GolfGTIforum.co.uk
Model specific boards => Golf mk7 => Topic started by: Exonian on 05 May 2013, 14:08
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Following on from the Harris review and the debate on here and over on mk5golfgti.co.uk - why did we actually plump for a 100bhp less car for a couple of grand less?
GTD owners are still entitled to an opinion btw although I'll guess the majority or them are buying derv due to company car rules(?)
And just as much, I'd like to hear from those going the other way. I'm genuinely curious.
No rational reason for me. I've got GTIs in my blood, simple as that, if VW make a poor GTI I'll take the SEAT equivalent if it's better thanks to the same DNA. Yes that might be silly but I'm only human!!!
I am also of the opinion that the GTI is best left with minimal spec above that which it came out of the factory with in mk7 guise. If you spend more than a couple of grand on it you're getting dangerously close to the 135.
To be quite honest, if VW had not specced xenons and 18 inch alloys as standard I'd have just kept my very sorted mk6 quite happily for another few years until a decent spec mk7 came up at the right money (or I may have bought a year old 135 just to see what they're like and run it for a year or so).
So in short I just had an inkling that the mk7 GTI was going to be a bit special to drive and its heritage. Nothing more than that. I didn't even consider a 135 for a second.
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Funnily enough, I test drove a 135i in Jan the year when I started the new car search. My god it was fast and made a stunning noise, but other than that it left me a bit cold.
For the times when you can use the power, I'm sure there's little else (if anything) in its price bracket to touch it, but (personally), I found the interior boring although very well screwed together and the seats though supportive, quite hard.
Ultimately for me it's biggest floor (in hatchback guise), was the looks. No matter which angle I viewed it from, it just didn't do anything for me and actually bordered on ugly. The coupe version was much prettier, but to be honest is effectively a 2 seater as the rear legroom is non existent. I know we buy cars with our heads as well as our hearts, but I just thought when the power giggles had worn off, the fuel bills and insurance mounted, I would still be left with a car that had a super engine and drivetrain, but a car that looks wise I just didn't connect with, if you know what I mean.
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1: Looks
2: Price (Performance Pack 3DR cost me £25k)
3: Size - Cramped interior on the 1 Series, much less usable rear seats and hatch/boot.
4: Pushed myself to get to GTI price, anything more expensive was out of the question.
5: VAG fan.
6: Interior quality of the 1 seems some way behind the MK7 (only been in a GT).
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I'm with you on the heritage mate, i've fallen head over heels in love the the GTI brand which is a bit daft but i think you get more than just a car when you buy one, my mk6 is my first GTI and without doubt the best car i've ever owned and i have no doubt that the new one will be better especially with the standard features and options i've added, the 135i is without question a fantastic bit of kit but it just isn't the completely well rounded package that the GTI is, if you NEED rwd in your life to enjoy driving then you can't do much better when buying new imo than the BMW, there is not enough room in the back or boot to make me even consider it and there are a couple of little annoyances with the design like not being able to see the computer between the dials when the steering wheel is in my position, and the rear wheel arches take up too much of the rear seats!
Plus when specced to the same level as the GTI i've ordered it's nearly 3.5k more, just not worth it for the compromises i'd be making.
Unless my new mk7 is a complete pup then i can't see myself going to another marque anytime soon.
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Who needs oversteer when you least expect it.
Better package the Golf - enough go everyday on the road.
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To be honest, the 135i didn't even enter into the equation, but if I had to list reasons, it would be similar to AAdict:
- Looks
- Price
- Not a great all-rounder like the GTI
- It's not a GTI :grin:
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I went for a gti as I felt overall the golf is the more well rounded package and I didnt even contemplate the BMW at all.
Dont think my funds would have stretched to an M135 anyway.
And if the power difference is an issue then its easily tuned!
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Never been a fan of BMW,s period. I'm getting the gtd not for company car reasons but because I like diesels over petrols. Not even the gti can come close to fuel consumption of the gtd plus it's cheaper to tax and insure. Economic sense over heart I suppose and to be honest the gti and gtd are virtually the same car.
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A friend of mine refers to BMW as a stupid rich man's car, as he thinks you can get as good as for a lot less money so only stupid rich men would buy one. No offense meant to any beemer owners here :tongue:
That said I worked at a car auction place once and BMW was second only to jag in driving terms. The was one other car there that could give BMW a run for its money. Prizes for guessing what it was!
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I won't be picking the 135i because:
-I really don't like the way it looks. I don't want to approach my car and wish it looked different.
-It doesn't have enough space inside. I can get 2 people, two mountain bikes, and luggage for a 2 week holiday in the Edition 30 - which we're doing next, week to go on our holidays to France, thank you for asking.
-Absolute performance doesn't matter to me. I could spend 100 grand on a car and still be beaten off the lights by a souped up saxo. I want effortless power and great delivery of that power on the road, and I don't need a BMW for that.
Having said all of that, I'm still not sure if the next car will be a golf or a sportback a3 yet. All the options I want to try out aren't available yet, so it'll probably be next year when I get the chance to look at everything.
P.S. I have no problems with others thinking the 135i is their dream car... each to his own!
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Probably one of the most difficult car choices I've had to make as I'm 'both' a huge fan of GTi's (having owned 3) & BMW's (having also owned 3).
Having not driven the new Mk7 GTi I can't really compare what they're like to drive back to back, but what I can say is that the M-lite is pretty faultless when it comes to its driving dynamics. In terms of quality there really isn't much in it between the two. I've only got the Mk7 Golf GT as a comparison, but both cars werent perfect when it came to perceived cabin quality. I could find faults with both truth be told. In some ways the BMW was the more shocking as its considered the more premium brand!
Yes the 1-er is not a very pretty car, but its looks definitely grow on you over time (a bit like when the Chris Bangle E60 5-series was launched). I think my biggest gripe with the 1 series was with rear legroom, which I expected with a RWD configuration. Ok it was a lot better than the old model, but I would really struggle getting my less than agile old grandparents in.
As I mentioned in another thread, there was only a £3k price difference between a similar spec'd GTi & similar spec'd M135i, which in the scheme of things not a "Huge" price difference. So what made me choose the GTi in the end???
At the end of the day it was BMW's arrogance which swung it for me. Even after 10 years loyalty to the brand, they werent able to offer me a deal whatsoever. In fact they were taking the p@ss! They refused to offer me any discount off the list price but the biggest insult was the £3k below book value price they offered on my part-ex. I suppose I could have shopped around, but to be perfectly honest I didn't like it that much to wasting my time shopping around. And besides it put a sour taste in my mouth with regards to BMW dealerships!!!
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Had a 1 series coupe before.
