First impressions
Discussion
Well...
My initial impressions are that the car works really well as a complete package. The AP Racing brakes are fantastic and are there the instant you need them. The whole car feels half the weight it actually is. Very well balanced, great chassis.
Strangely the acceleration in 4th seems even faster than it does in 3rd, not sure why yet. Flat out acceleration in fourth is mind blowing.
Fuel economy - I did panic when I had to fill up twice in two days of pottering about near home. The trip computer said the average consumption was around 32l/100km which worked out to something crazy like 9 or 10mpg, but Brian suggested that I just use the "distance travelled" and "litres used" mode and divide one into the other. (Although I don't understand why the instantaneous and average consumption readouts should be so inaccurate? The instantaneous reads 18 or 19 l/100km at best, but jumps into the 30s if I accelerate at all, even gently. Normal driving (not hard, just normal) shows 40-50-60 l/100km when accelerating. Flat out reads 99.)
Using the other computer figures produced 13mpg on a few short town trips, then by the afternoon I had 15mpg but bear in mind this is with me driving incredibly gently (2.5krpm max). On Saturday I will try it on a longer journey.
Brian got 17mpg upwards and into the 20s so I'm curious why my figures seem so bad.
I know that with a 545bhp car like this you're not really supposed to worry about consumption, but there is a limit! If I can get close to the Alpina (20mpg average, but that includes driving it hard when the road opens up) then I will relax. I definitely prefer a car that can go fairly gently (say 20mpg) when you're not tearing the road up. When you want to play, that's a different story....!
Gear change - sometimes it's great, meaty and precise (ripshift) - sometimes I get a little interference selecting the next gear. Doesn't seem to be any pattern re. warm versus cold or anything. And once or twice I've had a crunch. I am assuming this is down to me needing to learn the box, although I know the original box with the original gearshift was a little lacking. Mind you this gearbox is only about 2,000 miles old I believe so maybe it will wear in a bit?
Anyone else think their gearchange is baulky? Or is it just a matter of learning the timing? I didn't notice anything when Brian took me out in the car..... Oh and the clutch biting point is very low, very near the carpet.
The rest of the car is awesome. The noise from the supercharger at full boost is fantastic. I think they look great, especially with the black Ronals.
Oh - and I do get a slight ticking noise from the engine when it's warm (at idle and at low revs ie up to 2k) - anything to worry about??
Pleased to notice that even stuck in traffic the engine doesn't show even the faintest sign of overheating.
Looking forward to spending more time in the car on the weekend. If anyone is interested I will post a comparison with the Alpina once I've got a few more miles under my belt.
>> Edited by gregwatson on Thursday 8th December 21:08
My initial impressions are that the car works really well as a complete package. The AP Racing brakes are fantastic and are there the instant you need them. The whole car feels half the weight it actually is. Very well balanced, great chassis.
Strangely the acceleration in 4th seems even faster than it does in 3rd, not sure why yet. Flat out acceleration in fourth is mind blowing.
Fuel economy - I did panic when I had to fill up twice in two days of pottering about near home. The trip computer said the average consumption was around 32l/100km which worked out to something crazy like 9 or 10mpg, but Brian suggested that I just use the "distance travelled" and "litres used" mode and divide one into the other. (Although I don't understand why the instantaneous and average consumption readouts should be so inaccurate? The instantaneous reads 18 or 19 l/100km at best, but jumps into the 30s if I accelerate at all, even gently. Normal driving (not hard, just normal) shows 40-50-60 l/100km when accelerating. Flat out reads 99.)
Using the other computer figures produced 13mpg on a few short town trips, then by the afternoon I had 15mpg but bear in mind this is with me driving incredibly gently (2.5krpm max). On Saturday I will try it on a longer journey.
Brian got 17mpg upwards and into the 20s so I'm curious why my figures seem so bad.
I know that with a 545bhp car like this you're not really supposed to worry about consumption, but there is a limit! If I can get close to the Alpina (20mpg average, but that includes driving it hard when the road opens up) then I will relax. I definitely prefer a car that can go fairly gently (say 20mpg) when you're not tearing the road up. When you want to play, that's a different story....!
Gear change - sometimes it's great, meaty and precise (ripshift) - sometimes I get a little interference selecting the next gear. Doesn't seem to be any pattern re. warm versus cold or anything. And once or twice I've had a crunch. I am assuming this is down to me needing to learn the box, although I know the original box with the original gearshift was a little lacking. Mind you this gearbox is only about 2,000 miles old I believe so maybe it will wear in a bit?
Anyone else think their gearchange is baulky? Or is it just a matter of learning the timing? I didn't notice anything when Brian took me out in the car..... Oh and the clutch biting point is very low, very near the carpet.
The rest of the car is awesome. The noise from the supercharger at full boost is fantastic. I think they look great, especially with the black Ronals.
Oh - and I do get a slight ticking noise from the engine when it's warm (at idle and at low revs ie up to 2k) - anything to worry about??
Pleased to notice that even stuck in traffic the engine doesn't show even the faintest sign of overheating.
Looking forward to spending more time in the car on the weekend. If anyone is interested I will post a comparison with the Alpina once I've got a few more miles under my belt.
>> Edited by gregwatson on Thursday 8th December 21:08
One thing that I have noticed with mine, (i have a v6), is that the driving conditions here are very different to back home. The fuel economy on mine back home on the highway is around 25-30+ mpg. One thing I must point out here, is that the cruise control I find has a big influence on the fuel economy, and was almost shocked at how big a difference it made. For me, ultimate economy is around 110 km/h.
Driving around the country roads here, looking at more the 15-20mpg depending on I feel like driving. To me, driving around the country roads here, is almost like driving around town in Australia, and for the Commodore, the consumption gets hit pretty hard, mainly because of alot of accellerating and decellerating.
It would be interesting to see how your fuel economy is on a pure motorway run, sitting on around 110km/h. Mind you, with the V8, I think I would find it pretty hard to keep a constant speed. Would probably just have a huge smile like Rob, "make it go faster dad".
Be interested to hear how it goes anyhow. Have a mate who has an Alpina, and well, going to ask Will to take him for a spin in V8HSV.
Driving around the country roads here, looking at more the 15-20mpg depending on I feel like driving. To me, driving around the country roads here, is almost like driving around town in Australia, and for the Commodore, the consumption gets hit pretty hard, mainly because of alot of accellerating and decellerating.
It would be interesting to see how your fuel economy is on a pure motorway run, sitting on around 110km/h. Mind you, with the V8, I think I would find it pretty hard to keep a constant speed. Would probably just have a huge smile like Rob, "make it go faster dad".
Be interested to hear how it goes anyhow. Have a mate who has an Alpina, and well, going to ask Will to take him for a spin in V8HSV.
raggyman is spot on, cruise control on m/ways can get you into plus 20's, town driving for me around 11, track days 4-8 but if I am not showing off I would expect around 22 on open roads over long distances, the shorter the trip, the worse the economy.
I find the box difficult to master, hate 6th to 5th, never apply the power until 4th & up. Still pleased at how good it pulls in 6th, well from 50.
I tried the AP's once at Bruntingthorpe, loads of g stopping from 160, will not try again though as they got a bit hot, inspries confidence in a 2 ton car.
Glad you are enjoying the car and like the informative post, keep writing
I find the box difficult to master, hate 6th to 5th, never apply the power until 4th & up. Still pleased at how good it pulls in 6th, well from 50.
I tried the AP's once at Bruntingthorpe, loads of g stopping from 160, will not try again though as they got a bit hot, inspries confidence in a 2 ton car.
Glad you are enjoying the car and like the informative post, keep writing
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