RE: Blood Brothers: Golf GTI vs Leon FR
Discussion
I WISH said:
I have a MK V Golf GT TDI 170 DSG which I absolutely love to bits.
Part of the reason I like it is because it DOESN'T have the tartan seats from the GTI (mine has leather) and neither does does it have those God awful telephone dial alloys. Why VW stay with that design is beyond me ... it would actually be a deal breaker from me if they were the only pattern of wheel available. Mine has the rather gorgeous (but strangely named) "Charleston" 18" alloys.
To be honest .... despite my affection for Golfs ... looking ONLY at the comparison photos of the GTI and the FR I would take the Leon every time ..... and when you look at the used prices it becomes a no brainer.
Take note VW .... no kilts or telephones!!!!
leather is a option on the gti, as are other designs of alloysPart of the reason I like it is because it DOESN'T have the tartan seats from the GTI (mine has leather) and neither does does it have those God awful telephone dial alloys. Why VW stay with that design is beyond me ... it would actually be a deal breaker from me if they were the only pattern of wheel available. Mine has the rather gorgeous (but strangely named) "Charleston" 18" alloys.
To be honest .... despite my affection for Golfs ... looking ONLY at the comparison photos of the GTI and the FR I would take the Leon every time ..... and when you look at the used prices it becomes a no brainer.
Take note VW .... no kilts or telephones!!!!
Edited by I WISH on Friday 24th February 18:10
I test drove an FR 170 TDI extensively a few years back and it had the hardest ride of anything Id driven up to then -truly awful, plus I couldnt get comfortable in the seats. It also was rather unpleasant on the limit as i recall! As a result it totally put me off the Leon. I wouldnt have the Golf either, id have the Octavia VRS. A totally under=rated car, very comfortably and roomy, rides well and miles cheaper than either of these. When I test drove one, when new, I thought, yep, this is what I will have next, but then I do have a family to cart about.
also dont like the boy racer image of Seats, something that is backed up by the fact that everytime I see a Leon FR, it is sadly usually being driven very aggressively by some idiot..sorry FR drivers. Octavia VRS pilots in general seem more understated!
also dont like the boy racer image of Seats, something that is backed up by the fact that everytime I see a Leon FR, it is sadly usually being driven very aggressively by some idiot..sorry FR drivers. Octavia VRS pilots in general seem more understated!
Edited by StevieB on Sunday 26th February 10:40
I think the GTi is over rated. Never liked the interior at all. Boring, worst is the tartan seats. If I ever had to buy one it would be leather or a cloth interior that did not have the tartan. Whatever next burbury seat moquette.
The telephone dial wheels many of you dont like, personally I think they look nice.
The telephone dial wheels many of you dont like, personally I think they look nice.
Can't comment on the Golf, but I did stick 30K miles on a 58 plate Leon FR550. I really didn't get on with it at all, I found the ride quality to be not only harsh and crashy (regular grimaces every time a pothole was encountered)but also overly soft and wallowy when pushing on.
Road-holding was poor, lashings of understeer, torque steer and wheelspin whenever an attempt was made at 'good progress'. Consequently, front tyres were eaten up at an alarming rate.
Positives - good brakes, reasonably brisk in a straight line....that's about as many positives as I can manage!
I'd actually wanted an Octavia VRS, but Skoda at the time decided to chuck in a £500 'free option upgrade pack' with every new car.....and bumped the list price up by £500 - as a result it went over my budget(company car).
Road-holding was poor, lashings of understeer, torque steer and wheelspin whenever an attempt was made at 'good progress'. Consequently, front tyres were eaten up at an alarming rate.
Positives - good brakes, reasonably brisk in a straight line....that's about as many positives as I can manage!
I'd actually wanted an Octavia VRS, but Skoda at the time decided to chuck in a £500 'free option upgrade pack' with every new car.....and bumped the list price up by £500 - as a result it went over my budget(company car).
Golf and BMW have the same image, clients buy the cars not because they are great cars but because of the image. There are cheaper cars better equipped cars quicker cars on the market but the badge is what it boils down too.
I am not a GOLF MAN never have been and never seen the attraction but that is me 1 of 60million in the uK.
I am not a GOLF MAN never have been and never seen the attraction but that is me 1 of 60million in the uK.
I've got a soft spot for Seat, I used to drive a Seat Ibiza although it was a pretty standard 1.4 16v 'sport'. Despite it being slow, with awful steering, bad breaks and a random rev limiter which would kick in whenever it liked, I loved the gear change and the interior which was surprisingly plush.
Always overlooked the FR, didn't actually realise it was basically a re skinned GTI, and considering there are some classified examples from 2006 for 6 and a half grand, it seems blindingly good value. If insurance comes in good, I may be interested...
Always overlooked the FR, didn't actually realise it was basically a re skinned GTI, and considering there are some classified examples from 2006 for 6 and a half grand, it seems blindingly good value. If insurance comes in good, I may be interested...
garypotter said:
Golf and BMW have the same image, clients buy the cars not because they are great cars but because of the image. There are cheaper cars better equipped cars quicker cars on the market but the badge is what it boils down too.
