fishpick
Well-Known Member
- Thread starter
- #1
In keeping with my other reviews of this car - it's time for the 1000 mile review (even tho I'm at 1100 and climbing).
I discovered the other day the car has a radio... I then shut it off to listen to the exhaust.
Which - the toggle for exhaust modes really is nice - the ability to go into the quiet mode fast when there's lots of men in blue is nice - here in NY - that matters...
I have said this before - I'm from a manual C7 Z... At this point, from my experience with this car - categorically anyone who complains about the lack of a stick to tug on to make things go is out of their mind (explicit double entendre right there for people who can read). I bought this car solely on the promise of the DCT - and it is absolutely friggin amazing. Hammer down and WOT - you only know shes working because of the sound and the digital cluster showing RPM's a changin... there's no interruption of the pull - torque feels constant. Several passengers have said they wanted to go again but blindfolded and with ear plugs to see if you actually tell when the car shifts - it pulls that smoothly (TWSS).
And the more I drive it in manual mode flipping the paddles - the less and less I miss the 3rd pedal. Like - I don't at all anymore - none. You have so much more control over the car and the behaviors with the physical clutches in a DCT than you ever could with a torque converter auto. There's "shifting tricks" with the paddles you can use to precisely execute a burble, a grumble and even a nice loud popping backfire - on demand. The thing is so damn predicable but also it does not feel like it will be. What I mean by that is - predictability breeds a level of comfort - which breeds boring... ask some old married guy about what goes down whenever he has sexy time with his wife - you will see... This car, while predictable, makes you FEEL like it's not going to be. It's very much a drivers car. And that is probably why so many people love this damn thing - it is very different than other cars!
Now - I'm not going to say it's all absolutely perfect tho. I have noticed several times on different road conditions under really hard acceleration the back half feels very "floaty". This is without the tires breaking out - no traction lights blinking - so I'm still talking about a legit hard go of it - not something breaking free, not wheel hop - the rear feels like it's not completely grounded. Not out of control - just like it "swishes" a little to the side when you press it hard. Like a gentleman in linnen capris on a hot summer night, on the way to the bar for another spritzer... just a subtle swish... The rear has never broken (the car not the spritzer gent) out and it does not feel like it wants to come around... but it is enough of a sensation my wife "does not like that" - and it makes me become extra aware of what's going on in that moment. I'm actually very interested to see / feel this at Track Attack next month. I know this car has a very solid reputation on the track and that type acceleration is super common exiting a turn... so it's probably just a characteristic of the car - but it's notable for a car that is so planted and capable in the turns otherwise. My "hunch" is it's probably the rubber bushings throughout the IRS "deforming" a bit like jello under the rocket ship load - but it's very real and very there... it could also be just some sort of inconsitency on the roads where it happens that casues the sensation / makes the rear more likely to "float" as well... All that said - it is predictable, repeatable and hasn't tried to go beyond feeling "floaty" or "greasy".
Then there's the interior... The rattles and squeaks have been breeding. Passenger door, center console, radio / touch screen bezel, something in the rear B pillar, that stupid eject-able "tray" to the left of the steering wheel... so many squeaks and rattles. And MOST of them really sing when the exhaust is in Track mode. I think the car is trying to rattle itself apart at times. So I have gotten good with my interior trim tool, panel and part popping and pieces of tape and otehr random foamy things behind panels and near clips to start and game of hide and seek with the sounds. Sometimes I think I'm winning, sometimes I think I'm Charlie Sheen... I know "its a Mustang" - but - wow.
The brake dust is an ongoing battle just like it was with my C7 and the Brembos (yeah - look at the poor dude whining about race car problems when he buys a race car - I get it)... but this car might even be worse. I'll probably hunt for a set of replacements (be it PowerStop or Hawk or whoever) like I did for street driving with the C7 just because I'll give a few feet more street stopping since I'm not at insane speeds to not have to hose the damn wheels off every trip (I don't really care - the wife like the car nice and shiny tho, so I actually really do care second hand). I'll also probably get Carbotechs for the track - since the C7 ate through the stock Bremobs at Watkins really fast and thing thing weighs a lot more. But I'm not doing any of that until Track Attack let me see track behaviors...
