Stiff competition for the Mk7 Golf GTI - Second Edition

[Ryan41]

yep, went with Command, the Harmon/Kardon sounds amazing. Particularly didn't want leather, so that was out, and the vis package didn't excite me that much. They had a white, red, mountain grey and blue. The mountain grey was a standout, so ordered that. Problem being delivery isn't until June

hey mate, I test drove a black one.. loved it also .. I had a mk6 Golf R..whilst not being as quick, it certainly handled well on the road..was wet though so a fair bit of wheel spin when giving it some poke..

My question is, did you get any discount? MB were only keen to knock 1 grand off the price..I'm not real keen on paying retail for a car no matter how good it is.. might have to try another dealer?

[WhiteJames]

My work collegue tells me that parts of the interior of the A250 AMG Sport look like the're straight out of an SLS couple and/or much more expensive AMG variants. I saw an A250 diesel this morning ... the Merc does look impressive apart from the slightly long bonnet & slightly too large grill imo ... otherwise the low slung roof and sleek long lines will definitely make the VAG equivalents look a little bland.

The Merc A250 AMG Sport weighs in at about the same at the new Audi S3 (read Golf R) at 1445kgs. The Golf R would be better for all out traction & front to rear balance given the same weight, but as with all Golf's the chassis tune will no doubt be anodyne & conservative in the Golf R; perhaps moreso in the Golf R with better f to r balance than the forthcoming MK7 Golf GTI and MK7 Sirocco.

The Golf GTI MK7 with power-pack proper mech-electro LSD and lighter weight (1325kgs for DSG) are definitely advantages in favour of the GTI over both the MK7 Golf R and A250 AMG Sport.

But ... to have either Golf GTI or R provide the stated handling finese of the AMG Sport A250 (based on initial reviews) ... you'd have to spend another 2-3K in suspension upgrades with no guarantee of maintaining OE comfort levels (springs & sway bars & maybe shocks/coilovers).

If the Merc A250 AMG Sport can be de-optioned with sunroff, satnav and leather being deleted, the price should come in at base level DSG Golf GTI ... if that's possible. The Merc is definitely a looker imo.

The Merc may be the more reliable of the two when comparing VAG -v- Merc. Apparently Merc ranked 3rd out of 30-40 marqs for quality of engine reliability with much less need to replace motors. Merc had held off on a DSG for some time, perhaps to ensure that quality is up to scratch. On the other hand ... the Merc is a derivative of a Nissan-Renault-Merc alliance re: motors & chassis.

Cheers.
WJ

[dsta]

The Merc A250 AMG Sport weighs in at about the same at the new Audi S3 (read Golf R) at 1445kgs. The Golf R would be better for all out traction & front to rear balance given the same weight, but as with all Golf's the chassis tune will no doubt be anodyne & conservative in the Golf R; perhaps moreso in the Golf R with better f to r balance than the forthcoming MK7 Golf GTI and MK7 Sirocco.

The Golf GTI MK7 with power-pack proper mech-electro LSD and lighter weight (1325kgs for DSG) are definitely advantages in favour of the GTI over both the MK7 Golf R and A250 AMG Sport.

Hi WJ, would you mind please explaining in layman's terms what you mean here, by the advantage of the MK7 GTI over MK7 R? Curious as to what you're thinking (I am not that knowledgeable with suspension!).

Thanks in advance

[alebonau]

yep, went with Command, the Harmon/Kardon sounds amazing. Particularly didn't want leather, so that was out, and the vis package didn't excite me that much. They had a white, red, mountain grey and blue. The mountain grey was a standout, so ordered that. Problem being delivery isn't until June

seems to mirror my needs in options. thanks for your thoughts following the test drive. I know you have mentioned you a past alfa QV guilietta owner. would care to share some thoughts how that compares with some of the other contenders here ? I was close to considering one. but love to know what you think about that particular car and how compares to merc a250/golf gti

[clip]

hey mate, I test drove a black one.. loved it also .. I had a mk6 Golf R..whilst not being as quick, it certainly handled well on the road..was wet though so a fair bit of wheel spin when giving it some poke..

My question is, did you get any discount? MB were only keen to knock 1 grand off the price..I'm not real keen on paying retail for a car no matter how good it is.. might have to try another dealer?

No discounts being offered from what others are saying and what my dealer told me Ryan. However, they do have the equivalent to VW corp+ discount if you are eligible. That drops a few thou off, gives you 3 years free servicing and a few other things.

