Volkswagen Enthusiast
Interesting GTI review
Baruth's car reviews are always interesting, here he sums up the GTI quite nicely.
Volkswagen 2.0T Intramural League, Second Place: GTI DSG Four-Door | The Truth About Cars
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Super Moderator
VWwA Super Moderator
hehe... so he likes the GTI more than the R....
No surprise there. Standard Golf R's are too porky and boring - the GTI would definitely be more fun to drive.
And he likes the new GLI more than the GTI...
Cool. I hope they decide to bring the GLI to Australia this time...
Super Moderator
VWwA Super Moderator
I would tend to agree with this.Originally Posted by Corey_R
The GTI is definitely more chuckable, the R would be a lot more refined at the same speeds through corners which means you have to push the R a lot harder to get that same exhilirating drive.
Once modified though it becomes a different ball game.
Volkswagen Fanatic
[Slaps Corey on the back of the head!]
Where is the real Corey and what have you done with him?
Volkswagen Enthusiast
You're wrong.
Audi S3. Sold
Golf R. Sold
Citroen DS3 Dsport. Sold
2016 Skoda Octavia RS Wagon.
Volkswagenist
This is why
from the GLI reviewEnough griping. I come to praise the GLI, not bury it. Start with the suspension. It’s measurably softer than that of the GTI, but the same excellence in damping is there. If anything, the GLI was even more competent through the “whomp” zone I detailed in the GTI test, controlling the body nicely even though I really jammed it through that secion when driving the manual-transmission car.
Hear me now and believe me later: you want a relatively soft suspension in a road car. Suspension absorbs bumps and controls the body. That’s its purpose. Stiff suspension, particularly suspension that is stiff in “jounce”, decreases the car’s ability to stay in contact with the road. The same goes for roll stiffness. A little of it is nice, because we don’t want to heel over so far that the car won’t steer correctly, but in general we want the car to comply with the road’s demands. Stiff suspension feels fast, but outside a racetrack it’s rarely the quickest way to get anywhere. Just keep the car from hitting the bumpstops or stroking the shocks all the way to their extension point, and leave the rest to me.
Of course this assessment will instantly kill all credibility of these reviews with the lower, stiffer crowd that permeates this forum
Last edited by kaanage; 02-09-2011 at 12:59 PM. Reason: emphasis
Volkswagen Enthusiast
That, and it is an American review, and we all know they prefer land yachts that wallow rather than something that handles
I haven't driven a GLI and am unlikely to ever do so. So, I wouldn't know. But I prefer to base my own opinions on things I can actually test for myself, rather than slavishly following what a review says - and that goes for both positive and negative reviews.
As for the lower stiffer crowd - maybe they are the ones that do some track work so are prepared to make the compromise.
Audi S3. Sold
Golf R. Sold
Citroen DS3 Dsport. Sold
2016 Skoda Octavia RS Wagon.
Volkswagenist
Just to further reduce the credibility (since most of the low stiff crowd love MASSIVE wheels) there's also thisfrom the Turbo Beetle reviewUnfortunately, “competent” is as far as you get. The biggest issue is the monster wheel syndrome that affects so many modern sporting cars. Never for a moment is it possible to forget the boat anchors attached to all four corners of the Turbo. They take effort to steer, accelerate, and stop. (Brake fade, by the way, shows up early, even on the street.) This is the skidpad-g-number school of handling. I bet it kicks all sorts of ass on a long, sharply curved freeway ramp.
Get it off the ramp and into some fast left-right transitions, however, and the Beetle just can’t muster up any desire. The steering feels slow and the ultimate grip available isn’t well-telegraphed back through the wheel. It’s easy to fall behind the road and start having to play catch-up, which only makes the unhurried response from the helm that much more frustrating.
Most of the low, stiff crowd here seem to be more about posing than track - these reviews are actually dead right on the points I've quoted but then I don't have any credibility on this site either.
Last edited by kaanage; 02-09-2011 at 01:17 PM.
Volkswagen Enthusiast
I actually kind of agree - there is an issue with some cars being over tyred.
As for posing rather than track - I prefer not to make character judgements about people I've never met online because it generally makes you look like a bit of an arrogant douche.
Audi S3. Sold
Golf R. Sold
Citroen DS3 Dsport. Sold
2016 Skoda Octavia RS Wagon.
Volkswagenist
c'est moi!
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