220volt
Ready to race!
Today I had a chance to test my Autobahn 2013 GTI DSG against Subaru BRZ 2014 Limited 6MT. I know there two different cars, but lot of people are cross buying these, including myself. I work from home so comfort, RWD, rain, or snow are not a huge factor for me. I am also familiar with GTI MT6, so here are some honest observations:
First, I know lot of people are saying how interior in GTI is 2, 3 or even 4x better. It is definitely upscale and better compared to that of BRZ, but it is not THAT much better. Really. Subaru BRZ Limited is really nice place be in. Different, more sporty and spartan, but still nice. GTI is one class above for sure, but not as much as people are making it out to be. GTI also has better noise isolation, while BRZ is nosier. Not that the BRZ is noisy, but it is not the GTI. If you ever driven 370Z, you will know what noisy means. BRZ is nowhere near that. GTI’s door also felt heavier, sturdier and of better quality. On a scale 1-10 I would give GTI’s interior an 8 and the BRZ 6.5 or maybe even 7.
Second, BRZ is VERY fun to drive. More fun that the GTI, but not THAT much more fun. Fun is also subjective term. For some, fun is that torquey feeling form get go, while some like to rev it up, some like handling, feel of lightness etc… But overall if you take all of that into account, on a fun scale 1-10 I would give GTI a 7 and the BRZ a 8.5 maybe even a 9.
Third, GTI is definitely more torquey and faster on paper (and probably in real life), but it did not feel that much faster than the BRZ. BRZ pulls really good in 2nd and 3rd and has a nice sound, which could be further improved with a nice intake and an exhaust. I liked GTI’s engine sound little better.
It did not feel underpowered to me, but I only drove it on twistys and not on a highway. I also did not notice much of that infamous torque dip everyone was talking about. I mean, you have manual transmission and all revs and gears in your disposal. Work around it. With new intake, exhaust and tune, BRZ would be perfect in my opinion. I never felt I need BMW M3 or 911 kind of power.
Remember: BRZ and GTI have aprox. same HP, but the BRZ is almost 300lbs lighter, and I could definitely feel it! BRZ felt much better as far as handling and felt lot lighter. After jumping into my GTI afterwards, I immediately felt the weight. Once you get the GTI up and going while keeping the revs up, it sheds the weight like all German cars do.
Forth, the steering felt better in the BRZ. More precise, heavier, but not THAT much better as people making it out to be. GTI in my opinion has really good steering, especially for FWD car. BRZ steering had less give and was more immediate. Steering feel scale 1-10 I would give GTI maybe a 7 and the BRZ 8.5 maybe even 9. I liked the steering wheel itself better in GTI.
Now, the thing that I loved the most in BRZ is the shifter. Man, it was very snappy, mechanical and little on a heavy side. Short throws as well. Just the way I like it! Clutch vas also very light and easy to use, but the bite was little higher for my taste, but I got used it right away. With some practice you can go through gears pretty quick. Not as quick as with Honda Civic SI for example (that thing has lowest clutch bite I ever experienced) , but BRZ really likes to rev so you will probably want to stay in gear as long as you can J Shifter was where I felt that BRZ is 2x better than GTI. Different level. If Germans made shifters like Japanese did, their cars would truly be God-like.
Overall I loved the BRZ little more than the GTI in almost every departments except the interior and the torque, and was tempted to trade my GTI right there on the spot… If only the dealer did not insult me by offering me $17.5k for my 2013 DSG Autobahn (with only 10k on it). For the comparison sake, Carmax offered $22,500 and I also of course refused. Yeah, he tried that standard “let me speak to my manager” few times shtick and we got the trade-in up to 20k, but it still insanely low so I left.
First, I know lot of people are saying how interior in GTI is 2, 3 or even 4x better. It is definitely upscale and better compared to that of BRZ, but it is not THAT much better. Really. Subaru BRZ Limited is really nice place be in. Different, more sporty and spartan, but still nice. GTI is one class above for sure, but not as much as people are making it out to be. GTI also has better noise isolation, while BRZ is nosier. Not that the BRZ is noisy, but it is not the GTI. If you ever driven 370Z, you will know what noisy means. BRZ is nowhere near that. GTI’s door also felt heavier, sturdier and of better quality. On a scale 1-10 I would give GTI’s interior an 8 and the BRZ 6.5 or maybe even 7.
Second, BRZ is VERY fun to drive. More fun that the GTI, but not THAT much more fun. Fun is also subjective term. For some, fun is that torquey feeling form get go, while some like to rev it up, some like handling, feel of lightness etc… But overall if you take all of that into account, on a fun scale 1-10 I would give GTI a 7 and the BRZ a 8.5 maybe even a 9.
Third, GTI is definitely more torquey and faster on paper (and probably in real life), but it did not feel that much faster than the BRZ. BRZ pulls really good in 2nd and 3rd and has a nice sound, which could be further improved with a nice intake and an exhaust. I liked GTI’s engine sound little better.
It did not feel underpowered to me, but I only drove it on twistys and not on a highway. I also did not notice much of that infamous torque dip everyone was talking about. I mean, you have manual transmission and all revs and gears in your disposal. Work around it. With new intake, exhaust and tune, BRZ would be perfect in my opinion. I never felt I need BMW M3 or 911 kind of power.
Remember: BRZ and GTI have aprox. same HP, but the BRZ is almost 300lbs lighter, and I could definitely feel it! BRZ felt much better as far as handling and felt lot lighter. After jumping into my GTI afterwards, I immediately felt the weight. Once you get the GTI up and going while keeping the revs up, it sheds the weight like all German cars do.
Forth, the steering felt better in the BRZ. More precise, heavier, but not THAT much better as people making it out to be. GTI in my opinion has really good steering, especially for FWD car. BRZ steering had less give and was more immediate. Steering feel scale 1-10 I would give GTI maybe a 7 and the BRZ 8.5 maybe even 9. I liked the steering wheel itself better in GTI.
Now, the thing that I loved the most in BRZ is the shifter. Man, it was very snappy, mechanical and little on a heavy side. Short throws as well. Just the way I like it! Clutch vas also very light and easy to use, but the bite was little higher for my taste, but I got used it right away. With some practice you can go through gears pretty quick. Not as quick as with Honda Civic SI for example (that thing has lowest clutch bite I ever experienced) , but BRZ really likes to rev so you will probably want to stay in gear as long as you can J Shifter was where I felt that BRZ is 2x better than GTI. Different level. If Germans made shifters like Japanese did, their cars would truly be God-like.
Overall I loved the BRZ little more than the GTI in almost every departments except the interior and the torque, and was tempted to trade my GTI right there on the spot… If only the dealer did not insult me by offering me $17.5k for my 2013 DSG Autobahn (with only 10k on it). For the comparison sake, Carmax offered $22,500 and I also of course refused. Yeah, he tried that standard “let me speak to my manager” few times shtick and we got the trade-in up to 20k, but it still insanely low so I left.
