05-21-2015, 09:07 AM
So i turned in the keys yesterday, I tried to find the mileage with Joey's method but for some reason was coming up empty on bringing it up on the instrument panel. I noticed when you first turn the car on it briefly flashes the mileage so I caught that I just ticked it over 5,000 when I dropped it off.
Final impressions with the GTI are that the engine is the absolute best part about this car, with everything else falling squarely in the "Meh" category (much like most German cars I've driven other than my brother's prestige package S4 which was one of the best all around cars I've ever driven). With a mix of 85% highway, 15% around town / traffic / heavy hooning that dang little thing managed 38mpg! That's the same as we get out of the turd of an engine in my wife's Elantra on Eco mode. With an aggressive tune and some water/meth injection that thing would be a little beast.
At low speeds it was continuing to make some sounds I can only describe as crunchy / grainy from the gearbox and the car really didn't like to creep through traffic. A lot of gear bouncing and jerkiness. I am going to chalk that up to a prior driver hooning it perhaps a little too hard because at 5k miles no transmission should be doing that. Of the many many cars I've rented this is one of the first ones that I actually questioned whether or not it would get me home. Still really impressed with the apparent call quality of the bluetooth system though, I had to take an important conference call on the way home and everyone thought I was sitting at my desk!
So yeah I do see why people would be drawn to this car, I would definitely rather have this than a little civic Si or something. It's not something I could personally live with especially for the long term but it was one of the more enjoyable cars I have rented in a while.
Final impressions with the GTI are that the engine is the absolute best part about this car, with everything else falling squarely in the "Meh" category (much like most German cars I've driven other than my brother's prestige package S4 which was one of the best all around cars I've ever driven). With a mix of 85% highway, 15% around town / traffic / heavy hooning that dang little thing managed 38mpg! That's the same as we get out of the turd of an engine in my wife's Elantra on Eco mode. With an aggressive tune and some water/meth injection that thing would be a little beast.
At low speeds it was continuing to make some sounds I can only describe as crunchy / grainy from the gearbox and the car really didn't like to creep through traffic. A lot of gear bouncing and jerkiness. I am going to chalk that up to a prior driver hooning it perhaps a little too hard because at 5k miles no transmission should be doing that. Of the many many cars I've rented this is one of the first ones that I actually questioned whether or not it would get me home. Still really impressed with the apparent call quality of the bluetooth system though, I had to take an important conference call on the way home and everyone thought I was sitting at my desk!
So yeah I do see why people would be drawn to this car, I would definitely rather have this than a little civic Si or something. It's not something I could personally live with especially for the long term but it was one of the more enjoyable cars I have rented in a while.
Posting in the banalist of threads since 2004
2017 Mazda CX-5 GT AWD Premium
Past: 2016 GMC Canyon All Terrain Crew Cab / 2010 Jaguar XFR / 2012 Acura RDX AWD Tech / 2008 Cadillac CTS / 2007 Acura TL-S / 1966 5.0 HO Mustang Coupe
2001 Lexus IS300 / 2004 2.8L big turbo WRX STI / 2004 Subaru WRX / A couple of old trucks
2017 Mazda CX-5 GT AWD Premium
Past: 2016 GMC Canyon All Terrain Crew Cab / 2010 Jaguar XFR / 2012 Acura RDX AWD Tech / 2008 Cadillac CTS / 2007 Acura TL-S / 1966 5.0 HO Mustang Coupe
2001 Lexus IS300 / 2004 2.8L big turbo WRX STI / 2004 Subaru WRX / A couple of old trucks