Two years ago I posted this thread in this forum:
http://www.bobistheoilguy.com/forums/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=3025489
Two months ago, I bought my dream car - a 2014 VW Jetta GLI with a 6 speed manual transmission. The sad news is that I had to sell my 2000 Jetta GL 2.O 5MT (dubbed 2.Slow). Most would probably say good riddance, but that car has been my benchmark of actually having a relationship with an object that moved me. More on that later because this is about the GLI.
The GLI is a wonderful car and I'm a happy owner so far. I'm not going to give out specs and a review here, but just my personal observation in my application. I use this car to commute to work, shuttle the family around, and run errands. It’s fast and I really like driving it. I look for any excuse to get out and drive. My wife is already on to me on that. She’s also on my case about the speeding ticket I already got a month after owning it.
What can I say, it has almost twice the power as my previous ride. It accelerates faster, goes through corners tighter, has a colder AC, and a better radio than the one that wasn't working. I also hope that it will be worry-free for the next 5 years so I can spend more time with the family instead of fixing my car. Another plus is its nicer curb appeal versus my older Jetta that had peeling British Racing Green paint. I look more presentable riding this shiny Titanium Gray GLI than my MK4. I hope that I can also ponder giving non-family members a ride again in my car.
However, newer does not mean better than older. I've come to realize that I do miss the following things from my former ride:
1. Better throttle response (the GLI is drive-by-wire),
2. No turbo lag (the 2.Slow is normally aspirated),
3. Softer ride (15 inch vs 17 on the GLI), and
4. Not having to worry about possibly having the GLI’s eight intake valves cleaned of carbon deposits every 30k miles due to a direct injection system that VW should have remedied by including a port injection system in tandem to the DI one like they have in the same engine in Europe.
No. 3 I can remedy by changing the tires and rim diameter, but not 1 and 2. No 4, I’ll just have to use low SAPS certified oil and do an Italian Tune Up once in a while.
Simplicity is what I really miss from my MK4 Jetta. Sure it had an agricultural 2.0 liter engine, but it’s quick because of the proper mating to a somewhat close-ratio 5 speed gearbox. It’s a simple, low maintenance engine that gets a half quart of oil change every 1,000 miles. But, it likes to rev from down to 2,500 up to 5,200 RPM, and I don’t have to worry about carbon buildup on them four intake valves.
I might actually venture to say that at stop lights, the older Jetta might beat my GLI from 0 to 30. It’s quick, but not fast, which is ideal for urban traffic where I drive daily. The accelerator pedal is connected to the throttle body by a cable, not some electronic signal from an electronic pedal that’s filtered through the ECU. It was simple, quick, and a joy to drive.
The 2.Slow revs up to 5,200 RPM and is happy to get started from 2,500 RPM, its peak torque. The 2.0 TSI is almost double the power at 5,300 RPM with 210 horses and 207 lb/ft of torque reachable at a low 1,700 RPM. However, the occasional lag from either the turbo or DBW gas pedal lets it down. It’s unpredictable to launch and power through corners at times. The 2.Slow was more predictable and connected to the driver, which to me is an important part of driving.
Before buying the GLI, I did consider a 2015 or 2014 Jetta S 2.0 with the independent rear suspension and read disc brakes missing from prior versions of the same generation. Yes, it has the same 115HP and 125 lb/ft of torque engine as my 2000 Jetta. A lot of journalists and Vortex forum members are quick to knock it down saying VW could have opted for a better engine on their base model. Hey, VW is also in the business to sell cars so they use the base models to get people in so that they can upsell to a better car. They got me with the GLI right?
Well, those naysayers and critics of this new generation Jetta with an antiquated engine were right. In fact, I would even say that they should have called this engine the "2.Slow-er" because it is and here’s why I think so.
I test drove the 5 speed manual version of a 2015 Jetta S hoping and praying that it’s the same feel as my former MK4. I was thinking that I would just upgrade to a newer version, kinda like upgrading from Vista to Windows 7. It had a newer look, newer interior, colder AC, and bigger cabin space. To my surprise, this MK6 Jetta is actually lighter than my MK4 Jetta at 2,850 vs 3,000 lbs. With the weight loss alone I expected the car to be quicker, faster, and handle better.
Unfortunately, my expectations were shattered during the test drive. The MK6 was slower going uphill on the same highway my MK4 went. It lacked power at the bottom end, and the throttle was harder to rev-match when downshifting. Afterwards, I looked into it by comparing the spec sheets and I found out that:
1. VW widened the gear ratios on the 5 speed gearbox,
2. It’s using drive-by-wire throttle.
I guess VW wanted better fuel efficiency numbers that’s why the gearbox had a taller fifth gear. On the MK4, I’d be going 70 MPH at 3,200 RPM on fifth. On the MK6, I’d be doing that on fourth. The problem is that because of the wider gear ratio, the power band on the MK6 changed. Max torque is now at 4,000 RPM even though maximum HP of 115 is still at 5,200 RPM. The power band got narrower. This means that each time you downshifted from 5,200 RPM and lost 50% to 67% of your RPM, you were below the 4,000 RPM max torque. The MK4 I had was happy to be shifted up a gear at 4,000 RPM because it could handle the change above 2,500 RPM. This coupled by an unpredictable DBW gas pedal really put me off the idea that of my 2.Slow upgrade. Hence I got the GLI.
Now, I’m not complaining about my GLI and I know that I will learn to eventually adapt to its disconnected throttle response in time. It’s just that this transition to something more modern, newer, and more powerful does not always come without compromises. I do feel at times that I lost some things that I liked about driving by giving up my MK4 Jetta.
