let's see.. i would mainly have to disagree on the looks of the car, i think its very unique and designed well. most people who aren't avid gti owners would shit on anything that ISN'T a gti, but thats just my opinion and your opinon is yours as well, i'm not here to argue about that.
i signed up on here a while back to get some info on the gti for my girlfriend who is still in the midst of looking for one with the package and price that she wants.. i test drove the manual, its pretty quick, but like some people stated, stock for stock it is NOT faster than an eclipse GT.
the eclipse is underrated from the factory by A LOT. it puts out about 280 at the crank given its stock dynos of 247 to the wheels.
i agree that comparing magazines test drives aren't accurate so i'll put out this link to show a bone stock eclipse at the track, even has a vid at the bottom.. going 14.02 @ 101 mph. that is 2 hundredths of a second from a stock 13 second run!
http://www.club4geclipse.com/fortopic3751.html
my point is... would people please do some research before stating biased false information.
i'm not posting to say that the eclipse is faster or better, there are just some people on here with immature posts, not only here, but for example in the 06 civic thread, who post regardless of any kind of knowledge at all.
the mentalities of some i just can't understand.. since you don't have it, or feel threatened by it, or god forbid, is faster than the car YOU own, it has to be a piece of shit right?
i love the new gti and can't wait for my gf to own one so i can have some fun with it. its a great car for what it is.
and the eclipse is a great car for what it is, that is my point. i see ppl on here evolving in stupidity.. when someone with some knowledge corrects that the GT is indeed faster, then some idiot has to look for some other fault such as the weight or how ugly it is. the weight i have to agree with, its a hefty son of a bitch, but look at the final numbers is all i have to say. it can carry its weight and then some.
and yeah.. i have friends who own 350z's.. neck and neck i tell ya. it all comes down to the driver. he wins some, i win some. these are all specs on the 6 speed. autos have a lot more loss of power through the drivetrain.. its slower but not that much slower, can't say cause i've never driven an auto.