ED 30 Impressions - A Tale of 2 cars!!

[waddler]

Ok had the car for a few weeks now so though I would post some thoughts.  I have a new imported silver Ed30 5 Door In Silver with base spec.  Just to put this in perspective i've previously owned the following sporty motors:

2001 - TT Coupe 225
2003 - TVR Cerbera
2004 - Porsche Boxster S
2005 - BMW M3 E46 Coupe
2007 - Civic Type R (07 Model)

My car before the Golf was the CTR (which is fantastic car by the way).  I changed because even though it was a 2nd car I have 2 small kids and 2 doors are a mare.  Also, i'm in my mid 30's and couldn't help feeling just a bit chavy :-)  On the plus side, the engine and gearbox were amazing almost like a mini M3 but more fun because it was not as quick so you could spend more time high in the rev range without losing you licence.  The only real flaw was the driving position was way too high and got on my nerves being over 6ft.

So having toyed with a GTI before i decided to get an ED30.  Can't say i'm a fan of the looks.  For me the standard GTI looks much better and 3drs way better than 5drs but thats the price of kids (plus about another million quid over their lifetime).  The interior is another mater, the quality is great and driving position is spot on.  Steering wheel is the best in the business.

Although a very quick car and effortless to drive I was a little bit disappointed that the car felt a bit tame.  It was faster than the CTR for sure but was just not as much fun.  The ED30 also feels like it has more grip and a better chassis but has a little bit more roll which dampens the excitement a bit.  If this was my only car then the Golf would win every time.  As a second car for a sunday afternoon blast then the Civic would win on fun points.  Still I was happy with my decision.

One of the thoughts in the back of my mind when buying was the hidden performance you could unlock with a chip upgrade.  Given i'm a low mileage driver and look after my cars I thought i'd give it a go.  After much research I opted for the Bluefin option and installed it yesterday.  I was pretty sceptical on the advantages to be honest but I shouldn't have been.

The performance increase is stunning and takes the car from a very fast hatch up into another league.  The beauty is that under 3k revs the car is unchanged so incredibly easy to drive around town or motorways for that mater.  Taking it beyond 3k the performance is stunning and feels every bit as quick as an M3 for in gear acceleration without the need to trouble the limiter.  While the conversion is done very well, the Golf still struggles for grip if you accelerate flat out in 2nd but that's a good thing because it brings in some driver skill to feed in the power gradually as speed increases, just like my old Cerbera in many ways.  It also gives the Golf a little rough edge which ads to the fun factor massively.

In 3rd gear upwards then it's all contained resulting in huge surge of acceleration in all gears.  I'm still taking it easy as the car needs a few hundred more miles to be fully run in but can't help thinking the ED30 is the performance bargain of the century and pretty much all the car you ever need......... 

[maxamus]

For me the standard GTI looks much better and 3drs way better

Amen Brother

[Hurdy]

Waddler.....another one trying to tempt me with the subversive pleasures of the remap

Silver and 5 doors...what is wrong with that

[waddler]

It has to be done.  Trust me i was a sceptic 

[Peskarik]

I think too that 3dr looks better than 5dr.
It's the shape of the window behind the front door, the way it looks on a 3dr makes the car look more dynamic.
Also, I always think of coupes as a choice of an egoist. THere is no practicality in coupes usually, so these cars are bought for pure fun. And coupes are made for fun, that's what I think.

Come spring and warm weather I overclock  my E30. I already have 8400 kilometers on the clock (after 3 months of ownership), so it's run in and the 10000 km service comes up soon, so I wait till after that. Than I oettingerize it! 

I can imagine it struggles for grip in 2nd. Mine struggles for grip in 2nd when going uphill (10 degrees or so incline). 

So, waddler, M3 coupe of E30 coupe, pros and cons?

[john_o]

nice garage there ... Ive had an M3 E46 too and its hard to move on at all 

I have to say though Im astonished by how far FWD hot hatches have come in terms of agility and grip

So you have remapped before the car is run in yeah?
I plan to run in , but you could argue its better for the car to be run in at the settings it will be pushed to so components bed in at that level.

must resist remap ..must resist remap ....must resist remap .must resist remap .must resist remap ....

Enjoy your car

[paulm007]

Good write up Waddler, if I wasnt off to Iraq for 4 months I would be booking mine in for a remap now! 

 Perhaps when I get back I can treat myself, how much was it btw

[waddler]

It's £599 direct from superchips.  I looked fro some deals but couldn't find any.  Reve was another £150 for a switchable map.

[Russ.C]

Yep. The ED30 is a totally different beast when remapped!  Hope you enjoy it! (Think I've been enjoying mine a bit too much - need two new front tyres after only 6500!!  ) Good write up by the way 

[waddler]

nice garage there ... Ive had an M3 E46 too and its hard to move on at all 

I have to say though Im astonished by how far FWD hot hatches have come in terms of agility and grip

So you have remapped before the car is run in yeah?
I plan to run in , but you could argue its better for the car to be run in at the settings it will be pushed to so components bed in at that level.

must resist remap ..must resist remap ....must resist remap .must resist remap .must resist remap ....

Enjoy your car

I just decided to go for it now but still take it relatively easy to complete the running in process.  So only short bursts when fully warmed up.  Even so power delivery is impressive and very smooth despite big torque through the fron wheels.  I agree with you on FWD hatches they are just great value and eliminate the need for more exotic and higher priced machinery.  A new M3 costs >£50k these days and though a better car not that much more fun.