My MK6 GTI

I've written about my daily commute but so far I've only made passing comments about my daily driver....my 2011 Mk6 VW GTI.  About 4 years ago my office was consolidated with our corporate head quarters which meant my morning commute stretched from 35 miles to roughly 65 miles (in each direction).  At the time I was driving a 2003 Jaguar X-Type Sport.  I went with the 'practical' 4 door, 6 cylinder, AWD sedan in a moment of weakness when I traded in my Mustang GT shortly before my first son was born. It even had an automatic transmission which ended up being the worst thing about that car.  It was sloppy, unresponsive and apparently un-serviceable. However, the blacked out baby Jag looked good and the AWD was phenomenal for New England..but as I racked up the miles the car showed its age.

An Accord or Camry  would have provided years of problem free commuting....but I needed something a little more interesting....hence the Jag.   When the time approached to replace the Ford Mondeo based Jaguar I knew I wanted something practical AND fun.  It had to get acceptable fuel economy, allow me to bring my boys to soccer practice (coaching gear in tow) and still make me smile when I matted the pedal on a curvy road. The automatic in the Jaguar really left a bad taste in my mouth so I swore to go back to a manual transmission....even in the face of daily NYC bound gridlock.

I did some research at the time and my choice became clear....the best bang for the buck was the then fairly new MK6 GTI.  I've always been a VW guy.  Prior to this GTI my wife and I have owned 2 Foxes, 2 Corrado G60's (which were fantastic!) and a MK4 GTI.

My United Grey GTI has been perfect.  In three years I've logged over 90,000 miles with nothing but basic maintenance.  What I love about the car is how it does everything well.  Scenic road trips into New Hampshire and Vermont or romps into mid-town Manhattan or Boston.  I've had the hatch stuffed to the gills with luggage, illegal fireworks, and just about everything available from Home Depot.

There have been days in which I have left my home at 4:00 AM with the car loaded with luggage to drop friends off at JFK airport. After the drop off, I escaped New York before the morning congestion became a factor and slipped up the Merritt Parkway on my way to the office as the sun rose.  As I parked the car and walked into the office I just smiled as I considered how many other sub-30k cars on the market could have made that mundane morning enjoyable.

More to come soon on the GTI as I have been planning a series of 'improvements' to reward my hot hatch for it's faithful services as it approaches the 100k mile mark.

The Merritt Parkway - Commüterring

Mike Spinelli recently authored a review of a VW GTD on Jalopnik.com. In his review of the diesel powered hatchback he took the car on Connecticut's Merritt Parkway. He wrote:

One doesn't drive the Merritt Parkway,a pulsing arterial bywaylinking the New York suburbs to Connecticut's Housatonic River basin; one courses through it.

Beneath a great canopy of sun-shielding oaks, you vault upward to near-weightlessness and then dive down into sweeping, neutral-camber bends, urged on by gravity and luscious waves of machine torque. In the right car, on the right day, it's like a spirit ride through the Enchanted Forest on a magic mushroom. Some locals call it the commüterring.

Built with pride in the 1930's, the Merritt is mostly used by locals as an alternative to I-95 when traveling from Connecticut to New York City. It is two lanes in each direction and much more sinuous than modern highways, winding its way through park like landscaping and under Art Deco and Art Moderne bridges. As a result, it has become one of the only roads listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The ornamental bridges also cause the Merritt to be truck-free (since they don't fit under the bridges).

I personally commüte the Merritt Parkway on a daily basis to and from the office (traveling 60 miles in each direction) in my MK6 VW GTI! So you can see why Spinelli's article struck a chord with me. My daily drive gives me an appreciation for what a 'good' car can be. I wouldn't want to take my '67 Cougar on this trip five days a week, but my GTI does it without any complaints, getting around 30 MPG, and putting a smile on my face whenever the traffic allows.

My two recommendations for driving the Merritt Parkway.

1 - Do it in the Fall, its a great way to enjoy the New England foliage

2 - Avoid weekday morning and afternoon rush hours (because I need to get to work on time)

A drive down the Merritt Parkway at the right time is a memorable driving experience that anyone can appreciate.

Side Note: Since it goes through Connecticut affluent Fairfield County its common to see exotics (Porsches, Astons, Ferraris, etc) also enjoying the drive.