Got my drive today - didn't take it home yet

[TTRPGGeek]

Huh. I can't find an Elantra Sport anywhere nearby to test.

Sponsored

 

[1.5CivicEX-T]

Huh. I can't find an Elantra Sport anywhere nearby to test.

I have to assume Hyundai knows how many of the Sports they should build in any given year. It's not many. 3k-4k? At most. And getting a premium version is even more difficult. Too bad as the car has had great reviews all around. So yes, finding one can be a challenge.

Will be interesting to see what improvements they make for 2018.

 

[TTRPGGeek]

Subaru WRX test drive impression. BTW Hope ya'll dont' mind me sharing these non SI drive impressions here on the SI forums.

The roomiest, and heaviest, of the cars I've tested, the WRX rally roots that show. It lays down its ample power through all four wheels and the grip is impressive. The clutch in this beast is heavy and I didn't quite manage many smooth shifts during my drive. I mean, they were fine, jerky a couple times, but unlike the Focus I failed to master this shifter in ten minutes. But get it in gear and hit that throttle and it certainly goes that way, fast. And if anything gets in your way, you can turn.

We did a main drag to freeway to second freeway and back to main drag loop and it had outstanding passing power on the freeway, and fun on ramp handling. We also took a curvy side road for half a mile or so where I felt I found not the limits of the car, but the limits of me - and I'm old enough to know not to push it so I lifted off the throttle and enjoyed the turn. Sales guy probably appreciated that.

I noticed that the sight lines were excellent in this ride. The interior was spartan but functional and not unattractive. The ride wasn't jaw rattling but it was quite bumpy - to be expected of a suspension that wants to play as much in the dirt and rough stuff as on the street. The sound system sounded solid - though this might not have been a base I tested (was a one year old used one that the VW guys happened to have as a recent trade, so I didn't have to go to another lot to drive one)

I really appreciate this cars existence. It was a beast on the road today. It would be a beast on a track. It would be a beast in the dirt. It would be a beast in the snow. It would be a beast giving your least favorite neighbors a yard job while deftly dodging their mailboxes so as not to scratch your paint.

But there's a common denominator there - beast. Its heavy clutch, heavy steering, tight handling and supreme feel of the road require work to enjoy. Heading to the track, the desert, or a canyon road on the weekend? By all means jump in and have fun. But the question to ask here is do you want to work that hard driving home from the day job, running to the grocery, and picking up the daughter from volleyball practice? Per the guys at Tom Wood Volkswagen the previous owner, after a year and a half and 45,000 miles, chose not.

 

[TTRPGGeek]

"Zees eez how vee doo eet" - Das Sound Machine

So all the automotive press salivate over the Golf GTI. Motor Trend car of the year in 2015, Car and Driver 10 best, Jeremy Clarkson's daily driver, yadda yadda yadda. And the unwashed masses of 'Mericu say, dude, its a freakin Rabbit. Well, yeah, it is. An uber refined, sport tuned, over powered, German engineered, jack rabbit. And it kicks ass. Today I drove not one, but two, and now I get it.

So before my friendly sales associate met me in the showroom I sat in an Autobahn GTI for a moment, soaking it in. Nice leather, beautiful interior. Headroom. Comfort. Felt lined door compartments so your cd cases and water bottles dont' rattle. Sweet stuff - I've heard the GTI described as an Audi without paying for an Audi, and I grokked.

When we got into the base model I wanted to drive the thing I noticed about the interior was that I didn't notice any down scaling of the interior. I mean, ok, no leather - but the Tartan Plaid cloth upholstery still screamed quality. Better than my accord to be sure. Seat was just as comfy, even if its only power adjustment was back tilt. But get that - the base model has exactly the right power adjustment - the back, so you can get the perfect angle, not one notch too far or too back.

Sheesh, gushing already and I haven't even driven it yet have I? 210 horse, 258 torque. They didn't have a manual so I drove the dual clutch auto with triptronic and paddle shifters. Taking full advantage of the paddle shifters would be a little learning curve but even without total gear control it was Zip, zip zip! All the get up and go you want. Eager to switch lanes and pass. Thrilled to push that corner. No torque steer when you get on it out of a curve. All that fun and it was effortless. Just taking it easy? Well, no problem. The throttle wasn't jumpy, and it was plenty comfy for a cruise.

The stock stereo sounded solid. The car looked sweet. Driving the car was a dream. The interior upscale. German engineering. I get it now. This might be the sweet spot.


And then we drove another GTI S - with a (I was told) warranty approved stage 1 APR tune giving it 305 HP and I think they said 370 torque! HOLY SHIT - I mean, it was all that and a bag o ecu chips.

