A couple of words need to be said about the car. I know, I know, there is already a number of people who had followed this path from C3RS to C4RS, but I still feel I need to express my thoughts.
First, the car is fun! It is a bit loger routine to get it - previously I just needed to downshift and it all started. Now it is more like launching a rocket: you turn off the cruise switch, push RS button and move the gear lever to the left - and only then it becomes alive. So, you can't do this occasionally - you have to be sure that it is something you need right now.
More on the handling and other high-performance things to come later on.
Then, the Trophy is so much more usable. Don't get me wrong, I was fine driving the previous generation both daily and on a long trips with the whole family. But here - the fuel consumption on high speeds, the noise and the Bose sound after all, make autobahn cruising on any reasonable speed(I tend to set a cruise to 150-160kmh on a long trips) pretty comfortable.
In addition, I am among the lucky guys with late '17 production, which means Android Auto is supported. Okay, it is noticeably slow, but anyways, this is far better than all these ugly ways to put the phone in front of the drivers face.
Bose is not an audiophile's dream, but in comparison with what I had previously... No words can describe this difference. On the downside, though, I was kind of surprised it literally took a half of the trunk to put the amplifier there.
Speaking of the 'box... Well, I am surprised that I say it - but in the RS/Race mode I love this box. It is _really_ fast. I still prefer full manual race mode, but even in R.S. it remains to be good.
In a slow and dense traffic it is useful as well in full auto. However, there are downsides too. When you need to overtake quickly on the road - I would prefer to be able to downshift two gears, rev-match and fly over that car in front. Here, going from 6th to 4rd is just painfully slow regardless if you kick-down or pull the left paddle. I mean, this is okay and the performance in auto is better than it is with most of the cars around. But still, there are rare times when I think that manual would kill it.
Next is handling. The amount of grip feels good, the stiffness is just right for the car, steering is a bit more artificial, but is good too. The car is much more stable - which might be a good thing for a lap time, but in terms of fun it's not THAT playful. The setup is shifterd towards understeer, so I was not able to achieve the famous lift-off oversteer which was the way the previous car was entering every other corner. Still, again, I would not complain a lot about it.
And then, there is a most disappointing thing I have discovered driving on mountain roads and the 'ring: brakes. I've read multiple reviews that due to the fact that the discs are bigger now, brakes are okay despite the fact that these are not brembos.
Driving the Stelvio Pass(picturesque, but from the driving prospective, the traffic and limited visibility make the surroundings miles better than the Pass itself), I just found them being really hot.
But on the 'Ring which is not considered as a road that requires an outstanding brake setup, I was really worried to do two laps in a row - in the middle of the lap the brakes start to feel worse.
And, having done six laps in total, I now have wobbling on braking. It was awful right after the trip and slightly better now - but still it is noticeable.
I've asked some advice in the appropriate section of the forum, but no answers so far:
http://clio197.net/threads/220t-200t-brake-questions.60493/
