My RS Experience...First Drive
03-10-2007, 01:17 AM
#1
Rennlist Member
Thread Starter
My RS Experience...First Drive
Went to the dealer this evening with the wife and 17 year old son to pick up my RS. The wife thought the car was “too flash, too dramatic and almost embarrassing”, my son thought it was a blast! He couldn’t wipe the drool off his face and I could see that dreamy look in his eye that said, “Maybe, this car will be mine someday!”
Brought the car home, had dinner, and then back into the garage to ogle. Thought I’d get out early morning for a drive. Pottered around the house for while but got restless and said to myself, “WTF 'am I doing in here when that car of my dreams, the one I waited for 15 months, is finally here?” So why wait till the morn, let’s go now!
Fired up the RS and back her out of the garage. It’s 8.30 pm, 32 degrees, and the roads are dry. The Odo reads 23 miles. I planned to drive on a nice, long, country road in my neck of the woods with light traffic, decent road surface, some nice twisties and a couple of really long “straights”. Perfect for a drive.
So off we go. First, easing through the town traffic and a few miles of highway driving…just getting a feel of the car, the controls, the clutch. Coming from and AWD Turbo with a hydraulic assisted clutch, the RS did feel different. The exhaust in Sport mode sounds simply awesome. And the LWFW clutch when idling does have that ‘race car chatter’. Heel/Toe with the PCCBs, I admit, was difficult as others have observed…the height difference between the stock brake and gas pedals is just too much for the street, at least for me, so aftermarket pedal adjustments will have to be made. Mindful of keeping revs below 4200, I was extra careful in blipping the throttle even when just rev matching on downshifts.
Once on the country road I began to feel the car. First thing I noticed is that in Normal mode the suspension and ride is very pliant. Heck my Turbo S with the X73 has much harsher and stiffer ride. No question in my mind that the RS could be a daily driver if one wanted to. The shifter is notchy but magnetically precise. The standard seats are comfortable and the Alcantra inlays keep your butt from sliding around. But the real thrill of the RS lies in the sharp handling. Even though I did not engage in truly “spirited” driving…high revs and tossing the car about…it does straighten out corners and bends like nothing I’ve ever driven before. Very impressive. No body roll and immense grip. And this is on new PS2s (I switched from the Cups) that are barely broken in. Plenty of power and I think just as quick as the Turbo S.
The drive was largely uneventful other than discovering that the K-40 does work well...went off a few times and sure enough there were revenue collectors around. One even got on my tail to see if I would do something stupid. So be careful in New Jersey as they seem to be on a fund raising campaign these days.
As said, this was not a “spirited” drive and as such it does not lend to full appreciation or comparisons. But I do suspect that I’ll discover more about this beast in the days and weeks ahead. Odo now reads 178 miles, there’s a big smile on my face, and I’m thankful for a dream come true. Hope yours does too. Cheers!
Brought the car home, had dinner, and then back into the garage to ogle. Thought I’d get out early morning for a drive. Pottered around the house for while but got restless and said to myself, “WTF 'am I doing in here when that car of my dreams, the one I waited for 15 months, is finally here?” So why wait till the morn, let’s go now!
Fired up the RS and back her out of the garage. It’s 8.30 pm, 32 degrees, and the roads are dry. The Odo reads 23 miles. I planned to drive on a nice, long, country road in my neck of the woods with light traffic, decent road surface, some nice twisties and a couple of really long “straights”. Perfect for a drive.
So off we go. First, easing through the town traffic and a few miles of highway driving…just getting a feel of the car, the controls, the clutch. Coming from and AWD Turbo with a hydraulic assisted clutch, the RS did feel different. The exhaust in Sport mode sounds simply awesome. And the LWFW clutch when idling does have that ‘race car chatter’. Heel/Toe with the PCCBs, I admit, was difficult as others have observed…the height difference between the stock brake and gas pedals is just too much for the street, at least for me, so aftermarket pedal adjustments will have to be made. Mindful of keeping revs below 4200, I was extra careful in blipping the throttle even when just rev matching on downshifts.
Once on the country road I began to feel the car. First thing I noticed is that in Normal mode the suspension and ride is very pliant. Heck my Turbo S with the X73 has much harsher and stiffer ride. No question in my mind that the RS could be a daily driver if one wanted to. The shifter is notchy but magnetically precise. The standard seats are comfortable and the Alcantra inlays keep your butt from sliding around. But the real thrill of the RS lies in the sharp handling. Even though I did not engage in truly “spirited” driving…high revs and tossing the car about…it does straighten out corners and bends like nothing I’ve ever driven before. Very impressive. No body roll and immense grip. And this is on new PS2s (I switched from the Cups) that are barely broken in. Plenty of power and I think just as quick as the Turbo S.
The drive was largely uneventful other than discovering that the K-40 does work well...went off a few times and sure enough there were revenue collectors around. One even got on my tail to see if I would do something stupid. So be careful in New Jersey as they seem to be on a fund raising campaign these days.
As said, this was not a “spirited” drive and as such it does not lend to full appreciation or comparisons. But I do suspect that I’ll discover more about this beast in the days and weeks ahead. Odo now reads 178 miles, there’s a big smile on my face, and I’m thankful for a dream come true. Hope yours does too. Cheers!
