Joined
·
4,096 Posts
i figured i'd make a list of some of the changes/differences ive noted with the '05 model vs the '03 as well as some details about the obvious things:
(1) Headlamps - the shape of the new headlamp is slightly different than the old 03 shape. the part that bulges out has been "shaved" a bit to be flatter with respect to the over all curve of the base plexiglass assembly. the end result is that it is a little bit less "polyp-y"
(2) sliding coin part of the armrest - this has now been covered with felt inserts
(3) Ggraphite Seats - the graphite seats are now a shade lighter in color (which i really like).
(4) Seat lether - the leather on the graphite seats is not as super soft as the old 03 graphite leather. it is more along the lines of what the original willow leather texture was.
(5) Seat cushions - my graphite seats (now perforated with a split bottom cushion) seem to have two aspects that are different than the old ones. (a) there seems to be a bit more material under the leather on each "quadrant" and (b) it seems to be pulled very taught. whether this will hold up better than the 03 will need TBD.
(6) The Ride - ok... i know im going to get flamed a bit on this one, but for day to day driving, the ride is noticably more compliant. and as handling oriented as i am, i am loving this. i have taken the car thru some hard turns and it handles just as well as my 03.....reason why?....NEW TIRES
....basically i think that a good set of tires can make this run a skidpad on par with an 03 with a bit of wear. in real life, you are always going to hve wear, so again, ill have to see how this goes over time.
(7) rear cargo cover - yay! this is great. i like it for a number of reasons: (a) it can be dropped in or pulled out with no effort. (b) it pulls back and has a flexible flap that pushed up against the rear hatch to seal the area completely, (c) there are "spring loaded" split flaps on the front part that push up against the back of the rear seats so that no matter what the angle of the seats, there is no gap that you can see thru.
(8) smoked grill - well...i liked that old chrome one better
...nuff said
(9) smoked headlights - indifferent. looks ok on all colors to me
(10) smoked taillights - i like these much better than the red ones....and i didnt think i would like them much at all. they really go well with DG, Black, and White IMO. i havent seen them on other colors yet.
(11) overall seat comfort - the car is new, but it DOES have a different feel to the seats becuase of the cushion desing on the bottom. SUPER comfy. we'll see in a year and half how things flatten out, but there may be a bit more cushion on the bottom part...
(12) etched aluminum - looks kick ass in the daylight. at night you really cant tell the difference. as far as the old style aluminum....i dont know yet how i feel about the two compared. that means that the OLD style aluminum is still on the top of my list at this point. its sporty and classy at the same time. the new style is less classy, but more sporty.
i havent tried the seat heaters yet, so ill get back on if they heat up faster, etc.. also pics to come this weekend when i get her cleaned down from all of the salt and crap from the snow around here.
all in all, im SUPER happy with the changes and of course the biggest change of all for me --- more power
..... but thats for a differnt post 
(1) Headlamps - the shape of the new headlamp is slightly different than the old 03 shape. the part that bulges out has been "shaved" a bit to be flatter with respect to the over all curve of the base plexiglass assembly. the end result is that it is a little bit less "polyp-y"
(2) sliding coin part of the armrest - this has now been covered with felt inserts
(3) Ggraphite Seats - the graphite seats are now a shade lighter in color (which i really like).
(4) Seat lether - the leather on the graphite seats is not as super soft as the old 03 graphite leather. it is more along the lines of what the original willow leather texture was.
(5) Seat cushions - my graphite seats (now perforated with a split bottom cushion) seem to have two aspects that are different than the old ones. (a) there seems to be a bit more material under the leather on each "quadrant" and (b) it seems to be pulled very taught. whether this will hold up better than the 03 will need TBD.
(6) The Ride - ok... i know im going to get flamed a bit on this one, but for day to day driving, the ride is noticably more compliant. and as handling oriented as i am, i am loving this. i have taken the car thru some hard turns and it handles just as well as my 03.....reason why?....NEW TIRES
(7) rear cargo cover - yay! this is great. i like it for a number of reasons: (a) it can be dropped in or pulled out with no effort. (b) it pulls back and has a flexible flap that pushed up against the rear hatch to seal the area completely, (c) there are "spring loaded" split flaps on the front part that push up against the back of the rear seats so that no matter what the angle of the seats, there is no gap that you can see thru.
(8) smoked grill - well...i liked that old chrome one better
(9) smoked headlights - indifferent. looks ok on all colors to me
(10) smoked taillights - i like these much better than the red ones....and i didnt think i would like them much at all. they really go well with DG, Black, and White IMO. i havent seen them on other colors yet.
(11) overall seat comfort - the car is new, but it DOES have a different feel to the seats becuase of the cushion desing on the bottom. SUPER comfy. we'll see in a year and half how things flatten out, but there may be a bit more cushion on the bottom part...
(12) etched aluminum - looks kick ass in the daylight. at night you really cant tell the difference. as far as the old style aluminum....i dont know yet how i feel about the two compared. that means that the OLD style aluminum is still on the top of my list at this point. its sporty and classy at the same time. the new style is less classy, but more sporty.
i havent tried the seat heaters yet, so ill get back on if they heat up faster, etc.. also pics to come this weekend when i get her cleaned down from all of the salt and crap from the snow around here.
all in all, im SUPER happy with the changes and of course the biggest change of all for me --- more power