One of the most uncomfortable cars I have driven . The run flats with the Sport suspension, were unforgiving.
The seats are low and uncomfortable and the pedals offset.
On a long journey I ended up with back ache and wanted to get out of the thing.
The Gti s I have had have always been very comfortable and I have always wanted to continue driving whatever the distance I had travelled.
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Forgot to mention... Got a fantastic deal on the new GTi that would have been 'stupid' not to accept!! :wink:
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I'm a massive BMW fan.. have had three M3's... and love the Golf GTI.. (thus why I'm ordering another one) I wouldn't rule out getting another M3 in the future, but can guarantee I will never ever own a 1 series BMW! :) Just drive one.. that's all the answers you need! :)
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VW brand blind, call me a fool but I don't even look at other makes. :nerd: Had every Golf GTI going, Mk1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, including Mk1 campaign, Mk3 anni, Mk4 anni, Mk4 R32, Mk5 Ed30, Mk6 Ed35 and Mk6 R.
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I'm a massive BMW fan.. have had three M3's... and love the Golf GTI.. (thus why I'm ordering another one) I wouldn't rule out getting another M3 in the future, but can guarantee I will never ever own a 1 series BMW! :) Just drive one.. that's all the answers you need! :)
But that's the problem.... I DID just that!!! And after the test drive I was utterly smitten... Ok it's not as dramatic as my M5, but boy does it go...
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Step away from the 1 series! it's social suicide, like owning a C-Class Mercedes... you just don't! :)
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Interesting that the replies so far are pretty unanimous in that the 135 wasn't even properly considered.
I can relate to the cost issue too. Although the prices are fairly close on paper after options and discounts (and I'm led to believe BMW do cracking finance deals and hence why there are a million low spec black 1 series on a nearby housing estate) the GTI just hit my personal ceiling of cost give or take (ok a bit over but forgiven due to high standard spec).
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Personally I think the 125i M Sport is more comparable model to the GTi and the M135i is more comparable to the R.
I loved my Mk6 Gti and it was a tough call switching from the car and brand to something else. However, having owned a Mk5 GT also, I fancied a change as much as anything. 6 months into ownership and I would safely say I would buy another. Although it pains me to say, probably an M135i as the fuel economy isn't massively different to the 125i which wasn't what I was expecting. Although doing 14k a year it feels like I'm forever filling up my car at the moment, so maybe a 125d might be a more sensible option. But when does sense ever come into buying cars.
This isn't to say I wouldn't buy another golf again. If the mk7 Gti was out at the time of trading up then it could very well have been a different story. I have no doubt it will great car.
As others have pointed out boot and rear space is much better on the golf so if family practicality is what your after than then the golf wins hands down. I rarely use mine as a family car so this doesn't concern me. The wife has a little 5 door corsa for such duties anyway.
The ride comfort is much improved on the latest 1 series especially with the adaptive suspension option spec'd as I have on mine. Even the standard suspension is good now on run flats.
Performance wise the car feels quicker to me than my mk6 and the handling is sharper. However, out and out performance isn't something that particularly bothers me. The BMW auto box also feels better in comparison to the dsg. Gear changes feel quicker, more seamless with the 8 speed ratios feeling spot on.
My 1er seems to be a stone magnet which is bloody annoying. I have invested in the chipex system to tackle some of these. DanJ who proffessionally detailed my car commented that the paint is hard but very thin. Modern paints are so poor. Wish I had invested in getting the 3m paint shield across on the front end and wings especially as my commute involves a lot of motorway driving. I said the same when I got the golf.
I can see why people don't like the shape of the 1er. I love mine from certain angles and loathe it from others but this qwerkiness keeps me interested in the car in a funny sort of way.
Some may find the BMW a little too refined for their liking compared to the GTIs also.
Although reading the above posts you guys favour the mk7 as expected on a GTI forum, there are plenty of people on 1 series forums that have switched from vag cars with many of them having owned GTIs in recent years.
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Just did a quick configuration on the bmw website - the m135i with the same spec as my GTI comes to minimum 5 grand more expensive - and that's before adding 19" alloys (which aren't an option). So, although its a lot quicker than the GTI that's about the only advantage I can see to be honest - and that's not worth 5 grand. If you're that interested in that level of speed, you can pick up a second hand m3 or m5 for that money - which are far superior cars.
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Qs: What car do you drive?
Ans: BMW
Reaction: Wow!
Qs: What car do you drive?
Ans: A Golf
Reaction: Blank.
BMW: THE MOST VALUED CAR BRAND. :smug:
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Qs: What car do you drive?
Ans: BMW
Reaction: Wow!
Qs: What car do you drive?
Ans: A Golf
Reaction: Blank.
BMW: THE MOST VALUED CAR BRAND. :smug:
(http://ebengregory.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/mj-laughing.gif)
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Qs: What car do you drive?
Ans: BMW
Reaction: Wow!
Qs: What car do you drive?
Ans: A Golf
Reaction: Blank.
BMW: THE MOST VALUED CAR BRAND. :smug:
Lol
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Qs: What car do you drive?
Ans: BMW
Reaction: Wow!
Qs: What car do you drive?
Ans: A Golf
Reaction: Blank.
BMW: THE MOST VALUED CAR BRAND. :smug:
Qs: what car do you drive?
Ans: a BMW
Reaction: Must be a (unt who doesn't know where his indicators are.
Qs: what car do you drive?
Answer: mk 7 Golf GTI
Reaction: You must be making loads of money, they are the nuts!
:wink:
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FACT: BMW THE MOST VALUABLE CAR BRAND. :smug:
http://www.motorauthority.com/news/1076377_bmw-voted-worlds-most-valuable-car-brand-in-2012
http://www.autocar.co.uk/car-news/industry/bmw-usurps-toyota-most-valuable-car-brand
http://www.autoguide.com/auto-news/2012/05/bmw-replaces-toyota-as-worlds-most-valuable-car-brand.html
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FACT: BMW THE MOST VALUABLE CAR BRAND. :smug:
http://www.motorauthority.com/news/1076377_bmw-voted-worlds-most-valuable-car-brand-in-2012
http://www.autocar.co.uk/car-news/industry/bmw-usurps-toyota-most-valuable-car-brand
http://www.autoguide.com/auto-news/2012/05/bmw-replaces-toyota-as-worlds-most-valuable-car-brand.html
Valued doesn't mean the same thing as Valuable.
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Yawn. Anyone can own a BMW these days. Every pikey and his dad has a 1 series. You can't blink without seeing a 320D on the road. Gone are the days of BMW being a prestige motor. Shame cause they are great cars. But too many chavs & sales reps have them these days.
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Qs: What car do you drive?
Ans: BMW
Reaction: Wow!
