Features we tend to take for granted

[VW Convert]

Driving a Corolla as I am at the moment due to the demise of the Jetta has made me aware of the things we tend to take for granted in our VWs, for example:-

Automatic rear mirror dimming when a car behind has poorly adjusted lights. I’ve never really noticed this in operation but now I don’t have it, I realise how well it works. Driving the Corolla I’ve noticed many cars with badly adjusted headlights following me in the last few days.

The smooth and continuous power delivery of the 2.0 TFSI engine. The Corolla really is lacking in this department, I find I have to pedal much harder and even then it is pretty slow. The car has an additional brake facility too, it is called the air con switch, turn it on whilst moving and you almost go through the windscreen, it sucks out an enormous amount of power.

The fantastic performance of the DSG transmission, it really is different to a conventional automatic. Seamless virtually instantaneous changes Vs slow and jerky changes.

The incredible combination of the engine and gearbox, the VW just surges away, the Toyota accelerates off the line OK but just dies when it hits second gear as if you’ve fallen into a big hole. Increasing pressure on the throttle does nothing, it just drones away, increasing pressure some more, same result, eventually with enough throttle pressure it will throw itself back to first at redline revs!

Fuel consumption, I topped the Corolla up yesterday, it is using about 10 litres/100 KM which in similar usage conditions is about the same as the Jetta. Admittedly it is running on 91 octane so fuel costs are lower but I really would have anticipated better fuel consumption from a small car such as this with limited performance. It's the old story, you have to push it hard to get it going whereas with the Jetta light throttle achieves the same or better results.

Rattles and squeaks, I’ve seen plenty of posts about these in MK Vs but mine just didn’t have any. Let me assure you, this Toyota (with 16,000 KM on the clock) has rattles galore, it drives me nuts.

Climate control air con, I’ve become used to setting and forgetting, having to manually adjust temperature and fan speeds is something I never do any more.

I could probably write a book on this subject and before you all point out to me that I’m comparing against a car that is a fraction of the price, the point I’m making is not that the VW is better than the Toyota (even though it obviously is) rather that we become so used to the features that we tend to forget that they are there. When we get into a lesser car the benefits of those features just become so obvious.


Cheers

George

[Rocket36]

The VW mirror dims normal headlights mate, not just poorly adjusted ones. You aren't seeing a whole lot of cars with poorly adjusted headlights, you're just seeing them at full brightness. Also did you have tinted windows and does the Crapolla?

[Whubbsie]

stacked my car yesterday, already missing it. Driving a rented X-trail... completly gutless and the useless cvt transmission thing doesn't help at all, car just revs like crazy but goes nowhere whole car feels like it's made out of plastic...hate it.

[CatonaPC©]

Precisely what Corolla model year are we talking about here? And what caused the demised of the Jetta?

[Treza360]

The VW mirror dims normal headlights mate, not just poorly adjusted ones. You aren't seeing a whole lot of cars with poorly adjusted headlights, you're just seeing them at full brightness. Also did you have tinted windows and does the Crapolla?
What you're forgetting though is that during the day people still drive with their headlights on and during these conditions it shouldn't cause a problem with glare in your rear vision mirror. However if their lights are poorly aligned they will be shining directly and will dazzle you. But at least it will make a significant difference.

Also the auto-dimming mirrors work quite well at night with normal headlights, however if someone has their high beams on or a fully sick bro with his unaligned super whites comes up behind you the auto-dimming feature will do bugger all for you. But at least it will make a significant difference.

I go from my car to a pov pack one tonner tray back work ute quite often and there's so many things that you miss. Always such a pleasure to get back into something that is refined, comfortable and had some brains used in it when it was designed and made.

Cheers,
Trent

[greasykitchen]

Most headlights are poorly aligned I find.

What I take for granted: the simplicity and functionality. I get by with no frills and find it amusing when people go crazy for options and features that I can easily live without.

Oh, and by the way, I drive a MK1 golf (sheer luxury after my previous car, a '72 beetle).

