Re: New Jetta drive [non-rocco]

["Lindsay Campbell" <lcampbell@zetnet.co.uk>]

NON SCIROCCO

TUT  TUT TUT                lol

Lindsay (scooby) Campbell
lcampbell@zetnet.co.uk
http://www.users.zetnet.co.uk/scooby/
92' Scala 1.8i
icq - 10529859

-----Original Message-----
From: Crane, Damien <d3c@TENNANTCO.com>
To: 'Rocco list' <scirocco-l@scirocco.org>
Date: 25 November 1998 15:33
Subject: New Jetta drive [non-rocco]


>
>
>> Drove it yesterday.
>>
>> Obviously, popping right out of my current car - a '75 Saab named Kermit
>> that is beyond repair with somewhere (maybe a lot) over 300K miles and
>> feeling every inch of it- and into it, it was extremely nice.  After a
>> while to get acclimated, it was still nice.  There is a lot of bitching
>> about the performance and it isn't remarkable, but the power is right
>> where it needs to be for a normal, day to day, getting around kind of
car.
>> There is plenty of power in the 2000 - 3500 rpm range where we do the
vast
>> majority of our (yes, even us 'enthusiasts') driving (max torque is @
>> 2600rpm).  I will do some hands on research :], but I'll bet it feels
>> peppier than a more powerful Civic or Corolla.  So I was pleasantly
>> surprised.  There was a bit more noise than I figured would be present.
>> Not loud, but the engine was clearly audible.  Not a bad sound, but no
>> Alfa V6 (or VR6), to be sure.  The ride was firmer than I anticipated,
>> which is good.  Below the limit handling was better than I expected with
>> lively turn-in and a balanced feel.  I didn't push really hard, but at
3/4
>> it felt really good, especially for 195/65 all season tires.  Major
>> controls were lighter than I like.  Steering was pretty good, but I would
>> prefer a little more 'heft' to it.  The brakes in particular required
very
>> little pressure.  Reminded me of an old Buick.  Didn't like that.  It
>> would be easy to get used to, but will be difficult to switch back and
>> forth between cars that feel very different.  The (new, hydraulic) clutch
>> is veeerrrry light and smooth.  When I first climbed in and stepped on
it,
>> I thought I broke it.  But it was very nice feeling and unlike the
brakes,
>> I did like it after a few minutes.  The shifter had a good feel.  It had
>> longish throws, but felt nice and loose without being sloppy.  It was
very
>> easy to feel immediately confident.  Reverse was easier to find and
engage
>> than previous VW transmissions (mostly older) I have sampled.  There was
>> also a feeling of 'robustness' to the sychro action that I don't recall
on
>> previous (even A3) trannies.  The seats were firmer than, and as wide as,
>> anticipated, which is good and bad respectively.  The lateral support
>> wasn't what I'd like due to the width of the seat.  This has been the
case
>> in all VWs I have tried since the A2.  Even the sport models have seats
>> that are so wide that the bolsters are practically irrelevant.  Where
have
>> all the Recaros gone?  The thing that stands out the most was a sense of
>> the quality of the car as a whole.  The plastics are soft and matte--very
>> unplasticy in feel--and they give the impression of expensiveness.  The
>> design of the instrument panel and dashboard controls is a huge step
>> forward, in my opinion.  The doors feel substantial and the car feels
very
>> solid over broken pavement (again the Kermit factor erodes my credibility
>> here a bit, but in my defense, I can tell that both ends of Kermit are
>> usually acting independently, and I can tell the Jetta is entirely
>> different).
>>
>> Anyway, I liked it a lot.  I thought it was a cut above the competition
in
>> perceived quality and class.  It is not a sports car, but would be a
great
>> family car.  (Would a Golf be better though?)  I'm pretty sure that
either
>> a Golf or Jetta will become the new family car, which will allow me to
>> start working on the Scirocco...
>>
>>
>>
>
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