Frisky Dingo

You have some serious eyesight issues if you think those cars like anything alike outside of color. They almost couldn't be anymore different.

Car looks nothing like a BMW. This made it to production guise with very little alteration from the concept model. That's great to see. I look forward to seeing what powertrains the US will be offered.

I do work at a VW dealer. But we're in one of the wealthiest areas of St Louis, and we're really more like a highline car dealer that happens to have a VW franchise, lol. We sell probably 60-70% used. We currently have a 17 Tesla Model X P90D, a 17 Maserati Gran Turismo Corsa, 16 Z06 Vert w/ Z07, 17 Jag F Type SVR, 17 AMG C63 AMG, and 17 Alpina B7 on our showroom right now. All of them, and the aforementioned AMG GT S and C4S Targa came from the same individual. I got to go and pick up a few cars from his storage warehouse yesterday and see some of his other cars. He has a Ford GT (old one), Alpina Z8, Ariel Atom, McLaren 570 S, Bentley Conti GT3-R, Carrera GT(!!!), 918 (that we sold him), new NSX, new Raptor, a 512 BB, and an R8 V10 + all stored there. We are getting him a 2010 Veyron that should be here next week some time.

Arguing aside, everyone should have pretty much seen this coming. Their performance car division is so successful right now, they're going to fettle and come up with every concoction they can. As for pricing, one can only assume such a car is going to be 80K or more. Which I don't think is totally unreasonable. There's numerous examples of other six-figure cars based on 30K ones- M4 GTS, C63 AMG BS, Cadillac Escalade, etc. I'm not sure that necessarily takes away from those vehicles by default, especially in the case of performance cars. That said, the Corvette obviously needs to go upmarket- which GM seems to be doing- and Cadillac could definitely use a halo supercar of their own. Only they and BMW seem to refuse to do so.

Car looks great. Those wheels are terrible, tho. Still rather have an RS6.

So I finally just got to take a new turbo 911 991.2 out!! Car was a loaded out C4S Targa with PDK and all the sport options. Wow, what a car. The PDK definitely suits this car better than the earlier NA 991.1, imo. And rest assured, nothing has been lost in the switch to turbo power. There's no lag to speak of. It's so linear and pulls so hard to redline, it feels like an N/A car. The only giveaways are the sound of the turbos spooling and the fact that this thing inhales 20 mph jumps at a pace the earlier .1 cars could only dream of. And the exhaust still sounds fantastic. Muffled ever so slightly by the turbos and slightly lower in pitch and frenzy, it's still all 911. I'd be lying if I said the extra weight and lower stiffness of the Targa negatively impacted the driving experience. Certainly not with having a go in a Coupe right before or after. The AWD is noticeable, however. In a good way. Although the standard RWD car hooks up well (in .1 guise, anyway), the extra driven wheels really instill a new layer of confidence, much welcome with that healthy power bump. Turn-in feels the same, the handling demeanor feels the same, it just gives you a greater sense of indestructibility. And now for the somewhat bad. The car I drove was a 155K. For a non 'Turbo', non- GT 911. That's a big pill to swallow. I went and built the AMG GT S I drove out, and it came in at.......155K. The AMG feels like a far more special car. It's faster, more unique, sounds better, has a nicer interior, and just generally more enjoyable to drive. In short, there's no way I'd pay 150K for this particular 911. I think the problem with the 911 is that makes it so good- the steering, the handling, the grip, the unique driving feel, the heritage, and how they all work together to meld into such a cohesive and usable package- can be had in a base model 7MT non-S Carrera. In fact, I built out a nicely equipped 7MT C2 and easily stayed a near sport sedan MSRP away in price- under 110K. To spend half a 100 grand more for essentially the same car doesn't make sense to me. I'd skip right past it and go to a GT3 or R8, even. The question you're probably wondering is, is it better than the 991.1? Eh, I'm not sure. It's faster, it's more flexible. I don't know that I enjoyed driving it any more. I'm not sure I enjoyed it any more than taking a 996 C2 out a few days and flogging it. I still think the modern 911 to get is a 6MT 997 S Coupe, .1 or .2 either one. So, yeah. There it is. Awesome car, too much money, imo.

Makes more sense. As for non-Nav and DCC cars, those must be press/demo cars only. No such cars were available for sale to the public afaik. At least we were never able to order any.

It was bad ass. The power delivery and the sound are just amazing. It's so much quicker than it's power rating suggests. And it's so approachable and easy to drive. And the steering and handling......my gawd. Easily among the very best front-engined RWD cars I've ever been in. It felt like a plusher, faster, less demanding Z/28.

I just got done with a lengthy drive in a 2017 AMG GTS, and I have to say.......

