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4 Posts
Hi all,
I currently drive a Leon Cupra (180 bhp) and a month or so ago took a GTI for a test drive with a mate who also owns a Cupra. We agreed that it there was less turbo lag, the car felt more tied down to the road, had sharper steering, and was overall quicker and more fun than our Cupras. All very positive, though engine note perhaps not as good as on MY 03 Cupra. That test was on roads we didn't know but the car felt very secure, planted and encouraged you to press on. Significantly for what I am going to say, it also felt nothing but stable and well balanced when confidence braking gently to wipe excess speed off on sweeping bends.
This morning I took a second hand one for a test drive on roads I know well and overall the car felt a bit less exciting. It was easier to get the tail to step out than on the Cupra -- no problem, but surprising. (Tyres perhaps, Cupra runs on GSD3s.) What was both a problem and surprising was a small "moment".
Here's the scenario: fast left hand bend (6L in rallying terms!), cyclist on apex, no oncoming traffic, possibly a slight camber to the left: gently (NB!) apply brakes for bend and simultaneously steer gently to the right to overtake cyclist. Well, in the Cupra, all would have been fine, but in the GTI suddenly the car starts fishtailing! Both the dealer and I were scared and surprised that the car did that. I asked him if he thought it was me or the car; he said (twice) that he thought that my driving was "excellent", that I was driving the car as it was meant to be driven but that the car had created the problem. Until a week ago he used to drive and sell Scoobies -- this was only the second time he'd been out in a GTI -- so he knows a bit about driver inputs and handling too. He sold his Mini Cooper S Works because it felt similarly unstable when the ESP cut in on braking; in his view the GTI was doing the same thing. Unfortunately the light for ESP cut in was not on so we couldn't tell whether it had come on. But perhaps ESP did cut in and then I tried to drive round it, but either way, the braking was not that hard and I applied the brakes gently on a trailing throttle (I didn't slam it shut!) so as not to upset the balance of the car.
Sorry for the length of the post, but both the dealer and I reckoned this was a definite black mark against an otherwise enjoyable car. Any of you guys have any opinions; have you had similar experiences? Maybe the geometry was a bit out...
Cheers!
I currently drive a Leon Cupra (180 bhp) and a month or so ago took a GTI for a test drive with a mate who also owns a Cupra. We agreed that it there was less turbo lag, the car felt more tied down to the road, had sharper steering, and was overall quicker and more fun than our Cupras. All very positive, though engine note perhaps not as good as on MY 03 Cupra. That test was on roads we didn't know but the car felt very secure, planted and encouraged you to press on. Significantly for what I am going to say, it also felt nothing but stable and well balanced when confidence braking gently to wipe excess speed off on sweeping bends.
This morning I took a second hand one for a test drive on roads I know well and overall the car felt a bit less exciting. It was easier to get the tail to step out than on the Cupra -- no problem, but surprising. (Tyres perhaps, Cupra runs on GSD3s.) What was both a problem and surprising was a small "moment".
Here's the scenario: fast left hand bend (6L in rallying terms!), cyclist on apex, no oncoming traffic, possibly a slight camber to the left: gently (NB!) apply brakes for bend and simultaneously steer gently to the right to overtake cyclist. Well, in the Cupra, all would have been fine, but in the GTI suddenly the car starts fishtailing! Both the dealer and I were scared and surprised that the car did that. I asked him if he thought it was me or the car; he said (twice) that he thought that my driving was "excellent", that I was driving the car as it was meant to be driven but that the car had created the problem. Until a week ago he used to drive and sell Scoobies -- this was only the second time he'd been out in a GTI -- so he knows a bit about driver inputs and handling too. He sold his Mini Cooper S Works because it felt similarly unstable when the ESP cut in on braking; in his view the GTI was doing the same thing. Unfortunately the light for ESP cut in was not on so we couldn't tell whether it had come on. But perhaps ESP did cut in and then I tried to drive round it, but either way, the braking was not that hard and I applied the brakes gently on a trailing throttle (I didn't slam it shut!) so as not to upset the balance of the car.
Sorry for the length of the post, but both the dealer and I reckoned this was a definite black mark against an otherwise enjoyable car. Any of you guys have any opinions; have you had similar experiences? Maybe the geometry was a bit out...
Cheers!