Qs: What car do you drive?
Ans: A Golf
Reaction: Blank.
BMW: THE MOST VALUED CAR BRAND. :smug:
I don't know why you bother coming on here now Asker? Apart from trying to antagonise people, you have over 8500 posts a majority of which were singing the praises of your GTI, i'm glad your happy with your new BMW but do us all a favour, unless you have something constructive to say don't bother.
Thanks
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Yawn. Anyone can own a BMW these days. Every pikey and his dad has a 1 series. You can't blink without seeing a 320D on the road. Gone are the days of BMW being a prestige motor. Shame cause they are great cars. But too many chavs & sales reps have them these days.
True, 3's are the modern day Mondeo.
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Prize wa**** is what most peoples thoughts on BMW drivers is :wink: Saying that it's the same for Audi's now too. Always going to be a difference of opinion with VW and BMW owners but I think it's mostly born from BMW owners thinking they are a cut above everyone else and the fact most are t***s behind the wheel!
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FACT: BMW THE MOST VALUABLE CAR BRAND. :smug:
http://www.motorauthority.com/news/1076377_bmw-voted-worlds-most-valuable-car-brand-in-2012
http://www.autocar.co.uk/car-news/industry/bmw-usurps-toyota-most-valuable-car-brand
http://www.autoguide.com/auto-news/2012/05/bmw-replaces-toyota-as-worlds-most-valuable-car-brand.html
"YAWN!" Not this old chestnut again... Lets move along please..
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Prize wa**** is what most peoples thoughts on BMW drivers is :wink: Saying that it's the same for Audi's now too. Always going to be a difference of opinion with VW and BMW owners but I think it's mostly born from BMW owners thinking they are a cut above everyone else and the fact most are t***s behind the wheel!
The views of one forum member should not bring us to generalise about all BMW owners here. Far from it in fact. This forum is by and large occupied by gentlemen ;)
VW, AUDI, BMW & MERCEDES, are ALL great cars.
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Prize wa**** is what most peoples thoughts on BMW drivers is :wink: Saying that it's the same for Audi's now too. Always going to be a difference of opinion with VW and BMW owners but I think it's mostly born from BMW owners thinking they are a cut above everyone else and the fact most are t***s behind the wheel!
The views of one forum member should not bring us to generalise about all BMW owners here. Far from it in fact. This forum is by and large occupied by gentlemen ;)
VW, AUDI, BMW & MERCEDES, are ALL great cars.
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Agreed. I for one still own a BMW... So if all BMW owners are "Prize Wazzers'" then what does it say about VW owners (for which I'm also a proud owner) :grin:
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Prize wa**** is what most peoples thoughts on BMW drivers is ;) Saying that it's the same for Audi's now too. Always going to be a difference of opinion with VW and BMW owners but I think it's mostly born from BMW owners thinking they are a cut above everyone else and the fact most are t***s behind the wheel!
The views of one forum member should not bring us to generalise about all BMW owners here. Far from it in fact. This forum is by and large occupied by gentlemen ;)
VW, AUDI, BMW & MERCEDES, are ALL great cars.
Agreed. I for one still own a BMW... So if all BMW owners are "Prize Wazzers'" then what does it say about VW owners (for which I'm also a proud owner) ;D
Super Wazzers?? ;D
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Which is why I said 'most people' and not all and why I said most BMW drivers and not all! I stand by the BMW owners think they are a cut above the rest though but not all :wink:
I don't think VW owners think they are any better than Audi, bm or merc owners but the other marques seem to look down on VW cars as if they are some poor substitute.
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Prize wa**** is what most peoples thoughts on BMW drivers is ;) Saying that it's the same for Audi's now too. Always going to be a difference of opinion with VW and BMW owners but I think it's mostly born from BMW owners thinking they are a cut above everyone else and the fact most are t***s behind the wheel!
The views of one forum member should not bring us to generalise about all BMW owners here. Far from it in fact. This forum is by and large occupied by gentlemen ;)
VW, AUDI, BMW & MERCEDES, are ALL great cars.
Agreed. I for one still own a BMW... So if all BMW owners are "Prize Wazzers'" then what does it say about VW owners (for which I'm also a proud owner) ;D
Super Wazzers?? ;D
Hahaha.... Walked straight into that... Should have seen that coming!!! Lol :grin:
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Which is why I said 'most people' and not all and why I said most BMW drivers and not all! I stand by the BMW owners think they are a cut above the rest though but not all :wink:
I don't think VW owners think they are any better than Audi, bm or merc owners but the other marques seem to look down on VW cars as if they are some poor substitute.
No offence taken my friend. I'm not that easily offended... At the end of the day, I'm a "Petrolhead" at heart. I don't care whether it's a VW, Ford, Hyundai, BMW, Kia, Porsche, Ferrari, Toyota, etc etc... So long as it brings a smile to your face every time you get in it & drive, is what's important for me. It's this philosophy that helps me decide on what I choose to drive & not the badge on the bonnet.
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:grin: :grin: :grin:
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Not that I wish to continue this, but if you are bored have a read of am1w posts on all the various forums - he is clearly a troll who likes to be provocative in his posts. What gets me is that he had a GTI and now a 330d (with little alloys, bless) but still continues to post in the VW forums - clearly he has no friends on the BMW forums so still frequents these ones. Oh dear. :grin:
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The fact he owns something other than a VW and still comes to a VW owners site says it all really. :tongue:
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You only have to look at the 1 series advert for the new shape that aired about a year ago. 2 brothers that were the biggest bell-ends going. For anyone thinking about a 1 series but were wondering about image then that advert would have put most right off. A pair of "on a budget" hooray Henrys with an unjustified superiority complex.
That is the epitome of most 1 series buyers, pretending to be posh/rich/successful on Golf money. My ex neighbours had one - fur coat and no knickers, they didn't have a stick of furniture in the house and watched a 17" tv sat on beanbags in the living room, all so they could drive a 116i and pretend they were well-to-do, when in reality they were a pair of rarfys.
Anyway, comparing 135i to a GTI is ridiculous, GTI is a great allrounder, a highly practical car with performance. The BMW excels in 1 thing (performance that you won't get to fully use off a track) and fails everything else (looks, practicality, standard equipment, exceptional economy relative to it's output etc).
Coming onto a GTI site just to try and put down the GTI - have you nothing better to do?
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^^ Well said!!
Modified :wink:
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I think that's a bit unfair as he didn't just have a GTI he had the best GTI on the forum by far. I know its true because he was forever telling us that.
