to bother with stick in my commute.

What's a new GTI go for? ~$36K?

[pylon]

30-38k ish

[Red John]

Maybe worth waiting till the spring for the new 7th generation (2015) GTI?

That's supposed to be one hell of a car.