Mk6 GTI to replace MK5 r32 lemon

[mikeyscott]

Not going into all details, except been offered a refund. Now mulling mK6 GTI - comments.?

Other options?

Edited by mikeyscott on Tuesday 13th January 09:27

[Gruber]

Mk5 Ed30 perhaps?

I found the mk6 GTI a bit disappointing - not much steering feel, slow throttle response, overly assisted brakes etc. I've not owned a Mk5, but the couple I've driven seemed better (in those regards at least) than the Mk6.

You have my sympathies with the R32. Mine was a lemon too and quickly got chopped in for an e46 M3.

[mikeyscott]

Gruber said:

Mk5 Ed30 perhaps?

I found the mk6 GTI a bit disappointing - not much steering feel, slow throttle response, overly assisted brakes etc. I've not owned a Mk5, but the couple I've driven seemed better (in those regards at least) than the Mk6.

You have my sympathies with the R32. Mine was a lemon too and quickly got chopped in for an e46 M3.

Interesting, this just pushes me further away. I had a BMW 123d.

Audi S3 5 door, but I think out of range.

Getting a bit lost of it all now.

[AGK]

ED30 would be a good shout.

[Gruber]

What's the budget?

[Gruber]

Has the 123d put your off 1ers? The 130i is a cracking little car.

[mikeyscott]

£13.9k was what I spent so circa £15k I think

I was originally looking for a 130i 58/09 but landed an 09 r32

[Juicetin1]

To me the Mk6 Gti feels heavy and sluggish in it's responses compared to the Mk5. The Mk7 is much better and feels a lot livelier, it's up to 100kg lighter than the Mk6 I believe.
The Edition 35 Mk6 is pretty good, the extra power masks the weight somewhat, but they're seriously pricey, not much less than nearly new Mk7s.

[Deerfoot]

Scirocco R ?

[mikeyscott]

Mulling sirocco but maybe too small, need to have a poke round one

[Gruber]

My Mk6 was an Ed35.

It looked great, felt well screwed together and was lively enough in a hooligan hot hatch sort of way. But it did feel heavy and, as I said earlier, I found the brakes, steering and throttle to be disappointing.

[greggy50]

135i
Meganne 250

Would consider these two options both are available for £15k

[mikeyscott]

135i coupe too small, but certainly will look at more options

[va1o]

I would probably go for the Mk6 GTI. Its a lot more modern compared to the Mk5 ED30 and Scirocco. The trade of is it can feel a little clinical and character-less but its a very decent car all the same.

[greggy50]

mikeyscott said:

135i coupe too small, but certainly will look at more options

The coupe is actually bigger in the back than the 5 door but I appreciate that's not saying a lot a friend had one however and it did not seem much worse than my Golf at the time.

Meganne 250 is certainly worth a test drive I think you would struggle to consider a Mk6 after driving one they are fantastic cars and wish I had the funds currently to justify getting one!

[mikeyscott]

Will have a look at test driving a mk6 gti

[pinseeker]

Sounds like you've got a little more money to play with than I had last summer, however for the ED30 corner, I have been very impressed with mine since I bought it in August.

MX-5 aside, it has the best chassis and is the most balanced car I've ever had, and with a simple remap -coupled with dsg- it is incredibly quick. Sat Nav, arm rest and highline display makes the interior a nice place to be, and the exterior always turns heads.

Against? Ride is a little firm, however i can easily offset this for the balance/control through the bends, brakes are a little soft -yet I'm confident some ds2500 pads and new discs will more than sort this sometime soon.

I think it looks better than an r32 due to a nicer front grill and standard alloys, its cheaper to tax also, and I bet it won't eat through tyres so quickly. Obviously the r32 sounds better (-but the 4 pot does have a nice raspy note to it) and has bigger brakes.

Good luck, nice choices to have!

Edited by pinseeker on Wednesday 14th January 11:52

[greggy50]

Not drive either (have a Mk5 GTI) but think personally a Edition 30 for me would be preferably over a R32 or a Mk6 I have heard the Mk6 is not quite as fun and a bit more boring than the Mk5 which I already thought was pretty refined anyway.

Also is a joke how much spare power is in those edition 30 engine a few mods and a map can see you at 320/330hp I would always go manual myself as much prefer it but DSG probably is quicker I have seen Stage 2 Edition 30's in the mid 13's on the quarter mile which is quicker than something like a V8 Vantage!

[ManOpener]

Another vote for an Edition 30. Or Scirocco.
The ED30 has a much better "feeling" engine and a fair bit more power, but the Sciroccos are a better drive than the GTIs IMO. Wider track + Adaptive Chassis.

[SuperchargedVR6]

ManOpener said:

Another vote for an Edition 30. Or Scirocco.
The ED30 has a much better "feeling" engine and a fair bit more power, but the Sciroccos are a better drive than the GTIs IMO. Wider track + Adaptive Chassis.

And yet another.

I went from R32 to ED30 and have zero regrets.

R32 plus points you may miss though:

Idle to 2500rpm torque is MASSIVELY stronger than the ED30's. The R32 can trundle along at 30mph in 6th easily. The ED30 needs 4th or it'll labour.

Exhaust note, obviously.

Zero oil consumption. The TFSI engines can either quaff it back on a weekly basis, or use a thimble full over a month, you just don't know.

Traction off the line. Remapped ED30s are useless until 4th gear in the wet.

Economy, surprisingly. Standard ED30s aren't that economical. Mine averages 28mpg, but then again I don't stick to speed limits or press the throttle very gingerly.


ED30 plus points:

Holds it's value.

Simpler and lighter car.

Waaaaaay faster than an R32 (once remapped, and rolling).

Handles better (imo).

Cheaper tax.

Better looking (BBS Pescara wheels, mmmmm).

Just nicer to drive all round. Feels like a crisp bread vs the crust end of a farmhouse loaf.


Personally I would not get an 8P S3. Really, really boring car. Think R32 without it's voice and slower to get moving than an ED30. No rewards at all for carrying all that Haldex baggage.