Last edited by BobbyC; 03-10-2007 at 09:42 AM.
03-10-2007, 08:02 AM
#4
Congratulations BobbyC, I just recently fell in love with the RS myself. I really like the Orange and Green versions the best! 
They're absolutely outrageous looking cars! I'm looking pretty hard at buying one, just can't decide what the heck to do! 
Could I ask you a favor to PM me and tell me what you had to shell out for yours? Enjoy the car..... it's a beauty! 
Mags
They're absolutely outrageous looking cars! I'm looking pretty hard at buying one, just can't decide what the heck to do! Could I ask you a favor to PM me and tell me what you had to shell out for yours? Enjoy the car..... it's a beauty! Mags
03-10-2007, 08:39 AM
#5
Rennlist Member
Thread Starter
Originally Posted by magwheel
Congratulations BobbyC, I just recently fell in love with the RS myself. I really like the Orange and Green versions the best! They're absolutely outrageous looking cars! I'm looking pretty hard at buying one, just can't decide what the heck to do! Could I ask you a favor to PM me and tell me what you had to shell out for yours? Enjoy the car..... it's a beauty! Mags
They're absolutely outrageous looking cars! I'm looking pretty hard at buying one, just can't decide what the heck to do! Could I ask you a favor to PM me and tell me what you had to shell out for yours? Enjoy the car..... it's a beauty! MagsIt's all about the dealership folks and how they choose to do business. Mine are very standup guys. I was the first deposit they took and when they got an allocation of just 1, they promptly called me...even though there was a mad rush of people offering substantially above MSRP. Hope you get one. Cheers!
Last edited by BobbyC; 03-10-2007 at 09:36 AM.
03-10-2007, 09:11 AM
#6
Three Wheelin'
Bobby....great initial write-up...felt like I was there w/ you! Dude; this is like counting money in front of the poor! I can't stand it, yet I need more write-ups...the only time I ever Jones'd like this before was when I was waiting for the RSR to come from Flying Lizards...keep up the driving diary; it will help alot of us get through our waits 
(btw...pics or else 
)
(btw...pics or else )
03-10-2007, 10:14 AM
#7
Nordschleife Master
Originally Posted by BobbyC
Went to the dealer this evening with the wife and 17 year old son to pick up my RS. The wife thought the car was “too flash, too dramatic and almost embarrassing”, my son thought it was a blast! He couldn’t wipe the drool off his face and I could see that dreamy look in his eye that said, “Maybe, this car will be mine someday!”
Brought the car home, had dinner, and then back into the garage to ogle. Thought I’d get out early morning for a drive. Pottered around the house for while but got restless and said to myself, “WTF 'am I doing in here when that car of my dreams, the one I waited for 15 months, is finally here?” So why wait till the morn, let’s go now!
Fired up the RS and back her out of the garage. It’s 8.30 pm, 32 degrees, and the roads are dry. The Odo reads 23 miles. I planned to drive on a nice, long, country road in my neck of the woods with light traffic, decent road surface, some nice twisties and a couple of really long “straights”. Perfect for a drive.
So off we go. First, easing through the town traffic and a few miles of highway driving…just getting a feel of the car, the controls, the clutch. Coming from and AWD Turbo with a hydraulic assisted clutch, the RS did feel different. The exhaust in Sport mode sounds simply awesome. And the LWFW clutch when idling does have that ‘race car chatter’. Heel/Toe with the PCCBs, I admit, was difficult as others have observed…the height difference between the stock brake and gas pedals is just too much for the street, at least for me, so aftermarket pedal adjustments will have to be made. Mindful of keeping revs below 4200, I was extra careful in blipping the throttle even when just rev matching on downshifts.
Once on the country road I began to feel the car. First thing I noticed is that in Normal mode the suspension and ride is very pliant. Heck my Turbo S with the X73 has much harsher and stiffer ride. No question in my mind that the RS could be a daily driver if one wanted to. The shifter is notchy but magnetically precise. The standard seats are comfortable and the Alcantra inlays keep your butt from sliding around. But the real thrill of the RS lies in the sharp handling. Even though I did not engage in truly “spirited” driving…high revs and tossing the car about…it does straighten out corners and bends like nothing I’ve ever driven before. Very impressive. No body roll and immense grip. And this is on new PS2s (I switched from the Cups) that are barely broken in. Plenty of power and I think just as quick as the Turbo S.
The drive was largely uneventful other than discovering that the K-40 does work well...went off a few times and sure enough there were revenue collectors around. One even got on my tail to see if I would do something stupid. So be careful in New Jersey as they seem to be on a fund raising campaign these days.
As said, this was not a “spirited” drive and as such it does not lend to full appreciation or comparisons. But I do suspect that I’ll discover more about this beast in the days and weeks ahead. Odo now reads 178 miles, there’s a big smile on my face, and I’m thankful for a dream come true. Hope yours does too. Cheers!
