Day 2 with my Baby 'Take up!' ...
Drove 135miles to mid Wales on motorway and B roads this morning. It rained heavy most of the journey but felt safe enough.
Tried to keep the car down to 60mph but it is so free running that when you take your eyes off the speedo she is up at 70+ and mixing it with the big boys ... Hit 75 mph at one stage pretty effortlessly at just around 3300 rpm !!
OK. The gearbox issues mentioned elsewhere. Someone was telling us all to engage 5th.. slow down to 50mph then floor it and accelerate to 70mph and the car complains. Well so it would. How about getting to 70mph and then engaging first gear ??? Believe me the little car would complain then too
I can think of several others... Try racing off in 4th from a standing start at RED traffic lights.
Basically this is a little car with a little engine and some clever injection controls and stuff to make it very efficient, perform great and return high mpg figures. One of the ways VW achieve high mpg figures is to make 5th gear a VERY HIGH ratio. [ Their Bluemotion Polo ranges were amongst the first to really incorporate this ].
At 50mph the rev counter shows just 2000 rpm !!!!... 60mph is 2500 rpm with 70+ being hit at 3000 rpm.
You therefore HAVE to try to understand just how to drive these cars, and I'm still learning. Flooring the accelerator at 50mph where its just 2000 rpm is not recommended I reckon. Diesels maybe as all their GRUNT is at the bottom.. but not a little petrol engine. I tried it [still running mine in so held back a little] and she hesitated but had a go at her best all the same. I then tried dropping to 4th and she accelerated nicely. I still have not quite worked out the power band characteristics of the engine yet... ie it will have a higher power curve output somewhere in its rev range, and I would guess its between 3000 rpm and 5000 rpm. So dropping a gear really helps here.
I stopped for a coffee and had to accelerate across the lanes back into moving traffic. You get through 1st/2nd/3rd/4th pretty fast and she is up to 50mph in a fairly brisk time.. Certainly quick enough to embarrass you in a 30/40mph area
During hard 1st/2nd/3rd gear acceleration the engine really grunts, sounding like a 2cv or small diesel but as soon as you throttle back she resumes the whisper quiet purr. VW MUST, MUST, MUST have tested these Engine/Gearbox ratios and car made up weights extensively and I cannot really believe that the noises represent anything to worry about... and being a VW will get sorted under warranty IF there really are problems. It all feels pretty impressive through the seats of your pants anyway as the car makes off briskly enough with little drama.
The car rear door gets pretty mucky quickly on a wet road, while the rest of the car remains fairly presentable.
Standard speakers do an adequate job on country lanes but lack bass and presence on dual carriageways/motorways. I'll need to fit more speakers I reckon.
Steering is VERY light. a little TOO light I reckon feeling a littletwitchyon the motorway as you do not have to move the steering wheel much at all for the car to respond. In town and country lanes it is just right and very precise.
The suspension is very impressive. I hit a few potholes on high speed corners and uneven road surfaces but the car did not blink at all. She soaked up the impacts like a far larger car and refused to veer or get distracted from the direction I was pointing her in.
The dash has a nice touch. It displays the gear you are in... 12345 . A handy reminder as I found myself cruising in 4th sometimes after negotiating roundabouts. At anything above 30mph she is happy to stay in 5th.. as long as you do not accelerate hard as already mentioned. It is quite a challenge to get here to bumble along at 30mph as you have to have the lightest of touches on the accelerator pedal to keep her there.
All in all she is a fabulous little car that FEELS like a far larger model and can mix it with the big boys on motorways.. once you get her upto speed.
Some of the welsh lanes are quite steep and single track. This means you cannot build up, and hold high speeds down them in any car as you need to be ready to brake hard. Going up steep hills I had to drop down several gears and take most in 2nd or even 1 in 1st. The little engine just does not have enough power for challenging hillclimbs without a good run at them. The compromise is that for the lack of GRUNT you get fabulous mpg and cruising figures.
My 'Takeup!' has delightful manual windows. The wind ratios are so low that the handles turn freely with the slightest force and the windows glide up/down easily too.
Sooooooooo... It is great fun, wonderful in towns and country lanes and able to not embarrass itself out on dual carriageways and motorways.
All in all the 'Take up!' is a fabulous little car that makes you smile whenever you get in and turn the key !!
