Finally got to the car dealership and healthy enough for a test drive. The unfortunate reality is that you really can't live in LA without transportation. And my rehab is moving slowly, so I'm not going to be able to drive a stick any time soon. My options are to buy a cheap beater car with a slushbox, or find a new car with an auto the is entertaining enough to serve as a daily driver even after I rehab.
I considered e30 BMWs, as they can be had for about $2-3K, and at least are RWD cars. But I worry about buying one (most are high miles, many with sketchy histories and deferred maintenance) and having to dump money into it. On the new car side, there are only a couple of ones that really float my boat. Traditional automatic transmissions just drive me crazy...I hate being that uninvolved in the driving experience. I've tolerated rotten LA traffic for many years, pumping up my left leg to epic proportions.
But technology comes to the rescue Tiptronic trannies (pioneered by Audi/Porsche/VW) were pretty good autos that could be shifted manually. The most recent tech though are computer controlled manuals such as BMW's SMG and Audi/VW's DSG. Ferrari has it too, but a little out of my price range. Basically the DSG is two clutches that are controlled by computer. You can let it shift like an auto, or put it into full manual mode and shift gears either by moving the shift lever or by tapping paddle shifters on the steering wheel.
Finally got me and my crutches to the local dealer for a test drive. 2007 4-door GTi, DSG, no other options. Mostly streets, a bit of freeway, some bumper to bumper traffic, about 20 minutes.
At first I hated the car, mostly because it was an automatic. I had the car in auto mode (salesman didn't know about moving the lever over to full manual) and was also shifting with the paddles. Took me awhile to figure out which was up and down, but that's just a practice issue. Car felt like a typical slushbox in auto mode, sport seemed a bit peppier. The car makes decent power, very little turbo lag. When I was able to downshift to about 5500rpm and get on it, the car felt out of breath. I assume that is about the end of the torque curve and probably close to where the hp starts falling off. The meat feels like between about 2500-5K rpm.
Handling is ok. Rather comfy. About the same as my Subie wagon, maybe a tad less body roll. Very little torque steer. Also ver little engine braking when manually downshifting. That surprised me...I expected a bit more resistance. Not sure if the DSG is slipping the clutch a bit or it is is the engine/flywheel combination. Power is good but not breathtaking. Nice solid powerplant.
The DSG is interesting. You can manually downshift as long as the lower gear won't put the engine above about 5500-6K rpm. And shifts are very quick and smooth. I can see why the 0-60 time is faster with the DSG.
I sat in the leather seats in another car and fit fine. Remind me of Porsche sport seats, although they are broader through the shoulders than the old sport seats. Not sure about the material though. Then again, the cloth also felt a bit flimsy, but again a good fit. I think that good seat covers would be in order, as I'm not sure about the long term viability of the cloth seats. From the reports of leather wearing quickly here, that kinda scares me off leather. I prefer it for ease of cleaning, but I end up doing a lot of beach/surf runs with my son, and I'm not sure about leather v. cloth for that. I think I'd want a sunroof too...seems like it opens up the greenhouse a bit.
4-door was soooo much better for rear seat access. Since I've got a 9 year old, I use the back seats alot. 2-door isn't an option. The cabin is quite nice...more upscale than my Subie. When I got dropped off at home, I climbed into the Subie and it felt a lot cheaper. Plus I've never liked frameless doors (Subie).
By the time I got off the freeway, we hit bumper to bumper traffic. At that point I started to appreciated the auto. We literally took about 5 minutes to move 500 feet, and it was totally painless. Then once it cleared I tapped the paddles and was off to the races. Reminds me of the trigger break on my Sigs
So after the drive, I have to say that I'm pretty seriously considering it. The car is very usable for me...hatchback is a must for hauling my bass gear, backseat for the boy, comfortable cabin for my commute, and DSG will allow my leg to heal and make for an easier commute. And if I want total entertainment, I take the 911 out of the garage and row the gears there with 23/31 tbars, revalved Bilsteins, etc.
The salesguy is sending me what their inventory is. Just have to think about whether I can live with DSG for a couple of years, and whether I want to spring for leather. I think I will spring for the sunroof.
