Soldato
About time you got something half decent to replace that monster polo you used to tease us all with 
To enter my place you have to come in via a well hidden 11th century church and it's (not 11th century) car park. The car was unloaded there for ease and then it's 200 yards to my drive via the entry road. I don't have a massive house (though we must keep the castle story going) but I do live in a great location.
Been downhill ever since. Once one reaches the highest peak that is Polo GTI land, there is nowhere left to go but downhill at pace.About time you got something half decent to replace that monster polo you used to tease us all with
So my first day impressions are as follows...It loves to drink!
I have done a tank and a quarter of fuel today not really going anywhere. V8's are always thirsty and this is no different. The biggest difference over the R8 is power anywhere. The R8, being a V10 NA needed revs and lots to get it going. Get it in the range (or on cam in olden days terms) and it pulled hard and kept pulling, but put the throttle down low down and it took time to get going in higher gears. This car just pulls in any gear at pretty much any revs, it really is a monstrous engine.
I have not really used the brakes hard but their feel is superb and I suspect they will also provide monstrous stopping power. They are there in an instant when you call for them and provide a nicer feel than the R8's ceramics, which were also incredible at hauling the car to a stop when I first got the car. The ride is fair in comfort and seems to soften things out well for a car like this. Never smooth it is however usable daily if you have experience of cars like this. The stiffer settings are really for billiard table smooth surfaces and the comfort damper setting is better for most roads.
The DCT gearbox is fast and smooth and snaps the gears in when in Sport + or Race mode. In comfort it is lovely and smooth, just like the R8 was, and gear changes just happen with no fuss or fanfare. Open the baffles on the exhaust however and it becomes an absolute animal with massive cracks and bangs are lift off and when changing down. Very naughty and smile inducing. I found myself, like I did in the R8, putting the gearbox into manual mode and changing using the paddles. Again like the R8 it won't change up if you hit the limiter, just kills the power like a manual car.
I have pushed it a little but nothing serious. I will be taking it to Spa and the Ring in the coming months (when allowed) and have Spa and the Ring booked for closed sessions in May, but likely to push to June in current climate. The steering is incredibly sharp and I can see how this car can pull serious lap times. On this front it is a different league to the R8, just much sharper on the nose.
Dislikes are the HiFi which is average, slow speed (5mph moving around type speeds) full lock is proving to give me some shove like my R8/RS4 did, tyre slipping and that I will investigate as "they all do that mate" is not acceptable, think that can be dialled out with pressures/camber. When up to temp, for a little bit today, I can confirm the cups are superb. However, get the damp or mucky roads and the back does like to move around, though I have not found that lairy at all really...so far. It seems to wiggle, settle in and go. Few rattles (all minor, such as harness on roll cage) and need to set up some of the media stuff, but so far I am loving it.
I have done a tank and a quarter of fuel today not really going anywhere. V8's are always thirsty and this is no different. The biggest difference over the R8 is power anywhere. The R8, being a V10 NA needed revs and lots to get it going. Get it in the range (or on cam in olden days terms) and it pulled hard and kept pulling, but put the throttle down low down and it took time to get going in higher gears. This car just pulls in any gear at pretty much any revs, it really is a monstrous engine.
I have not really used the brakes hard but their feel is superb and I suspect they will also provide monstrous stopping power. They are there in an instant when you call for them and provide a nicer feel than the R8's ceramics, which were also incredible at hauling the car to a stop when I first got the car. The ride is fair in comfort and seems to soften things out well for a car like this. Never smooth it is however usable daily if you have experience of cars like this. The stiffer settings are really for billiard table smooth surfaces and the comfort damper setting is better for most roads.
The DCT gearbox is fast and smooth and snaps the gears in when in Sport + or Race mode. In comfort it is lovely and smooth, just like the R8 was, and gear changes just happen with no fuss or fanfare. Open the baffles on the exhaust however and it becomes an absolute animal with massive cracks and bangs are lift off and when changing down. Very naughty and smile inducing. I found myself, like I did in the R8, putting the gearbox into manual mode and changing using the paddles. Again like the R8 it won't change up if you hit the limiter, just kills the power like a manual car.
I have pushed it a little but nothing serious. I will be taking it to Spa and the Ring in the coming months (when allowed) and have Spa and the Ring booked for closed sessions in May, but likely to push to June in current climate. The steering is incredibly sharp and I can see how this car can pull serious lap times. On this front it is a different league to the R8, just much sharper on the nose.
Dislikes are the HiFi which is average, slow speed (5mph moving around type speeds) full lock is proving to give me some shove like my R8/RS4 did, tyre slipping and that I will investigate as "they all do that mate" is not acceptable, think that can be dialled out with pressures/camber. When up to temp, for a little bit today, I can confirm the cups are superb. However, get the damp or mucky roads and the back does like to move around, though I have not found that lairy at all really...so far. It seems to wiggle, settle in and go. Few rattles (all minor, such as harness on roll cage) and need to set up some of the media stuff, but so far I am loving it.
Associate
Absolutely stunning. I've missed your posts Housey, hope you're well.
I keep banging on about it but there is no substitute for a good band of torque which starts low in the range (mind you there is no substitute for driving skill if the car isn't forgiving with putting it down).
Soldato
With respect to the Burmester sound system, are you playing it over Bluetooth or a wired connection? If it’s Bluetooth, try using a wired connection as I’ve seen reviews saying Bluetooth connections are disappointing.
I’m always surprised how good the throttle response is for a turbo engine on those v8s
I’m always surprised how good the throttle response is for a turbo engine on those v8s
Thanks I’ll give that a try
Bluetooth connections are noticeably degraded over a wired connection in my cars (BMW, and Mercedes). I'd definitely not be showcasing any system over Bluetooth, so hopefully that is the concern there.
No pre facelift 2018 for that reason. Didn’t want a facelift car.
Out of interest, what's the warranty situation with these? Do Merc do reasonable extensions? IIRC you had a gearbox issue with the R8 that would have been brown trousers without one, did you keep it under warranty until now?
There's so many good super cars in that 80-100k bracket now, but the GTR must offer the most performance & usability I think. Decent boot and can be GT like when you want it to be.
There's so many good super cars in that 80-100k bracket now, but the GTR must offer the most performance & usability I think. Decent boot and can be GT like when you want it to be.
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wow lovely big home too by the looks of it.
winning.
winning.