And to whoever said it wouldn't be as big an upgrade as I thought... sorry, but you're horribly mistaken.
The 220 is a totally different car to the 214. It pulls in every gear, right upto 3/4 around the speedo (I ran out of bottle)!
Going up a steep incline after a right turn at a set of lights (setting off from standstill) the 214 used to struggle so much in 2nd gear. I tried it in the GSi, and it shocked me... it didn't just get up the hill without making a fuss, but it picked up speed probably as quick as the 214 did in 1st gear!
Then there's the on-road performance. I don't know what to say. I don't think I've stopped grinning yet! It gets to 60 effortlessly and will then keep on pulling right through to 110mph... I chickened out there. This car is horrible to drive at the speed limits as it can do so much more so easily.
Off the mark, it's great. I wasn't racing intentionally, just seeing how quickly the cars in my rear view mirror disappeared. All I'll say is, it's a very understated car. If you're in 2nd or 3rd gear in traffic sat at something like 1500rpm and put your foot down, it picks up speed brilliantly.
I was on a motorway sliproad behind a white van in the inside lane doing 25-30. I think I was in 2nd gear, moved over into the outside lane and the next time I looked at the speedo, I was doing 70mph. 3rd gear in this car is like 2nd in the 214.
I love this car! I never thought it'd be this much of an improvement. The GSi has uprated suspension as standard and you can tell that in the body roll of the car. It felt really planted and firm. I didn't feel safe pushing it too hard around bends though and the brakes don't seem as responsive as I'd hoped, but I'm sure I'll get used to the pedal.
The gearbox isn't as notchy as the one in the K, but it's still pretty nasty. It whines too, so while it makes the car sound like it has a supercharger it'll need looking at in the future.
Couple of problems so far... first, the radiator is in quite bad shape, but I knew that anyway. It isn't leaking yet, but with the beating it'll get at the MM, it's going to need replacing. Also, the keyfobs didn't seem to work very well. I drove the car home and had to really mess about trying to get it to lock. When it wouldn't unlock (if you unlock with the key the immobiliser is still activated) I crapped myself and had to unlock with the key. Cue 5 minutes of waving the fobs around trying to get it to start. Eventually it did it, but it meant I couldn't lock the car otherwise the immobiliser would arm. Got home, changed batteries in the fob and all was ok.
The other problem is that I noticed the alternator light wasn't coming on with the ignition. This gave me cause for concern as I wanted to drive the car but couldn't risk the battery going flat on me. While I was parked up showing a mate the car, the cooling fan came on, the revs dropped and went back up, so that showed that the alternator was working fine. I've started the engine about 10 times tonight, and have had no problems, so here's hoping.
Right, I think that's about it. I'll get some pictures and videos tomorrow. All in all, the GSi is a hell of an upgrade and one that is going to cost me my license
The 220 is a totally different car to the 214. It pulls in every gear, right upto 3/4 around the speedo (I ran out of bottle)!
Going up a steep incline after a right turn at a set of lights (setting off from standstill) the 214 used to struggle so much in 2nd gear. I tried it in the GSi, and it shocked me... it didn't just get up the hill without making a fuss, but it picked up speed probably as quick as the 214 did in 1st gear!
Then there's the on-road performance. I don't know what to say. I don't think I've stopped grinning yet! It gets to 60 effortlessly and will then keep on pulling right through to 110mph... I chickened out there. This car is horrible to drive at the speed limits as it can do so much more so easily.
Off the mark, it's great. I wasn't racing intentionally, just seeing how quickly the cars in my rear view mirror disappeared. All I'll say is, it's a very understated car. If you're in 2nd or 3rd gear in traffic sat at something like 1500rpm and put your foot down, it picks up speed brilliantly.
I was on a motorway sliproad behind a white van in the inside lane doing 25-30. I think I was in 2nd gear, moved over into the outside lane and the next time I looked at the speedo, I was doing 70mph. 3rd gear in this car is like 2nd in the 214.
I love this car! I never thought it'd be this much of an improvement. The GSi has uprated suspension as standard and you can tell that in the body roll of the car. It felt really planted and firm. I didn't feel safe pushing it too hard around bends though and the brakes don't seem as responsive as I'd hoped, but I'm sure I'll get used to the pedal.
The gearbox isn't as notchy as the one in the K, but it's still pretty nasty. It whines too, so while it makes the car sound like it has a supercharger it'll need looking at in the future.
Couple of problems so far... first, the radiator is in quite bad shape, but I knew that anyway. It isn't leaking yet, but with the beating it'll get at the MM, it's going to need replacing. Also, the keyfobs didn't seem to work very well. I drove the car home and had to really mess about trying to get it to lock. When it wouldn't unlock (if you unlock with the key the immobiliser is still activated) I crapped myself and had to unlock with the key. Cue 5 minutes of waving the fobs around trying to get it to start. Eventually it did it, but it meant I couldn't lock the car otherwise the immobiliser would arm. Got home, changed batteries in the fob and all was ok.
The other problem is that I noticed the alternator light wasn't coming on with the ignition. This gave me cause for concern as I wanted to drive the car but couldn't risk the battery going flat on me. While I was parked up showing a mate the car, the cooling fan came on, the revs dropped and went back up, so that showed that the alternator was working fine. I've started the engine about 10 times tonight, and have had no problems, so here's hoping.
Right, I think that's about it. I'll get some pictures and videos tomorrow. All in all, the GSi is a hell of an upgrade and one that is going to cost me my license
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