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> Comparison: 2003 Elantra GT vs 2011 VW GTI
cobas
post Jun 29 2011, 10:01 PM
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So um... I bought a new GTI. I've had it a week these are impressions. Maybe they'll be useful for someone else car shopping someday. Keep in mind I'm coming from a nicely modified Elantra (wheels, tires, sway bar, camber bolts, Hawk HPS brake pads, short shifter, lightweight flywheel, etc) to a bone-stock GTI.

The styling differences inside and out I don't need to go into. Maybe I'll post a photo for reference later. Subjectively, the GTI has a really nice interior and great seat bolstering. From the outside... I like the Elantra GT just fine.

Engine & Transmission performance
Let's skip right to the driving. The main reason why I got this car is the power. It has more than enough power... above 2000rpm. On the highway it's always above 2,000. (I would've made 6th gear longer, personally) It's great when there's a momentary gap in interstate traffic to drop down two gears and burst forward. Merging is easier, changing lanes in a limited time is much easier and quieter (more of a rumble than roar), so the effect is to turn trucks and slower cars into slow moving obstacles to be passed. It's a lovely smooth engine that revs easily. I've found myself cruising at 4,000rpm because it's so smooth. However, below 2000rpm... it feels no sportier than the Elantra. On the contrary, in the Elantra I'm used to reving it and engaging the clutch as nimbly as I want and can. Which brings me to the longest part of this review... the DSG.

In summary, I think the DSG is a neat gadget and I'd opt for it again given its advantages, me being married and all. But if you're used to a stickshift and like it, get the stick, of course. It comes down to the same manual/automatic difference. In a manual car the transmission is just a dumb, simple passive tool. Once you're familiar with it (which does take time) it's completely transparent and predictable. When you're in the wrong gear, or dump the clutch too harshly, you have nobody to blame but yourself. Automatic transmissions aren't passive, so they become an 'entity,' an unwelcome third party if you're used to a stickshift. It's like chopsticks. While you suck at using chopsticks, having someone feed you is relaxing and more efficient. But once you've learned, you just want to be alone with your food. Occasionally dropping your food is still more relaxing than being fed by someone else.

Now, the DSG is one of the nicest automatics I've seen. In "Drive," it will cruise relaxedly and act like an efficient automatic with noticeable engine braking and subtly noticeable downshifts. It also crawls forward like an automatic. How? and.. why? It's also never ready to suddenly accelerate in Drive, so I use that mode when I'm groggy or stuck in traffic. In "Sport" mode... I don't know, I'm not obnoxious enough to leave it in Sport for more than a few seconds. That leaves Manual mode, my favorite. The nice thing is most shifts are super-quick and you don't need to ease off the throttle at all. (In fact if you do it gets confused and takes longer to shift). It'll rev to or past the redline, but it won't stall out - it will downshift for you if you stop.

Every upshift and every downshift is the same arm/hand motion, so I lose count and have to check with the instrument cluster LCD what gear I'm in. The downshift rev-matching is cool but I rev-match and heel-and-toe all the time - sometimes quickly and loudly, sometimes more quietly. With the DSG and the GTI's exhaust, it's never that quiet - which is obnoxious. Lastly, about the DSG... the initial clutch engagement. I've noticed two philosophies: Engage around 1,000rpm and then wait for the turbo to spin up (Drive, Sport, Manual) or rev to 3,000 and dump the clutch, leaving a single dark tire mark on the road (aka "Launch Control"). I'm hoping whatever computer controls the clutch engagement starts to learn how to do a subtle quick getaway without peeling out, or I discover some magic combination of throttle pressure and timing that will do it.

In the next part I'll review the ride & handling (preview: The Elantra is a lot of fun, actually), and then the features and details (preview: dizzying array of buttons and LCD display options to distract you, but no auto-off headlights?!).


