Driving by car:Meanwhile I have about 25,000 km driven by car. The handling is predictable and steady course, and this is really little to criticize. What was especially noticeable after the transfer of the Ford Focus to the Gulf was lighter steering and less good idea to feel what is happening beneath the front wheels. Also sends the Gulf also less direct and the car has a larger turning radius than a Ford Focus. Another big difference is the damping of the car. Focus where I rarely hit the ground with the front bumper is done in the Gulf in a pit or a regular threshold. This will also have to deal with the front of the Gulf also lower in the road than the Focus.
Although on paper the two cars look similar motor is in practice a world of difference. Both cars have almost 110HP but the horses are very different put in motion. I think this is partly caused by the gear ratios of the gearbox. If I disregard it becomes apparent that the Volkswagen very smooth (almost like a spirit) by the tour runs between 850 and 4000 rpm. Thereafter, the cake on. The point is that the Ford's first 1250 RPM the engine hesitates a bit before then smoothly and evenly through to 4500 rpm. What is striking about the Golf is that it feels like the engine and squeezed it to be much more capable. In reality of course also true for the same engine also comes with a power of 170HP.
In the attempt of this Volkswagen Golf as environmentally friendly as possible in my opinion they are a little too far from beaten. Ok, the CO2 emissions to 119 grams per kilometer driven low but not low enough for the 20% category addition. They have this in my view, achieved primarily through the fourth and fifth gears very long to make. For a really smooth overtaking maneuver is therefore often a need or sometimes two gears to shift. Both the cars turn otherwise very accurate. In addition, they fit standard tires with low rolling resistance is achieved which helps them to pump up to 2.5 bar. This is my opinion too much because when braking at high speed the car is very nimble. For my work I come regularly in Germany and for my own safety, the tire thus reduced to a more normal value of 2.1 bar. This slows down the car a lot more confident.
The other unavoidable problem with tires with low rolling resistance is the way they react as soon as the road is wet. The grip is considerably less and the braking distance is considerably longer. Which of course makes sense is explained to be able to have a lot of braking resistor. The problem with bad brakes is not present when the tires are mounted which are not intended to give a lower rolling resistance. When the summer tires need replacing, I will ask to mount regular tires (although some of the technique will be incorporated therein). So no Contacts or ECO Energy Savers. Both of these tires achieve the low rolling resistance by using grooves in the longitudinal grooves and little in the width direction so I feel that the water longer between the tire and the road continues and eventually less grip. (Of course, these tires and the pressure effect on the car but this does not adversely affect my opinion about this car because these effects are easy to apply.)
Now I am again sitting up 63,000 km since the opening of the car. For the most part, my opinion on the car remained the same as previously written. However, what must be reported is that the car during this period a very reliable impression. He is certainly not spared with some regularity are driven very long distances at very high speeds. Furthermore, it does not seem to bother you or the mountains in a busy city, or an empty highway driving in traffic as if everything is the most normal thing in the world. This has a positive impact on the overall picture of this car.
