[jamesco]

So lucky! Nice car, I too want diesel here!

[BrasWien]

Originally Posted by gedto

Are you happy with the standard Modern line seats? I was considering getting full leather with sport seats, but that's a lot of $ that could go into other stuff (panoramic sunroof, professional navigation system, HiFi...) if the fabric/leather seats are solid enough?

Could you share a closer look to those seats? Thanks!

Last week I did a serious test of the seats... travelled from Vienna, to Munich, Bonn/Cologne, Strasbourg, Salzburg and back to Vienna (about 2100 km).

I'll talk later about the performance of the car, let's concentrate on the seats first.

The seats are comfortable and with the optional heating system they are pretty cozy. I didn't feel any lack of support in curves, but of course the sport seats would be much better in this aspect.

After driving for 4-6 hours, I started thinking that a lombar adjustment would be a nice feature to have.

But as I do not travel such long distances too frequently, I still think that sports seats are a great extra, but not an essential feature (for instance, I still prefer the GPS Professional, which I'm loving).

The pictures below have no correction/effects.

As I said earlier, I was afraid that the seats would look cheap in this mixture of fabric and leather.

But after paying for the Modern Lines, spending even more to have full leather seats seemed excessive for my limited budget.

The only picture I saw before ordering the car was more or less like this:



At first I didn't like the darker fabric and lighter leather combination (as seen on the photo).

Yet in person it looks pretty sophisticated, as the fabric has some details that compose well with the leader. And this dark/light effect depends a lot on the light.

A closer look shows the fine finishing of the fabric and the texture of the leather:



The overall level of finishing and choice of materials are far from cheap:



Also, I felt that the colour matching was really of a good taste. Notice that with the sun the colour gains a beige/yellowish tone:



The colour combination in the central console looks also somehow "chic". I opted for the sliding central arm support:



Here we can see the matching of plastic, leather and fabric. The needlework is impeccable, in my oppinion:



Another perspective of the leather/fabric work:



Below we can see the overall look of the white car with its oyster/black interior. I'm very pleased with the result.



At first I thought that an oyster/oyster interior would be nice (no dark plastics of carpets). But the retailer convinced me that the oyster carpet will bee too difficult to keep clean.

In the end, I think the oyster/black was the right choice.

Hey, who's that guy taking pictures of my car???



The dogs travelled with us. I folded the rear seats and they were placed in two boxes fixed in the trunk.

There was plenty of space for their boxes and our bags, no worry about space at all.

Notice that the seat belts are also in oyster colour.



In the detail, the central console in leather and the matching with the seats:



In the end, I'm satisfied with the structure and the overall aspect of the Modern Line standard fabric/leather seats. Sport seats would probably look better and hold you better, but with a price.

As I had a restricted budged, I decided not sacrifice some of the other nice accessories I have (panorama glass roof, hifi audio, xDrive, GPS professional etc.) in order to invest in full leather sport, electric seats. But that's really a matter of personal taste and $.

Cheers!

[ADM]

Lovely photos.
LOVELY looking GT!!
Thanks for sharing

[BrasWien]

Originally Posted by ADM

Lovely photos.
LOVELY looking GT!!
Thanks for sharing

[gedto]

This is a quite impressive overview of the Modern line seats, many thanks!!

Detailed, focused on important aspects... Congratulations on sharing a fantastic report of how these feel. Now I am more convinced that they are the way to go if you get the Modern line. If I have budget for the sport seats I may consider them, but now I believe these will do the trick for me.

[BrasWien]

Originally Posted by gedto

This is a quite impressive overview of the Modern line seats, many thanks!!

Detailed, focused on important aspects... Congratulations on sharing a fantastic report of how these feel. Now I am more convinced that they are the way to go if you get the Modern line. If I have budget for the sport seats I may consider them, but now I believe these will do the trick for me.

You're welcome. As I couldn't see a review os the seats before ordering, I remained very apprehensive until I got the car... so It was a pleasure to share this review.

[BrasWien]

I'd like to share some thoughts on the car, after a long trip:

--> Power - the 320d seemed quite balanced in terms of weight/power. Whenever you need, the diesel engine delivers torque and power smoothly (very few turbo lag) and consistenty. I was specially impressed with its accelerating power from 120 to 150 km/h or from 140 to 160 km/h.

--> The car I tested before ordering mine was a 318d, and I found that it lacked a little bit of power. So I thought 320d was a good choice. The retailer said that the 328d wouldn't deliver much more torque than the 320d, but would be harder to resell (here in Austria there is a tax on fuel consumption). But I suppose the 335 would be much more fun to drive (lucky Americans!)...

--> xDrive - I haven't driven a GT without xDrive, but with it the car makes curves "glued" on the ground. I haven't tested it to the limit, but its stability in rainy and wet conditions is impressive. Under rain I didn't go further than 130 km/h (no car would be stable in higher speeds anyway). In dry conditions and in the mountains, it works completely in your hands. Didn't drive in snow, maybe next winter...

--> 8-speed sports gearbox - my previous car had a CVT gearbox, and I thought there would be no other gearbox as smooth as a CVT. I was wrong, the 8-speed gearbox is suprisingly smooth in comfort or eco pro modes. I found it fast and rough in sport mode, but that's the spirit.

In steep descents the gearbox holds and makes a very efficient engine break. However, sometimes I found it too noisy (then I just shifted manually to a higher gear). In other situations I found the automatic shifts quite "clever", no need to manual intervention.

