PDK smarts
In order to conserve fuel, routine shift mapping keeps the PDK turning big gears to minimize engine rpm and maximize economy. This can sometimes lead to lugging of the engine when the PDK is spinning a tall gear while the vehicle is traveling slowly.
Activating the Sport Mode revises the shift mapping in order to keep the boxer powerplant primed for immediacy. This is good, but something in between using Sport Mode and not using it would improve “around town” driving dynamics in my view.
Despite the PDK’s penchant for keeping the revs in the cellar, it has a phenomenal ability to interpret one’s level of driving aggression and adapt accordingly. For instance, exercise a little spirit entering a sweeper and the PDK knows to drop a gear and hold everything taut in anticipation of a speedy exit.
For those of you familiar with the sitcom M.A.S.H., the PDK is like Radar O’Reilly. It seems to know what you need before you do, and as a $4,930 option, it should. Yet that gearbox is only part of the magic the GTS possesses.
Carving turns
Or is that craving turns? While driving the paved back roads, I found myself both craving and carving. There are few times when it all comes together like this: the weather, the car, and the road. In our case, the sun was shining, we were roofless, and we were embracing beautiful scenery on a country road that gracefully curved and arced, and dipped and dived. Yes, it all came together most spectacularly.
Reinforcing all that was right during this moment was the direct, communicative response of the compulsively accurate steering of the GTS. I marveled at how precisely it responded to inputs and how secure and composed it made the drive as we carved turn after turn with a craving for more like a drug addict seeking crack.
Okay, I’m getting carried away here with the crack metaphor, but you know what I mean.
Finishing the drive
The GTS was a magnificent host for our father/son overnight road trip. Although it doesn’t supply an expansive cargo hold under the bonnet, there was sufficient room for a couple of overnight bags plus a laptop but little else. The seats, however, supplied massive bolstering and were remarkably comfortable hour after hour.
Yes, this vehicle is expensive – $144,000 as tested – and has its shortcomings, such as space and operational refinement, but what a breathtaking ride when it all comes together.
In order to conserve fuel, routine shift mapping keeps the PDK turning big gears to minimize engine rpm and maximize economy. This can sometimes lead to lugging of the engine when the PDK is spinning a tall gear while the vehicle is traveling slowly.
Activating the Sport Mode revises the shift mapping in order to keep the boxer powerplant primed for immediacy. This is good, but something in between using Sport Mode and not using it would improve “around town” driving dynamics in my view.
Despite the PDK’s penchant for keeping the revs in the cellar, it has a phenomenal ability to interpret one’s level of driving aggression and adapt accordingly. For instance, exercise a little spirit entering a sweeper and the PDK knows to drop a gear and hold everything taut in anticipation of a speedy exit.
For those of you familiar with the sitcom M.A.S.H., the PDK is like Radar O’Reilly. It seems to know what you need before you do, and as a $4,930 option, it should. Yet that gearbox is only part of the magic the GTS possesses.
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| Yes, this vehicle is expensive – $144,000 as tested but what a breathtaking ride when it all comes together. (Photo: Rob Rothwell/Auto123.com) |
Carving turns
Or is that craving turns? While driving the paved back roads, I found myself both craving and carving. There are few times when it all comes together like this: the weather, the car, and the road. In our case, the sun was shining, we were roofless, and we were embracing beautiful scenery on a country road that gracefully curved and arced, and dipped and dived. Yes, it all came together most spectacularly.
Reinforcing all that was right during this moment was the direct, communicative response of the compulsively accurate steering of the GTS. I marveled at how precisely it responded to inputs and how secure and composed it made the drive as we carved turn after turn with a craving for more like a drug addict seeking crack.
Okay, I’m getting carried away here with the crack metaphor, but you know what I mean.
Finishing the drive
The GTS was a magnificent host for our father/son overnight road trip. Although it doesn’t supply an expansive cargo hold under the bonnet, there was sufficient room for a couple of overnight bags plus a laptop but little else. The seats, however, supplied massive bolstering and were remarkably comfortable hour after hour.
Yes, this vehicle is expensive – $144,000 as tested – and has its shortcomings, such as space and operational refinement, but what a breathtaking ride when it all comes together.
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