Mk6 Gti DSG or A4 B7 Fsi Quattro 6sp Man?

[thezoneR32]

Hey Guys,

Just toying with the idea of getting one of these and wondering what peoples thoughts are.
One is a 2010 My11 Gti dsg with only 20k on the clock in black, no leather, bi-xenons or sunroof but has 18' detroits and satnav. - 155kw updated engine.
2nd is a 2007 A4 B7 fsi S Line turbo quattro 6sp man, 57k on the clock in Dark blue, no sat nav but sunroof, bi-xenons and s4 style wheels. 147kw older engine.

I would get a down pipe, tune and springs on which ever i get. I have driven both, the gti is immaculate and nice n quick with the dsg but the audi is sublime, smooth and a much more sure footed on the open road but quet sluggish under 4k in stock form. Me things the gti with a tune will kill the audi but the audi is so cool and slick to drive and looks wicked.

Any thoughts?

Oh and the gti is about 3-4k more. Cheers

[stickshift3000]

Do you want a newer fwd hatch, or an older, cheaper 4wd sedan?

[team_v]

Quattro for sure........
Use the 3-4k saving to get stage 2.

[thezoneR32]

Thanks guys, I drove the gti again today and it felt like a cheap toy compared to the Audi. Not sure now. I really liked the way the A4 drove and it looks like it might be more like 5-6k diff in price. I would def do a downpipe, hpfp and tune to which ever so even if the audi is not as quick its a better drive imo. I gunned it on the freeway in third and it just felt so planted right like it was a sucking down on to the road up to 150k'm\h odd before I backed off and that's with 17's. The gti in the same stretch of road with 18' detroits felt like I was hanging on for my life.

[AdamD]

I'd probably take the Audi, TBH. It's done the majority of its depreciation, whereas the GTI is still in the meat of it, so to speak. The Audi will also be far more refined and special as a daily driver. You'd be able to get more speed out of the GTI with mods, but I don't think that's really your objective?

Having said all that, the GTI is a great choice too - I drive one. You can't go wrong either way.

[thezoneR32]

Thanks AdamD. The gti seems like the sensible option in some ways, better sat nav, less kays and a more modern albeit a little cheaper interior (im not a big fan of the cloth seats). And outright speed is def not the priority. With the GTI the XDL under heavy cornering feels like.....organised chaos, you can feel the car being pulled about and shoved back into shape almost unnaturally whereas the quattro just hunkers down and slams through the corners in a smooth and consistent line even when pushed hard. In some ways I think my MKV is better for cornering than the mk6, with all its shortcomings at least mine is consistent with no fancy electronics trying to numb the experience. I do like the dsg farts which will sound even better with a downpipe and ecu/dsg tune but I don't like that its almost impossible to take off smoothly in a dsg. I really like the look of the A4 even thought its an older model it still looks relevant. And lowered a tad on some decent wheels they look sick, jeez Im not sure.......Maybe I need to spreedsheet the pros and cons for this one. What else is there in the $25-$30k mark? In SA the choice is limited:

Pirelli - nice car but starting to look dated (and rare in SA).
R32 - been there done that.
Polo Gti - 7sp dsg worries me and twin charger? Too many things to go wrong after I tune it.
A gutless non-turbo BMW.(not enough power and not tunable)
A really old but nice Merc read 04-05. (too old)
Toyota Aurion - Sheep in sheep's clothing.
Falcon G6E turbo (quick but tacky and too clunky).
Passat CC Diesel-(kind of cool looking but a retirees car).
Passat CC V6 - kind of a wannabee R36.
R36 - Awesome but none is SA and most interstate under $30 grand have too many kays.
Toyota 86 GT - Not ready for my mid-life crisis just yet.
WRX - yuk.
Gen 4 Liberyt STi - Wickedly fast, handles well, best stereo Ive heard in a car yet - looks dated, boxer 4 sounds boy racer to me and boxer 6 has no torque.
Gen 5 Liberty GT - Great drivetrain and chassis - extremely tunable but close to the ugliest car on the road
Alfa? nah
Volvo, dont even think about it.
hyundai, kia - don't be ridiculous
What about this - 2008 Honda legend? 226kw awd, fully optioned? Again a bit of a grandpas car.
SS commodore - F$%k off!
And what the hell is a Willys? Do you really need more than one?

[Blitzen]

What about a BMW E90 330D?? By far the best E90 BMW I have driven (other than the M3... I work as a BMW maintainer)... Great looking, great stereo and interface, handles really well, bag loads of torque and very tuneable, and very few issues.
They are a bit more expensive, but if you are looking for something a bit cheaper, look at an E60 530D... Same engine, just in a bit bigger car. Tune it, and you have a torque monster.

[AdamD]

My father drives a CC V6; I think calling it a wannabe R36 is selling it short. It's rapid without necessarily feeling all that fast, but the raw numbers don't lie. I've driven one properly hard, and it handles well and covers ground very very quickly (although, being a large VAG-group AWD car it is a bit safe and secure). It's also very comfortable and really nicely put together. Very few things go wrong with them too. It's a seriously impressive car.

I agree that the GTI's XDL can get a bit overbearing at times, but there's no question that it is effective. You can tweak it to increase or reduce its strength, and IIRC disabling the traction control turns it off too. Let's be honest - how often would you be driving hard enough for XDL to really be an issue in your decision making? As for the quattro cornering, well, when you're powering out of corners, absolutely nothing comes close to AWD, regardless of how much torque you're packing.

Also, look into an E90 320d if you can't stretch to a 330 but like the concept. They're not "fast" in the traditional sense, but the prestige factor is there (especially when you get one with an MSport kit and 18s), and they've got great torque.