--> Driving modes / eco pro - in this mode, on Austrian highways, limited to 130 km/h, you can smoothly cruise at the top legal speed and save some fuel. The response of the car seems slower, but if you kick-down or shift twice to a lower gear, it delivers the power you need for safe overtakings.

In the city and in hot weather the lack of air conditioning in eco pro mode is sometimes annoying. But I noticed that if you choose a lower temperature, the engine restarts and it refrigerates appropriately. Quite clever.

I have no problem with start-stop function, but some people think it irritates.

--> Diving modes / comfort - it really seems comfortable, less noisy than sport mode and with a better performance than the eco pro mode.

In German Autobahns (without speed limit) I couldn't drive in eco pro mode, the response was too slow for the road conditions. So most of the time I drove there in comfort mode (you can notice that the autopilot has a better response too).

--> Driving modes / sport - although it is the better config in terms of sharpness, I seems a little bit too noisy for a family travel, specially when you are just cruising at the top legal speed. In these conditions I'd prefer comfort or eco pro.

However, the sport mode makes a huge difference in the mountains or when reaching speeds of 150 km/h or more. In German Autobahns most cars would cruise at 140-150 km/h, so it was fun to use the sport mode to quickly reach 180 km/h (my record was 200 km/h - I didn't want to go up to the limit of the engine and of my guts).

When shifting in manual (particularly in sport mode), the car becomes really fun to drive. In highways this may be a little boring, but in the mountains you can really feel the car and play with it appropriately.

It is impressive how German Autobahns are safe and how drivers drive with responsibility. Many people with really powerful cars (AMGs, R8s, GTRs, Porsches etc.) and no conflict with slower traffic nor reckless maneuvres. Reveals maturity both from people and government.

--> autopilot (non adaptative) - very accurate (down to 1 km/h). Applies brakes smoothly or more intensely as required. I found it nice to overtake in highways when cruising calmly (just driving with your fingers).

--> Space - everytime I want to carry something big I manage to fit it in the trunk and smile.

The other day I went by bike to a neighbour town and its tyre was seriousy damaged. My wife "rescued" me with the GT and the bike fitted in the trunk nice and easily.

The space is enough for carrying dogs (my case) and - I suppose - for carrying kids too. Space for driver and front passenger is excellent as well.

--> Professional GPS - this is my preferred extra. Not only has it a big screen, but the information it displays is quite accurate. During the long trips, the connected drive alerted me from poor traffic conditions, sudden slow traffic, roads under repair and accidents and offered alternative ways whenever possible.

In a particular situation, the GPS warned about slow traffic. As soon as I finished a curve all cars were standstill. Fortunately I was prepared and could slow down without difficulty.

Finding an adress in Google Maps (mobile version) sending it to the GPS is another really nice feature.

The iDrive touchpad as well as voice commands are nice features as well.

I wasn't able to save a GPS position in the fast-access numbers (1-8 in the front panel).... I really need to read and re-read the manuals...

--> Hifi sound system - I tested a GT with the basic sound system and I found it a little poor. The Harman Kardon sound system was too expensive, so I opted for the hifi and I'm satisfied with it. You would not make a party with this sound system, but it delivers a balanced, crystalline sound.

--> Parking sensors and rear camera - I suppose my garage is the tiniest one can have for a GT. So these are essencial tools to avoid trouble. The rear view through the mirrors is poor, and the camera helps you in many daily situations. I've never had or needed a rear camera before, but I suppose it is one of the best extras a GT can have.

--> Folding mirrors - not essencial for most people, but for me it is a must. Anti-dazzle function works fine.

--> Overall construction - the car is sound and there are no failures in construction or noise from plastic parts.

--> Sliding armrest - I chose this option, but would live without it.

--> Panorama roof - gives you light in darker days and fresh air when driving loosely. Though not essencial, I find it a nice feature. Would impress all your friends (and yourself).

--> other features - there are dozens of features one would never use but are still available. One that is useful to me is limiting the hight of the trunk opening. I find amazing the possibility of making such configurations.

--> Active protection - this is a feature most people would prefer not to use... After long hours driving, the system really alerts you from lack of attention.

The first time it worked, I was driving continuously for more than 4 hours, as my wife asked me not to stop in order to save some travel time. I didn't notice that I was so tired, but in the moment I yawned the system activated and suggested my to take a coffee. Only then did I notice how tired I was. The system also offers stop alternatives, such as nearby gas stations, restaurants or hotels.

The picture below was taken in a long trip, in rainy condition. After that message, my wife drove the car so as I could rest a little:

I have only a couple of minor complaints:
- small glove compartment;
- one day the sunroof stopped working and side windows went crazy. Everything went back OK after restarting the car (as if it runs on Windows software);
- bluetooth does not play audio as default (no enhanced bluetooth on my car, although it has Professional GPS, connected drive, apps etc.);
- in very few occasions the GPS gives you old or innacurate information (but this is common to all GPSs I think).

Last but not least, I was about to finish the long trip when the car ran out of fuel. I stopped and refuelled it, but forgot to close the fuel door. I travelled about 130 km without noticing it. Actually, the door closed loosely with the wind and I noticed that only when I arrived home. I think this was a dangerous situation (mainly if I was involved in an accident), and it seems there is no warning light for that.

All in all, I find the GT comfortable, powerful, realiable and "clever" (its electronics are really sophisticated). And, of course, beautiful!

[rokut]

Awesome post(s) - thank you very much for the detail! I have a GT on order currently but should be able to modify the spec still. Thinking of adding the Pano Roof as the final piece... have to admit it looks good in this!