In the coming spring I am planning on upgrading my 2002 P5 to a new car. Currently at the top of my list is the 2015 3iGT 6MT, so I took a test drive of a 2014 i sedan with a friend. Overall it was pretty similar in terms of my driving dynamics to my P5, but there were two things that really bugged me about the car. I'm hoping you guys can convince me that these are not deal breakers for the 3.
The first was when downshifting, the amount of throttle I had to give seemed like a lot, like 25% throttle input. Just seemed there was no throttle response at all at low throttle inputs. I'm thinking that because this was a brand new car, like 26 miles on the clock, the ECU hadn't learned to give more throttle response with only 5% input. Can anyone confirm that this would get better with driving the car?
The second, larger issue I have is with the tachometer. I found it to be small, difficult to read, and low resolution. Looking through the different trims, I see that the 3s trims have a beautiful, giant analog tach, that isnt available on the i trims. Thats a shame to me because the 3i would be a lock to me with that tach, and knowing that it exists almost makes me not want the car at all. I do realize that it may sound picky, but it is one of those details that are important to me. The drop in the MPGs is what causes me to hesitate moving up to the s trims. I average about 80 miles a work day and currently get 30 MPG a tank on my P5. An 8-10 MPG bump from the 3i I see as significant but a 4-5 MPG increase from the 3s Im not sure it is worth it. Assuming a $3.50/gallon gas price and averages of 39 MPG for the 3i and 34 MPG for the 3s would work out to paying $132 more per 10,000 miles, plus a $1000-$2000 price increase for the higher trims.
The other cars I've been considering, but haven't really looked hard at yet are the Focus 5 door, Jetta Sport Wagon, and the Lexus CT. I don't like that the Focus has a lower MPG (same as the 3s) with a 5-speed for the same price, the Jetta wagon is more expensive and just looks boring, and the CT is considerably more expensive for a DD and auto only. Unfortunately in the US market low cost, high MPG hatches with manual transmissions are a rare breed. I'm open to any other suggestions to similar cars.
The first was when downshifting, the amount of throttle I had to give seemed like a lot, like 25% throttle input. Just seemed there was no throttle response at all at low throttle inputs. I'm thinking that because this was a brand new car, like 26 miles on the clock, the ECU hadn't learned to give more throttle response with only 5% input. Can anyone confirm that this would get better with driving the car?
The second, larger issue I have is with the tachometer. I found it to be small, difficult to read, and low resolution. Looking through the different trims, I see that the 3s trims have a beautiful, giant analog tach, that isnt available on the i trims. Thats a shame to me because the 3i would be a lock to me with that tach, and knowing that it exists almost makes me not want the car at all. I do realize that it may sound picky, but it is one of those details that are important to me. The drop in the MPGs is what causes me to hesitate moving up to the s trims. I average about 80 miles a work day and currently get 30 MPG a tank on my P5. An 8-10 MPG bump from the 3i I see as significant but a 4-5 MPG increase from the 3s Im not sure it is worth it. Assuming a $3.50/gallon gas price and averages of 39 MPG for the 3i and 34 MPG for the 3s would work out to paying $132 more per 10,000 miles, plus a $1000-$2000 price increase for the higher trims.
The other cars I've been considering, but haven't really looked hard at yet are the Focus 5 door, Jetta Sport Wagon, and the Lexus CT. I don't like that the Focus has a lower MPG (same as the 3s) with a 5-speed for the same price, the Jetta wagon is more expensive and just looks boring, and the CT is considerably more expensive for a DD and auto only. Unfortunately in the US market low cost, high MPG hatches with manual transmissions are a rare breed. I'm open to any other suggestions to similar cars.