Brought the car home, had dinner, and then back into the garage to ogle. Thought I’d get out early morning for a drive. Pottered around the house for while but got restless and said to myself, “WTF 'am I doing in here when that car of my dreams, the one I waited for 15 months, is finally here?” So why wait till the morn, let’s go now!
Fired up the RS and back her out of the garage. It’s 8.30 pm, 32 degrees, and the roads are dry. The Odo reads 23 miles. I planned to drive on a nice, long, country road in my neck of the woods with light traffic, decent road surface, some nice twisties and a couple of really long “straights”. Perfect for a drive.
So off we go. First, easing through the town traffic and a few miles of highway driving…just getting a feel of the car, the controls, the clutch. Coming from and AWD Turbo with a hydraulic assisted clutch, the RS did feel different. The exhaust in Sport mode sounds simply awesome. And the LWFW clutch when idling does have that ‘race car chatter’. Heel/Toe with the PCCBs, I admit, was difficult as others have observed…the height difference between the stock brake and gas pedals is just too much for the street, at least for me, so aftermarket pedal adjustments will have to be made. Mindful of keeping revs below 4200, I was extra careful in blipping the throttle even when just rev matching on downshifts.
Once on the country road I began to feel the car. First thing I noticed is that in Normal mode the suspension and ride is very pliant. Heck my Turbo S with the X73 has much harsher and stiffer ride. No question in my mind that the RS could be a daily driver if one wanted to. The shifter is notchy but magnetically precise. The standard seats are comfortable and the Alcantra inlays keep your butt from sliding around. But the real thrill of the RS lies in the sharp handling. Even though I did not engage in truly “spirited” driving…high revs and tossing the car about…it does straighten out corners and bends like nothing I’ve ever driven before. Very impressive. No body roll and immense grip. And this is on new PS2s (I switched from the Cups) that are barely broken in. Plenty of power and I think just as quick as the Turbo S.
The drive was largely uneventful other than discovering that the K-40 does work well...went off a few times and sure enough there were revenue collectors around. One even got on my tail to see if I would do something stupid. So be careful in New Jersey as they seem to be on a fund raising campaign these days.
As said, this was not a “spirited” drive and as such it does not lend to full appreciation or comparisons. But I do suspect that I’ll discover more about this beast in the days and weeks ahead. Odo now reads 178 miles, there’s a big smile on my face, and I’m thankful for a dream come true. Hope yours does too. Cheers!
Your colors are what I was going to get except I was thinking of no graphics and doing something personal as Ray did. Actually I like the idea of having the whole lower panel below the lettering in black so the letters rise out of the black.
Anyway, could youtell me what your option list is like?
Thanks
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03-10-2007, 10:34 AM
#8
Rennlist Member
Thread Starter
Originally Posted by allegretto
Cool narrative; wives almost never really "get it" except maybe Stuka's or LV Dell's.
Your colors are what I was going to get except I was thinking of no graphics and doing something personal as Ray did. Actually I like the idea of having the whole lower panel below the lettering in black so the letters rise out of the black.
Anyway, could youtell me what your option list is like?
Thanks
Your colors are what I was going to get except I was thinking of no graphics and doing something personal as Ray did. Actually I like the idea of having the whole lower panel below the lettering in black so the letters rise out of the black.
Anyway, could youtell me what your option list is like?
Thanks
03-10-2007, 01:44 PM
#12
Rennlist Member
Nice write up, thanks. Everything you said is true, especially the suspension. Even having my own, I love to hear others impressions, nice job, and enjoy in good health.
BTW my wife thought it was an outrageously great looking car, maybe she does get it after all.
BTW my wife thought it was an outrageously great looking car, maybe she does get it after all.
03-10-2007, 02:06 PM
#13
Standup guys
Originally Posted by BobbyC
I'll tell you right here...MSRP!
It's all about the dealership folks and how they choose to do business. Mine are very standup guys. I was the first deposit they took and when they got an allocation of just 1, they promptly called me...even though there was a mad rush of people offering substantially above MSRP. Hope you get one. Cheers!
It's all about the dealership folks and how they choose to do business. Mine are very standup guys. I was the first deposit they took and when they got an allocation of just 1, they promptly called me...even though there was a mad rush of people offering substantially above MSRP. Hope you get one. Cheers!
again Bobby for getting one and for having a fantastic Dealership that didn't try and work you over when they could have! Have a great time with your new RS. I'll for sure let you know if I cave-in to my desires! Why can't they all be sold so it would make my decision easier? 
Mags
03-10-2007, 02:35 PM
#14
Burning Brakes
Join Date: Nov 2006
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Originally Posted by magwheel
Congrats again Bobby for getting one and for having a fantastic Dealership that didn't try and work you over when they could have! Have a great time with your new RS. I'll for sure let you know if I cave-in to my desires! Why can't they all be sold so it would make my decision easier? Mags
again Bobby for getting one and for having a fantastic Dealership that didn't try and work you over when they could have! Have a great time with your new RS. I'll for sure let you know if I cave-in to my desires! Why can't they all be sold so it would make my decision easier? MagsUh oh...mags sees another car he likes!
Man, I love the orange! Damn, I am jealous-no hiding there!
Let's hear some more stories, pictures-anything!
Congratulations, all that hard work pays off!
