[Chris]

Reading the new issue which has the new GTI in the Car of The Year 2004, i quote:

"The 1.8T motor has to rank amongst the most soulless efforts in the history of the internal combustion engine"

Every issue, another repeat of that quote, in a rehash of words!

If its that bad, why has it sold so extraordinarily well, and have such a big fanbase??

 

[zekegti]

some people just can't do without that VW badge

 

[sir_blates]

What are they on!?. The 1.8T engine is amazing!

 

[marriedblonde]

What they say is it is souless not that it isn;t a brilliant engine! If you read past issues they always say the same thing... souless but very smooth and tuneable.

I wouldn't worry to much in one issue there was 4 reports on the r32 and all where different! Good mag but not very consisstant.

J.

 

[zekegti]

Quote: posted by sir_blates on 27/11/2004 17:14:10

What are they on!?. The 1.8T engine is amazing!

It 2.0l turbo, and gonna be very quick

 

[vedhead]

They do have a point, it is a really dull engine but it has huge potential as shown in the TT etc. As far as the MKIV GTI as a car it just isnt a car with much EVOness. Of course we all know some bigger wheels, new suspension and perhaps a light chip will give it a lot more EVOness than a lot of cars.

It was never designed for blasting down B roads. It was made to take you to the bank and back again. Well, until we all got hold of one! []

 

[GaryM]

Quote: posted by vedhead on 27/11/2004 18:24:41

It was made to take you to the bank and back again. Well, until we all got hold of one! []

Mine has me going to the bank a little more than I had anticipated [B)]

 

[vedhead]

hehe

 

[VR6_Turbo]

"The 1.8T motor has to rank amongst the most soulless efforts in the history of the internal combustion engine"

I own a VR6 Golf and a 1.8T. Must say that I would only ever have a 1.8T engine in either my daily driver like my Mk4 Golf, or as a lightweight engine for use in a trackday car.

I do think that the 1.8T is a little "characterless" when compared with other engines that VW have produced in the last few years.

I am biased to VR6's but what a fantastic engine....yes its heavier and drinks more fuel...but forget all that, the VR6 has got that "Q" factor that i just dont think that you can get from a 1.8T in any form of tune.

 

[Reflex TDI]

Quote: posted by marriedblonde on 27/11/2004 17:16:24

I wouldn't worry to much in one issue there was 4 reports on the r32 and all where different! Good mag but not very consisstant.

J.

I hear what you are saying and Matt Sutherland also had a letter published to this effect. I think the issue is that Evo is written by a large number of journalists (of avove-average talent) and each has a different point of view - the editor must choose to allow their views to persist, which gives some readers the impression of inconsistency. I think generally they get it right.

One area these mags tend to avoid is the tuning issue. Most people on here with a 1.8T have addressed its lack of soul by spending money on it - if they hadn't they would probably have another car by now. What they should say in Evo about the 1.8T in the summary is;

+ Well built, get aftermarket mapping and suspension and you are laughing

- Lacklustre - a missed opportunity as it leaves the factory

 

[Martyn]

oK the 1.8T spins with a re-map, but it is a wee bit DEAD!!!

 

[Gti Fly]

It's got a big fan base cause it's CHEAP and EASY to modify. A simple remap can push out 200+ and by doing so, it transforms the performance of the car 10 fold.

Still, bottom line is, the engine note is totally souless and dronie sounding. Every car mag has said the same thing..

 

[Reflex TDI]

For those that don't buy the mag - it is a very in-depth test on roads and track, with a lot of different drivers' feedback. Here is some text;

VW Golf GTI - The Reckoning

The VW has been one of the biggest discoveries of the test. Few of us had experienced the new GTI before eCOTY, but despite our collective unfamiliarity, four days driving have been more than enough to become a part of the hot-hatch landscape.

Breet Fraser's a genuine hot-hatch fan, having owned a string of Peugets, including 106 and 306 Rallyes. Sounds like a Golf could be next. "Shockingly good. I thought it would probably handle well, but I wasn't expecting it to perform with such vigour and to sound so meaty. It actually sounds like,well, a proper GTI. Definitely one of those "I imagine owning" sort of cars"

........and the justification for the Porsche winning;

Oh God. The 911 is bloody brilliant. Again.

Yes, it's another 911 victory, making five of eCOTY's possible seven. We could have succumbed to our paranoia and rigged the votes in favour of the Clio, proclaiming it "the Peoples Champion", or something equally cheesy, but you'd have no doubt smelt a rat and accused us of practicing blatant tokenism. Votes are votes after all, and Harry's calculator never, ever lies.

Actually, the result has reminded me of a day back in the summer of 1998, when we were refining the concept for this magazine and wanted to identify our potential readership. It's a common practice in publishing, but rather than pin our hope's on Evo's Mr Average, we can up with the following scenario: Imagine a petrol station forecourt. A fortysomething bloke is filling his 911 with Optimax, when a twentysomething bloke pulls up next to him in a 205 GTI or similar. Both have a mutual admiration for the other's car: fortysomething because he used to own a 205; tentysomething because he aspires to own a 911. It was our belief that this shared outlook on cars and driving united these two blokes, and that an appreciation of great cars at any price point was crucial to the success of Evo as a magazine.

Seven years later that ethos is as strong as ever, which is why, when taken as a whole, this year's result is so exciting. Yes you need ?60,000 to buy our winner, but for the first time in Evo's history, ?30,000, or even more modestly, ?15,000 will buy you a car that, in all the areas that matter, is every bit as good.

I reckon that's the spirit of this forum.[]

 

[TSM]

The comment that 1.8T is crap, by crap i mean that they are probably comparing it to the soon comming new EVO or SCOBY (dont know which one) with a 2.0l engine pushing 400hp. Put the cars side by side then 1.8T is a bit week. Its all about money.

 

[Mikedav]

Quote: posted by Gti Fly on 27/11/2004 20:58:31

Still, bottom line is, the engine note is totally souless and dronie sounding. Every car mag has said the same thing..

Agree 100%. Incredibly versatile engine - just look at the number of applications. However the woosh of a turbo and potential for blistering pace can't cover up the obvious - it sounds dull. Compare the noise to a VTEC, VR6, BMW straight 6 or an Alfa Romeo.

That does not make it a bad engine as its so good in other areas - but for some the noise an engine makes is as much a part of the driving experience as how powerful it is. It lacks soul...ESPECIALLY in the current Audi A4 (feels almost like a diesel)

 

[BORA_TOM]

[/quote]

That does not make it a bad engine as its so good in other areas - but for some the noise an engine makes is as much a part of the driving experience as how powerful it is.

[/quote]

This is my thought on a few of the VW range engines, the 2.0 8v engine noise just doesn't make you want to rev the engine just to hear the noise, one thing i used to love doing in my old E30 bmw with it's straight six. With my second car I make an excuse of driving to Bluewater in it just so on the way back I can wind down the windows and feel the noise through the tunnel ![][]

 

[sutherlandm]

Reflex - Glad to see you saw the point of my post -Inconsistency. MNost people just thought I was being over defensive about the R32 and jumped on the R32 bashing bandwagon (which lots seems happy to do).

I'm not a huge fan if the 1.8T engine but it does what it's supposed to perfectly well.

As for the sound - I can identify a mk1,2 or 3 Gti by the sound without looking. No chance with the 1.8T!