[dubbed]

Comparing my 2000 Golf to a friend's 2002/3 Corolla, the first thing I notice is the 'tin/hollow' sounding doors when you open and close them. Then there's the difference in interior plastics... Obviously there's loads of other things but they're very different cars. In saying that though, he has done fractionally more kms than mine and hasn't really spent a dime on it - unlike mine with timing belt, water pump, MAF, coolant sensor etc. It's worth it though :) Oh, and the VW silver is something else next to the Toyota silver.

Any other Asian small car I've been in doesn't compare - i.e. I was surprised how flimsy and flat the back seat of a late model Mazda3 is, granted I have a GTI so can't compare to a Golf SE for example.

In contrast, my mum's 2003/4 Focus rides very smoothly with excellent handling (stock height and all) but there is a heap of tyre noise, the interior is crappy, and the doors sound much the same as the Corolla. I remember reading an article about a Ford boss who said one of his most remarkable achievements was the early 2000 Focus, but if he could change one thing it would be to have an interior that could rival the same generation Golf.

[pixl]

Yeah, the auto sensing rear and side mirror is awesome. The Eos has so many features that make it just that much better. Makes me wonder why a top end Polo doesn't have some of these features. If nothing else, at least have them as options.


stacked my car yesterday, already missing it

**** dude, it it bad? Was it the Polo or the Golf? (please please please, not your sweet Polo)

EDIT: Nevermind, just saw the pics :(

[anthony]

We are very spoilt by the FEEL of our cars...
Whenever I drive my Parents Corolla,the 2 things that I miss most about my Jetta are the Automatic headlights,and wipers...strange what we get used to...
I hope you get another Jetta,or any other VW product.
The Jetta just doed it for me the most in the VW range...fantastic cars...

[maca]

I reckon I could live without the auto headlights, wipers and mirror.

One thing I would struggle without is the auto-dipping side mirror!

[Jarred]

Most headlights are poorly aligned I find.

What I take for granted: the simplicity and functionality. I get by with no frills and find it amusing when people go crazy for options and features that I can easily live without.

Oh, and by the way, I drive a MK1 golf (sheer luxury after my previous car, a '72 beetle).

yea, motor at it's simplest. and sometimes I reckon it's best.

on the headlight issue. I wish VW had made auto dimming rearview mirrors back in the 70's. it's seems every car's headlights are shining right through the back window directly onto my rear vision mirror - probably cause they are, but regardless.

[AusScare]

Went from driving my mk2 Golf to mums '03 Forester. LOVE the gearbox/clutch/steering/comfort/pwr windows/remote central locking on this wagon. Even though it lacks character, it's definitely hard to ignore these luxuries.

Next car (arriving later today) will have all these things.

[VW Convert]

Precisely what Corolla model year are we talking about here? And what caused the demised of the Jetta?

Hi Rick,

We are talking the current model Corolla with 16,000 KM on the clock. The demise of the Jetta is described in this thread.

http://www.vwwatercooled.org.au/newforum/upload/showthread.php?p=367949#post367949

Cheers

George

[VW Convert]

We are very spoilt by the FEEL of our cars...
Whenever I drive my Parents Corolla,the 2 things that I miss most about my Jetta are the Automatic headlights,and wipers...strange what we get used to...
I hope you get another Jetta,or any other VW product.
The Jetta just doed it for me the most in the VW range...fantastic cars...

Definitely thinking VAG, perhaps Eos...maybe another Jetta? Many people (non VAG owners) have told me I should get a Passat CC, not my cup of tea but apparently getting people's attention...I don't really know yet. I've got used to all the features you mentioned, maybe I'm spoilt!

Can't help but agree about the Jetta......I can't reiterate enough how impressed I was with mine...absolutely great car and definitely a possibility to buy another one.

Cheers

George

[VW Convert]

The VW mirror dims normal headlights mate, not just poorly adjusted ones. You aren't seeing a whole lot of cars with poorly adjusted headlights, you're just seeing them at full brightness. Also did you have tinted windows and does the Crapolla?

Rocket,

I've bitten my tongue many times in recent months when reading your posts but the time comes to say enough. Of late, some of your posts have indicated that perhaps you were starting to understand something about expressing a point of view without insulting other members but then you relapse into your old ways and in this case I feel insulted at your assertions.

