Golf Mk7 - Sweetspot for price, spec, performance?

[anonymous-user]

MC Bodge said:

St John Smythe said:

DSG is much faster at changing gear than 99% of drivers.

But....

Does it matter in the commuter racing world?

I imagine more efficient gear changes can save a few mpg so it probably does.

[Driver101]

timberman said:

i think you need to stop quoting manufacturers times.

I've found Vw to be pretty conservative most of the time when it comes to the DSG model and in the real world beating the quoted figures is not that difficult,

there is no skill involved and just about anyone could get a DSG golf r to 60 in well under 5 seconds,

most people on the other hand would probably struggle to beat 6 seconds in the manual version
because most people aren't as you put it "professional" drivers

in the real world I would imagine the difference from a standing start with 2 average drivers would be quite significant

once on the move then I agree that any advantage is mostly gone
and a "professional " driver may get better results with a manual, but these are every day cars for average people

I keep hearing that performance figures are conservative, that cars put out more power than the manufacturer suggest and the engines are bombproof for many cars.

Most turn out to be untrue.

Often press cars have a little tweak or two.

Ever spend a day or two at a drag strip and you often find most people can't get the times they would expect, DSG or not.

At rolling road days most cars are close to claimed figures give or take small amounts that could be for various reasons. People only take notice of the one random high reading.

Fuel consumption rarely gets close to the figures the cars are tested to. The Golf R being the example here. Claimed 41mpg average with guys in the real world getting mid 20s.

Figures sell cars. Manufacturers aren't likely to undersell their cars.

[340600]

timberman said:

there is no skill involved and just about anyone could get a DSG golf r to 60 in well under 5 seconds,

most people on the other hand would probably struggle to beat 6 seconds in the manual version
because most people aren't as you put it "professional" drivers

in the real world I would imagine the difference from a standing start with 2 average drivers would be quite significant

once on the move then I agree that any advantage is mostly gone
and a "professional " driver may get better results with a manual, but these are every day cars for average people

You'd be right.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lRwfvnDt7BA

Edited by 340600 on Sunday 28th September 13:22

[loskie]

Question for those with experience. How much poorer is the SEAT Leon in terms of solidity/build quality than the A3 and Golf. Drove an A3 this week and liked it far more than the Golf. Not keen on the Golf looks and like others do not see it as a premium brand. How far behind is the Seat?

Thanks

[MC Bodge]

loskie said:

. Drove an A3 this week and liked it far more than the Golf. Not keen on the Golf looks and like others do not see it as a premium brand. How far behind is the Seat?

Thanks

Give the Seat a try.

I'm not sure that I see Audi and all of its cars as a "premium brand" either, whatever that really means.

Buy the car you like, not the one that you think fellow commuters might like, if they notice it amongst the hordes of other, very similar, cars.

[Juanco20]

Get a fully specced ST-3, use some of the money saved to get the mountune upgrade and the rest of the money saved leaves you not having to care one jot about how many miles to the gallon you're managing

[loskie]

Not bothered what others think in the slightest. Current car is a V50 goes fine and every time I test drive a car and drive the V50 home I think it'll do me fine for a few years yet. Bought new now 5 yrs and 104000m. Previous car was Octavoa Slx Tdi bough used privately at 50000m 4yrs(£4.5k) and sold at 10yr 180000m. Prior to that a red 1992 Golf mk3 1.8cl. Bought 55000m at auction for £3.5k sold at 12yrs old again with about 180000m for £600.
So definately not bothered about what others think but I am VERY intolerant of trim rattles.
Now reasonably solvent and secure I would buy new or nearly new but plan to keep and use for several years.

[va1o]

loskie said:

Question for those with experience. How much poorer is the SEAT Leon in terms of solidity/build quality than the A3 and Golf. Drove an A3 this week and liked it far more than the Golf. Not keen on the Golf looks and like others do not see it as a premium brand. How far behind is the Seat?

Thanks

I've always found Audi > Golf > Leon

The SEAT has all sorts of cost cutting like cheaper plastics, no hydraulic bonnet strut, lack of chrome interior elements etc. Golf is a solid and well built car but a little boring. A3 adds an extra layer of attention to detail.

[andrewparker]

Yeah, the Seat and Skoda interiors are miles behind those of VW and particularly Audi. If that's a priority buy an A3 but be prepared to spend a fair bit on options that are standard on the Golf.

[va1o]

andrewparker said:

Yeah, the Seat and Skoda interiors are miles behind those of VW and particularly Audi. If that's a priority buy an A3 but be prepared to spend a fair bit on options that are standard on the Golf.

