Stiff competition for the Mk7 Golf GTI - Second Edition

[cktsi]

well I've made the switch, bye bye golf gti loved you while I had you...and hello merc a250

over the moon ! one big grin and the wife absoluely loves it

took a few pics,

Merc A250 Photos by alebonau | Photobucket

Congrats!

What tyres did they fit your your car? Would you recommend those?

I took one for a test drive today and must say I am impressed (and forgot to check out the tyres). For me, i am not looking for outright performance, but this has all the grunt i would need for my purposes. I love the warbling sound the exhaust makes on the downshift!! Also love listening to the wastegate... No reason to close the roof except very high temps and rain!!

I decided to buy this month's wheels mag, and yes whilst the numbers are behind the others... so what. Look at all the equipment they give you!! Also, the car's ergonomics are fantastic AND it is quiet like the Golf.

The A250 to the other hot hatches, are like the wrx and sti to these hot hatches. Different priorities in a spectrum of vehicles that put priorities on different attributes. I value comfort, functionality and ergonomics above outright speed and pick the A250 over the bunch personally.

I have no idea why some reviews are panning their twinclutch low speed operation. To me it was as smooth as any torque converter... And definitely better than the DQ200 at low speed!!

[kaktusdigital]

I have no idea why some reviews are panning their twinclutch low speed operation. To me it was as smooth as any torque converter... And definitely better than the DQ200 at low speed!!

I see you're also rocking a 118TSI, as a direct comparison, would you say the power down low is similar or is there a noticeable difference? I'm also interested to know how the ride quality is compared to the 118 with a sport pack.

[alebonau]

Congrats!

What tyres did they fit your your car? Would you recommend those?

I took one for a test drive today and must say I am impressed (and forgot to check out the tyres). For me, i am not looking for outright performance, but this has all the grunt i would need for my purposes. I love the warbling sound the exhaust makes on the downshift!! Also love listening to the wastegate... No reason to close the roof except very high temps and rain!!

I decided to buy this month's wheels mag, and yes whilst the numbers are behind the others... so what. Look at all the equipment they give you!! Also, the car's ergonomics are fantastic AND it is quiet like the Golf.

The A250 to the other hot hatches, are like the wrx and sti to these hot hatches. Different priorities in a spectrum of vehicles that put priorities on different attributes. I value comfort, functionality and ergonomics above outright speed and pick the A250 over the bunch personally.

I have no idea why some reviews are panning their twinclutch low speed operation. To me it was as smooth as any torque converter... And definitely better than the DQ200 at low speed!!

thanks cksti, mine came with standard tyres which are the continental contisport SP's lovely tyres great blend of grip and traction vs comfort. where I absolutely hated the orginal tyres on the golf gti which were the michelin primacy and couldnt wait till could swap them out, with the conti's on the merc am very pleased to point if had to replace down the track would go with the same.

we came back from a couple of hours drive and must say this is a very comfortable car to be in over distance

love the exhaust sound indeed. ps I understand with the pana roof the dealer mentioned the rain sensor is always active and if detects rain will shut the roof. plus did you notice it has anti buffetting so no buffetting if open the roof right up !

[cktsi]

I see you're also rocking a 118TSI, as a direct comparison, would you say the power down low is similar or is there a noticeable difference? I'm also interested to know how the ride quality is compared to the 118 with a sport pack.

Well, as i have been saying in other threads, nothing beats the instant response of the supercharger. However, once the car picks up a few rpms it gets going it will reel in the 118tsi. No different to other high powered turbo cars. The 118 even makes my F30 328i feel laggy, but then it feels it runs out of lungs at the higher rpms.

As for ride quality, i havent driven a sports suspended Golf much for a comparison. All i can say is that it's very well tuned for comfort and sporty handling.

the 25 min demo drive is not long enough to find nuances beween the. MB and the Golf... Best defer to alebonau for a comparo.

No matter what, all i can say is that for your next car, no matter which brand if it is available tick the option for adaptive suspension. It is worth it! I have only driven VW and BMW adaptive and they are very good!

[backdoc]

Put a 2k deposit yesterday on a CLA45 AMG. Giddy up! Now I have to wait 11 months

[DoggieHowser]

Put a 2k deposit yesterday on a CLA45 AMG. Giddy up! Now I have to wait 11 months

Nice how much is it? And what's standard?

[backdoc]

Nice how much is it? And what's standard?

They are claiming same standard spec as the A45:

19-inch alloy wheels, an intelligent lighting system, panoramic glass roof, front and rear parking sensors, blind-spot warning, lane-departure detection, leather-trimmed heated and electrically-adjustable seats, COMAND online interface and a Harman/Kardon stereo

Price is not confirmed. Various articles have suggested a 5k premium on the A45, so about 80k before options and on roads.