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Posts in this topic
- cobas   Comparison: 2003 Elantra GT vs 2011 VW GTI   Jun 29 2011, 10:01 PM
- - winc   First off... Congrats on the new ride! I...   Jun 29 2011, 10:14 PM
- - cobas   So today I found the DSG kicks-down a gear even in...   Jul 17 2011, 02:10 AM
- - Silentwolf   Seems clear that your suspension needs more work t...   Jul 17 2011, 03:38 PM
- - cobas   I have to admit the interior is nice. The cargo or...   Jul 18 2011, 03:01 AM
- - Silentwolf   I had to work that day as it was, but fall would b...   Jul 18 2011, 10:00 AM
- - cobas   I've been playing with using "Neutral...   Aug 23 2011, 10:12 PM
|- - NevynPA   QUOTE (cobas @ Aug 23 2011, 11:12 PM) The...   Aug 24 2011, 08:34 AM
|- - popeye   QUOTE (NevynPA @ Aug 24 2011, 06:34 AM) W...   Aug 31 2011, 09:37 AM
- - winc   What I don't like about the drivability of a t...   Aug 23 2011, 10:25 PM
- - cobas   Yeah, it's hard to get a good handle/feel on t...   Aug 23 2011, 10:31 PM
- - cobas   Erm... generally things like "Aw crap," ...   Aug 24 2011, 09:43 PM
- - elantragt   So Enrique, at this point does it feel like 25,000...   Aug 24 2011, 10:45 PM
- - cobas   It's looking more and more expensive the less ...   Aug 27 2011, 01:39 PM
- - NevynPA   Used 200 HP RWD car? Miata Is Always The Answer.   Aug 28 2011, 03:29 PM
- - cobas   I still want to say 2-seat coupes are not my style...   Aug 29 2011, 07:17 PM
- - NevynPA   I'm not a fan of the Miata myself - convertibl...   Aug 30 2011, 09:19 AM
- - flcerberus   I haven't owned a GTI in a long time but the t...   Aug 30 2011, 09:53 PM
- - Silentwolf   With my mate having a 01 Miata, i do understand mo...   Aug 30 2011, 11:59 PM
- - NevynPA   Thanks, Popeye. I was hoping someone would get it...   Aug 31 2011, 11:51 AM
- - cobas   Sarah drove it the last two days, finally. Today s...   Aug 31 2011, 07:32 PM
- - cobas   First roadtrip into some twisty mountain roads and...   Sep 24 2011, 10:51 AM
- - SWortham   Sounds like fun. Now that I live near mountains I...   Sep 24 2011, 02:04 PM
- - cobas   No, 18" "Detroit" style is the only...   Sep 25 2011, 09:28 AM
|- - flcerberus   QUOTE (cobas @ Sep 25 2011, 10:28 AM) No,...   Sep 25 2011, 10:17 AM
|- - SWortham   QUOTE (cobas @ Sep 25 2011, 08:28 AM) No,...   Sep 25 2011, 12:48 PM
- - cobas   Well, the 17's are sitting in the garage. They...   Dec 23 2011, 08:00 PM
- - bhorste   Why stop there? Get an Atom Aero V8!   Dec 23 2011, 09:25 PM
- - cobas   Um.. price, and legality. Ariel's website says...   Dec 23 2011, 10:37 PM
- - cobas   This has been one of the warmest winters I've ...   Feb 12 2012, 08:56 AM
- - winc   Have you tried leaving the SD Card in it overnight...   Feb 12 2012, 11:20 PM
- - NevynPA   My guess is that the turbo is stealing the engine ...   Feb 13 2012, 09:01 AM
- - Red Elantra   Hey-it sounds like the thermostat is stuck open, c...   Feb 13 2012, 10:04 AM
- - cobas   Tom, yes that's what I usually do but it doesn...   Feb 13 2012, 08:44 PM
- - NevynPA   Based on that update, I'd say you may have som...   Feb 14 2012, 09:32 AM
- - Bobzilla   Ah... VAG gremlins. They are there as a reminder t...   Feb 14 2012, 09:35 AM
- - winc   Does it have auto climate control? If so, turn it...   Feb 14 2012, 10:32 PM
- - cobas   No, the A/C is manual. We've trying cranking t...   Feb 27 2012, 10:08 PM
- - NevynPA   It's nice to know the MPG you can get if you N...   Mar 7 2012, 03:22 PM
- - cobas   Four years later... Long story short: It becam...   May 30 2015, 08:13 PM

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