Automobiles

[sk_tle]

The irony is the EP/Prince engine used in the mini (and now the 1 and 3 series) is supplied by PSA (Peugeot-Citroen). To be honest the development of the engine is done as a partnership so they both has a say on the specs and engineers from both firms worked on it hence the bmw character. First "new mini" engine was a chrysler for the record.

I stand corrected after a double check BMW is now replacing the prince engine in the mini by their developped in-houst 3cyl BMW B38.

[Gordon]

I keep circling on what to get for my next car and I'm slowly coming around to the idea of another Mini Cooper S. Maybe even a JCW in the hopes that it has even more low end tongue.

Matt, I honestly could have gone Mini JCW instead of Golf R and it really came down to one main factor, no Mini dealer within ~150 miles. That was the deal breaker. Honestly for the 0-30MPH acceleration around town or in a city, the JCW/Cooper S was my hands down preference over the Golf R. Now ... out on open, winding roads, the 300 HP and AWD of the Golf R makes it feel glued to the road.

The low end torque (~230 lb-ft at ~1200 RPMs) of the Mini JCW is pure joy. You can't go wrong and I' sure there's a local mini dealer in Miami

Also, I had a modestly spec'd 2017 Mini JCW around 34k ... 6K less than the Golf R.

I'm still debating that decision!

[Matthew Strongin]

Matt, I honestly could have gone Mini JCW instead of Golf R and it really came down to one main factor, no Mini dealer within ~150 miles. That was the deal breaker. Honestly for the 0-30MPH acceleration around town or in a city, the JCW/Cooper S was my hands down preference over the Golf R. Now ... out on open, winding roads, the 300 HP and AWD of the Golf R makes it feel glued to the road.

The low end torque (~230 lb-ft at ~1200 RPMs) of the Mini JCW is pure joy. You can't go wrong and I' sure there's a local mini dealer in Miami

Also, I had a modestly spec'd 2017 Mini JCW around 34k ... 6K less than the Golf R.

I'm still debating that decision!

Thanks for the info. I've had 2 Mini Cooper Ss and really liked them both for the driving I do. They were both taken from me too early. Maybe it's time to step up to the JCW. Plenty of dealers here.

[j44ke]

A guy in the St Louis Alfa club (I'm a member) recently bought a Giulia and drove it to last month's meeting, but it isn't the Quadrifoglio. I didn't ask if that was an option.

It's an awesome car, but personally, I thought the automatically extending and retracting exterior rear-view mirrors were a bit much.

I think in some European cities you are required to fold in your mirrors when you park? Is that right? At least I see a lot of people doing so when they park on uber-narrow city streets that weren't really made for cars. Particularly in Italy. So there you go.

Saab - find one of these. A Volvo C30 Polestar. Boring Volvo. Very comfortable. Good for kids.

[robin3mj]

I was not aware of a C30 Polestar in the US of A.
That must be fun as hell, granted twice the price of a Golf R probably.

I love the back hatch on those.

[j44ke]

I was not aware of a C30 Polestar in the US of A.
That must be fun as hell, granted twice the price of a Golf R probably.

I love the back hatch on those.

I don't think there are very many. But you can buy a C30 T5 (2013 is the latest model year in the US) and have the Polestar tuning done at Volvo, as I understand it. $$

[funcrusher]

I don't think there are very many. But you can buy a C30 T5 (2013 is the latest model year in the US) and have the Polestar tuning done at Volvo, as I understand it. $$

the aftermarket polestar tuning doesnt really add much unfortunately...

but sounds like the next generation of volvos that come out of the factory as polestar models will be hybrid drivetrains with serious gains...4 cylinders with batteries producing 600hp+!

that's next on my list (or an AEV jeep with a 6.4L hemi)

[Honus]

Been shopping for a new car. Drove the new Impreza Sport hatchback (both 5spd and auto) and was very impressed. Very solid feeling, nice handling, more passenger room than my current Jetta wagon. The 5spd is the same as my old 2002 RS sedan (with short throw shifter) and it still isn't great. The CVT in this car is very smooth and the paddle shifters are nice. Decent gas mileage too. It's not a quick car by any means but good enough for a daily driver. The interior is a huge improvement over previous models. Overall it's a great platform and the WRX/STi versions are going to give the GTI and Golf R a run for the money. It looks a lot better in person than in photos.

Also drove the new Civic hatchback sport. Great motor and handling. Drove the CVT- I'm waiting for them to get the 6spd in. Interior is very roomy- back seat space is ever so slightly better than the Impreza. The hatch is great- I could get a 8ft long 2x4 in this no problem. The Impreza feels more solid and is quieter but the Civic is more fun to drive (once you get used to the steering as it requires very little effort.) Stellar gas mileage. The version I drove had all the bells and whistles and Honda's touch screen setup sucks. I'd definitely get the base model with normal knobs and buttons for controls as the dash is already a bit funky. Overall it appears to be an excellent value if you get the base Sport w/ a manual. The exterior styling is "interesting"- I don't know whether I like it or hate it. It sure doesn't look like anything else out there.

