Maybe your expectations are different to what mine were. Both mine were new and the A3 loaners i had while mine was in seemed to have the same sort of rattles and squeaks(I'm not saying it rattled like a French car) but it wasnt silent. They were mainly from around the centre console and dash area, certainly not what i expected of a new car costing as much as the A3 did and the inferior Golf has had no such issues. I really do thing its the plastic Audi use and they arent that much nicer to feel than the Golfs.
Golf 5 GTI or Audi A3 2.0T
- Thread starter rickchild
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Maybe your expectations are different to what mine were. Both mine were new and the A3 loaners i had while mine was in seemed to have the same sort of rattles and squeaks(I'm not saying it rattled like a French car) but it wasnt silent. They were mainly from around the centre console and dash area, certainly not what i expected of a new car costing as much as the A3 did and the inferior Golf has had no such issues. I really do thing its the plastic Audi use and they arent that much nicer to feel than the Golfs.
Yep I get you, but this is really a car to do me for a year or two, a decent E90 330i/335i/M3 Coupe would be a longer term buy.
Regarding the budget, having typically bought the best car I could afford in the past, find myself for the first time in unfamiliar territory budget wise because there is more cash in the pot than I want to spend.
Could probably stretch to say 2006/2007 RS4/M3 etc. but for a change it's more about what do I want to spend on a car which could easily be sitting on the drive for most of next year.
![[TW]Fox](/data/man-of-honor/2009.png){kind=avatar}
Have driven Golf GTI and A3 but in 3.2 Quattro Sport form.
A3 had nicer interior and great sounding engine but if I am honest the Golf was more fun to drive. The turbo lag/boost threshold/whatever its called was a bit annoying but once on the boil its not that much slower than the A3 but without the nose heavy feel. Difficult to chose though as they both have plus and minus points.
Having said that neither are what I would call an upgrade from a 330i. Infact I'd personally take a 330i over both of them. Although the A3 is a 'current shape' car its only because its really rather outstaying its welcome now and is due replacement rather than because it feels a generation ahead of the E46.
A3 had nicer interior and great sounding engine but if I am honest the Golf was more fun to drive. The turbo lag/boost threshold/whatever its called was a bit annoying but once on the boil its not that much slower than the A3 but without the nose heavy feel. Difficult to chose though as they both have plus and minus points.
Having said that neither are what I would call an upgrade from a 330i. Infact I'd personally take a 330i over both of them. Although the A3 is a 'current shape' car its only because its really rather outstaying its welcome now and is due replacement rather than because it feels a generation ahead of the E46.
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Soldato
I had the same choice, I got the Golf GTI DSG, never regretted it!
DSG box is quite simply, the best gearbox in the world for road use.
DSG box is quite simply, the best gearbox in the world for road use.
Soldato
I would say its bolder to challenge that, than state it, but each to their own.
Manual box without the hassle of a clutch for traffic, better performance than a manual transmission being driven by the best driver in the world, paddle or stick shift, fast downshifts with auto blip rev matching, and the ability to let the computer take over if you want a relaxing drive, and if that isnt enough, almost the only manual gearbox that comes standard with flat shifting.
Even the BMW SMG is perportedly slower than the stock manual, something the VW box reverses.
Manual box without the hassle of a clutch for traffic, better performance than a manual transmission being driven by the best driver in the world, paddle or stick shift, fast downshifts with auto blip rev matching, and the ability to let the computer take over if you want a relaxing drive, and if that isnt enough, almost the only manual gearbox that comes standard with flat shifting.
Even the BMW SMG is perportedly slower than the stock manual, something the VW box reverses.
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Don't listen to someone with such a dull car
Get the GTI!
I love my Audi A4... yes its a diesel but a 3.0 quattro, so still has plenty ooommph !
Plus I'm past the days of Subaru's, 325 BMW's and everything else with huge running costs, daft insurance premiums etc, etc...
Maybe I'm just getting old, but having a car with exceptional build quality, luxurious interior (leather), sat nav and every other mod-con and still goes like **** of a shovel and yet averages around 40mpg seems a no-brainer to me.
Soldato
i don't understand how you've come to that conclusion. What you're saying is that they're both the same car's, but you would have the GTI? Any reason why?
Soldato
Look at it this way, ignoring the reliablity aspects, it puts the advantages of Automatic and Manuals and combines them together.[TW]Fox;15015677 said:
Its fine when you're moving at a decent pace.
Slow down and the DSG becomes a jerk a thon. It certainly isn't anything resembling smooth.
Soldato
I must say I didn't notice that, the only DSG I have driven is a 2009 superb.
I've driven the dry clutch version and the wet clutch version and they both exhibit the same behaviour, although the dry clutch is nicer to drive.
Do you not think the fact it cost you tens of thousands of pounds means what sort of mpg you get is a bit irrelevent?
And since when has a BMW 325 had daft insurance, cheaper than an A4 3.0 I should imagine.
Bit of an odd post all round really.
Soldato
SMG hasn't been sold for over 4 years now. It's been replaced with M-DCT which is a lot better (and works on a similar principle to DSG). I expect it's better than the DSG box in the Golf GTI
[TW]Fox;15100825 said:
When I had a 325i in my 20's the insurance was extremely expensive.
And my A4 cost me 11k, and I'll keep it for a minimum of 3 years, so yes, the mpg is relevant especially the miles that I clock up per annum.
So no, not an odd post.