Yeah, that's crazy overpriced. Hmm, do I want to pay 34K for an underpowered little 4 banger crossover, or would I spend a few grand more and get a REAL SUV- Wrangler/4Runner- that will embarrass this thing off road, has more room, more power, and about 3,000x better resale value, lol. What a joke. Swing and a miss.

And Mitsubishi hits an all-time low. Wow.

The lower production numbers are exactly what I'm referring to by mentioning the exclusivity. That's the very definition of the word. The R has totally different facsias, lights, trim, and other pieces from the GTI. It's intended to look low-key. It's not supposed to be boisterous and draw attention. The tuning potential and resale are not subjective at all. They're both very easily measured. The R has a much higher power ceiling due it's upgraded engine and larger turbo. It also enjoys easily a 5-7% advantage in residual value.

There's a lot of misinfo here that needs to be adressed- 1) The Golf R and GTI engine differ in many ways. In addition to having a larger turbocharger, the R has some upgraded internal components, as well. 2) It's a subjective matter I suppose, but in the plushest setting, the R rides better than the GTI. Also, the DCC is standard and NOT a $3,000 option. Nav and DCC both are standard for MY 17, which is part of the reason the price increased. That, and DAP became a forced option. 3) There are no changes to either the grille or the exhaust on the R for 17. Only the wheels were changed. 4) There are no difference to the seats or the steering wheel in comparison to the GTI. They both share the same design of each feature. 5) The price gap between an R and a base GTI is MORE than 10 grand. But it's only a 4 grand gap between a GTI with similar equipment. You can't make the case for the car being worth the extra money on paper stats alone. You're paying extra for the greater exclusivity, unique touches, greater potential, and better resale. There's no right or wrong answer, they're both great cars. I will say however, that the DSG really makes the R. It's another animal altogether. I've had a lot of diehard manual lovers be swayed by the DSG after experiencing it.

Just went to Jeep's configurator, and they've lost their damn minds on pricing. Throw on a few options, and you're near 35K on the Compass Trailhawk. Cool little vehicle, but HARD pass at that number. Hell, for just a few grand more, you can get a Cherokee Trailhawk with a V6!!

Car looks great. I'd prefer sticking with an I4 myself, but if the performance and drivability is there, then hey. That said, can we please stop calling brake-based artificial LSD's 'torque vectoring'? They are not the same thing, and should not be called as such. It's gimmicky marketing. These setups are totally inferior to a proper LSD.

Oh, most definitely. They have some incentives on them finally, too.

@dfelt Great pics!! My store is selling a Veyron to one of our best clients, and I. AM. SO. EXCITED.

I went for a roughly 100 mile drive on back roads yesterday in the GTI. It was a blast. There were stretches where I was probably pushing 8-9/10ths, which I don't get to do often. These were some rarely traveled roads with great pavement and visibility. There were some 1st gear turns, even!!! No better way to spend a Valentine's Day. She needs a good cleaning now. There's a few things that never fail to impress me about my car, and yesterday was a great reminder of that. The brakes never lost an iota of stopping power, and the pedal stayed firm. The E-LSD is able to pull the car of bends that just shouldn't be possible. The way the car simply puts the power down even in the tightest of bends is nothing short of amazing. And then there's the just unflappable chassis. Road bumps, heaves, dips, grooves, crests, and the like are just laughed off. There are precious few cars I've been in that I think I could have run down some of these roads at the pace I was going, and especially done so so neatly and drama-free. Certainly almost none that could be pushed as hard consistently and with such confidence. At one point, some girl in a new Mazda 3 was riding my ass through a residential area, and must have thought she'd pass me when we got out into clear roads. It took me about all of 2 miles to vanish. A while later, a new Mustang GT and I were being held up by an old Impala. After it turned off, the Mustang took off at what I'm sure the driver thought was a decent clip, but he too was holding me up. When we came into town and were side by side in traffic, he looked over with this bewildered look on his face. And that is the beauty of cars like this- the ability to be practical and user friendly, but punch far above their weight class. There's a track day coming up locally that I plan on attending, and I will report back with my assessment afterwards.

Shoulda spent 4 grand more and bought a GTI. Just kidding. Kinda. But in all seriousness, enjoy. You let me know when you get a craving for more powah. Oh, and put some ST wheels on there!!

The Fusion looks good as a wagon. I saw a new A4 Allroad yesterday, and it looked fantastic.

Glad I did my part!!

List 2- Cars that were sold here, MFR'd by foreign makes. Carrera GT C63 AMG Black Series Audi S4 (B8) Land Cruiser (J100) 911 GT2 RS

That looks great.

There's nothing from Fiat, Alfa, or Maserati I'd have the slightest interest in purchasing.