Go Back   Two Wheel Fix > General > Cage Hell

Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
Old 05-10-2009, 09:21 PM   #61
Homeslice
Elitist
 
Homeslice's Avatar
 
Join Date: Nov 2008
Location: SF Bay Area
Moto: Gix 750
Posts: 11,351
Default

Got a Jetta recently......Best rental I've had in a long time. Like most German cars the steering was firm, the body motion was well-controlled, and the seats were firm and well-bolstered. Way different than the typical disconnected-feeling Japanese or American car. From the way this thing drives, you might think it's the GLI sport model, but it's not. It's just the way the Germans make even thier base-level cars. Engine was a 5-cylinder with very good torque and a very sporty sound, although some people might think it's loud when floored.



Tranny was a SIX speed auto.......As a result, the powerband was always in the sweet spot. How many Japanese or American cars in this price class have a 6-speed auto? It also had a manumatic mode, as well as an "S" mode which I used most of the time. This mode basically tells the computer to hold gears longer, cruise in 4 or 5 instead of 6, and downshift sooner when going downhill.



Interior was kind of stark, but puposeful. Steering wheel felt good ---- The rim had sort of an oval cross section instead of round, so it was thicker front to back than it was side to side. This enables more of the wheel to contact your palm.




Gauges were pretty cool, but the numerals could have been bigger. And I would rather have 1-digit numerals instead of 2 on the tach.




Had a proper dead pedal on the left. This helps hold you in place during aggressive driving.




Glove box was lined with felt.........Pretty pimp




Radio display was tiny, and the plastic trim around the climate controls felt cheap and easy to leave prints on.



The turn signal was awesome.......It had a special setting where you could just nudge it a little, and it would blink 3 times and then shut itself off.


Last edited by Homeslice; 05-10-2009 at 09:34 PM..
Homeslice is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-11-2009, 12:18 AM   #62
101lifts2
WSB Champion
 
101lifts2's Avatar
 
Join Date: Nov 2008
Location: Anaheim, CA
Moto: 2009 Kawi ZX6R
Posts: 5,570
Default

^^^GM uses the nudge of the turn signal for 3 blinks as well.

2009 Honda Element

I just rode passenger in this thing, so here are my results...

Engine
I think this is a 2.4L engine or some 4 cylinder. Its pretty noisy on acceleration and the owner told me he gets 22mpg city/highway. Quite lackluster IMO. Also, the power was adequate, but not overwhelming by any means.

Transmission
Shifts were typical Japanese. uuuuuuuuuuhhhhhhh SHIFT..uhhhhhhhhhh...SHIFT. Almost like they only have a speed and accelerator pedal as the map. Not good IMO for a car in this day and age.

Build quality
While the build quality was good, the materials Honda is using lately seem cheap. The plastic is thinner than on Hondas 5 years ago. There was an annoying rattle coming from the headliner I was trying to locate when we were driving this.

Controls
While I didn't sit in the drivers seat, the dash layout seems good, easy to read gauges and the center con sole was layed out well.

One neat thing I might add is that rear seats sit higher than the front so you can see out the front window with someone sitting in the front seat. But..the seat feels like a jump seat, so long trips aren't that comfortable.

Overall I think there is a better car for the 22k price tag since the thing is the size of a Civic.
__________________
Train Hard

Ron Paul - 2012

Mark of Excellence
GM

Last edited by 101lifts2; 05-11-2009 at 03:46 PM..
101lifts2 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-11-2009, 03:17 PM   #63
Particle Man
Custom User Title
 
Particle Man's Avatar
 
Join Date: Nov 2008
Location: Central NY
Moto: 2003 SV650S
Posts: 14,959
Default

2009 Ford Escape (brand new).

This thing is a piece of shit. Period.

The transmission whines like a Crown Vic's with 200,000 miles on it
Seats are like sitting on plywood
Handles like the car from The Flintstones
Climate Controls are difficult to reach and adjust
Radio indicators are burried in the dash where you have to look away from traffic to see what's going on (more so than most radios since this one is recessed and above the dash)

Never again.
__________________
I'm not "fat."
I'm "Enlarged to show texture."


