New Polo Pics + Info

[WEDEL.1]

Interesting story behind this and I apologise in advance to any of our female members, but this is 100% not intended to be sexist in anyway, this is what I have been told by an engineer involved in the development of a tiptronic gearbox:

Back when Mitsubishi were still making cars locally, they came up with the Ralliart magna, kind of a grown-ups flow on from the EVO, but not really grown p because it had a hideous, boy-racer try-hard hyundai excel style bodykit on it.

One of the things they looked at was the auto gearbox and the way the selector lever operated in "manual" mode. They investigated many of teh car makers around the world as to why some did it the right way (pull-back for upshift, push-forward for down) and others the "wrong" way.

What they found was this: Driving and motorsport enthusiasts understood the concept of pull-back up-shifts because it was carrying your arm with the natural momentum of the car, the same as push down-shifts, you are generally braking so your weight transfer is forwards. Non driving enthusiasts don't understand this concept. To them, if you are driving forwards, you should push forwards. If you are slowing down, you pull backwards. This came about from, of all the car companies, Porsche. Why? Because of the Boxster. When the Boxster debuted the tiptronic gearbox (aka, auto), many of it's core purchasers said that his is how it should operate in their minds. The driving purists who bought the Boxster bought the manual because it was, and still is mind you, one of the best manual gearboxes ever built but those who bought the auto were predominantly women who wanted the Boxster because it was a fancy German convertible, along with men having a mid-life crisis and couldn't drive a manual, let alone tell you what the Le Mans 24 hours was.
Based on this, Mitsubishi supposedly worked out who their core market segment was and decided to leave the "wrong way" tiptronic lever the way it was.

A few enthusiasts who have subsequently come about the ralliart magna since have found that by pulling out the selector switch for teh tiptronic lever and turning it around the other way, results in their tiptronic lever operating the "right" way

So, the next time you get in a car with a sequential/tiptronic selector that works around the "wrong" way, thank the people who will buy that car and are not driving enthusiasts, the same people who will more than likely, just leave the car in "D" anyway.

Every time I drive our Golf in tiptronic I get confused about the direction I should move the gear lever. It was always set up wrong in my mind and I still find it difficult at times.

Maris

[gavs]

Mmmmm

[Trepid4tion]

Very nice... kinda somewhat maybe jellous >>

we need MOAR!

[GTI mk6]

Yeah Gav......stop teasing us man, you've dangled the carrot, get with the happy snaps program (please)

[gavs]

Can't, it's waaaaaay too dirty!

[Trepid4tion]

in a physical sense? hahahah

[saabby]

I really wanted LEDs but didn't want to wait 13 months. Can they be fitted by dealer?

[broxigar1983]

I really wanted LEDs but didn't want to wait 13 months. Can they be fitted by dealer?

Nope, factory option. They need to add washers in the bumper and there are some sensors in the front and rear of the car for the xenons. There is a thread here somewhere explaining more in detail.

[saabby]

That's a shame. I suppose my silver (unfortunately not LED) lining is I got it within 3 months of order.

[lowlee]

Crappy Pics of Mine - Excuse the number plate I had not realised how badly the plates had got on my old car. Will be getting new plates soon