I mean, I'd already be in an SI if I fit but after these drives - the SI's handling was superb and Honda reliability a plus. The Ford was a very fun car with design issues. It felt toy like. The WRX was a beast. The GTI.... really, I get it now.

 

[zroger73]

I've had enough friends with BMWs, MBs, and VWs to know a little about German engineering. The US company I work for has a contract with a German company - we build half the product then the Germans send German-made components and assemblers over here to finish it. There is a certain "gee whiz" factor about the appearance and initial build quality with these German components, but ultimately they are overcomplicated, less reliable, and more difficult to service than a competing products. At least in the industrial equipment world, US and Japanese stuff tends to be most reliable. Products from Mexico, UK, and Germany tend to be less reliable, but not as bad as Chinese and Korean goods which we avoid entirely.

 

[TTRPGGeek]

Hope ya'll are enjoying your SI's! For me the struggle continues.

so somebody close to me suggested that the VW Golf GTI I am charmed by looks like a kids car. Well DUH, but why should kids have all the fun? Nevertheless, this person suggests I take a look at more mature offerings.

Well - more mature plus more performance means... luxury sports sedan, aka BMW 335, Audi A4 or S4, Infinity Q50, Acura TLX etc and a big price jump. Ok, let me see about pre owned. Ah, one dealer has three of the four all on one lot. Cool, lemme go drive em.

Off to a local BMW shop that also has an Infinity shop and a VW shop under the same banner, where I'm introduced to my salesperson - Inga. Now the young guys at the previous dealerships were all relaxed, easy going, accommodating. Inga was a 6 foot tall Viking that was my age. She will be in control. Mind you, in the right un married setting I'd be more than happy to let a six foot Inga push me around but this isn't the right setting. Sigh, but what the heck, I'm along for the ride.

She takes me to a new BMW335 on the showroom and shows me how to get in - she contorts a bit as she grabs the wheel and drops in. After her I follow suit and my back hits the B pillar and my head hits the upper door frame. Once in, its nice but the leatherrette tells me I'd rather have cloth, and my hairs brush the moon roof frame. She shows me the bigger 535 on the showroom and yes I fit, so she takes me out on the lot to show me a 535 for $18k... with 84,000 miles on it. Let's keep looking.

An awesome 2012 Audi S4 (supercharged v-6 w/333 horse, 330 torque, all wheel drive) with 37,000 miles on it had caught my eye on line so she takes me to it. Yeah, its even smaller. *sigh*. Gorgeous four door competitor of Porsche Boxters and Caymans with a price in reach but no way do I fit. Dangit.

Well, I ask what about that Infinity Q50 with sport package with 32k miles you have on line? So she walks me across the lot to the Infinity showroom and is told by an Infinity guy that it just came in a couple days ago and is still going through inspection and prep. But plenty of new ones to check out. Hmmm... probably sincere but could be bait and switch? I dunno. But I did sit in a new Q50 and it fit me well. Plenty of head room even with the sun roof. What I wasn't offered was a drive in a new one, or a drive in a different pre owned. Harumph.

So, supposedly, Inga's going to let me know when the pre-owned Q-50 is ready and let me take it for a spin. But this experience was fraught with pressure, control, and pre qualifying the buyer. I think I'll see who else in town might have a Q50 while they "prep" what I'd spotted.

Spent an hour, not a single drive.

And riddle me this - why the heck does the Japanese performance sedan have inches more headroom than the two top German competitors?

 

[dmitri]

And riddle me this - why the heck does the Japanese performance sedan have inches more headroom than the two top German competitors?

Better BA/product management team?

As a side note, -- not too take anything away from the sheer thrill of hanging out with a 6-foot-tall Inga, but have you considered just putting a tune on your Accord?

 

[TTRPGGeek]

Better BA/product management team?

As a side note, -- not too take anything away from the sheer thrill of hanging out with a 6-foot-tall Inga, but have you considered just putting a tune on your Accord?

Actually yes. And couldn't find a Hondata or Ktuner appropriate. Did find a post on Drive Accord or somewhere suggesting the 4 banger in this gen Accords was not a willing tune partner.

 

[CivicSi84]

Actually yes. And couldn't find a Hondata or Ktuner appropriate. Did find a post on Drive Accord or somewhere suggesting the 4 banger in this gen Accords was not a willing tune partner.

What about the 18 Accord Sport with the 2.0? I am sure that will be easily tuned considering its based on the Type R engine.

 

[Jake Speed]

But get it in gear and hit that throttle and it certainly goes that way, fast. And if anything gets in your way, you can turn.

Great Better Off Dead reference!

"I want my two dollars!"

