Joined
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679 Posts
OK..I am back. Drove my new Srt8 to Florida from Michigan--24 hour ride.
Some thoughts about the car:
--freeway ride is exceptional. Quiet, smooth, firm.
--engine was a dream from start to finish..ran at 204 degrees entire time, even when driven hard on mountain uphils and downs, frequent stops and starts in heavy traffic. Perfromance was consistent, and excellent.
--F1 tires were way better in rain (warm temps- - 57 degrees) then I had feared based on some posts. I gained confidence in tough wet conditions and pushed them hard...grip was solid as a rock all the way through.
--the amenities in this car are better than I thought/expected coming off BMW ownership. Nav system is really good and versatile, easy to use and reliable. It does many neat things which help on a long trip.
Rain sensing wipers are excellent as well. Satellite radio was such a great feature (those of you who have one know what I mean). EVIC is great too, much great info and control at your fingertips. Excellent functionalityon the cruise control...easy to use in fast moving traffic.
The car seemed to get better as the mileage increased...as did the suspension if that makes any sense. On theway down, I got 19.1 MPG, and on the way back, 21. Better than I thought. This car is such a pleasure to drive on mountain roads with serious twists..it just eatsthem up. (and that is with several hundred pounds of luggage in trunk).
Now...in Florida (Naples-Ft Meyers area) there are a ton of nice cars. Onething that jumped out at me was that they are all very clean and polished...aand everywhere. Lexus, BMW, Benz, Stangs, Infiniti, 300C..the list is endless. Even saw several Bentleys. One thing I learned is that everyone who has a nice car, thinks it is super fast. Everyone. Got to do many informal races on the streets, and freeway. This car SRT8 is not known yet by most..they simply think they can walk it easy and are dumbfounded when it goes by so fast they can't read the logo to see what it is. And EVERYONW seemed to want to try it...G35s, BMW 330 and 545s, and 300Cs several times. A 350Z, several s500s..I can't even remember them all. The SRT8 is a wolf in sheeps clothing..had no problem with any of them. I kept expecting to see a CTS-V...(thinking it would definitely take theSRT8) but never saw one. Did see one beautiful 55AMG, but I wanted nothing to do with that, and he was going the opposite direction anyway.
One criticism I have of this car isthe brakes. The will stop the car quicker than you could comprehend..but..they are very difficult to "feather"...
The Brakes almost seem to be an all or nothing type of thing.
Overall, this car is a work of art and great for a long trip, as well as cruising the streets.
Some thoughts about the car:
--freeway ride is exceptional. Quiet, smooth, firm.
--engine was a dream from start to finish..ran at 204 degrees entire time, even when driven hard on mountain uphils and downs, frequent stops and starts in heavy traffic. Perfromance was consistent, and excellent.
--F1 tires were way better in rain (warm temps- - 57 degrees) then I had feared based on some posts. I gained confidence in tough wet conditions and pushed them hard...grip was solid as a rock all the way through.
--the amenities in this car are better than I thought/expected coming off BMW ownership. Nav system is really good and versatile, easy to use and reliable. It does many neat things which help on a long trip.
Rain sensing wipers are excellent as well. Satellite radio was such a great feature (those of you who have one know what I mean). EVIC is great too, much great info and control at your fingertips. Excellent functionalityon the cruise control...easy to use in fast moving traffic.
The car seemed to get better as the mileage increased...as did the suspension if that makes any sense. On theway down, I got 19.1 MPG, and on the way back, 21. Better than I thought. This car is such a pleasure to drive on mountain roads with serious twists..it just eatsthem up. (and that is with several hundred pounds of luggage in trunk).
Now...in Florida (Naples-Ft Meyers area) there are a ton of nice cars. Onething that jumped out at me was that they are all very clean and polished...aand everywhere. Lexus, BMW, Benz, Stangs, Infiniti, 300C..the list is endless. Even saw several Bentleys. One thing I learned is that everyone who has a nice car, thinks it is super fast. Everyone. Got to do many informal races on the streets, and freeway. This car SRT8 is not known yet by most..they simply think they can walk it easy and are dumbfounded when it goes by so fast they can't read the logo to see what it is. And EVERYONW seemed to want to try it...G35s, BMW 330 and 545s, and 300Cs several times. A 350Z, several s500s..I can't even remember them all. The SRT8 is a wolf in sheeps clothing..had no problem with any of them. I kept expecting to see a CTS-V...(thinking it would definitely take theSRT8) but never saw one. Did see one beautiful 55AMG, but I wanted nothing to do with that, and he was going the opposite direction anyway.
One criticism I have of this car isthe brakes. The will stop the car quicker than you could comprehend..but..they are very difficult to "feather"...
The Brakes almost seem to be an all or nothing type of thing.
Overall, this car is a work of art and great for a long trip, as well as cruising the streets.
