[droidekaus]

I have a dilema, folks, and I'm looking to you for advice. My CL-S comes up for lease return very shortly. It's a fast car, but not the be-all end-all in sport coupes. Plus, it handles like a boat.

I've already pre-order a 6MT Touring 350Z with an expected delivery of August '02. The 350Z is of course, a car that NO ONE knows anything about when it comes to final perfomance figures and the reliability of the all-new 6MT. This concerns me to some extent and makes me want to wait for the '04 Z to see if there are any kinks to work out. Problem is, I need another car sometime this year.
Along comes the GTI DE. Even though I'm way past the target demographic of the DE, I think it is one of the sexiest hatches I've ever seen and can't stop drooling all over the pics here at the Vortex.
Questions:
1. What is with the 0-60 specs on the regular '02 GTI 1.8T as presented by C&D? 6.5s? Is that for real? Couldn't the DE with the light-weight BBSs, lower center of gravity and Recaros (I suppose they present a weight reduction as well) actually turn out quicker times? Color me impressed.
2. Will the DE come with the upgraded stereo?
3. Will the DE handle like a kart with the upgraded suspension, possibly trouncing the Mini S when it arrives?
Price is not an object between the DE and the 350Z. I also recognize the significant differences bewteen FWD and RWD. When a FWD car is done right (read: ITR) it is a fantastic driving experience. My CL-S is FWD, but I'm positive that the DE will beat the CL-S to a pulp in spirited switchbacks regardless of the HP difference.
I want a car in short order and would be willing to wait a year to purchase the Z as long as I can have a ton of fun in the DE now. What do you think? Is the DE going to be such a blast that come August I wouldn't regret passing on the Z as much as I think I would?
Thanks in advance!


[Modified by droidekaus, 2:04 PM 2-9-2002]

 

[caper2874]

Re: Hi! New here and have some questions about the DE... (droidekaus)

Keep it mint, and I'll pay 1k over trade in, if you finance it. Seriously.

Unless they put a 201 or 225hp 6 in the 20th Anniv., if they make it.
(Alot of ifs, but i'll be covered)

 

[[email protected]]

Re: Hi! New here and have some questions about the DE... (droidekaus)

quote:[HR][/HR]
1. What is with the 0-60 specs on the regular '02 GTI 1.8T as presented by C&D? 6.5s? Is that for real? Couldn't the DE with the light-weight BBSs, lower center of gravity and Recaros (I suppose they present a weight reduction as well) actually turn out quicker times? Color me impressed.
2. Will the DE come with the upgraded stereo?
3. Will the DE handle like a kart with the upgraded suspension, possibly trouncing the Mini S when it arrives?
[HR][/HR]​

1. I haven't seen the latest issue of Car & Driver yet with the VW GTI, Ford Focus SVT and Honda Civic Si comparo (although I have certainly heard about it in these forums a lot) so I don't know what performance figures they got from the regular 180hp 1.8T GTI they tested. 6.5 0-60mph isn't too shabby and if you are interested in 'tweaking' your car a little bit those could be considerably better. That aside, I'm kinda of curious to see the performance figures they published from that stock 1.8T GTI in that comparsion article compared to the 25th Anniversary GTI they tested the month before.
2. Still checking on the Monsoon system being standard, but it sure would be nice.
3. The DE GTI will handle very well as compared to most cars in its segment, however I'll bet the Mini Cooper S handles better - it has an even lower center of gravity, slightly wider stance, even more aggressive suspension settings, and a very unique independent rear suspension setup (as opposed to VW's solid beam rear axle). The Cooper S will probably be one the best handling stock cars you can buy period.
-jamie

 

[droidekaus]

Thank you, sir!

Thanks, Jamie. Appreciate your input.