I am not a GOLF MAN never have been and never seen the attraction but that is me 1 of 60million in the uK.
Yes but lets be honest, if the Golf were the same price as the Leon a LOT of Seat owners would be driving the Volkswagen.I am not a GOLF MAN never have been and never seen the attraction but that is me 1 of 60million in the uK.
I bought an 04 Leon TDI when I was originally looking for a Mk4 Golf GT TDI and although I felt the Leon was tighter to drive (sportier suspension?) and the nicer looking car, the main appeal was the £1000+ saving.
I prefer the look of the Golf in this match up but if it were my cash I'm still not sure I could justify spending that much extra when the Leon does virtually the same thing for less.
I'm a Leon cupra owner which may bias my opinion but i'll try and be impartial!
Exterior looks, the Leon wins all day long, especially with the optional side skirts which just give it that extra bit more. I always see people giving my car a lingering stare. The K1/BTCC kit is horrid IMO
Interior, the Golf is light years ahead in terms of build quality/type of materials used. I love the seats in my leon, but everything else feels like it's been built at a price. On the upside though, the gearbox and engine are spot on. And the brakes which are about 340mm are really good. If money wasn't an issue, I would get a golf remapped up to cupra levels of power. Then again, if I remap the cupra...........300hp!
Exterior looks, the Leon wins all day long, especially with the optional side skirts which just give it that extra bit more. I always see people giving my car a lingering stare. The K1/BTCC kit is horrid IMO
Interior, the Golf is light years ahead in terms of build quality/type of materials used. I love the seats in my leon, but everything else feels like it's been built at a price. On the upside though, the gearbox and engine are spot on. And the brakes which are about 340mm are really good. If money wasn't an issue, I would get a golf remapped up to cupra levels of power. Then again, if I remap the cupra...........300hp!
Funk said:
Loved the original Cupra R Leon - this one:
but the new one is pig-ugly. I'd stump up the extra for the Golf every time.
It's a long shots but that looks like the fr diesel plus Leon, the one that looks identical to the Cupra R but has 17 inch Cupra r style alloys instead of the 18's.but the new one is pig-ugly. I'd stump up the extra for the Golf every time.
Could of course be wrong and as the window sticker states could be a Cupra r, but something bugs me about the alloys though...
CarEventEd said:
It's a long shots but that looks like the fr diesel plus Leon, the one that looks identical to the Cupra R but has 17 inch Cupra r style alloys instead of the 18's.
Could of course be wrong and as the window sticker states could be a Cupra r, but something bugs me about the alloys though...
I was only using it to show the version that I liked. That shape. Could of course be wrong and as the window sticker states could be a Cupra r, but something bugs me about the alloys though...
Harris328i said:
Find it hard to fall for the Seat styling anymore, the first Leon was a ridiculously good looking car in its time/market for me, but all the current ones look like manipulated taxis. And although Ive always had respect for the engineering, more so in the last 2 generations of Golf, I could never love a modern fwd VAG.
Completely agree, an original Leon (cupra R) was far, far more desirable imho, but now they just look like squashed people carriers (I realise regs have forced this on most cars now but Seat have done it badly). My heart would say Seat (it's not a golf (sorry!)) but my head would say golf as it's better looking, it just shouldn't be like that."But this doesn't tell the whole story, because VW's GTI fights back with greater kudos, stronger residual values"
Mmm, how do you figure that out Mr PH?
According to Glasses Guide a 2009/09 Golf 2.0Gti 5 door would have been £21,490 brand new and the Leon 2.0 FR would have been £18,360, the Golf now books "Trade" at £12,450 and the Leon at ££9650, that means the Golf has lost £9,040 and the Leon has lost £8,710, the gap is even greater if you consider you could have bought the 245BHP Cupra for £19,720 which would now be worth £11,275 a loss of just £8,445 the gap gets even bigger if you go for the equivelant diesel models.
The myth still exists that VW's have better residuals than their Spanish cousins it is however simply that, a myth, for years Sharan owners have lost thousands more than Alhambra owners and not had the benefit of the higher spec levels, a similar situation to Polo/Ibiza.
Mmm, how do you figure that out Mr PH?
According to Glasses Guide a 2009/09 Golf 2.0Gti 5 door would have been £21,490 brand new and the Leon 2.0 FR would have been £18,360, the Golf now books "Trade" at £12,450 and the Leon at ££9650, that means the Golf has lost £9,040 and the Leon has lost £8,710, the gap is even greater if you consider you could have bought the 245BHP Cupra for £19,720 which would now be worth £11,275 a loss of just £8,445 the gap gets even bigger if you go for the equivelant diesel models.
The myth still exists that VW's have better residuals than their Spanish cousins it is however simply that, a myth, for years Sharan owners have lost thousands more than Alhambra owners and not had the benefit of the higher spec levels, a similar situation to Polo/Ibiza.
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