He probably jumped ship to BMW due to the restraining order the VW Warranty Manager no doubt slapped on him after his self confessed stalking, after all he did say he was wanting a MK7GTI and he's not one for telling fibs, so obviously something has happened
........As I intend to stay with a German brand, as VW are the closest, as I have had excellent service from the local VW Service Department so far and as their Warranty Manager is my neighbour, it has to be a VW Golf Mk7 GTI. All boxes ticked for me!
Dropped in to see the Warranty Manager at her house which is 10 dooors down the street from mine. She is so stunningly good looking.
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Just remember fella's.... This is exactly the response he wants...
Be it a Troll under a bridge or a Troll on the Internet, the warning sign is the same:
DO NOT FEED THE TROLL!!!!
Let's just keep it on topic & don't let this thread turn into a slanging match, which is exactly what he wants!!!
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Just remember fella's.... This is exactly the response he wants...
Be it a Troll under a bridge or a Troll on the Internet, the warning sign is the same:
DO NOT FEED THE TROLL!!!!
Let's just keep it on topic & don't let this thread turn into a slanging match, which is exactly what he wants!!!
Yeah. We were just congratulating each other for being civil, lets not have a war with BMW fans just yet.
Anyway, that dude is welcome to post back here if he wants, just if he's gonna post about BMWs then I'm gonna ask if he's lost and needs some help as he's clearly in the wrong place for that.
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Anyway, comparing 135i to a GTI is ridiculous, GTI is a great allrounder, a highly practical car with performance. The BMW excels in 1 thing (performance that you won't get to fully use off a track) and fails everything else (looks, practicality, standard equipment, exceptional economy relative to it's output etc).
I understand where you are coming from monkeyhanger, but it's probably not that ridiculous! I wouldn't be surprised if BMW purposely priced the M-lite in VW Golf GTi territory to pinch a slice of VW sales. I know some of us here have priced similar a spec'd M135i & GTi and the price difference has been significant.... but for any serious Petrolhead out there spending this sort of money, they would be 'silly' not to consider the two as possibilities.
The M135i is definitely aimed squarely at the more mature VW GTi driver who fancies a change, I'm sure.
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I am in no way trying to be anti GTI. I used to own one and I loved it to bits. The Mk7 is almost definitely a fantastic car.
I was simply talking about Brand Value.
Stay cool guys and gals. :cool:
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I think that's a bit unfair as he didn't just have a GTI he had the best GTI on the forum by far. I know its true because he was forever telling us that.
He probably jumped ship to BMW due to the restraining order the VW Warranty Manager no doubt slapped on him after his self confessed stalking, after all he did say he was wanting a MK7GTI and he's not one for telling fibs, so obviously something has happened
........As I intend to stay with a German brand, as VW are the closest, as I have had excellent service from the local VW Service Department so far and as their Warranty Manager is my neighbour, it has to be a VW Golf Mk7 GTI. All boxes ticked for me!
Dropped in to see the Warranty Manager at her house which is 10 dooors down the street from mine. She is so stunningly good looking.
Basically, I just wanted a BMW F30 Series. I drove a couple and just loved RWD and how frictionless the car felt. Then a terrific deal came up: if I bought two F30 330d M Sports, they would give me an eye watering discount. So I went for it. Simple as that. :smiley:
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I think the issue is you seem to think that BMW is a better brand and that the people who have ordered a GTI/GTD are in some way "gutted" as the VW brand isn't (apparently) as strong. Me personally, if I'd wanted a BMW I would have ordered one, I can have any car I want. In fact I've had a BMW before and may well get one in the future (4 series). But I'm afraid my friend the BMW brand is not what it once was, and that is fact.
:smiley:
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Both the Golf and the BMW 3 Series are great icons for their respective brands. I would be happy with either car. In fact, I really miss my Jacara cloth seats. My BMW has leather as standard and I don't like leather.
I was really passionate about my GTI. The same passion, unfortunately, does not exist for my BMW. I love the car and how it drives. It is amazing. But I don't feel passionate about it. Maybe I will never feel so for any car anymore as I did for my Mk6 GTI.
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My boss used to have a 330d M Sport which he referred to as "the money bucket" as it cost him an arm and a leg when something went wrong at least once a month. Hopefully you have a better experience!
That said I do like the BMW looks (except not the 1 series) and the drive is pretty awesome (3 series at least) but they are overpriced... Which of course helps them to be your "most valuable brand" but says nothing about if the are any good or not. Apparently they displaced Toyota so by that logic until this year Toyotas were better than all other brands???
Like I say I like BMWs, but they do have thei faults.
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It's a given all cars come with faults. BMWs are no exception. In fact F30s (3 Series) and F20s (1 Series) produced before Nov 2012 had rusty front seat bases. Pretty shocking. And there have been problems with faulty steering racks and suspensions. I don't seem to recall that Golfs were this bad.
The other thing is that if the F30 is not specced in M Sport guise, it is a pretty ordinary looking car. It is also very colour sensitive. Plus, the range of available colours is pretty poor.
I have seen a couple of cooking Mk7 Golfs and was very impressed by how attractive they looked especially in Silver. Cooking versions of the Mk6 were not this attractive. I was also very impressed by the very small panel gaps, something BMW F30s don't seem to have. Cooking F30s and F20s are not very attractive IMO. But what I do like about my F30 is the flawless paint finish which has no orange peel. Quite surprised by this.
Yes, the better versions of the Golf Mk7 are Premium Hatchbacks and have to be viewed thus, well at least by those of us in the know.
Cars eh?
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Interesting to see the bit of inter-brand rivalry.
I moderate on a couple of BMW forums, gained when I went through 10 years of them, all I would say is that we should get along as car enthusiasts, but mild mannered banter is fun.
I moved out of the brand due to costs. I had two E46's which were ultra reliable into 3 figure mileages. I then bought one of the first E93 335i's. Ouch. All this in 65k miles ....
Two turbo's
Gearbox sump
Differential
Steering Column
Roof Seals
4x cracked wheels
But, all done under warranty, and I loved the car. However, a month after I bought the BMW the wife bought her Mk5 GTi. All that needed was a Hydro unit and an air con seal. That was all in a similar mileage. I had more passion for the Golf, but it brings out the hooligan in you.
I moved out of the BMW brand due to the costs. I privately lease as I fund it outside of the family budget. I fancied an M3, despite feeling that they only add real sparkle in that final 10%, but the lease costs on a 6 month old one were just plain wacky. I ended up with a 911 C2S, cheaper to lease than a 335i and M3, and 40k miles on 100% reliable.
