Whats going on at VAG

[Andy665 0]

I know the Golf GTi is highly regarded but at £20k its not exactly cheap OR loaded with equipment.

 

Audi have just released details of the A3 2.0T FSI, same 197bhp, very similar standard equipment, admittedly won't be quite as sharp to drive but then again its also £1000 LESS

 

Am I missing something or does the A3 look the more appealling all-round buy, not just talking about driver appeal but as an all-round ownership proposition

[StormVR6 0]

No, the Audi will be worth less than the Golf by more than a grand in 3 years.

[samm_cvr6 0]

Good question, my initial thought is you pay atleast a couple of grand for that VW badge but Audi is supposed to be above VW so why the A3 2.0T is cheaper has got me, is the A3 the 3 door version? It's essentially the same platform anyway. My guess is VW know there is a fair demand for the gti, hence they can charge a high price. Well it is £1k more than the Astra VXR which seems to be trouncing it in all the reviews.

[Andy665 0]

I don't think there will be much in it residual wise in the longer term, the Volkswagen dealersI have spoken to today and fuming about it as they are now quoting Nov at the earliest for GTi's and reckon that people not prepared to wait will go and buy the A3. I personally prefer the looks of the A3 and it leaves the Golf standing in terms of build quality.

[Kevin Bacon 5]

What's going on at VAG? Nothing but profit making. Look at the companies they own....Skoda, Bentley, Seat, etc And Audi own, Lambo, Cosworth Powertrain, etc....

 

Look in this month's Evo magazine, arguably the most informative and best car magazine ever. Group test - Golf GTi, Astra VXR, Megane 225. Which one wins? The Golf. Worth a £1K premium over the other two? Absolutely.

 

All 3 do 60 in 6.7 secs and all 3 do the 1/4 in 15.2. So the Golf with the least power of the 3 keeps up easily and is the better drive, by miles.

 

Why is it always cost first, product second in the UK? F'ck that. If a product is damn good, you pay for it, simple as that.

 

Audi A3? Come on.... dull as dishwater. It's a car for Estate agents and secretaries. Cr@p steering feel, over priced (it's a Golf) and has a huge image problem (in the UK).

[samm_cvr6 0]

I'm not convinced the gti is better than the Astra VXR on a track, but as an every day tool, I'd get the gti, well actually I'd probably get the A3, lol.

[StormVR6 0]

The VXR is stupid, it's as stupid as putting a bloody quick engine in an Astra.....oh

[Andy665 0]

Kev - I hear what you are saying but how can you consider the A3 to be over-priced when the 2.0T is £1000 cheaper than the Golf. I agree with you that the GTi is the better drivers car and if that were the only criteria I would choose the Golf every time but most people have not got the luxury or inclination to buy on that factor alone.

 

With long waiting lists and a great product are VW practising good business sense - absolutely. Is the GTi worth the premium over an identically powered A3 - highly debatable

 

Personally give me three top notch Corrados for the same 20k every time

[samm_cvr6 0]

Personally, i think it looks better than the gti and the quality seems to be getting better, it's ott, which ain't necessarily bad, needs remapping to 280ish bhp tho, lol. People don't seem to have too many probs with the Leon R at 265 bhp on 18's and the Astra chassis, supposedly tuned by Lotus should be better.

[chrishill 0]

look at it this way, the new GTI has, on paper, simular performance to a vr6. the bodystyle may be different (ie hatch not coupe) but by all reports it handles VERY well, goes like the clappers and is pretty comfortable... all the things the corrado was praised for when it was launched, and how much was a new vr6? £23k? 10 years ago? thats got to equate to £30k+ in todays terms. Personally i'd never pay that much for a car, but as new cars go, its not 'that' badly priced.

[samm_cvr6 0]

Very true, haven't all cars come down in price tho? I think it will sell well, and it's turbo so much more tuneable than a VR, still might be worth holding out for the Focus ST tho.

[Andy665 0]

Pity the Focus ST hasn't got the stance of the old RS, that was one purposeful looking car, superb drive too if you could adapt to the LSD.

 

Loved the first pics of the Astra VXR but reckon it will date very quickly, Golfs always seem to age really well (MKIII excluded)

[Kevin Bacon 5]

The VXR is stupid, it's as stupid as putting a bloody quick engine in an Astra.....oh

 

Reminds me of the GSI and 16V GTE Astras..... fabulous engines, cr@p chassis that can't take it.

 

Vauxhall's VXR is so obviously a rush job to compete with the multi award winning Golf and the Focus RS and Focus 5 cylinder ST. According to reliable and believable reports, the Astra makes a meal of quick B road direction changes and bumps/ripples that the Golf ignores and takes in it's stride. IMO the Golf's all round ability is what makes it worth the extra cash and that's always been the case, apart from the MK3!

