45,000 miles

 The GLI turned 45,000 miles on March 6:

Just missed 45,000

Luca and I were heading to Chicago to take in a Blackhawks game.  It was a beautiful, chilly evening.  We had just merged onto I-80 and were a bit over ten miles into our Chicago-bound journey when I remembered that 45,000 was approaching quickly.  By the time I queted up the odometer, it was 45,001, and by the time I got my phone up to take a picture, it was 45,002.  Curses!  Oh well, these are the things to be worried about.

Now, you know I love the GLI.  It's a wonderful car, and I get tremendous joy from operating it.  The odometer is one of those minor irritations with the GLI, and modern cars in general.  I think it should always be visible.  At no point am I uninterested in the total mileage on a vehicle.  But on the GLI, the mileage is hidden if you use cruise control or if you get a little close to the car in front of you and get the "too close" warning on the dashboard.  With so much digital real estate available, why is the overall odometer not omnipresent?

So, my list of minor GLI gripes include:

• No omnipresent odometer
• Speedometer increments by 20, and then at the end, 40
• Trunk hinges instead of struts

That's pretty much it.  It's really a lovely, lovely car to drive.  I also really like the ability to close the sunshade while keeping the sunroof open.  I really do like the fresh air.  Even as I write this, it's about 35 degrees outside.  I was just driving around, sunroof open, seat heater on, happy as a clam:

I love an open sunroof!

Of course, my list of likes about the GLI is long:

• Sunroof/sunshade independence
• Power
• Fuel efficiency
• Shifter feel
• Torque
• Handling
• Front differential
• Size/space
• Seat heating/cooling
• How the cockpit is angled towards the driver
• Interior lighting
• Aesthetics
• Pretty much everything