MK5 GTI Alternative?

[Lukas239]

Still in a seemingly never ending search for the replacement of my current daily.

Eternal question is petrol Vs diesel. My current car averages 61mpg but annual mileage has dropped to 14-15k a year so can afford to take a loss here for more performance.

On the petrol side of things, one car i cannot get away from is the MK5 Golf GTI; it seems to suit me being mostly sensible, boosty rather than peaky and subtle styling. I'm struggling to get past the fact it will return half of my current MPG, Tax is 10 times the current amount and will likely eat through tyres and oil a bit quicker. I'm not against this but wondered if anyone had any alternatives to consider? I'll accept petrol and diesel suggestions for up to 7.5K although closer to 5 would be lovely.

Current Petrol ideas;
Giulietta 1.4 170 - in the right trim with the right wheels they're ok, should be better MPG than golf, but otherwise a bit forgettable.
Leon 1.4/1.8 TSI - newer, more kit, tough to find at my budget

Diesel;
Merc Coupe - 220/250 versions of C/E class creep in to budget
BMW 325/330d - borkage?
Octavia VRS - 170 lump is nice but a bit too daddy cool?

Any other advice would be great. Ultimately i want something desirable (to me, i'm aware subjective) and a bit more fun than a diesel ecobox but i'm also aware that a car is ultimately a practical tool rather than a toy.

[Belle427]

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/AUDI-A3-2-0TDI-BLACK-ED...
hash=item1a89d54d87:g:lfQAAOSwADVd1tI5

Pop a remap on it and performance won't be that far away from a Gti.

[madmatteo]

Given you seem to be willing to consider coupes/2dr cars, I would be inclined to consider having a go in a Megane 250 to see what you think. They are brilliant drivers cars and should be no worse MPG wise than Mk5 Gti and will undoubtedly handle better. They are also renowned for being reliable despite the french connection.

An example at the top of your budget albeit there are also some available for less as well.

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...

Another less obvious car could be a BMW 130i. They seem to have a bit of a following and really hold their money well. Also, as far as I know, they are pretty economical and no doubt good to drive. The engine is an absolute gem.

Example here - https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...

[anonymous-user]

What's the current car? An average of 61mpg is amazing.

[Deep Thought]

I cant see any mention of auto / DSG so if you're looking a manual a Focus 2.5 ST might be a good shout. Or one of the new model 2.0 STs would be at the bottom of your budget.

On both accounts you would get a much younger car than with a GTI for your money and with the former you've the USP of the 2.5T lump.

Also, as already suggested, Megane RS or BMW 130i. The LE variant was particularly nice.

[AJB88]

just get an MK5 GTI Edition 30. more poke than the standard MK5 GTI.

[Lukas239]

As brilliant as all the options suggested so far are, they're all LESS economical/sensible apart from the A3 which is a no from me. The Mégane is very tempting though.

Current car is a fiesta ZS 1.6tdci.

[Deep Thought]

Lukas239 said:

As brilliant as all the options suggested so far are, they're all LESS economical/sensible apart from the A3 which is a no from me. The Mégane is very tempting though.

Current car is a fiesta ZS 1.6tdci.

Ah ok.

BMW 120d or 123d M Sport then. My son had a lovely one - 3 door, silver, black leather, 18 inch alloy wheel upgrade. Great MPG. He had a tuning box on it (queue train / remap MEME again) so it was around 220-230BHP. Really did go well.

The younger the better with them - the earlier models suffer timing chain issues BUT this is almost always down to lack of servicing / keeping it topped up with oil (they use a bit). Find one thats been well serviced (every 9K miles not 18K) and keep to that regime and check the oil level every week or two.

Edited by Deep Thought on Wednesday 27th November 13:47

[Deep Thought]

Also a Golf GTD or GT TDI

[DoubleD]

If you want power and some economy then the 3.0d BMW engines are really rather good, they are much nicer than the 2.0d engines.

The MK5 Golf GTI is a good all rounder, but it isnt very exciting, thats where the Megane 250 comes in.

[Deep Thought]

DoubleD said:

If you want power and some economy then the 3.0d BMW engines are really rather good, they are much nicer than the 2.0d engines.

The MK5 Golf GTI is a good all rounder, but it isnt very exciting, thats where the Megane 250 comes in.

+1

Though you're up a size bracket to get a 3.0d. But then the O/P has listed a 3 series as a potential

[ZX10R NIN]

I can personally recommend a 320cdi CLK which can be had for sensible money, you'll get swift performance & have a nice place to while away your 15k a year:

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...

If it has to be petrol then I would be going for the Megane R250 even a non Cup version will still be a sweeter steer than a regular GTI.

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...

[Lukas239]

ZX10R NIN said:

I can personally recommend a 320cdi CLK which can be had for sensible money, you'll get swift performance & have a nice place to while away your 15k a year:

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...