1000 miles - oil consumption is non existent. That's a cool feature right there. Gotta save the decayed dinosaurs for gas!
Only other complaint is the fuel tank. This thing goes down on me faster than a... (dirty mind you) - Small gas tank! every single fill up - get back in the car, start it - and it says 205 miles until empty. That's a big ole Whisky Tango Foxtrot. Not a single electric car made today has a shittier range. I think my Kubota goes farther. I'd say it's a small price to pay - but the last fill up was $48... I mean - I get it - race car problems again... and I don't care if it's $100 per fill up - but not every 200 miles between bills yo.
Bottom line : The car is a delight - I'm thrilled I purchased one (and that I was able to take delivery before the shutdowns). The small issues I have with the car are just that - small issues. They are what they are and I think any car - even hyper cars I can't afford with all the wealth I have had in my life all at one time - they too will have a list of "some small things". I can tell you every time I get to drive the car - it makes me smile. It's so much more a driving experience than the C7 was - and I loved that car. I don't think this car turns as many heads as the more exotic looking C7 did (in the paint scheme I had) BUT - when this does turn a head - it turns one all the way around. The number of people who have seen this car, done a double take, realized it's a GT500 and then snapped their head off trying to get a good look - that's been a lot of fun. Car people recognize this for what it is - and that too is fun.
It's that last point... IMHO the GT500 vs a C7 Z - the GT500 just looks, from a silhouette perspective more like a "sedan" - mind you I love the GT500's profile - this is not ragging on it - but to the average eye - it's more "car" and the C7 is more "sports car"... and in the C7 I had lots of people who would pull up next to me at the light and "want to try me"... I swear - I get more people wanting to do that with this car - and more people who really TRY to get me going... very unexpected TBH. I'm not complaining either... but some people might not like that... they might find it uncomfortable to have to take so many kids to Gapplebees when you are just trying to go to the store... but it's ok - they eat for free there.
In terms of driving the 2 - this car is just measurable orders of magnitude more fun to drive. Yes, no 3rd pedal now - but the manual mode and paddles is more fun that rowing gears ever was TBH. I miss the HUD of the C7 - and that's really pretty much it.
Up next for me - an oil change on the lift in the barn... and finally installing my Caliperflexion doohickies.
I discovered the other day the car has a radio... I then shut it off to listen to the exhaust.
Which - the toggle for exhaust modes really is nice - the ability to go into the quiet mode fast when there's lots of men in blue is nice - here in NY - that matters...
I have said this before - I'm from a manual C7 Z... At this point, from my experience with this car - categorically anyone who complains about the lack of a stick to tug on to make things go is out of their mind (explicit double entendre right there for people who can read). I bought this car solely on the promise of the DCT - and it is absolutely friggin amazing. Hammer down and WOT - you only know shes working because of the sound and the digital cluster showing RPM's a changin... there's no interruption of the pull - torque feels constant. Several passengers have said they wanted to go again but blindfolded and with ear plugs to see if you actually tell when the car shifts - it pulls that smoothly (TWSS).
And the more I drive it in manual mode flipping the paddles - the less and less I miss the 3rd pedal. Like - I don't at all anymore - none. You have so much more control over the car and the behaviors with the physical clutches in a DCT than you ever could with a torque converter auto. There's "shifting tricks" with the paddles you can use to precisely execute a burble, a grumble and even a nice loud popping backfire - on demand. The thing is so damn predicable but also it does not feel like it will be. What I mean by that is - predictability breeds a level of comfort - which breeds boring... ask some old married guy about what goes down whenever he has sexy time with his wife - you will see... This car, while predictable, makes you FEEL like it's not going to be. It's very much a drivers car. And that is probably why so many people love this damn thing - it is very different than other cars!