...and the wife has a Mk6 now, and I still love it. It has to be one of the best all round cars out there. But that doesn't stop me looking at any car with an enthusiasts view of appreciation. How else could I still love my 5 year old 500 and be tempted constantly by an Abarth :grin:
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Just to spice this debate up lol
http://www.worldcarfans.com/113051057529/forbes-ranks-bmw-as-the-worlds-most-powerful-car-brand
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Just to spice this debate up a little more:
I've just placed an order for an M135i. My choice was between that and the mk7 GTI. I have seen most of the reviews of both cars, but these didn't really help, because all of them are favourable.
However, the thing that really swayed me was the shambles that is the golf gti launch. VW, or maybe just VW UK, don't seem to be able to organise a piss up in a brewery, let alone the release of a 'hot hatch' in a very competitive market. I'm amazed that they command the loyalty they seem to.
The two hour test drive I took today made the decision easy - I recommend even the most die hard BMW haters to at least try it.......you might like it!
It's an amazing machine, massively fast, great sound, but still very refined.
I'm sure the GTI will be a great car and I doubt anybody would regret choosing it, but the things that swayed me were:
- I wanted auto, and I think that the 8 speed ZF is superior to the DSG in the golf. If I wanted manual, the golf might have won out.
- The performance of these cars is not comparable. To be honest, before I tried it, I thought the BMW was over the top, but a few minutes in it changed my mind. It is amazingly good fun, even accelerating for just a split second at legal speeds!
- Price. In less than half an hour I haggled a 10 % discount and if I'd persevered I possibly could have got a bit more. A comparable spec GTI would have only been a couple of thousand cheaper - VW prices for things such as leather take the piss! I actually would have preferred alcantara, but for some strange reason, neither manufacturer offers this in the UK market.
- Lack of the option of a GTI test drive (I don't just believe what I read) and also the apparently lengthy, but as yet unknown, lead times also counted significantly against the gti.
- A small thing, but not entirely insignificant, is brand perception (ready to get plenty of abuse for this one). I do feel that BMW is a more premium brand, whatever that really means, but I suppose that VAG group demonstrate this perfectly by the relative costs between the Skoda, Seat, VW and Audi marques - very similar cars, but massive differences in price. Maybe I'm just a victim of BMW's ad campaigns, but the BMW dealership is a much nicer place to be than the VW one.
- Lastly, the CD player in the glovebox, what were VW thinking?
Things that were in the golf's favour were:
- Economy
- Price
- Automatic distance cruise control or whatever it's called (VW can't even seem to agree on the most suitable acronym)
That's about it for me.
I know the majority of people prefer the look of the golf, but I don't. It's a somewhat dull design that is too similar to all the other recent somewhat dull gti designs. Also, I dislike the alloys. Although the axe blade design does look a bit less chavy than those horrible telephone dial ones on the mk 6.
Obviously, the preceding comments are entirely my own opinion, and I'm prepared for the abuse that may follow, but as Chris Harris makes reference to in his review, there is a better car out there for similar money....
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I can fully understand your decision to go with 135 as it has breathtaking performance considering how much it costs but for me I would be too worried about RWD usability in this country considering the weather we get. However, even more problematic for me is its looks. I don't think I could ever truly love a car that looks so odd-there is something just not right about the front end. I think the old one series was a far better looking car.
Anyway it's only my opinion and I like I said, performance wise, it's one awesome piece of kit. I'm sure you will get great pleasure from it :smiley:
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You're right, should have put that down in the pros section of the golf.
Planning to invest in a full set of winter wheels and tyres, which negates the comparable price argument quite a bit! I think they will set me back about £1600.
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You will enjoy the 135i. A mate has one coming on the 20th May.
You will enjoy it even more with a nice map on it, the mid range becomes really addictive with it. Snow is your only issue, I just used to leave mine at home for a couple of days a year. Getting a taxi on those occasions was cheaper than winter wheels for me.
Enjoy.
The other beauty is the condition based service. Get yourself a dealer that lets you take your own oil in rather than pay the £14.99/litre (they take 6.5ltrs). An oil change becomes a £65 affair :smiley:
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m135i, yes its quick, nice inside, premimum brand etc............BUT its just so ugly and if a car looks sh!t no matter how good it is to drive I don't see the point.
if there were plastic surgeons for cars the m135i would would keep them very busy indeed :wink:
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My boss used to have a 330d M Sport which he referred to as "the money bucket" as it cost him an arm and a leg when something went wrong at least once a month. Hopefully you have a better experience!
That said I do like the BMW looks (except not the 1 series) and the drive is pretty awesome (3 series at least) but they are overpriced... Which of course helps them to be your "most valuable brand" but says nothing about if the are any good or not. Apparently they displaced Toyota so by that logic until this year Toyotas were better than all other brands???
Like I say I like BMWs, but they do have thei faults.
I remember the pixels went on my E90's CD player....warranty £750 lol
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All perfectly good reasons to go for the 135i Squit :)
Personally, like a few people on here I also truly dislike the looks of the 1 series, whereas the bland and understated looks of the GTI are what drew me to it in the first place. The BMW may have the performance, but even 6.5 seconds and 152mph is a overkill for today's crippled roads and law-enforced restrictions. I also don't see it being as versatile as the GTI, and it doesn't have all of the options I want.
Both great cars for sure, and neither will disappoint their respective owns. Not that I have much choice, but I don't mind a bit of a shambled wait either!
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Congratulations on your purchase Squit. The M-lite is an amazing bit of kit. Test drove one back in February & was completely blown away by the performance but unfortunately unlike you couldn't get the deal I wanted.
Been a BMW customer for many years now and my only criticism would be the interior quality & cramped rear. It wasn't bad but it just wasnt upto BMWs usual standard... but then that's probably why they can sell it at a competitive price. I don't actually mind the looks... Ok it's not a stunner, but it does grow on you over time.
Can I just ask... Did you go for vanilla spec or did you load up on options? And secondly what are the cuurent lead times like? When i was looking in February there was a 3-4 month wait?
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I got itchy feet in September last year and decided I wanted to change my car which at that time was a Mk6 GTI. I also wanted to change from a hatchback to a saloon. The only saloon that really interested me and caught my eye was the newly released BMW F30 330d M Sport for which I got a great discount if I bought two. So the deal was done.
If I was in the market for another hatchback then the BMW F20 M135i or Mercedes A45 AMG would have been contenders with the Mercedes in the lead for my custom. I decided not to go for the Mk7 GTI as, (a) I knew it would look very similar to the Mk6 version, (b) I wanted a change of make and (c) I wished for a car with sub 6sec 0-62mph acceleration. The Audi S3 Sportback was not considered as its styling left me cold and again it would look very similar to the previous model.
When the time comes to change my F30 in 2-3 years, I'll probably go back to buying a hatchback as I find a saloon a bit too long for my liking. But which fast hatch I do not know. But I know there will be plenty to choose from.
