- Mar 15, 2006
- 767
OK, so we take delivery a while back. Decided to not drive the GT until it had a full body Xpel clear bra protection including windshield, carbon door sills and exposed carbon under the doors and car. After waiting 4 weeks to make sure that the factory paint was ready for this process, Houston Xpel did a fantastic job on the installation. Then it rained several days, no driving. Then the side screens came in (thank DBK) and then it rained, no driving. And finally yesterday after a long day at work, I got in a short (10 miles) but fun drive. Here are some initial impressions:
1. The seating position for me (5' 9" and wide but not too wide..) is comfortable and vision all around, forward, side and rear, are very good. Seats are supportive and surprisingly comfortable. All the functions of the car are simple and easy. GT does not have satellite radio - but the car sounds so good why would anyone listen to the radio?
2. Overall vehicle fit and finish are top notch. The details are beautiful and the #1 ghosted into the interior carbon door panels is way cool!
3. Low speed vehicle operation is super easy, dual clutch transmission is easy, gear selector and drive modes are easy, various IP data and readouts are easy, raising and lowering the front of the car is easy. This is a car that is easy to put around in and the transmission is smooth at low speed whereas some other supercars can be not nearly as smooth going slow.
4. Cruising on the highway is comfortable in sport mode (the only mode I used this time out), steering feel is EXCELLENT, brakes are EXCELLENT thought I didnt go anywhere near their capability (I need to properly bead the brakes), ride quality is surprisingly supple and the few turns I took felt like I was on rails and could have gone way way faster. Exhaust, engine and blow off valve sounds are all very nice, not too loud and very very good for V6. I have no complaints on the exhaust at all (I did not opt for Ti exhaust upgrade).
5. Acceleration from 70-150 mph (on our race track of course) is very impressive and more that I had expected. This certainly feels like a mid 130 mph 1/4 mile trap speed car. Transmission shifts super fast and smooth at WOT. The wing popping up at speed and flipping forward under deceleration is very very cool.
Overall I am extremely impressed, as I expected to be. The only thing that I noticed during the drive is that the incredible aero of the GT combined with Cup2 tires make this car suck every pebble off of the road. This is true out in the country where I work. On the highway it isnt noticeable as the highway would be smooth due to the other traffic. But on side streets you can hear every pebble and grain of sand as they come off of the tire and land in the side screen area just in front of the door sill. Lets face it, this is a race car that was built for the street. The aero package was designed to win LeMans and it did. The car can lap race tracks quicker and faster than many other more powerful and expensive hypercars, largely due to the GT's incredible aerodynamics. Thus, this is part of the DNA of the GT and I will get used to it. Thankfully it has the Xpel protection and side screens.
The 2018 Heritage is one of the most beautiful cars I have ever seen. And the driving experience matches its looks perfectly. Cant wait to drive it some more, for longer distances, open roads, twisty Texas and California roads and maybe a high speed run at some point. But for this weekend, if its dry early tomorrow morning, I will enjoy driving down I-10 to Houston Cars & Coffee. Come check it out if you are in the Houston area. The action begins around 8:30 am. Have a nice weekend everyone.
1. The seating position for me (5' 9" and wide but not too wide..) is comfortable and vision all around, forward, side and rear, are very good. Seats are supportive and surprisingly comfortable. All the functions of the car are simple and easy. GT does not have satellite radio - but the car sounds so good why would anyone listen to the radio?
2. Overall vehicle fit and finish are top notch. The details are beautiful and the #1 ghosted into the interior carbon door panels is way cool!
3. Low speed vehicle operation is super easy, dual clutch transmission is easy, gear selector and drive modes are easy, various IP data and readouts are easy, raising and lowering the front of the car is easy. This is a car that is easy to put around in and the transmission is smooth at low speed whereas some other supercars can be not nearly as smooth going slow.
4. Cruising on the highway is comfortable in sport mode (the only mode I used this time out), steering feel is EXCELLENT, brakes are EXCELLENT thought I didnt go anywhere near their capability (I need to properly bead the brakes), ride quality is surprisingly supple and the few turns I took felt like I was on rails and could have gone way way faster. Exhaust, engine and blow off valve sounds are all very nice, not too loud and very very good for V6. I have no complaints on the exhaust at all (I did not opt for Ti exhaust upgrade).
5. Acceleration from 70-150 mph (on our race track of course) is very impressive and more that I had expected. This certainly feels like a mid 130 mph 1/4 mile trap speed car. Transmission shifts super fast and smooth at WOT. The wing popping up at speed and flipping forward under deceleration is very very cool.
Overall I am extremely impressed, as I expected to be. The only thing that I noticed during the drive is that the incredible aero of the GT combined with Cup2 tires make this car suck every pebble off of the road. This is true out in the country where I work. On the highway it isnt noticeable as the highway would be smooth due to the other traffic. But on side streets you can hear every pebble and grain of sand as they come off of the tire and land in the side screen area just in front of the door sill. Lets face it, this is a race car that was built for the street. The aero package was designed to win LeMans and it did. The car can lap race tracks quicker and faster than many other more powerful and expensive hypercars, largely due to the GT's incredible aerodynamics. Thus, this is part of the DNA of the GT and I will get used to it. Thankfully it has the Xpel protection and side screens.
The 2018 Heritage is one of the most beautiful cars I have ever seen. And the driving experience matches its looks perfectly. Cant wait to drive it some more, for longer distances, open roads, twisty Texas and California roads and maybe a high speed run at some point. But for this weekend, if its dry early tomorrow morning, I will enjoy driving down I-10 to Houston Cars & Coffee. Come check it out if you are in the Houston area. The action begins around 8:30 am. Have a nice weekend everyone.