Once again you've missed the point and are making statements as if they are facts when they are nothing more than your opinion. I'm smart enough and experienced enough to know poorly adjusted headlights when I see them. Unless I'm mistaken and you are the invisible man, you were not there at the time so you have absolutely no idea whether the headlights I'm referring to were maladjusted or not.

The point I was making and that you seem to have missed is that I have to manually adjust the Corolla mirror whereas with the Jetta it was automatic. This is just one of the features I was pointing out that we tend to take for granted.

Perhaps time for you to step back and instead of lecturing other contributors about situations of which you have no first hand knowledge for you to realise that you are not the font of all knowledge and not everybody else on this forum is a dill.

Cheers

George

[Rocket36]

Pfffft... Take it how you want. I didn't set out to insult you, or anyone for that matter. I interpretted something and commented on it. If I was wrong, I was wrong. I don't care. Doesn't mean I'm not entitled to say what I think at the time - everyone else does. I didn't miss any point anyone was trying to make. I simply commented on what I read based on my interpretation of what I read. Seems my interpretation was wrong, just like yours was (since you some how ended up insulted).

And there's nowhere at all I have ever stated I am "the font of all knowledge" and that "everybody else on this forum is a dill". I don't even know what a dill is - isn't is some sort of spice? Anyway, I have so much to learn about so many things which is part why I take part in forums like this. If people take things I say personally when they shouldn't that's not my problem. Chin up mate!

Cheers!

[edit]PS - biting your tongue is a waste of time... if i say something you think is wrong, let me know as you have done this time (or even pm me if ya like) - much better for everyone to clear the air. :)

[AusScare]

Yea dude chill, rocket made a pretty basic comment, if he was wrong about the lights there's no need to blow up about it.

[mikinoz]

I find the coming home light feature really handy compared to other cars I drive without it.

My favourite feature when I got the car was the rear wiper coming on when the auto sensing wipers were activated and I selected reverse. Since then sometimes it activates when there is no water on the rear screen that then leads to the ugly scrape sound.

[Mrk_Mickey]

These features all have their ups and downs. I don't really have any, being in a mk3, but I tell you now it's much nicer jumping into my car after being in a similar-aged car that doesn't have the 1995 luxuries... even if I do get all sorts of clunking and knocking because of mystery mk3 stuff! :D

[Ben_GTI]

Yeah, the auto sensing rear and side mirror is awesome. ...... Makes me wonder why a top end Polo doesn't have some of these features.

Some say that is because Polo's are that fast headlights are mere specs in the distance..... Some say that it wouldn't worry polo drivers because they don't have eyes, rely purely on echo location. All we know is they don't come with those cool mirrors lol.

[static1800]

Agree 100% :)

Thought you would be used to that by now? i've had to put up with that for years, it's called lowered mk1 or mk2 ownership :D


yea, motor at it's simplest. and sometimes I reckon it's best.

on the headlight issue. I wish VW had made auto dimming rearview mirrors back in the 70's. it's seems every car's headlights are shining right through the back window directly onto my rear vision mirror - probably cause they are, but regardless.

[greasykitchen]

Agree 100% :)

Thought you would be used to that by now? i've had to put up with that for years, it's called lowered mk1 or mk2 ownership :D

It doesn't even have to be lowered, it's just that a MK1 is small, esp compared to 4WDs whose lights tend to want to shine in all three mirrors at once... :eek:

[jettatfsi]

George!

Long time no hear!
The Jetta's written off?? serious..
i have to say i feel that same about the jetta. after selling it off im considering buying another, i just miss the practicality of the jetta and all the great features and drivability.

ha maybe we can both buy one together to try to negotiate a better deal.





Driving a Corolla as I am at the moment due to the demise of the Jetta has made me aware of the things we tend to take for granted in our VWs, for example:-

Automatic rear mirror dimming when a car behind has poorly adjusted lights. I’ve never really noticed this in operation but now I don’t have it, I realise how well it works. Driving the Corolla I’ve noticed many cars with badly adjusted headlights following me in the last few days.

The smooth and continuous power delivery of the 2.0 TFSI engine. The Corolla really is lacking in this department, I find I have to pedal much harder and even then it is pretty slow. The car has an additional brake facility too, it is called the air con switch, turn it on whilst moving and you almost go through the windscreen, it sucks out an enormous amount of power.