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I think it's been mentioned before but i think the 135i is probably a rival to the Golf R rather than the GTI, the 125i would make a better comparison for performance and spec.
I did consider the 125i until i test drove a 120d and there were too many little annoyances with the design, for example i felt the A pillar was a little imposing, not enough room in the back or boot, i'm not a fan of the design of the dash with the screens that look like they should fold away, much prefer the older cars with the nav option and i couldn't really get along with the driving position although that could be how bolt upright you sit in the Golf compared to the very low slung seats in the BMW.
The biggest problem with it though was my wife, she took one look and said "it's a bit ugly isn't it?" :grin:
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To some extent, I agree with most of the above criticisms. The 1-series is not perfect, but having had a 123D for over three years, I know I can live with its shortcomings and the F20 is a big improvement in many respects. I honestly do like the M135i five door shape and don't really care that others hate it - maybe that's even part of the attraction. I just hope I can learn some self-control, otherwise bye bye license...
A month or two ago, I had pretty much decided on the GTI - I wanted to find out what all the fuss is about, but all the uncertainties that have been highlighted in this forum have put me off completely. VW's mishandling of the launch has directly lost them at least one sale. I might regret my decision, but there's always the edition 40 or golf R.
Gung-Ho: The one I ordered has quite a lot of options: 5 door auto with metallic paint, comfort pack with sensors front and rear, adaptive suspension, Harmon Kardon, folding and dimming mirrors, debadge, sun protection and heated front seats. Maybe that's why they agreed to 10% discount? Also, it's a cash sale and my second car from that dealership (Williams Liverpool). They've predicted delivery by the end of July, but could be June, apparently.
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Gung-Ho: The one I ordered has quite a lot of options: 5 door auto with metallic paint, comfort pack with sensors front and rear, adaptive suspension, Harmon Kardon, folding and dimming mirrors, debadge, sun protection and heated front seats. Maybe that's why they agreed to 10% discount? Also, it's a cash sale and my second car from that dealership (Williams Liverpool). They've predicted delivery by the end of July, but could be June, apparently.
Wowza!!!! You really have raided the options bin!!! No wonder you got a cracking deal... All that lot must have pushed the total cost to around £35k?? (just a guess).
The other thing I was a bit concerned about was rear tyre wear on the Michelin Supersports. The car I test drove belonged to the Business Manager (so it wasnt exactly a demo car that gets a hammering) who had only covered 3k miles, but the rears were already down to 2mm, which was a little bit disconcerting. I currently run Michelin Pilot Sports on my five which have proved very costly to replace over the years!!! Something I would not like to repeat.
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I think it's been mentioned before but i think the 135i is probably a rival to the Golf R rather than the GTI, the 125i would make a better comparison for performance and spec.
Yep spot on Jim. Don't get me wrong I'd like a 135i same as people would an R. But I was more than happy with my Gti performance hence opting for the 125i. The 1er isn't to everyones tastes especially when selling it to people on a gti forum. However, I've not looked back since as the 125i has been awesome.
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Andy (Exonian), you need to jump ship just as Martin (MAW73) and I have! :evil:
The Bavarian Experience may be just the ticket for you. You'll even think you are the mad King Ludwig, who built those wonderful castles and was very chummy with the equally mad Richard Wagner, composer of those wonderful operas that were so loved by the totally mad Adolf H. :grin:
Did I not convince you when we spoke today? :laugh:
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Wowza!!!! You really have raided the options bin!!! No wonder you got a cracking deal... All that lot must have pushed the total cost to around £35k?? (just a guess).
Total price including petrol (cheeky buggers add £40 on the bill for petrol) and tax was £35775 (forgot to include black panel display in the options I listed before), but the deal I got brought it down to £32,200.
The golf spec I was looking at comes to £33,255 (before any discount), hence it was a pretty easy decision. Yes, the M135i has more in common with the Golf R, but that just highlights the relative bargain that is the M135i and the expensiveness of the new GTI, particularly if you go for 5 door DSG and a few options, especially leather.
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Wowza!!!! You really have raided the options bin!!! No wonder you got a cracking deal... All that lot must have pushed the total cost to around £35k?? (just a guess).
Total price including petrol (cheeky buggers add £40 on the bill for petrol) and tax was £35775 (forgot to include black panel display in the options I listed before), but the deal I got brought it down to £32,200.
The golf spec I was looking at comes to £33,255 (before any discount), hence it was a pretty easy decision. Yes, the M135i has more in common with the Golf R, but that just highlights the relative bargain that is the M135i and the expensiveness of the new GTI, particularly if you go for 5 door DSG and a few options, especially leather.
This is a fair comment.
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Wowza!!!! You really have raided the options bin!!! No wonder you got a cracking deal... All that lot must have pushed the total cost to around £35k?? (just a guess).
Total price including petrol (cheeky buggers add £40 on the bill for petrol) and tax was £35775 (forgot to include black panel display in the options I listed before), but the deal I got brought it down to £32,200.
The golf spec I was looking at comes to £33,255 (before any discount), hence it was a pretty easy decision. Yes, the M135i has more in common with the Golf R, but that just highlights the relative bargain that is the M135i and the expensiveness of the new GTI, particularly if you go for 5 door DSG and a few options, especially leather.
This has been my argument all along... The two cars are worlds apart in terms of performance, but are evenly matched when it comes to pricing!
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@Squit: Nice one. That car is a real rocket. Frightened me when I first drove it. Colour in and out? Did you not spec the Pro Nav? It's pretty awesome.
I managed a bit more ..... near 15%!
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I think when people start driving their GTIs they will will be dumbstruck by its brilliance.
I'd like to try an R or even an RS if they make one.
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The £1500 vw ask for an automatic box makes it look expensive for people that need auto.
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The £1500 vw ask for an automatic box makes it look expensive for people that need auto.
Need auto, or prefer?
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The £1500 vw ask for an automatic box makes it look expensive for people that need auto.
Need auto, or prefer?
Ok, Ok, old people and Americans. :wink:
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The £1500 vw ask for an automatic box makes it look expensive for people that need auto.
Need auto, or prefer?
Ok, Ok, old people and Americans. :wink:
Oi!! I'm neither old or American!! :drool:
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Sorry, im still not buying this that they are comparable in price. Forgetting any negotiated discounts the 3 door GTI vanilla is £25,845 book value. The 3 door 135 is advertised at £30,555. That's still nearly a price differential of £5k which is not insignificant.
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Sorry, im still not buying this that they are comparable in price. Forgetting any negotiated discounts the 3 door GTI vanilla is £25,845 book value. The 3 door 135 is advertised at £30,555. That's still nearly a price differential of £5k which is not insignificant.