Agreed, SEAT and VW are more generous with comfort equipment like Cruise control and auto lights/ wipers, generally optional on nearly all Audis.

[JackReacher]

andrewparker said:

Yeah, the Seat and Skoda interiors are miles behind those of VW and particularly Audi. If that's a priority buy an A3 but be prepared to spend a fair bit on options that are standard on the Golf.

Seat and Skoda interiors are no longer miles behind in my opinion, it was much more noticable on previous versions but the latest Leon and Octavia have closed the gap. They still have some cheaper plastics lower down the dash but are smart and very Germanic in feel and quality. If you want a "premium" interior then you want the Golf or A3, but the Seat and Skoda are still good and definitely a step above the Focus/Astra/Auris etc.

The seat/skoda are cheaper for a reason, as mentioned you can find cost cutting, no gas bonnet struts, no electronic handbrakes/no velvet lined glovebox etc. It's whether these things matter to you or not. The Leon/Skoda might miss these, but are cheaper and much generally better equipped.

I'm moving from an Audi A1 to a Seat Leon and not worried about small step down in plastics quality.

[MC Bodge]

The "interior" thing is a bit over-hyped (and if Audi made their interiors from purple and green mohair, people would probably still buy them for the next few years)

After a week or two, you wouldn't remember the difference between the various VAGs.

Most modern car interiors look a bit too "Playstation" for my tastes anyway.

Having said that, the Focus interior really isn't pleasant to look at (those horrible blue dash needles, what were they thinking) and the various buttons on the centre console point towards the passenger in a RHD car.

Edited by MC Bodge on Sunday 28th September 15:19

[ORD]

340600 said:

You'd be right.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lRwfvnDt7BA

Edited by 340600 on Sunday 28th September 13:22

Strange thing about that vid is that Sut blames the fact the engines are still running in for the failure to hit the VW claimed time, but he seems to have missed (1) the crappy road surface and (2) the fact that it was damp!

[J4CKO]

ORD said:

340600 said:

You'd be right.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lRwfvnDt7BA

Edited by 340600 on Sunday 28th September 13:22

Strange thing about that vid is that Sut blames the fact the engines are still running in for the failure to hit the VW claimed time, but he seems to have missed (1) the crappy road surface and (2) the fact that it was damp!

I didn't see any wheelspin, so I doubt that made any difference to the times, potentially could even help stop the engine bogging down, what it says to me is that the Golf R isnt quite as quick as VW claims.

[bitchstewie]

MC Bodge said:

Is VW worthy of snobbery?

I appreciate that I may not be typical, but I just don't get the whole "image" and "prestige" thing with every-day, mass-produced cars.

Do people really pay that Much attention to other people's brand of car?

Does my Mondeo mark me out as poor, lacking intelligence or unsuccessful in comparison with somebody driving a Passat or 3-series?

Would bigger wheels redress the balance?

It's more that I'm a little bit of a badge snob in that I still would be daft enough to overlook some cars simply because of the badge on them - stupid but mea culpa.

I went to Derby today to look at VW and Lexus and I must admit I thought of this post whilst walking around the massive VW dealership there looking at a row of about 15 white TDIs.

Lexus chucked me the keys to a CT which I had for a couple of hours and I'm pretty damned impressed tbh so that's thrown a bit of a curve ball.

[Blakewater]

I was buying at the lower end of the price range, around £12,000, and found that my local Audi dealer had an A3 that had been used by a dealer staff member for less than a base model ex hire Golf at the Volkswagen dealer. There might be a perceived badge hierarchy across the Volkswagen product range but this isn't always reflected in prices new or used.

[anonymous-user]

I went in my brother's twin charged 1.4 MK6 today and was impressed how went it well with 3 of us in the car. Went like the clappers in fact! He told me you can get 33-40mpg out of it depending on how you drive it. Leather seats etc too made it quite a nice place to sit.

[MC Bodge]

wormus said:

I went in my brother's twin charged 1.4 MK6 today and was impressed how went it well with 3 of us in the car. Went like the clappers in fact! He told me you can get 33-40mpg out of it depending on how you drive it. Leather seats etc too made it quite a nice place to sit.

Then it went BANG?

[anonymous-user]

MC Bodge said:

Then it went BANG?

Nope, they've owned it since new and it's now done 45k miles with no issue. Don't believe everything you read!

[SpeedBash]

Driver101 said:

People used to buy Golfs as they were sensible cars for a sensible price. The price to buy a Golf is just far too much now.

I don't personally understand why they've become so desirable. Everyone seems to want them.

Good cars, but seriously too much money.

IMHO, think this pretty much sums it up: https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detai...