Now - I'm not going to say it's all absolutely perfect tho. I have noticed several times on different road conditions under really hard acceleration the back half feels very "floaty". This is without the tires breaking out - no traction lights blinking - so I'm still talking about a legit hard go of it - not something breaking free, not wheel hop - the rear feels like it's not completely grounded. Not out of control - just like it "swishes" a little to the side when you press it hard. Like a gentleman in linnen capris on a hot summer night, on the way to the bar for another spritzer... just a subtle swish... The rear has never broken (the car not the spritzer gent) out and it does not feel like it wants to come around... but it is enough of a sensation my wife "does not like that" - and it makes me become extra aware of what's going on in that moment. I'm actually very interested to see / feel this at Track Attack next month. I know this car has a very solid reputation on the track and that type acceleration is super common exiting a turn... so it's probably just a characteristic of the car - but it's notable for a car that is so planted and capable in the turns otherwise. My "hunch" is it's probably the rubber bushings throughout the IRS "deforming" a bit like jello under the rocket ship load - but it's very real and very there... it could also be just some sort of inconsitency on the roads where it happens that casues the sensation / makes the rear more likely to "float" as well... All that said - it is predictable, repeatable and hasn't tried to go beyond feeling "floaty" or "greasy".
Then there's the interior... The rattles and squeaks have been breeding. Passenger door, center console, radio / touch screen bezel, something in the rear B pillar, that stupid eject-able "tray" to the left of the steering wheel... so many squeaks and rattles. And MOST of them really sing when the exhaust is in Track mode. I think the car is trying to rattle itself apart at times. So I have gotten good with my interior trim tool, panel and part popping and pieces of tape and otehr random foamy things behind panels and near clips to start and game of hide and seek with the sounds. Sometimes I think I'm winning, sometimes I think I'm Charlie Sheen... I know "its a Mustang" - but - wow.
The brake dust is an ongoing battle just like it was with my C7 and the Brembos (yeah - look at the poor dude whining about race car problems when he buys a race car - I get it)... but this car might even be worse. I'll probably hunt for a set of replacements (be it PowerStop or Hawk or whoever) like I did for street driving with the C7 just because I'll give a few feet more street stopping since I'm not at insane speeds to not have to hose the damn wheels off every trip (I don't really care - the wife like the car nice and shiny tho, so I actually really do care second hand). I'll also probably get Carbotechs for the track - since the C7 ate through the stock Bremobs at Watkins really fast and thing thing weighs a lot more. But I'm not doing any of that until Track Attack let me see track behaviors...
1000 miles - oil consumption is non existent. That's a cool feature right there. Gotta save the decayed dinosaurs for gas!
Only other complaint is the fuel tank. This thing goes down on me faster than a... (dirty mind you) - Small gas tank! every single fill up - get back in the car, start it - and it says 205 miles until empty. That's a big ole Whisky Tango Foxtrot. Not a single electric car made today has a shittier range. I think my Kubota goes farther. I'd say it's a small price to pay - but the last fill up was $48... I mean - I get it - race car problems again... and I don't care if it's $100 per fill up - but not every 200 miles between bills yo.
Bottom line : The car is a delight - I'm thrilled I purchased one (and that I was able to take delivery before the shutdowns). The small issues I have with the car are just that - small issues. They are what they are and I think any car - even hyper cars I can't afford with all the wealth I have had in my life all at one time - they too will have a list of "some small things". I can tell you every time I get to drive the car - it makes me smile. It's so much more a driving experience than the C7 was - and I loved that car. I don't think this car turns as many heads as the more exotic looking C7 did (in the paint scheme I had) BUT - when this does turn a head - it turns one all the way around. The number of people who have seen this car, done a double take, realized it's a GT500 and then snapped their head off trying to get a good look - that's been a lot of fun. Car people recognize this for what it is - and that too is fun.
It's that last point... IMHO the GT500 vs a C7 Z - the GT500 just looks, from a silhouette perspective more like a "sedan" - mind you I love the GT500's profile - this is not ragging on it - but to the average eye - it's more "car" and the C7 is more "sports car"... and in the C7 I had lots of people who would pull up next to me at the light and "want to try me"... I swear - I get more people wanting to do that with this car - and more people who really TRY to get me going... very unexpected TBH. I'm not complaining either... but some people might not like that... they might find it uncomfortable to have to take so many kids to Gapplebees when you are just trying to go to the store... but it's ok - they eat for free there.
In terms of driving the 2 - this car is just measurable orders of magnitude more fun to drive. Yes, no 3rd pedal now - but the manual mode and paddles is more fun that rowing gears ever was TBH. I miss the HUD of the C7 - and that's really pretty much it.
Up next for me - an oil change on the lift in the barn... and finally installing my Caliperflexion doohickies.
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