 

5 years down the line, the Golf GTI will be worth a lot more than a Megane, Astra or Focus.

 

Andy, yeah, the Audi might be cheaper but I dunno, the A3 is just so dull. The current shape is really ugly imo, the S3 shape A3 was quite pretty and it was nicely made.

 

It's all horses for courses....we all like different things and what I personally like is to feel what's going on under my feet and through the steering, and Audi are too far away from providing that level of feedback at the moment.

[samm_cvr6 0]

yea, you know an rs when you see one, and there all imperial blue. obviously because this focus mk2 is an st tey have made it a tad less all out but apparently it's been lapping the nurburgrung 10secs quicker than the rs!

[Andy665 0]

Can't help seeing shades of the old Skoda Rapid Coupe whenever I see a new shape 3 door Focus, Ford seem to have lost their nerve. For me to buy a car first it has to look appealling, unless it pushes that button I won't go any further

[Kevin Bacon 5]

The ST Focus is much quicker round the Nurburgring than the RS, so it goes to show, sometimes less is more.

 

Agreed, the current Focus is King Bland.....but the ST packs a brilliant interior and a superb ride/handling.

 

It's all academical because none of them match the Corrado. As Evo say, "Corrado VR6 - 92 - 96 - + Still to be bettered for all round ability and appeal. - Err....."

 

And that's the crux with VW isn't it? They're not perfect and haven't perfected anything, but their cars somehow do a lot more than than the figures imply, and it's the reason why the VW scene is far larger than any other marque's.

[samm_cvr6 0]

Am I the only one that thinks the 3 door mk2 focus looksgood? and it has VVT or fords version of that. I dont like the look of any of the 5 door hatches tho

[NickVR6 0]

I was suprised when uk car prices came down substancially a few years back, much to my old mans disgust after paying over £20k for a 150bhp mk4 demo Gti T! Anyway, i have been waiting for them to stealth up the prices in the uk again while nobody notices. I'd like to know how much the new gti is in the rest of europe?? Me thinks more like 15/16K?

 

I'd like to be proved wrong though. But we do tend to bend over and take it in the council griter from the rest of the worlds pricing.

[davidwort 0]

...Audi A3? Come on.... dull as dishwater. It's a car for Estate agents and secretaries. Cr@p steering feel, over priced (it's a Golf) and has a huge image problem (in the UK).

 

I'm still trying to work out how you visually distinguish a 1.6 from the 3.2, wider tyres I think. :)

 

David.

[samm_cvr6 0]

probably why most Audi buyers like them tho, it just goes about it's business discreetly.

[jedi-knight83 0]

the S3 shape A3 was quite pretty and it was nicely made.

 

good save kev! i was reading down the thread and was about to jump in saying the old a3/s3 wasnt that boring! :D

 

re golf / new a3

 

personally i think the new a3 with the right styling looks pretty darn good. I wouldnt buy a golf as it is massively over priced for such a low spec! once you add the extras like leather, xenons, recaros etc.. your looking at the best part of £24k!

 

The new a3 handling is alot better than the old standard a3 and the spec is better than the golf. Personally that would get my vote (and i have been in both... all be it the 3.2 a3 not the 2.0 t)

[dinkus 10]

Sorry, random comment, but Nathan - is that pic of your S3 taken in the Shell station out by Marshall?? :lol:

[Kevin Bacon 5]

I wouldnt buy a golf as it is massively over priced for such a low spec! once you add the extras like leather, xenons, recaros etc.. your looking at the best part of £24k!

 

Your style A3 is the best one, by miles, imo. The current one looks too boxy....it's fugly :lol: And what about Audi's new corporate grille? eeek! It's hideous! Actually, it looks OK-ish on the new S4 but on the A6 and A3 etc, it looks, erm, yuk.

 

Anyway, the Golf, yeah it is overpriced which is why I'd never buy a new one. But VW are shrewd little swines and they know UK buyers will lap them up regardless of cost....cause we're gullible and badge snobs. It's a damn fine machine though, a real driver's car.

[jedi-knight83 0]

Sorry, random comment, but Nathan - is that pic of your S3 taken in the Shell station out by Marshall??

 

correct

 

And what about Audi's new corporate grille? eeek! It's hideous!

 

also correct... i'll get my coat... and a golf on the way out the door

[dinkus 10]

Sorry, random comment, but Nathan - is that pic of your S3 taken in the Shell station out by Marshall??

 

correct

 

Heh heh, I thought I recognised that brick wall (I'm quick, you haven't had that sig pic for that many months :? :lol: ) - My blue C looked flippin amazing on that fore-court when you looked out from the booth. I think it helps that the floor kind of dips down in the middle a bit, so it makes it look super-low as well :D