Drove a GTI Sport too and it smokes both the Impreza Sport and Civic Sport. It's a bit much for me though as a daily driver and the other two are quite a bit roomier- important for me as I have 3 kids and a 75 lb. dog.

[sk_tle]

I think in some European cities you are required to fold in your mirrors when you park? Is that right? At least I see a lot of people doing so when they park on uber-narrow city streets that weren't really made for cars. Particularly in Italy. So there you go.

I don't think it is mandatory. But most of our cities were built before the cars existed so we don't have that much room. Plus we got many mopeds and cyclists who tend to zip in the space between traffic and parked cars. Broken mirrors do happen.

[robin3mj]

I will miss the manual, and the diesel, but times change and the minivan is our primary long trip car anyway these days.
So for $1,000, it's an upgrade/sidestep I'll happily make.
Mebbe I could have gotten a slightly better price by aggressively shopping around, but my time is money these days, and 2 1/2 hrs at the dealer, including my buyback appointment, and driving home with our new car, totally worth it.

[Trevor]

Thinking about trading in my 2012 A3 Sportback for a new GTI. Looking forward to test driving it. 4 months out of the year I commute 150 miles road trip, so I use my old MKIV Jetta TDI. The other 8 months the commute is only 40 miles road trip. I hear the new GTI's are a blast to drive.... but part of me just wants to keep my Jetta, sell the A3 and take on a fun "project."

Maybe it's time to throw caution to the wind and pick up a MKII GTI. There is a really clean 2.0 16v that I really want to get... and... my partner is a VW fan as well (she drives a Golf) and is encouraging me to go that route....oof... decisions...

[Saab2000]

Thinking about trading in my 2012 A3 Sportback for a new GTI. Looking forward to test driving it. 4 months out of the year I commute 150 miles road trip, so I use my old MKIV Jetta TDI. The other 8 months the commute is only 40 miles road trip. I hear the new GTI's are a blast to drive.... but part of me just wants to keep my Jetta, sell the A3 and take on a fun "project."

Maybe it's time to throw caution to the wind and pick up a MKII GTI. There is a really clean 2.0 16v that I really want to get... and... my partner is a VW fan as well (she drives a Golf) and is encouraging me to go that route....oof... decisions...

Life with a GTI is a perpetual tradeoff of a boomy hatchback that has a pretty rough ride. It is also a street legal point-and-shoot go cart that's at it's meanest in the 3500-5500+ RPM range with the best seats I've ever had in an automobile. And it's incredibly well packaged and space efficient. It's certainly worthy of a test drive.

It's noisy and harsh and fast and comfortable all at the same time. I drive it on 2 mile local trips all the time and I've driven it on thousand mile road trips, as recently as three weeks ago. It excels in both places, and because of the amazingly supportive seats it's probably most at home on the long trips. I've driven many rental cars that were a serious disappointment for the vagueness of the steering and awful seats that are fatiguing on drives of more than an hour. I get out of the GTI after 10 hours and feel as fresh as it's possible to feel after that long in a car that's not a Mercedes S-Class.

I guess if I hated it I wouldn't still have it more than eleven years after I bought it.

[Brian E Hammer]

Not the most practical choice for year round driving here in the soggy PNW but when the roads do dry out...., it does bring a certain satisfaction for getting from point A to B via four wheels.

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[chris7ed]

Like seeing that. Growing up my family had two 510s. A maroon 2 door and dark green station wagon. Different engine than that.

[Trevor]

Holy cow! That thing is great!

[sk_tle]

Saab2000: Having been raised during the era of crazy small GTI sporthatches I find it funny you compare the GTI to a go-cart. Starting from the 2nd gen the VW GTI has always been the powerful but heavy and lazy pig compared to the competition from Peugeot, Renault, Opel, Ford or Fiat.

Perspectives...

[Lionel]

19 years old: 205 GTI 1.9L. That was fun...

[sk_tle]

Glad you are still alive ! That was a dangerous thing to own at 19.

[Lionel]

Glad you are still alive ! That was a dangerous thing to own at 19.

Yep, had a couple of close calls actually. But I have great memories of that car.

[sk_tle]

Not a GTI but my first car was a 205 too. With the 80bhp 1.3L engine. I have great memories too. That was a great handling car on twisty roads. Sometimes I scour the classified for a 205 GTI or rallye with all original parts. Not many lefts I reckon.