If it has to be petrol then I would be going for the Megane R250 even a non Cup version will still be a sweeter steer than a regular GTI.

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...

Love the CLK, exactly the sort of thing I'm after. What sort of MPG would one realistically expect?

[ZX10R NIN]

Real world on a run my remapped 320 would see 48mpg regularly once it was fully tuned I did see 51mpg once but 48 was the regular figure.

K&N replacement filter & a remap will help the fuel numbers.

[BenLowden]

Many will disagree with me but I have to say the Mk5 Golf GTI is the dullest hot hatch I've ever driven. Megane 250 would be my choice at Mk5 Golf GTI money but you'll only get around 30mpg so not at those miles.

If you can stretch your budget, Mk7 Fiesta ST, 208 GTI by Peugeot Sport or a MINI JCW (go 2013 onwards to get the N18 engine) should all do high 30s/low 40s mpg and bags of fun albeit smaller cars.

If you want more economy then 120d/123d are good fun and cheaper: https://www.pistonheads.com/classifieds/used-cars/...

I had my 123d mapped to 250hp/500nm and it would happily return 55mpg.

[GreatGranny]

A good MK5 is easily less that £4k so over a grand less than the minimum you want to spend.

That's a lot of fuel.

Alternatively a MK6 will be more economical and a better car all round arguably.

[Lukas239]

BenLowden said:

Many will disagree with me but I have to say the Mk5 Golf GTI is the dullest hot hatch I've ever driven. Megane 250 would be my choice at Mk5 Golf GTI money but you'll only get around 30mpg so not at those miles.

If you can stretch your budget, Mk7 Fiesta ST, 208 GTI by Peugeot Sport or a MINI JCW (go 2013 onwards to get the N18 engine) should all do high 30s/low 40s mpg and bags of fun albeit smaller cars.

If you want more economy then 120d/123d are good fun and cheaper: https://www.pistonheads.com/classifieds/used-cars/...

I had my 123d mapped to 250hp/500nm and it would happily return 55mpg.

I'm reluctant on the 120/123d because of the N47 fear. I'm not sure how prevalent it is but I'd never be able to relax for fear of it blowing up.

ST, JCW and 208 are great shouts, just what I was after. Not many JCW in budget but the Peugeot seems a good idea.

[BenLowden]

Lukas239 said:

I'm reluctant on the 120/123d because of the N47 fear. I'm not sure how prevalent it is but I'd never be able to relax for fear of it blowing up.

ST, JCW and 208 are great shouts, just what I was after. Not many JCW in budget but the Peugeot seems a good idea.

I wasn't even aware of that when I had mine! Avoid pre-2013 JCWs as the N14 engine is riddled with issues – my brother sunk £3K into his fixing the common faults.

With the 208 GTI, the 'by Peugeot Sport' is the one to have as it gains a mechanical LSD amongst other bits but I doubt you'll get one for less than £9/10K so a bit of a stretch. Haven't driven a standard GTI though so can't comment.

I reckon you could get a pretty tidy Fiesta ST for £7/8K: https://www.pistonheads.com/classifieds/used-cars/...

[xjay1337]

Lukas239 said:

Still in a seemingly never ending search for the replacement of my current daily.

Eternal question is petrol Vs diesel. My current car averages 61mpg but annual mileage has dropped to 14-15k a year so can afford to take a loss here for more performance.

On the petrol side of things, one car i cannot get away from is the MK5 Golf GTI; it seems to suit me being mostly sensible, boosty rather than peaky and subtle styling. I'm struggling to get past the fact it will return half of my current MPG, Tax is 10 times the current amount and will likely eat through tyres and oil a bit quicker. I'm not against this but wondered if anyone had any alternatives to consider? I'll accept petrol and diesel suggestions for up to 7.5K although closer to 5 would be lovely.

Current Petrol ideas;
Giulietta 1.4 170 - in the right trim with the right wheels they're ok, should be better MPG than golf, but otherwise a bit forgettable.
Leon 1.4/1.8 TSI - newer, more kit, tough to find at my budget

Diesel;
Merc Coupe - 220/250 versions of C/E class creep in to budget
BMW 325/330d - borkage?
Octavia VRS - 170 lump is nice but a bit too daddy cool?

Any other advice would be great. Ultimately i want something desirable (to me, i'm aware subjective) and a bit more fun than a diesel ecobox but i'm also aware that a car is ultimately a practical tool rather than a toy.

None of those cars are really comparison to a Mk5 GTI.

I had one and didn't gel with it, I went from a modded 1.9 TDI Mk5 to a GTI and it felt cold, I regretted the purchase!

Where as my Dad had an Octavia VRS, facelift model, with the 2.0 CR170 TDI engine and that I really, really liked.
He had H&R springs fitted as well as Superpro Ball joints and solid front bushes, it drove awesome and was still comfortable, even with a Revo tune, it got 750 miles to a tank