The best value 2.0 TFSI DSG car around

[Vas]

Hi everyone,

Recently I was facing a tough challenge of buying a replacement for my Jetta turbo, that was tragically lost in an accident.
I wanted car to cost under $35k, be relatively new, have rear doors, and, most importantly, have a 2.0 TFSI/DSG combination (probably no need to rave about how awesome this engine and transmission combination is). My choices were: Jetta, Mk5 GTI, A3, previous model A4 and Octavia RS.

GTIs have the best seats and handling, but are overpriced, plus the boot is fairly small. Moreover, they rarely come with a lot of standard equipment - parking sensors, leather, satnav etc - all the goodies that I'd prefer to have for that kind of money.

Jettas are awesome - apart from the steering wheel (no paddleshift option) everything is great for the price. The downside is that it's a runout model and the residual value is small. I did not manage to come across a good example during my search, so I went on.

Audis are rather boring looking, but have the best finish inside out (among these cars that is). Lack of options for the price was a turnaway for me. I could live without parking sensors or leather, but a cassete player in a 30k car - seriously? 1.8T Multitronic versions were considered too, but CVT appeared to be less pleasant to drive hard as DSG.

Finally the RS - You clearly can notice where they saved in the interior. Seats are quite narrow, but otherwise comfortable and are heated. The finish of the interior is not as good as VW, but by far surpasses Lancers, Mazdas, Hyndays and all other fridges out there. I loved the idea of the wagon, but they were too expensive and a little bit squeaky for me.

So Ex-demo Octavia RS was my final choice and I've never had a single second thought. Great handling, great options, great space and comfort. It looks sporty with it's LEDs, 18" rims and red brake calipers, but not over the top - doesn't attract unnescessary attention. Oh, the headlamps are the best among the cars mentioned. And I've got warranty and the car is almost new! That's a huge benifit as well.

I hope this was helpful for someone who's looking for the next car.

[dArK5HaD0w]

congrats on the purchase mate.
i too went through a similar culling process with the same cars u mentioned.....and alot more!
the rs won as soon as i laid eyes on it

presuming u got the facelift model (based on LEDs u mentioned - drls), u actually have the newer "TSI" engine, not the older "TFSI" engine.

[jbviajero]

So you managed to pick up a demonstrator RS for under 35k? That is good going. Well done.

[team_v]

The octavia Rs is a pretty decent bit of kit, i was definitely looking at that as an option.

I went with the tiguan though which has the same engine, but added benefit of 4Motion for a tad more $$

[aslsw]

For me, it was the total value package that sold me. I looked at primarily VW but found when I started adding options the price just ballooned.

[Vas]

It was bad timing, I admit. EOFY or New Year's sales would've got me a better deal on a used GTI.. But overall I couldn't be happier with my RS. Great car with over 2 years warranty - I just jumped at a deal.