So, in my haste to give you guys and girls the leasing info, I neglected to provide my driving impressions:
I did drive the car... I drove a V6 GT Manual in red at Burns Hyundai in Jersey and at Porter Hyundai in Newark, I drove a V6 GT Auto.
A little background info: My current car is a 2008 Mazda MX-5 6spd manual. I have owned 2 other Miatas (one in each body style) all have been manuals of course. I have also owned an '04 350z touring 6spd, I've been driving stick for quite some time now.
That said, I was VERY impressed with the ZF auto. Shifts were smooth and hardly noticeable in normal driving. When you dug in, it was quick to downshift and drop two gears. The paddle shifters do look odd at first glance, yet when actually using them they fall perfectly at hand (I might like them to be slightly larger if i'm nit-picking) They also turn with the wheel which I like.
I was not expecting to like the auto as much as I did. I was a bit disappointed with the manual. The throws were short, but the one thing that irked me (and i'm glad i'm not alone in this as Motor Trend pointed it out as well) was that the shifter just didn't seem to be located where my hand wanted it to be. It seemed slightly back on the tunnel vs. where I would have liked it. As I said, the throws were short, but the shifter itself lacked the quality feel of the trans in my MX-5 or even my old Z for that matter. When I pushed it kinda hard I felt as if the shifter wasn't quite up to the task. In normal driving it was fine, I could snick through the gears with two fingers and a flick of the wrist. When shifting at higher revs, the shifter wasn't as positive and accurate as I would have liked. That's not to say it was terrible, it just wasn't as nice as I'd hoped. I'm also comparing it to what I consider to be one of the best shifters going (the MX-5) and one that I use everyday.
I felt the auto suits the car much better. It pains me almost to say it, as I consider myself an enthusiast and someone that enjoys a great manual trans. The Auto Trans. car felt of much higher quality. I didn't feel any loss in performance at all between the two cars.
As for the rest of the car. Grand touring handles nicely, can't wait to wring out a track model. I personally love the factory exhaust note. It's subdued when cruising but barks nicely when you dig in. The leather feels of very nice quality, I was quite surprised. Interior materials feel fine to me and of acceptable quality. I would say somewhere between g35 coupe and new g37 coupe in terms of material quality. Seats were comfy for me, i'm 5'10 170lbs, so not a huge guy. I would have liked a telescopic wheel but I found a comfortable driving position very quickly. Visibility was great in my opinion. The stereo is quite nice for a factory unit. The car is rather quiet when cruising. The GT suspension seems a very nice balance between compliance and handling. I was thoroughly impressed with the car.
Oh and the Nordschleife Grey with Brown leather is a very classy color combo.
I did drive the car... I drove a V6 GT Manual in red at Burns Hyundai in Jersey and at Porter Hyundai in Newark, I drove a V6 GT Auto.
A little background info: My current car is a 2008 Mazda MX-5 6spd manual. I have owned 2 other Miatas (one in each body style) all have been manuals of course. I have also owned an '04 350z touring 6spd, I've been driving stick for quite some time now.
That said, I was VERY impressed with the ZF auto. Shifts were smooth and hardly noticeable in normal driving. When you dug in, it was quick to downshift and drop two gears. The paddle shifters do look odd at first glance, yet when actually using them they fall perfectly at hand (I might like them to be slightly larger if i'm nit-picking) They also turn with the wheel which I like.
I was not expecting to like the auto as much as I did. I was a bit disappointed with the manual. The throws were short, but the one thing that irked me (and i'm glad i'm not alone in this as Motor Trend pointed it out as well) was that the shifter just didn't seem to be located where my hand wanted it to be. It seemed slightly back on the tunnel vs. where I would have liked it. As I said, the throws were short, but the shifter itself lacked the quality feel of the trans in my MX-5 or even my old Z for that matter. When I pushed it kinda hard I felt as if the shifter wasn't quite up to the task. In normal driving it was fine, I could snick through the gears with two fingers and a flick of the wrist. When shifting at higher revs, the shifter wasn't as positive and accurate as I would have liked. That's not to say it was terrible, it just wasn't as nice as I'd hoped. I'm also comparing it to what I consider to be one of the best shifters going (the MX-5) and one that I use everyday.
I felt the auto suits the car much better. It pains me almost to say it, as I consider myself an enthusiast and someone that enjoys a great manual trans. The Auto Trans. car felt of much higher quality. I didn't feel any loss in performance at all between the two cars.
As for the rest of the car. Grand touring handles nicely, can't wait to wring out a track model. I personally love the factory exhaust note. It's subdued when cruising but barks nicely when you dig in. The leather feels of very nice quality, I was quite surprised. Interior materials feel fine to me and of acceptable quality. I would say somewhere between g35 coupe and new g37 coupe in terms of material quality. Seats were comfy for me, i'm 5'10 170lbs, so not a huge guy. I would have liked a telescopic wheel but I found a comfortable driving position very quickly. Visibility was great in my opinion. The stereo is quite nice for a factory unit. The car is rather quiet when cruising. The GT suspension seems a very nice balance between compliance and handling. I was thoroughly impressed with the car.
Oh and the Nordschleife Grey with Brown leather is a very classy color combo.