Agree with the handling. The sus is just so well sorted, and the steering response is sublime. The AMG guys have done an amazing job on this. As I said before, it just has tenacious grip levels while remaining composed and planted - much closer to an R drive than a GTI. The R would eat it for breakfast, but I'm not sure it's as good a setup as the a250.

The biggest issue for me with the benz is the gearbox. It's just not a dsg. The up-shifts are too slow, it just slides into gear even in sport mode. The downshifts are great though - in sport mode it blips as it changes down, and with the tuned exhaust, sounds great. It also just doesn't feel as fast as a GTI, although it is faster to 100 - tested. But I would bet my tackle that it would be slower to say 60 or 70. So if you want to drag between lights in the city, you will be disappointed -although I didn't try launch control. Problem is it's a lot faster than it feels and I reckon part of this is due to the behaviour of the gearbox. You just don't get the snappy change that pushes you back in the seat - instead it just slides into the next gear. Manual mode does seem to help this a little. I think first gear might also be a bit tall - it just doesn't seem to get off the line real fast.

To be honest, I was waiting for a MK7 GTI, although I was also negotiating on a mk6 too. But then the benz came along I wasn't at all sold on the looks, and while they do look better in real life, I reckon they'll date quickly. But at the end of the day, I just had such a great time in it, the most fun I've had for a while for sure. And that's what ultimately sold me on it. If only I hadn't taken one for a test drive, all would have been good

[clip]

seems to mirror my needs in options. thanks for your thoughts following the test drive. I know you have mentioned you a past alfa QV guilietta owner. would care to share some thoughts how that compares with some of the other contenders here ? I was close to considering one. but love to know what you think about that particular car and how compares to merc a250/golf gti

Happy to share my thoughts, but please don't take any notice of them alebonau! I haven't owned the QV, but have had a few drives in one thanks to work mate who is and always will be an alfa nut. While it's light years away from the a250, TBH I did enjoy getting in it. Maybe it's an alfa thing, hard to explain, it doesn't go as well as either the 250 or the gti, doesn't handle as well, actually doesn't do anything better at all, but it does love to be thrashed! And the harder you thrash it, the more it seems to like it. So maybe the power level and dynamics are just right. You can have a ball thrashing it and not get yourself into too much trouble, which is not such a bad thing IMO. I love the look of it too- from the rear to half way up the bonnet - but then I just start vomiting.

[alebonau]

hehe thanks for the comment clip, I did drive a standard G with QV pack and TCT but never got around to drive a full QV. so intersting to read. yes theres something definitely about alfas even though they are in some way or the other not quite there ! yeah think I'll push any thoughts about it behind me....maybe one day I will own an alfa ...just not now hehe

[cktsi]

This is where VW need to stop fart arsing around, and actually give the Australian market specifications like the Highline and price it competitively.

http://www.motoring.com.au/news/pres...lf-sales-35257

We all wear the costs of extra depreciation by speccing up cars like GTI and comfortline all because the creature comforts we want are options instead of standard features. I've long been unhappy that there's no Highline Golf.

Well... MB have beaten VW to the punch in speccing a really nice 2Ltr car.

I know some people may like a stripped down R, but I'm sure there are others who for $50k even today have an "optioned up" GTI that is around that sticker price. This is where the MB starts to make sense - plus will depreciate less than the similarly specc'ed GTI.

Come on VW... start giving us customers some value here. Look how long it took VW to add bluetooth or cruise control for the Trendline !

[alebonau]

interesting article that one. I'm very thankfull mb has stocked their models pretty well. the $10k of options on my golf gti which heck isnt much thats just dsg, leather, sunroof, mdi and towbar. not like I'll see that extra spent come back at trade in time. whereas with the a250 fully loaded the command all really need to add. As the article says looks like volvo have done the same as well.

not to say vw wont do the same with the mk7 to come. they might have the stripped back model and then anotehr spec with is lot more laden. not to say a standard gti wont come lot more loaded at stock than the mk6 too. time will tell

by the time the golf gti mk7 lands nd in ready supply will be early next year. be an interesting time as the heat problably lifted a tad from the merc, maybe more willing to discount by then. the bmw 1 series is going to be looking a bit like yesterdays news by then too as with the opel astra. definitely be a buyers market ! be definitely plenty of stiff competition about by then !

[sheckster]

No discounts being offered from what others are saying and what my dealer told me Ryan. However, they do have the equivalent to VW corp+ discount if you are eligible. That drops a few thou off, gives you 3 years free servicing and a few other things.

Clip, are you sure the new A class is available via Corp Discount? Did you hear that directly from MB or assuming?