Alternatives to the New Golf GTi/GTD

[ROO1]

I couldn't agree more with all your comments, which was why I went with the Golf in the end. I did however have a test drive in the M135i and I kid you not it was flippin quick & quite a pleasant environment to sit in... Just couldn't get over its looks but was sold on its performance.

(Off topic slightly, I still think VW missed a trick with its optional Performance Pack. Its great they're offering a LSD, but the 10bhp hike in power is negligible. They should have charged more & hiked the power by say an additonal 30bhp to compete with the likes of the new Focus ST at least).

I reckon the power will be 250ish when dyno'd for the perf pack and over 300 torque..

[Squit]

In the end it was a very difficult decision and went with the safe option (but could have ended up with either). Part of me wished I had ordered the M135i but I know that I will be just as pleased with the GTi.

Has anyone else been torn with making such a difficult decision?  What swung it for you?

I'm trying to make that decision at the moment, coming from a 123d.

I think the M135i is more of a golf R rival and is good value, but shame it has such a small fuel tank and crap range.

The 125i is more equivalent to the golf GTI, at least as far as price and power. Less standard kit though.

The 125d is a golf gtd rival. It's quite a bit more powerful, but more expensive.

[Gung-Ho]

The trouble with the GTi is that by the time you've added say a DSG box, pure white paint (which incidentally is free on the Bimmer), Performance Pack & Adaptive Chassis the price comes very close to the M135i's £32k asking price (5 door Auto). There really ain't much in it in terms of price...

[master_hayabusa]

I couldn't agree more with all your comments, which was why I went with the Golf in the end. I did however have a test drive in the M135i and I kid you not it was flippin quick & quite a pleasant environment to sit in... Just couldn't get over its looks but was sold on its performance.

(Off topic slightly, I still think VW missed a trick with its optional Performance Pack. Its great they're offering a LSD, but the 10bhp hike in power is negligible. They should have charged more & hiked the power by say an additonal 30bhp to compete with the likes of the new Focus ST at least).

You say that but the 0-62mph time on the performance gti is a tenth quicker at 6.4 secs

[Jimble]

The trouble with the GTi is that by the time you've added say a DSG box, pure white paint (which incidentally is free on the Bimmer), Performance Pack & Adaptive Chassis the price comes very close to the M135i's £32k asking price (5 door Auto). There really ain't much in it in terms of price...

This is true but what happens to the BMW when you put a couple of options on it?? Like sport auto gearbox and the little things like ambient lighting, auto wipers and dipping rear view mirror?

[ROO1]

However, as soon as you walk into a bmw dealer these days they give you 6% discount without even trying. So if you want a basic 135i 3dr this turns into a great price for the spec/performance

[charlie]

I don't like the m135 but the m125 coupe looks nice but I would still buy the gti and I certainly wouldn't put a Renault in the mix even if it had 1000 bhp

[Squit]

The trouble with the GTi is that by the time you've added say a DSG box, pure white paint (which incidentally is free on the Bimmer), Performance Pack & Adaptive Chassis the price comes very close to the M135i's £32k asking price (5 door Auto). There really ain't much in it in terms of price...

This is true but what happens to the BMW when you put a couple of options on it?? Like sport auto gearbox and the little things like ambient lighting, auto wipers and dipping rear view mirror?

Apart from auto gearbox, all those come as standard. As does leather, which is very expensive on the golf.

[Gung-Ho]

Yep! The asking price of a 5 door M135i in White with Sport Auto box comes to £32,500 which is pretty good value (leather standard). Adaptive Chassis is an extra £515 (£795 in the Golf). But in all honesty I would be happy with just the standard spec 5 door without any of the expensive BMW extras... This was the dilemma I was facing. The Bimmer was exceptional value for money!

[monkeyhanger]

If I could get a Giulietta with the interior quality of a Golf/A3 and the residuals to match then i'd probably buy one of those. It is the best looking hatch out there (i'm talking general shape, not accounting for sporty variants) at the moment IMO, but it'll be worth nowt after 3 years and feels quite cheap inside.