TBH the only options are likely to be carbon fibre upgrade, metallic paint and maybe some AMG tweaks.

I went into it thinking it would be 85 to 90k on the road. I've asked specifically for a 2014 build, so delivery is for March. First cars arrive December.

At my dealership they already had close to 20 per-orders.

[TuNeS]

Put a 2k deposit yesterday on a CLA45 AMG. Giddy up! Now I have to wait 11 months

very, very.....nice!

[zoomda]

Well over the last week I've test driven an A250, Golf GTI, Focus ST, Megane 265 and even a Veloster Turbo. I was going to take an Opel Astra for a spin as well but have decided not to as it is manual only and after driving the others I really want an auto/dual clutcher.

I'm going to wait for the Golf VII. I have a Golf VI 118TSI (and the Mrs has a Polo GTI) and the current model Golf GTI while quicker isn't going to feel like a new car really. The GTI was the smoothest and nicest out of all the cars I tested. Yes the A250 has a very classy interior and a less boring exterior than the GTI but I found it too slow. The engine note wasn't great and the sound on the downshifts was more embarrassing than cool. I'll take the GTI's DSG fart instead any day. The boot size on the A250 is way too small. Golf wins again in that comparison.

The 250 is also pretty darn expensive. The base model comes with lots of things but they are things I just don't want (sunroof for example). The car I drove had the comand pack and the driver assist. Stereo upgrade in the comand pack wasn't as good as the DynAudio I've heard in a skoda. The driver assist is very cool and a worthy add on but I was surprised when I couldn't get the car to park itself at the dealership (sales guys said it doesn't work near the building for some reason).

Dual Zone aircon is an addon. The comand screen is an eye sore(such a beautiful interior wrecked by a non integrated screen!), hard to see in direct sunlight and isn't touch screen.

I can see the appeal of the A250 but for me it isn't the right car. I look forward to seeing the Golf VII later this month as that will give me an indication of what to expect of the GTI in October.

Megane was fun but not comfortable enough, Veloster was surprisingly good but the doors don't work for me.

I've ended up having a new found appreciation of the twin-charger. You just don't get that near instant surge that you do from the supercharger in the other cars. For day to day drive I'm not revving the engine hard but I am stopping and starting a lot which is when the appreciation of the twin charger is really noticeable.

It's a shame it hasn't been overly reliable. A twincharged 2.0 Golf GTI would be awesome.

[cktsi]

Well over the last week I've test driven an A250, Golf GTI, Megane 265 and even a Veloster Turbo. I was going to take an Opel Astra for a spin as well but have decided not to as it is manual only and after driving the others I really want an auto/dual clutcher.

I'm going to wait for the Golf VII. I have a Golf VI 118TSI (and the Mrs has a Polo GTI) and the current model Golf GTI while quicker isn't going to feel like a new car really. The GTI was the smoothest and nicest out of all the cars I tested. Yes the A250 has a very classy interior and a less boring exterior than the GTI but I found it too slow. The engine note wasn't great and the sound on the downshifts was more embarrassing than cool. I'll take the GTI's DSG fart instead any day. The boot size on the A250 is way too small. Golf wins again in that comparison.

The 250 is also pretty darn expensive. The base model comes with lots of things but they are things I just don't want (sunroof for example). The car I drove had the comand pack and the driver assist. Stereo upgrade in the comand pack wasn't as good as the DynAudio I've heard in a skoda. The driver assist is very cool and a worthy add on but I was surprised when I couldn't get the car to park itself at the dealership (sales guys said it doesn't work near the building for some reason).

Dual Zone aircon is an addon. The comand screen is an eye sore(such a beautiful interior wrecked by a non integrated screen!), hard to see in direct sunlight and isn't touch screen.

I can see the appeal of the A250 but for me it isn't the right car. I look forward to seeing the Golf VII later this month as that will give me an indication of what to expect of the GTI in October.

Megane was fun but not comfortable enough, Veloster was surprisingly good but the doors don't work for me.

I've ended up having a new found appreciation of the twin-charger. You just don't get that near instant surge that you do from the supercharger in the other cars. For day to day drive I'm not revving the engine hard but I am stopping and starting a lot which is when the appreciation of the twin charger is really noticeable.

It's a shame it hasn't been overly reliable. A twincharged 2.0 Golf GTI would be awesome.

Nice write up. Totally agree with you on the twincharger! In theory my 328i is faster but isn't as satisfying as my twincharger. That car puts a smile every time I drive!

Yes, the a250 panel does look out of place but my eyes don't have to wander as far away for viewing as the golf nav.

For me the a250 class means more than the performance so I am prepared to forgive it for that