But, hey I've got my dream car, it's a GLI, and I can live with it.
http://www.bobistheoilguy.com/forums/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=3025489
Two months ago, I bought my dream car - a 2014 VW Jetta GLI with a 6 speed manual transmission. The sad news is that I had to sell my 2000 Jetta GL 2.O 5MT (dubbed 2.Slow). Most would probably say good riddance, but that car has been my benchmark of actually having a relationship with an object that moved me. More on that later because this is about the GLI.
The GLI is a wonderful car and I'm a happy owner so far. I'm not going to give out specs and a review here, but just my personal observation in my application. I use this car to commute to work, shuttle the family around, and run errands. It’s fast and I really like driving it. I look for any excuse to get out and drive. My wife is already on to me on that. She’s also on my case about the speeding ticket I already got a month after owning it.
What can I say, it has almost twice the power as my previous ride. It accelerates faster, goes through corners tighter, has a colder AC, and a better radio than the one that wasn't working. I also hope that it will be worry-free for the next 5 years so I can spend more time with the family instead of fixing my car. Another plus is its nicer curb appeal versus my older Jetta that had peeling British Racing Green paint. I look more presentable riding this shiny Titanium Gray GLI than my MK4. I hope that I can also ponder giving non-family members a ride again in my car.
However, newer does not mean better than older. I've come to realize that I do miss the following things from my former ride:
1. Better throttle response (the GLI is drive-by-wire),
2. No turbo lag (the 2.Slow is normally aspirated),
3. Softer ride (15 inch vs 17 on the GLI), and
4. Not having to worry about possibly having the GLI’s eight intake valves cleaned of carbon deposits every 30k miles due to a direct injection system that VW should have remedied by including a port injection system in tandem to the DI one like they have in the same engine in Europe.
No. 3 I can remedy by changing the tires and rim diameter, but not 1 and 2. No 4, I’ll just have to use low SAPS certified oil and do an Italian Tune Up once in a while.
Simplicity is what I really miss from my MK4 Jetta. Sure it had an agricultural 2.0 liter engine, but it’s quick because of the proper mating to a somewhat close-ratio 5 speed gearbox. It’s a simple, low maintenance engine that gets a half quart of oil change every 1,000 miles. But, it likes to rev from down to 2,500 up to 5,200 RPM, and I don’t have to worry about carbon buildup on them four intake valves.
I might actually venture to say that at stop lights, the older Jetta might beat my GLI from 0 to 30. It’s quick, but not fast, which is ideal for urban traffic where I drive daily. The accelerator pedal is connected to the throttle body by a cable, not some electronic signal from an electronic pedal that’s filtered through the ECU. It was simple, quick, and a joy to drive.
The 2.Slow revs up to 5,200 RPM and is happy to get started from 2,500 RPM, its peak torque. The 2.0 TSI is almost double the power at 5,300 RPM with 210 horses and 207 lb/ft of torque reachable at a low 1,700 RPM. However, the occasional lag from either the turbo or DBW gas pedal lets it down. It’s unpredictable to launch and power through corners at times. The 2.Slow was more predictable and connected to the driver, which to me is an important part of driving.
Before buying the GLI, I did consider a 2015 or 2014 Jetta S 2.0 with the independent rear suspension and read disc brakes missing from prior versions of the same generation. Yes, it has the same 115HP and 125 lb/ft of torque engine as my 2000 Jetta. A lot of journalists and Vortex forum members are quick to knock it down saying VW could have opted for a better engine on their base model. Hey, VW is also in the business to sell cars so they use the base models to get people in so that they can upsell to a better car. They got me with the GLI right?
Well, those naysayers and critics of this new generation Jetta with an antiquated engine were right. In fact, I would even say that they should have called this engine the "2.Slow-er" because it is and here’s why I think so.
I test drove the 5 speed manual version of a 2015 Jetta S hoping and praying that it’s the same feel as my former MK4. I was thinking that I would just upgrade to a newer version, kinda like upgrading from Vista to Windows 7. It had a newer look, newer interior, colder AC, and bigger cabin space. To my surprise, this MK6 Jetta is actually lighter than my MK4 Jetta at 2,850 vs 3,000 lbs. With the weight loss alone I expected the car to be quicker, faster, and handle better.
Unfortunately, my expectations were shattered during the test drive. The MK6 was slower going uphill on the same highway my MK4 went. It lacked power at the bottom end, and the throttle was harder to rev-match when downshifting. Afterwards, I looked into it by comparing the spec sheets and I found out that:
1. VW widened the gear ratios on the 5 speed gearbox,
2. It’s using drive-by-wire throttle.
I guess VW wanted better fuel efficiency numbers that’s why the gearbox had a taller fifth gear. On the MK4, I’d be going 70 MPH at 3,200 RPM on fifth. On the MK6, I’d be doing that on fourth. The problem is that because of the wider gear ratio, the power band on the MK6 changed. Max torque is now at 4,000 RPM even though maximum HP of 115 is still at 5,200 RPM. The power band got narrower. This means that each time you downshifted from 5,200 RPM and lost 50% to 67% of your RPM, you were below the 4,000 RPM max torque. The MK4 I had was happy to be shifted up a gear at 4,000 RPM because it could handle the change above 2,500 RPM. This coupled by an unpredictable DBW gas pedal really put me off the idea that of my 2.Slow upgrade. Hence I got the GLI.
Now, I’m not complaining about my GLI and I know that I will learn to eventually adapt to its disconnected throttle response in time. It’s just that this transition to something more modern, newer, and more powerful does not always come without compromises. I do feel at times that I lost some things that I liked about driving by giving up my MK4 Jetta.
But, hey I've got my dream car, it's a GLI, and I can live with it.
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