Golf GTD v BMW 120d M-Sport

[corgi]

Previous shape 1er, I had a 123d and on 17" wheels the ride was acceptable... 123d had the electronic diff which was quite effective...

The F20/21 1er is a much better car in most cases. As I said above, all things considered, I'd take the Golf; however, if they put the electronic diff on the 120d and the steering had more feel I might change the decision...

[Jobilo]

Corgi, really good thread.

As a company car driver, the GTD makes sense until you consider mpg... Lower mpg can actually make it a bit more expensive than some other vehicles.
I've heard some horror stories of 37-39mpg average and 44 mpg at best! This is the reason why i haven't ordered one yet.

What are you getting now, and how does it compare to the g/f 1 series?

[corgi]

Last 2000 miles averaging about 48 mpg about the same or a little better than 120d

[Jobilo]

Corgi, is that the trip computer or you checking the fuel?

I had a GTD test drive yesterday, my main concerns were: Comfort, build quality, performance & mpg.
It was very comfortable even with the 19" alloy wheels, well built, seemed fast enough.... and then mpg. Well, it was a short drive (13.5miles) but driven sensibly the computer displayed 49mpg for the first half and then when pushed it went down to 46mpg. How accurate was it i don't know.

The 3 series i currently drive is the ED (efficient dynamics) and there has been occasions where the trip computer says 55.5 and it is actually 46! I had it as low as 39mpg....

Not sure if the GTD is going to be my next company car but it's great to see how it compares to the bmw.

[GTI7me]

Across the forum MK7 owners seem to find the MFD display fairly accurate. I'm sure someone can give you a percentage 

J

[corgi]

For the Golf the figures I have given are calculated using the road trip app...

The MFD, however, seems reasonably accurate <5%

[matchboy]

Very good thread.  My wife and I have been having the very same discussions over the last few months (6  ).  Having driven both (and also a 125d), the main conclusions we came out with were as follows:

The GTD is significantly better value for money
The GTD is a more comofortable ride
The GTD interface is easier and far more user friendly
The GTD is safer to drive (this was her point given the RWD of the 120d - I don't necessarily agree)

Went for the GTD.  It's worth noting that hers is a company car, so the lease price also was a factor.  The stock GTD before adding options was £60 cheaper a month.  Both cars once loaded had options totaling nearly the same, therefore the £60 difference still applied.

It's also worth noting that we also seriously considered a 125d, given its near GTI like performance.  Again, apart from the added speed and auto box (BMW was far slicker than the DSG), the GTD came out on top in every other factor.

Finally, I'm no VW fan boy (although I do love them  ) - I really like the 1 series as its a great drive and I actually like the looks - but the GTD just is the better all rounder, and wins on far more points in our own comparison tests.

[CR4ZYHOR5E]

Interesting thoughts. I came from a 1 series (F20) to a GTD, also a company/lease car. I went for the GTD because it was cheaper and came with more kit as standard (you don't want to add extras on these scheme as you pay full whack over the term).

1 month on what do I make of my decision?...

For GTD

- Wife and daughter prefer the GTD as they find it more practical (much better in back).
- lighting, internal and external is far superior.
- more kit as standard.
- cruise control is better.
- prefer the looks.
- much better gearbox (manual).

For Beemer

- much prefer the interface with radio, Bluetooth etc... Really don't like the GTDs touchscreen.
- never had a hint of a rattle or squeak. Have rear suspension noise on GTD and a couple of faint rattles.
- driving position superior.
- rear wheel drive does make a difference to handling.
- flatter cornering.
- MPG!!! Don't care what people can eek out of their GTDs, Beemer a good 10mpg better in real world.

Overall I'm happy with the GTD, should prove to be a good car over the next 2 years. The jury is currently out on quality (reference suspension squeaks), if I end up having to take it to the garage just once then I won't consider VW again in the short term - might sound harsh but didn't have to with the Beemer so the benchmark has been set.

[monkeyhanger]

Not a single warranty visit or the marque is dismissed? That is extremely harsh. If you didn't have a warranty visit for the 1er then you're incredibly lucky. Pretty much every brand new car out there will have a niggle, those without are rare examples, you could probably only bank on a Rolls or a Bentley to be niggle free.

There's 2 huge reasons I wouldn't consider a 120D - looks and residuals. 47% GFV on the 120D vs 56% on the GTD, they're poles apart on running costs, especially on a private purchase. £75 a month more (vanilla spec) before you even look at options on the 1er to get it up to standard spec on the GTD. I judge cars on their long term reliability and can forgive a few build niggles that are ironed out under warranty. My cousin has had nowt but bother from a 330d under warranty, with very poor paintwork that BMW think is acceptable (particulates embedded in the pigment layer) and sticking EGR valve from just 4 months old.

[CR4ZYHOR5E]

Correct, my expectations are that I should have no niggles in 24 months/35000 miles of motoring (the term of my company car lease) - for a modern car I think that's perfectly reasonable, particularly given the amount of R&D and associated testing that takes place. As I say, the 1er did it without breaking a sweat.