The fantastic performance of the DSG transmission, it really is different to a conventional automatic. Seamless virtually instantaneous changes Vs slow and jerky changes.

The incredible combination of the engine and gearbox, the VW just surges away, the Toyota accelerates off the line OK but just dies when it hits second gear as if you’ve fallen into a big hole. Increasing pressure on the throttle does nothing, it just drones away, increasing pressure some more, same result, eventually with enough throttle pressure it will throw itself back to first at redline revs!

Fuel consumption, I topped the Corolla up yesterday, it is using about 10 litres/100 KM which in similar usage conditions is about the same as the Jetta. Admittedly it is running on 91 octane so fuel costs are lower but I really would have anticipated better fuel consumption from a small car such as this with limited performance. It's the old story, you have to push it hard to get it going whereas with the Jetta light throttle achieves the same or better results.

Rattles and squeaks, I’ve seen plenty of posts about these in MK Vs but mine just didn’t have any. Let me assure you, this Toyota (with 16,000 KM on the clock) has rattles galore, it drives me nuts.

Climate control air con, I’ve become used to setting and forgetting, having to manually adjust temperature and fan speeds is something I never do any more.

I could probably write a book on this subject and before you all point out to me that I’m comparing against a car that is a fraction of the price, the point I’m making is not that the VW is better than the Toyota (even though it obviously is) rather that we become so used to the features that we tend to forget that they are there. When we get into a lesser car the benefits of those features just become so obvious.


Cheers

George

[VW Convert]

George!

Long time no hear!
The Jetta's written off?? serious..
i have to say i feel that same about the jetta. after selling it off im considering buying another, i just miss the practicality of the jetta and all the great features and drivability.

ha maybe we can both buy one together to try to negotiate a better deal.

Hi Tim,

Nice to hear from you, thought you were a happy BMW driver these days!

Yes, the Jetta is a write off, hit from the rear by a Lexus after I braked extremely hard to avoid a halfwit in a BMW doing an illegal u turn. Wasn't you by any chance was it? LOL Second major smash I had in six months at the same intersection!

If you are thinking about a new VW perhaps we could team up although TBH the thought of late model second hand instead of new has crossed my mind although I haven't really looked closely yet. Seems there are some cheap cars around at the moment.

I'm off overseas for 4 1/2 weeks on Tuesday so no time to go car hunting, if you want to team up to shop for a deal and can wait that long, PM me and we can have a chat when I get back.

Cheers

George

[maca]

I find the coming home light feature really handy compared to other cars I drive without it.

My favourite feature when I got the car was the rear wiper coming on when the auto sensing wipers were activated and I selected reverse. Since then sometimes it activates when there is no water on the rear screen that then leads to the ugly scrape sound.
I agree.. But I'm so sick of people telling me I've left my lights on I sometime deactivate that feature..

[pixl]

Some say that is because Polo's are that fast headlights are mere specs in the distance..... Some say that it wouldn't worry polo drivers because they don't have eyes, rely purely on echo location. All we know is they don't come with those cool mirrors lol.

Be that as it may; the coming home feature would be nice.

Polo drivers are bats ... or dolphins

[Ben_GTI]

Polo drivers are bats ... or dolphins

Well Dolphins are commonly noted as the only other creatures that have sex for pleasure, so I know which kind of Polo driver I am hahaha.

I'm sure all these features would be easy to fit into a GTI from the factory, particularly when overseas models come with them. If I had to pay an extra $600 for auto-dim mirrors I would. I guess whoever makes these decisions isn't the brightest minded person.

[HOLEIN1]

what about that little mini sun visor that sits between the main two visors, sort of on the overhead centre console...???

came in handy the other day, and was an absolute godsend! the afternoon sun was at just the right angle to poke me in the eye... a quick flip and she was apples!

:)

[blutopless2]

i mostly drive a jetta on a daily basis, and sometimes drive a polo gti.
certainly notice the slight differences between the two cars. used to think steering wheel controls were a bit of a wank..... that was before i got my jetta, now its annoying when i step in the polo and go to adjust the stereo volume on the steering wheel... :duh:
but i have to say... god i love the manual gbox in the gti! :driver: