130i M Sport v Golf GTI Edition 30

[Raggaheat]

think i can guess most of the answers but more interested to hear the reasons.

if 130i, would be a 3 door in silver - any thoughts v le mans blue?

[PhilLL]

The RWD 6 cylinder IMO. I'm not usually a big fan of silver but I reckon it looks really good on the M Sport 1 series', Le Mans Blue seems a bit of a default choice (although still very nice)

[paoloh]

The Golf hands down.

RWD BMWs are for girls.

[VerySideways]

I'm biased but i faced a similar decision a year ago, between the 130 and the R32.

I was leaning towards the R32 in every respect until i drove both, then there was absolutely no question, the R32 was "ordinary" whereas the 130 was very lively.

Have you driven both?

[SarlechS]

paoloh said:

The Golf hands down.

RWD BMWs are for girls.

this quote is comedy.

BMW for me.

[john_r]

paoloh said:

The Golf hands down.

RWD BMWs are for girls.

[C5L]

Having driven both and owning a ed30, yes obviously the 130i is better to drive but it is harder to extract the performance from.

Also the interior of the 1 fully loaded is horid compared to an Ed.30 fully loaded.

For me it came down to living with the car everyday, the golf is better built, quicker and more economical.

Also i found people seem to let you in to traffic in a VW.

I used to own a mk5 R32 and a Mk5 GTi and on the road they would easily get past a 130i only due to the 4wd of the R32 and the turbo charged nature of a GTi.

The stock Ko3 GTi also felt suprisingly linear and almost N/A in its delivery, it was more a drivers car than the Ed.30.

The Ed.30 is a lot more boosty, but you will get used to it, definalty go for a DSG. Sport mode is just mental.

Also do not forget that with a full exhaust system and Remap the Ed.30 wil pump out 320-340bhp+.

However another reason why i chose the golf was i already have two M powered I6's were it my only car maybe i would have gone for the 130i.

Drive both and see what you think, also definaltly try the r32, s3 and 135i.

[Sticks2]

If you want to use the back seats, then it'll be the Golf.

[VerySideways]

C5L said:

For me it came down to living with the car everyday, the golf is better built, quicker and more economical.

Not true. Comparable build, the 130 is noticeably quicker *unless it's snowing*, and unless you're "Driving Miss Daisy" the 130 will give similar economy. Certainly when you're pushing on the 130 is more economical, but of course if you spend a lot of time on the motorway at 70mph then the Golf will be better. Having said that, my 130 gets 39mpg average at 75mph on cheap unleaded and it's not the Efficient Dynamics model.

C5L said:

I used to own a mk5 R32 and a Mk5 GTi and on the road they would easily get past a 130i only due to the 4wd of the R32 and the turbo charged nature of a GTi.

Are you on drugs? In dry conditions the 130 is slightly quicker than the R32, straight lines or corners, and in wet conditions whoever was in front would stay in front, the R32 wouldn't get past the 130 and the 130 wouldn't get past the R32. In the dry the GTi wouldn't even see which way the R32 and 130 went!

C5L said:

Also do not forget that with a full exhaust system and Remap the Ed.30 wil pump out 320-340bhp+.

However another reason why i chose the golf was i already have two M powered I6's were it my only car maybe i would have gone for the 130i.

Drive both and see what you think, also definaltly try the r32, s3 and 135i.

At least we agree on some things...

Sticks2 said:

If you want to use the back seats, then it'll be the Golf.

1 series back seats are fine for occasional use but if you regularly put adults in the back then you probably would be better off with the Golf. Likewise access to the back seat for a baby seat is better in the Golf because of the roofline at the rear of the 1 series (assuming 5 door versions of both).

If you want something spacious, safe, reliable, competent in all weathers, and that sounds great then you don't want either the 130 or the GTi, you want the R32...

[clonmult]

C5L said:

Also i found people seem to let you in to traffic in a VW.

This is irritatingly true - first day when I picked up my BMW, stopped off at a supermarket .... had to wait ages before a car would let me out of the parking space - and that was another BMW owner.