Also, the GFV on the M135i is only the same as the GTI (even though the price is £5k higher).
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Sorry, im still not buying this that they are comparable in price. Forgetting any negotiated discounts the 3 door GTI vanilla is £25,845 book value. The 3 door 135 is advertised at £30,555. That's still nearly a price differential of £5k which is not insignificant.
The figures quoted above where the cars are the "same" or "similar" in price (£32k for 135i and £33 for GTI) are for a cars with options and a large discount on the BMW and no discount on the GTI... :huh:
I think I can summaries this thread by saying:
- The 135i has better performance
- Whereas the GTI is more versatile
- The 135i is pretty cheap when you consider performance
- The GTI is pretty expensive when you consider performance
- If your budget is between £25 and £30 (i.e. you spec a GTI with a few options) then the GTI is several grand cheaper, which can easily be the difference between a sale or not
I've gone for the GTI and I'm paying quite a packet for it with the options. Yes I could get a 135i (with a few less options that I kinda would want) but do I really want to do that for 1-1.5 seconds faster to 60? In my case I will be very happy with the GTI performance, the history of the brand and the "can do anything" nature of the car... especially with a young family that I have to consider!
EDIT:
zerotosixty tells me that the 135i gets there in 4.8 which is 1.6 seconds faster than the GTI, but anecdotally the GTI can knock at least 0.4 off that... whatever.
Thats brutally fast for the BMW, but that alone won't sway me this time round.
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The £1500 vw ask for an automatic box makes it look expensive for people that need auto.
Need auto, or prefer?
Ok, Ok, old people and Americans. :wink:
:grin: :grin: :grin:
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Sorry, im still not buying this that they are comparable in price. Forgetting any negotiated discounts the 3 door GTI vanilla is £25,845 book value. The 3 door 135 is advertised at £30,555. That's still nearly a price differential of £5k which is not insignificant.
Also, the GFV on the M135i is only the same as the GTI (even though the price is £5k higher).
It's less. On a 4yr pcp 10k miles pa the future value of the 135i was 11k. My GTD's is 15.9k
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Sorry, im still not buying this that they are comparable in price. Forgetting any negotiated discounts the 3 door GTI vanilla is £25,845 book value. The 3 door 135 is advertised at £30,555. That's still nearly a price differential of £5k which is not insignificant.
Also, the GFV on the M135i is only the same as the GTI (even though the price is £5k higher).
It's less. On a 4yr pcp 10k miles pa the future value of the 135i was 11k. My GTD's is 15.9k
Enough said. I'm guessing that the running costs over the time of ownership would be far greater as well, insurance, servicing, fue, tyre wearl etc. All in all, much more expensive
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Sorry, im still not buying this that they are comparable in price. Forgetting any negotiated discounts the 3 door GTI vanilla is £25,845 book value. The 3 door 135 is advertised at £30,555. That's still nearly a price differential of £5k which is not insignificant.
Also, the GFV on the M135i is only the same as the GTI (even though the price is £5k higher).
It's less. On a 4yr pcp 10k miles pa the future value of the 135i was 11k. My GTD's is 15.9k
Enough said. I'm guessing that the running costs over the time of ownership would be far greater as well, insurance, servicing, fue, tyre wearl etc. All in all, much more expensive
Maybe... depends how you drive it!
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Sorry, im still not buying this that they are comparable in price. Forgetting any negotiated discounts the 3 door GTI vanilla is £25,845 book value. The 3 door 135 is advertised at £30,555. That's still nearly a price differential of £5k which is not insignificant.
Also, the GFV on the M135i is only the same as the GTI (even though the price is £5k higher).
It's less. On a 4yr pcp 10k miles pa the future value of the 135i was 11k. My GTD's is 15.9k
Enough said. I'm guessing that the running costs over the time of ownership would be far greater as well, insurance, servicing, fue, tyre wearl etc. All in all, much more expensive
Maybe... depends how you drive it!
You only buy a car like the 135 to drive it in a particular way and that's not economically
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@Squit: Nice one. That car is a real rocket. Frightened me when I first drove it. Colour in and out? Did you not spec the Pro Nav? It's pretty awesome.
I managed a bit more ..... near 15%!
15%! Very impressive.
Should have realised that with 10% discount reached in about half an hour there was more available, but would have looked greedy having started the negotiation by saying that if they would do 10%, I would sign there and then.
Colour is Estoril Blue with black leather. Didn't spec any nav - I find the prices ridiculous when a very good Tom Tom or Garmin is £200 or less. Shame the GTI doesn't come with satnav as standard, that might have swayed me. Rather strange as well considering the lesser model GT does have it!
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Sorry, im still not buying this that they are comparable in price. Forgetting any negotiated discounts the 3 door GTI vanilla is £25,845 book value. The 3 door 135 is advertised at £30,555. That's still nearly a price differential of £5k which is not insignificant.
Point taken. I do largely agree with you, but if you take into account that the following come as standard on the M-lite:
1) Leather seats (Personally I'm not a big fan of leather seats & prefer the standard 'tartan' trim in the Golf, but if you were to opt for the leather trim it would set you back £1,675)
2) Ventilated M-Sports brakes all round. The only way to get these on the Golf is to opt for the Performance Pack @ £980
3) White paint.. A £200 option on the Golf (OK yes you could opt for either Black or Red at no extra cost but as you all know pure white is proving popular).
So that there alone totals £2,855. So if you offset that against the £30,555 base price of the M-lite that brings it down to £27,700 which isn't far off the base price of the VeeDub.
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Sorry, im still not buying this that they are comparable in price. Forgetting any negotiated discounts the 3 door GTI vanilla is £25,845 book value. The 3 door 135 is advertised at £30,555. That's still nearly a price differential of £5k which is not insignificant.
Point taken. I do largely agree with you, but if you take into account that the following come as standard on the M-lite:
1) Leather seats (Personally I'm not a big fan of leather seats & prefer the standard 'tartan' trim in the Golf, but if you were to opt for the leather trim it would set you back £1,675)
2) Ventilated M-Sports brakes all round. The only way to get these on the Golf is to opt for the Performance Pack @ £980
3) White paint.. A £200 option on the Golf (OK yes you could opt for either Black or Red at no extra cost but as you all know pure white is proving popular).
So that there alone totals £2,855. So if you offset that against the £30,555 base price of the M-lite that brings it down to £27,700 which isn't far off the base price of the VeeDub.
You're forgetting about the irrepairable damage the beemer is causing to your eyesight having to wake up to it each morning. Let's face it the beemer is not going to age well.
