People say, “Ty, you have a super-fast GTI. It’s a fast car, a pocket-rocket. Don’t you regret having all that power with nowhere to use it?”
I say, “Huh?!” Yes, contrary to popular belief having a super-fast super-sturdy super-stealthy pocket-rocket for commute/suburb/city driving is not only a good thing, but also close to ideal.
Here’s why: Merging. See a spot, take it. Passing. Wanna get in front of the huge, ugly Navigator? Do it. Parking? It’ll fit. Wanna open it up on the county roads? Yeah, you can do that too.
Quite. Fast. Agile. Oh, and with DSG, fun and easy. 200 hp, 2.0 liter turbo runner.
Keep hatin’ haters.
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Witness #1:
A fast car is not just about fast driving. It's about options and control.
Options: I find the super-fastness of my 2005 Subaru Forester XT most useful/enjoyable when accelerating from a cruising speed of 70. It's nice to know that even at a comfortable cruise, I still have juice to get around the mommy in the Navigator while she changes DVDs. Great, the car can brick at 115 mph. I'm not going anywhere that quickly. As you say, merging and passing. The super-fastness is for acceleration more than velocity.
[Note to witness #1: I'm always amazed that cruising at 80 in 6th gear that I can - if I really want to or if just for kicks - kick into 4th and say goodbye to everyone around me, like if I'm just annoyed by minivans, SUVs, or hybrids.]
Control: The real skill, however, is in driving a fast car slowly. It takes talent and practice, because they're not built for sub-15 mph cruising speeds. Once you master winding out a turbo at sub-15 (or sub-5 even - almost defies fuel injector physics), then you understand control.
[Note to witness #1: Indeed, the trick - the video game skill - is to drive "sub" w/o ever touching the brakes. And, at say sub-60 the damn thing just wants to GO. True that it's a skill keeping the car from bolting like a damn spooked horse.]
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11.02 update:
1) I must make a full disclosure. This whole thing wouldn't work for me if I didn't have at least one co-pilot every day. I "fly" in the carpool lane EVERY day.
2) Also, there's the "Sport" setting on the DSG set-up. Uh, that's not only ideal for, say, rally racing or autocross, but is perfect for traffic. Revs higher, better downshift control, etc. They should market this fact. They should market pocket-rockets for commuters.