Handle every stressful situation like a DOG: If you can't eat it or hump it, pi$$ on it & walk away.
Particle Man is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-11-2009, 03:43 PM   #64
101lifts2
WSB Champion
 
101lifts2's Avatar
 
Join Date: Nov 2008
Location: Anaheim, CA
Moto: 2009 Kawi ZX6R
Posts: 5,570
Default

I think you're hearing the fuel pump whine, not the transmission. ^^^
__________________
Train Hard

Ron Paul - 2012

Mark of Excellence
GM

Last edited by 101lifts2; 11-18-2009 at 08:12 PM..
101lifts2 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-11-2009, 03:55 PM   #65
Particle Man
Custom User Title
 
Particle Man's Avatar
 
Join Date: Nov 2008
Location: Central NY
Moto: 2003 SV650S
Posts: 14,959
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by 101lifts2 View Post
I think your hearing the fuel pump whine, not the transmission. ^^^
nope... it had that grinding wind up sound that a poorly maintained transmission gets over time... besides, I could hear the fuel pump too: that sounds like a pissed off bee.
__________________
I'm not "fat."
I'm "Enlarged to show texture."


Handle every stressful situation like a DOG: If you can't eat it or hump it, pi$$ on it & walk away.
Particle Man is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-11-2009, 10:44 PM   #66
pauldun170
Serious Business
 
pauldun170's Avatar
 
Join Date: Nov 2008
Location: New York
Moto: 1993 ZX-11 2008 CBR1000rr
Posts: 9,723
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by Particle Man View Post
nope... it had that grinding wind up sound that a poorly maintained transmission gets over time... besides, I could hear the fuel pump too: that sounds like a pissed off bee.
Last summer I took a brand spanking new escape with a manual transmission for a spin.
Felt like the shifter was busted or was missing bolts.
__________________


Quote:
Originally Posted by Dave View Post
feed your dogs root beer it will make them grow large and then you can ride them and pet the motorcycle while drinking root beer
pauldun170 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-12-2009, 08:47 AM   #67
z06boy
Letzroll
 
z06boy's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2008
Location: Lake Norman area, NC
Moto: 07 Red R1 & 07 Blue R6
Posts: 5,265
Default

Rented lately ? Spent a week in Puerto Rico a couple of weeks ago and rented a Hyundai Brio...4 door.

I wanted something small and cheap but with good A/C

It served it's purpose.

The drivers suck pretty bad in PR. No one uses turn signals...they will pull right out in front of you and change lanes quickly...again with no signal and love to weave in and out of traffic. Most don't even stop at the stop signs. The slower drivers love the left lane.


A Dodge Neon was considered a midsize.
z06boy is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-13-2009, 04:01 PM   #68
Particle Man
Custom User Title
 
Particle Man's Avatar
 
Join Date: Nov 2008
Location: Central NY
Moto: 2003 SV650S
Posts: 14,959
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by z06boy View Post
No one uses turn signals...they will pull right out in front of you and change lanes quickly...again with no signal and love to weave in and out of traffic. Most don't even stop at the stop signs. The slower drivers love the left lane.
You just described New Jersey.
__________________
I'm not "fat."
I'm "Enlarged to show texture."


Handle every stressful situation like a DOG: If you can't eat it or hump it, pi$$ on it & walk away.
Particle Man is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-13-2009, 04:05 PM   #69
z06boy
Letzroll
 
z06boy's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2008
Location: Lake Norman area, NC
Moto: 07 Red R1 & 07 Blue R6
Posts: 5,265
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by Particle Man View Post
You just described New Jersey.
Probably so...never been there. I wouldn't want to ride motorcycles in PR though even though they did have some twisties. I guess maybe away from the cities would be ok but then again...I'm not too sure about that.
z06boy is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 11-14-2009, 01:12 PM   #70
Homeslice
Elitist
 
Homeslice's Avatar
 
Join Date: Nov 2008
Location: SF Bay Area
Moto: Gix 750
Posts: 11,351
Default

So, this is the 4th or 5th time I've rented a Pontiac G6. This one was the "GT" version with the 3.5 V6, which is an extremely smooth, quiet engine, but it would do so much better in a RWD platform. There is so much torque steer all the time, even when just doing roll-on accel or downshifting. It's so irritating that I'd rather have the 4-cylinder model. Also the transmission only has 4 gears, which is weaksauce considering that a base Jetta has 6. As far as the suspension goes, it handles good around town, but once you get up to highway speeds it's too soft & floaty. I don't know if there is a sport suspension available for this car, but it needs it. The 4-cyl model I rented a few months ago seemed to handle better. Also, on the highway the steering is too fast and so when it's windy you're constantly correcting it. The shocks and springs are weird because on the highway they produce a glass-smooth ride, but off the highway the ride becomes brittle. Even if you slow down to 2 mph over potholes & railroad tracks, you get this wooden clodding sound, which I've experienced in several different GM FWD sedans. It's a hollow sound that makes you think something must be loose in the suspension.

Last edited by Homeslice; 11-14-2009 at 08:03 PM..
Homeslice is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply

Bookmarks


Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off

Forum Jump


All times are GMT -4. The time now is 09:28 AM.

Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.11
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions Inc.