Edit
Sorry Squit. This is purely my opinion as the looks just don't do anything for me although I accept it's a fantastic machine
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Hahahah :grin: Which is exactly why I've got a Golf on order... :cool:
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Sorry, im still not buying this that they are comparable in price. Forgetting any negotiated discounts the 3 door GTI vanilla is £25,845 book value. The 3 door 135 is advertised at £30,555. That's still nearly a price differential of £5k which is not insignificant.
Also, the GFV on the M135i is only the same as the GTI (even though the price is £5k higher).
It's less. On a 4yr pcp 10k miles pa the future value of the 135i was 11k. My GTD's is 15.9k
In defense of the Beemer (never thought I would be saying that), you're quoting a 4 year GFV with a 3 year GTD GFV. How are you getting £15.9k? My vanilla GTD 5 door on 10k miles pa is approx £14.4k GFV, and the solutions example on VW website backs that up. You must have every extra going to gain £1500 on the GFV, as options have a very low effect on the GFV (no more than 20% value retained in most cases - even a DSG only adds about £300).
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Edit
Sorry Squit. This is purely my opinion as the looks just don't do anything for me although I accept it's a fantastic machine
No apology necessary. Not everyone has good taste!!
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Edit
Sorry Squit. This is purely my opinion as the looks just don't do anything for me although I accept it's a fantastic machine
No apology necessary. Not everyone has good taste!!
I suppose the 135i is fast enough for no-one to get a good enough look at it to dislike it's visuals. :grin:
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Some healthy banter going on over on the PH forum... :grin:
http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&f=86&t=1282318&mid=0&nmt=New+Golf+GTi%2C+anyone+done+the+maths+%3F
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On my drive home today, I saw a number of Golf Mk7s and F20 1 Series 5 door M Sports and non-M Sports. You know what? I found myself preferring the BMW's shape and design as I found its looks much more interesting especially in M Sport guise. And it then dawned on me that: (1) I prefer the Mk6 Golf's design which IMO has a better face and backside than the Mk7, (2) maybe I'm more used to a Mk6's looks and (3) I've been brainwashed by BMW's design language. (Steve Cropley of Autocar also prefers the shape of the Mk6 Golf, so I'm not alone).
Then I also saw a few non-M Sport BMW F30 3 Series and they looked pretty ordinary and shoddy, especially in white (more like a dirty cream). They really did look like cheap repmobiles.
Maybe I was in a very critical mood today, as I did not really like the look of most of the cars I gazed on.
But it's also quite strange how one's tastes can suddenly change overnight. Why I suddenly felt like this about the Mk7 Golf really surprised and worried me. I did so want to love this car. Maybe when I see a Mk7 GTI, I might think differently, though I still won't like the red lipstick in the headlights.
But what is abundantly clear is the importance of properly applied design addenda which can make or break a car's looks.
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On my drive home today, I saw a number of Golf Mk7s and F20 1 Series 5 door M Sports and non-M Sports. You know what? I found myself preferring the BMW's shape and design as I found its looks much more interesting especially in M Sport guise. And it then dawned on me that: (1) I prefer the Mk6 Golf's design which IMO has a better face and backside than the Mk7, and (2) I've been brainwashed by BMW's design language. (Steve Cropley of Autocar also prefers the shape of the Mk6 Golf, so I'm not alone).
Then I also saw a few non-M Sport BMW F30 3 Series and they looked pretty ordinary and shoddy, especially in white (more like a dirty cream). They really did look like cheap repmobiles.
Maybe I was in a very critical mood today, as I did not really like the look of most of the cars I gazed on.
But it's also quite strange how one's tastes can suddenly change overnight. Why I suddenly felt like this about the Mk 7 Golf really surprised and worried me. I did so want to love this car. Maybe when I see a Mk7 GTI, I might think differently, though I still won't like the red lipstick in the headlights.
But what is abundantly clear is the importance of properly applied design addenda which can make or break a car's looks.
It tends to be the same with most cars. The base spec is always quite bland but add on bigger intakes at the front, some side skirts, a rear diffuser, some tail pipes and a spoiler and a car can take on a completely different appearance. I think when you see a GTI in the flesh it will definitely catch your attention as a true M sport Beemer does when you see one.
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So far, every time I've seen a new Golf I've thought it didn't look as good as the old version. I think it started when I saw a Mk5 and thought nah, the Mk4 looks better.
However, the other thing that always happens is a few months later I completely change my mind and think the new version looks better than the old one. Dunno why.
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So far, every time I've seen a new Golf I've thought it didn't look as good as the old version. I think it started when I saw a Mk5 and thought nah, the Mk4 looks better.
However, the other thing that always happens is a few months later I completely change my mind and think the new version looks better than the old one. Dunno why.
I started loving the MK7 from the moment I parked my MK6 next to one (both lower models). It looks much lower, wider and meaner than my rounded MK6.
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I also think the MK7 looks pretty bland in non GTi spec. I've seen a few and they are as invisible as kia's and hyundais!
However the standard mk5 and mk6 are pretty dreary too really but look completely different animals altogether in GTI trim!
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Don't they say that you appreciate art in time ?
I personally think the Mk5 has come of age and is now a great looking car,a classic design, and here we are talking of the Mk7, so surely it will happen to that ?
Who ever thought that Chris Bangle's design language at BMW would gain public acceptance? The E60 5 series with the Dame Edna headlights was slagged off at launch, and it doesn't look half bad now, and the new model looks a lot better. Same with the 1 series, the second generation looks so much better resolved, but I do think the front is a bit wrong. The headlamp shape needs some work ....
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The only Golf I have truly disliked was the MK3. VW's worst one, and also the one most prone to rust - I see far more well kept MK2s than MK3s. I felt the MK6 was a step backwards from the MK5. Softer and more rounded, the oversized lighting clusters, and the GTI and GTD MK6 don't stand out from the rest of the MK6 crowd as the MK5 GTI and GT Sport TDI170 stood out from the normal MK5 with it's quite prominent black nosing. The MK6 definitely pushed me to a Scirocco.
The new MK7 looks a lot sharper in the lines, a bit lower and a bit meaner (My Scirocco looks pretty mean at the front - I like that look).
I do wonder why BMW seem to have gone out of their way to make hideous standard cars lately and then make a (comparatively) lovely coupe version in most cases (I don't consider the 1 series coupe nice, the proportions of that car are so wrong in Coupe and hatch - those ridiculously chunky sills seem to make those disproportions worse).
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GTI & M135i referred here.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/motoring/car-manufacturers/volkswagen/10040924/Volkswagen-Golf-GTI-review.html
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Thing is, its all well and good comparing a GTI to a 135i, but IMO the Golf R will be the comparable car. The GTI's competitor is the fug ugly Focus ST - the R will be the one that takes on the 135i and also the Focus RS. Apples & Pears.