Thursday 15th January 2015

BMW M235i v VW Golf R: Delivery miles

A tough choice with £30K or so to spend but there are discounts on both BMW and VW to be had

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Here's a tussle to contend with. In the blue corner, the BMW M235i. 326hp from a 3.0-litre turbo engine. 0-62 in 4.8sec. Rear-wheel drive. In the red corner, the Volkswagen Golf R. 300hp from a 2.0-litre turbo engine. 0-62 in 4.9sec. Four-wheel drive.

A Golf R that isn't blue? They exist!

We like 'em both. Each is a very accomplished tool - if not perfectly sharp. Of the Golf R, we said: "Grip and go it most certainly does have and, given the understated looks, you've got the ability to catch all manner of vehicles napping." And in the M235i, "the sense of connection between the throttle pedal and the rear contact patches feels as intimate as that between a puppet's limbs and its strings."

You like 'em too, it seems. In our 2014 round-up, both cars featured in our Top 10 most popular road tests of the year (the Golf R in ninth place, M235i in seventh). Both are clearly heartland PistonHeads metal. And very much hot properties. In terms of list price, they're surprisingly close: the Golf starts at £30,150 and the M235i at £34,535. But there are currently great deals to be had on both. So how much will it cost you to get into one?

£30K for a five-door manual with some extras

R - that feels good
There aren't many used Mk7 Golf Rs around but asking prices are still nudging £30K. This 16,000-mile car with optional £360 Winter Pack is up for £29,995.

But you can have your very own brand new Golf R for barely more than £28K - representing a healthy nine per cent discount off new - from one specialist broker which sources its cars from within the UK dealer network.

Your entry point for a Golf R three-door with manual transmission (thank you for the choice VW) is £27,509, some £2,641 lower than the £30,150 list price. The discounted five-door R is £28,105 (versus £30,805 list), also a nine per cent saving.

Of course, you may prefer the DSG gearbox, and I really wouldn't blame you for choosing it. After all, it is 0.4 seconds faster to 62mph (4.9 seconds) and has slightly better official fuel and CO2 figures. To you, that'll be £28,797 for the three-door (£31,565 list) or £29,393 for the one with rear doors added (£32,220 list).

These are build-to-order prices, brand new from the factory. The catch is there's a wait for delivery - but it's far from extreme at 12 to 16 weeks. And of course you can specify your own choice of options, the mileage will be genuinely zero and you'll be the first owner in the logbook.

100 miles and £3.5K off...

M - that's nice
And what of the M235i Coupe? BMW's entry list price is £34,535 for the manual or £36,080 for the auto. The cheapest used one in the classifieds has 5,730 miles on the clock and is up for a smidge over £30K at £30,800.

But for just another £195 you could get your backside into a delivery-mileage manual example from an official BMW dealership in Glasgow. At £30,995, you'll be saving £3,540 off list.

And just like the Golf R, if you go for automatic, the acceleration figures stack up slightly better. This auto M235i in Alpine White, also from an official UK dealer (in Yorkshire) is not completely new (it's a demonstrator), but it has low mileage. It can be yours for £31,872, or £4,208 off the list price.

 

[N.B. The keen amongst you may recognise the blue M235i. It is an ex-press car, as used by Autocar and What Car? and seen in the pic above. The advert doesn't mention it so we thought you should be aware given the thread from the 997 GT3. Now you know!]

[alexpa]

As a curve, I'd take the soon to be available Golf R estate (hope they don't give the exhaust 4 exits. One enough, two max please VW).

And if they produce any R400 estates I'd go for one of those ;o)