Dave
Drove 135miles to mid Wales on motorway and B roads this morning. It rained heavy most of the journey but felt safe enough.
Tried to keep the car down to 60mph but it is so free running that when you take your eyes off the speedo she is up at 70+ and mixing it with the big boys ... Hit 75 mph at one stage pretty effortlessly at just around 3300 rpm !!
OK. The gearbox issues mentioned elsewhere. Someone was telling us all to engage 5th.. slow down to 50mph then floor it and accelerate to 70mph and the car complains. Well so it would. How about getting to 70mph and then engaging first gear ??? Believe me the little car would complain then too
I can think of several others... Try racing off in 4th from a standing start at RED traffic lights.Basically this is a little car with a little engine and some clever injection controls and stuff to make it very efficient, perform great and return high mpg figures. One of the ways VW achieve high mpg figures is to make 5th gear a VERY HIGH ratio. [ Their Bluemotion Polo ranges were amongst the first to really incorporate this ].
At 50mph the rev counter shows just 2000 rpm !!!!... 60mph is 2500 rpm with 70+ being hit at 3000 rpm.
You therefore HAVE to try to understand just how to drive these cars, and I'm still learning. Flooring the accelerator at 50mph where its just 2000 rpm is not recommended I reckon. Diesels maybe as all their GRUNT is at the bottom.. but not a little petrol engine. I tried it [still running mine in so held back a little] and she hesitated but had a go at her best all the same. I then tried dropping to 4th and she accelerated nicely. I still have not quite worked out the power band characteristics of the engine yet... ie it will have a higher power curve output somewhere in its rev range, and I would guess its between 3000 rpm and 5000 rpm. So dropping a gear really helps here.
I stopped for a coffee and had to accelerate across the lanes back into moving traffic. You get through 1st/2nd/3rd/4th pretty fast and she is up to 50mph in a fairly brisk time.. Certainly quick enough to embarrass you in a 30/40mph area
During hard 1st/2nd/3rd gear acceleration the engine really grunts, sounding like a 2cv or small diesel but as soon as you throttle back she resumes the whisper quiet purr. VW MUST, MUST, MUST have tested these Engine/Gearbox ratios and car made up weights extensively and I cannot really believe that the noises represent anything to worry about... and being a VW will get sorted under warranty IF there really are problems. It all feels pretty impressive through the seats of your pants anyway as the car makes off briskly enough with little drama.
The car rear door gets pretty mucky quickly on a wet road, while the rest of the car remains fairly presentable.
Standard speakers do an adequate job on country lanes but lack bass and presence on dual carriageways/motorways. I'll need to fit more speakers I reckon.
Steering is VERY light. a little TOO light I reckon feeling a littletwitchyon the motorway as you do not have to move the steering wheel much at all for the car to respond. In town and country lanes it is just right and very precise.
The suspension is very impressive. I hit a few potholes on high speed corners and uneven road surfaces but the car did not blink at all. She soaked up the impacts like a far larger car and refused to veer or get distracted from the direction I was pointing her in.
The dash has a nice touch. It displays the gear you are in... 12345 . A handy reminder as I found myself cruising in 4th sometimes after negotiating roundabouts. At anything above 30mph she is happy to stay in 5th.. as long as you do not accelerate hard as already mentioned. It is quite a challenge to get here to bumble along at 30mph as you have to have the lightest of touches on the accelerator pedal to keep her there.
All in all she is a fabulous little car that FEELS like a far larger model and can mix it with the big boys on motorways.. once you get her upto speed.
Some of the welsh lanes are quite steep and single track. This means you cannot build up, and hold high speeds down them in any car as you need to be ready to brake hard. Going up steep hills I had to drop down several gears and take most in 2nd or even 1 in 1st. The little engine just does not have enough power for challenging hillclimbs without a good run at them. The compromise is that for the lack of GRUNT you get fabulous mpg and cruising figures.
My 'Takeup!' has delightful manual windows. The wind ratios are so low that the handles turn freely with the slightest force and the windows glide up/down easily too.
Sooooooooo... It is great fun, wonderful in towns and country lanes and able to not embarrass itself out on dual carriageways and motorways.
All in all the 'Take up!' is a fabulous little car that makes you smile whenever you get in and turn the key !!
Dave
