My 2014 70,000 mile GTD was replaced last week with a 2016 GTD. I have now covered 1500 miles in the new car and thought I would post some of my impressions on the differences between the cars which may be of use to any of you who are wondering about the spec for a new car. My impressions are all subjective and my priorities will probably be different to yours but here goes:
Refinement: The first thing that hit me on getting into the new car was how much more refined the engine was! I guess I hadnt noticed how gruff the engine had become on the old car. I had earlier made a post comparing the refinement of the BMW 118 and 120 to the GTD and wrote the BMWs were far more refined. I would want to compare a new Golf and BMW before I could stand by that claim now.
19' Santiagos v 18" Standard: There is no doubt that the Santiagos make a GTD stand out. I cannot make a direct comparison between them and the standard wheels because the Santiagos rode on P Zeros and the new car came fitted with Bridgestones. What I can say is that there is very little difference in ride quality or road noise. The 18' wheels do handle potholes a little better though. For me the big issue in choosing comes down to cost. A 19" P`Zero is around £100 more expensive than a 18" P-Zero. However they did last well. The car was returned with the original rear tires. The fronts were replaced twice over the 70,000.
Standard Audio v Dynaudio: I always felt the standard audio system in my old car was very good. (I have played bass in bands for many years and have lost some high frequency sensitivity in one of my ears - so this is a personal reflection.) However, for me, given the hours I spend in the car the Dynaudio is worth every penny. Having adjusted the sub and audio settings I think the sound is extremely impressive.
Below is the old and new. The white Golf just after its final wash and just shy of 70,000 miles. Still looking good
Standard v Park Assist/ Reversing Camera: Having used the system I find it to be a gimmick. The standard parking sensors are more than adequate. The camera may have its uses but I find I have to be careful not to adopt a 'head in' approach to parking as its too easy to concentrate too much on the camera and not what is actually going on all round the vehicle.
Full Beam Assist: I find the system a little too slow to react to other vehicles and find I have to manually dip the beam. I would not choose this option again.
Tom-Tom v Sat Nav: I have had a number of issues with the infotainment system which does not like my phone. When it does work however the traffic info has been fairly accurate. The map display is better than a Tom-Tom but the onscreen directions are less clear. My Tom-Tom is far more capable though and a better system.
These are simply my subjective impressions and I'm sure there will be many different opinions out there.
The old v new. The old car after its final wash and just shy of 70,000 miles. Still looking good
Refinement: The first thing that hit me on getting into the new car was how much more refined the engine was! I guess I hadnt noticed how gruff the engine had become on the old car. I had earlier made a post comparing the refinement of the BMW 118 and 120 to the GTD and wrote the BMWs were far more refined. I would want to compare a new Golf and BMW before I could stand by that claim now.
19' Santiagos v 18" Standard: There is no doubt that the Santiagos make a GTD stand out. I cannot make a direct comparison between them and the standard wheels because the Santiagos rode on P Zeros and the new car came fitted with Bridgestones. What I can say is that there is very little difference in ride quality or road noise. The 18' wheels do handle potholes a little better though. For me the big issue in choosing comes down to cost. A 19" P`Zero is around £100 more expensive than a 18" P-Zero. However they did last well. The car was returned with the original rear tires. The fronts were replaced twice over the 70,000.
Standard Audio v Dynaudio: I always felt the standard audio system in my old car was very good. (I have played bass in bands for many years and have lost some high frequency sensitivity in one of my ears - so this is a personal reflection.) However, for me, given the hours I spend in the car the Dynaudio is worth every penny. Having adjusted the sub and audio settings I think the sound is extremely impressive.
Below is the old and new. The white Golf just after its final wash and just shy of 70,000 miles. Still looking good
Standard v Park Assist/ Reversing Camera: Having used the system I find it to be a gimmick. The standard parking sensors are more than adequate. The camera may have its uses but I find I have to be careful not to adopt a 'head in' approach to parking as its too easy to concentrate too much on the camera and not what is actually going on all round the vehicle.
Full Beam Assist: I find the system a little too slow to react to other vehicles and find I have to manually dip the beam. I would not choose this option again.
Tom-Tom v Sat Nav: I have had a number of issues with the infotainment system which does not like my phone. When it does work however the traffic info has been fairly accurate. The map display is better than a Tom-Tom but the onscreen directions are less clear. My Tom-Tom is far more capable though and a better system.
These are simply my subjective impressions and I'm sure there will be many different opinions out there.
The old v new. The old car after its final wash and just shy of 70,000 miles. Still looking good
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