 

[TTRPGGeek]

So took some personal time today to go visit a couple more dealerships, once again finding kind and accommodating sales staff happy to help. I test drove a 2014 Infinity Q50, a 2014 Lexus IS 350, a 2015 Lexus GS 350, a 2014 Acura TLX (6 cylinder) and.... a 2015 BMW 535Xi.

So the Acura is... a really nice Accord. Really, that's basically it. I found the limits of its tires in acceleration with too much ease. It handled well, of course it was quicker/better/nicer than my base model 4 banger but still... it really was a very nice version of what I already have. Next!

The Lexus GS350 - this was a full sized sedan (may as well give it a whirl right?) with 300 some horses and close to same torque. Very pretty. VIrtually all (for all, see BMW below) the modern bells and whistles. Certainly quick with its all wheel drive and plenty tight handling with same... for a big boat. But it was a big boat. Next.

The IS350 - the Lexus sports sedan, awd, 300ish hp, great bolstered seats, beautiful interior, rockin performance (0-60 less than 5 and a half) and rockin handling. Took some curves glued to the ground. Yeah, excellent car, and several levels above my Accord. But... the one I drove had less than 10,000 miles on it so was a bit pricey for me and it was also a little bit smaller inside than...

The 2014 Infinity Q50. Another 300plus horsepower absolute beauty, this one was the top o the line and with 29,000 on it same price as a bottom of the line Golf GTI. Bose 14 speaker sound, four or five drive selections - Eco (bah!), normal, sport, sport +, snow. Paddle shifters for the seven gear transmission. Awesome interior, another under 5 and a half second zero to 60 car. Hell yeah, me likey a lot! BUT

OMG - so the 2015 BMW 535XI was a fully utterly completely loaded with every option in the universe, including the M sport package, dream. It had a heads up display - there, out on the hood, was the speed I was going...a friggin holographic projector in the car. It had cameras on its front bumpers so you can see how close you are to stuff when parking. It had a billion way power adjustable leather seats. It had plenty of get up and go for the big boat and a sound system to die for. Heck, it had everything AND, with the mammoth sized trunk and a quick trip to Lowes it could easily have the kitchen sink too. THIS is how the other half lives. Wowza. Ok, Bimmer was boat like, but the boat was a luxury speed yacht. Being inside it was pure joy.

Thing is...this 2015 535XI already had 99,000 miles on it. Salesman's car I'd bet. Couldn't tell it wasn't new but something would break sooner, not later. And as soon as we got it on the freeway the skies lit up and poured for the whole drive. After my trouble with vikings, the current salesman pointing out that an oil change on the Bimmer cost $240, and then a massive storm bringing freeway speeds to 30 on the test drive I figured the universe was telling me something. Not this car. Not now anyway. But man I'm glad I got to drive it.

So what I'm thinking now is... to Infinity and beyond!

 

[cmwalton16]

6'4

Dude I'm 6"5 and fit fine in the coupe. Lean the seat back a little more. I came from a 16 touring and it took me about a week to get used to how different the si coupe feels.

 

[1.5CivicEX-T]

So what I'm thinking now is... to Infinity and beyond!

No one is cross shopping all of these cars but you. I can't remember what you were really looking for in the first place, but it's not a Civic. Your only hope is to wait out the Accord 2.0 if you have any interest in buying a Honda.

 

[TTRPGGeek]

No one is cross shopping all of these cars but you. I can't remember what you were really looking for in the first place, but it's not a Civic. Your only hope is to wait out the Accord 2.0 if you have any interest in buying a Honda.

I wanted an SI but it failed to give me enough head room. If it didn't have a moon roof, who's frame rubbed my head, I'd have bought one the day it came in.

But, since that didn't work out I went cross shopping and have enjoyed the experience. I know this is a Civic forum - I joined it for that, when I was excited as everyone else to get myself a new SI. I've only been sharing my little cross shopping tales because I know there are lots of enthusiasts on this forum and I thought some might enjoy the posts.

 

[1.5CivicEX-T]

I wanted an SI but it failed to give me enough head room. If it didn't have a moon roof, who's frame rubbed my head, I'd have bought one the day it came in.

But, since that didn't work out I went cross shopping and have enjoyed the experience. I know this is a Civic forum - I joined it for that, when I was excited as everyone else to get myself a new SI. I've only been sharing my little cross shopping tales because I know there are lots of enthusiasts on this forum and I thought some might enjoy the posts.

Not knocking you or your posts. So the Civic definitely isn't for you. I'd wait for the Accord. I think it will have everything you are looking for. And it's new. I wouldn't touch some of those used cars you tested with a 10 foot pole. BMW's are good for 36k miles and then YOYO. Fun going around and testing different cars out though. I agree with you for sure.

Sponsored