Test drives of other cars

[remlapeel]

As I was struggling to source the R I wanted I have spent the day test driving other cars to find something to fill the gap my golf would leave.

First popped to the Audi garage to tryout an S3.....nothing except a 1.6d A3 available, had a blast and not a bad little car, but the interior is a bit clunky and looks a bit cheap, although build quality is excellent.

Next onto the Merc garage to try out a A45 AMG. This I was looking forward to, being a AWD 360bhp hatchback.

Turns out it's not very good.....extremely disappointed. The exhaust note is beautiful being an AMG but the throttle response is poor. More like a nothing/everything peddle. 0-60 is quick but cruising pickup didn't seem to feel even as quick as a GTI.

Now a random car at the wife request. Jag XF. Test drove 2 cars from Jag a 2.2d and a 3.0l v6 diesel. I must say both excellent cars and outstanding kit included, just a shame in not 50, because I felt like I was in my dads car.

So, I now have a golf R in order and will be with my youthful loutish self in 2-3 weeks.

Anyone else try anything before opting for their GTD/GTI/R?

[Diehammer]

Walked into the Audi & BMW dealers right next to the VW one and was totally ignored in both, I drive a 3 series at the moment so it wasn't as if I was driving in with some cheap French car and couldn't really afford anything they had on offer.

Needless to say VW got my business as I wasn't interested in any other make.

[wigit]

have to admit I am looking forward to getting my hands on a RS3 demo, in order to avoid the dealer bs, the salesman who has sold me all the VWs (now alas at Skoda) forwarded my details to his Audi contact and doors opened

People naively think dealers have S3 etc lying around on fleet, normally they have them in group and can arrange if big enough and serious enough

[caprigreen]

As I was struggling to source the R I wanted I have spent the day test driving other cars to find something to fill the gap my golf would leave.

First popped to the Audi garage to tryout an S3.....nothing except a 1.6d A3 available, had a blast and not a bad little car, but the interior is a bit clunky and looks a bit cheap, although build quality is excellent.

Next onto the Merc garage to try out a A45 AMG. This I was looking forward to, being a AWD 360bhp hatchback.

Turns out it's not very good.....extremely disappointed. The exhaust note is beautiful being an AMG but the throttle response is poor. More like a nothing/everything peddle. 0-60 is quick but cruising pickup didn't seem to feel even as quick as a GTI.

Now a random car at the wife request. Jag XF. Test drove 2 cars from Jag a 2.2d and a 3.0l v6 diesel. I must say both excellent cars and outstanding kit included, just a shame in not 50, because I felt like I was in my dads car.

So, I now have a golf R in order and will be with my youthful loutish self in 2-3 weeks.

Anyone else try anything before opting for their GTD/GTI/R?

Hey I am 52 

[Sootchucker]

When I was looking 18 months ago to replace my Scirocco, I tried a few different dealerships and marques, and here were my findings.

Audi
Looked at A3 Sportback S-Line - Totally apathy from the Audi dealers, completely ignored me on 3 separate visits to 3 dealers. When I did get to speak to a sales person, it seems I knew more about the car than he did (wouldn't have been hard really), and when he asked what I was currently driving, said "oh, a VW, you know most people start with a VW and then aspire to a Audi you know, after all Audi is all about quality, and VW is sort of....entry level". When I explained that 80% of the engine, electrical and running gear parts were sourced from Wolfsburg, he was in total denial and said all parts on an Audi were 100% designed for an Audi and not shared with VW, Skoda or Seat - which he all rated as entry level - yeah right - dream on my friend.

Offered the worst trade in price and the smallest discount off list. If I never set foot inside a UK Audi dealership in my life it will be too soon. Shame, as I really liked the A3.

Mercedes Benz
Looked at the then new A class. TBH, the dealer was pretty good and very knowledgeable. Came over straight away and offered me a test drive within 10 minutes. Average trade in price, and not enough discount but much better than Audi, and to be honest the whole experience was a lesson to Audi in customer service. Unfortunately I just didn't like the A class (as much as I wanted to), and the playstation add on screen on the dash, and the clunky C Pillars and poor rear visibility just didn't do it for me.

BMW
Went in to look at the 3 series and 1 series Coupe (now the 2 series). Pretty good experience overall, quite knowledgeable about their products, and plenty of choices on display and in the forecourt (one of the larger UK BMW dealers). Quite liked the 1 series but knew that a brand new 1 series would be coming along in 2015 (which it has), and the 3 series was also due a major refresh. Trouble with both was at first compared to the opposition, they looked quite good value. However, once you start adding the toys that come as standard on other models, the prices start to climb worryingly.

Offered equal best trade in price (with VW), and a substantial discount off list, but still (for my spec) just too expensive. Once thing though, they said they could get a factory build with what ever options I wanted in 6-8 weeks from order. I think now the line has been refreshed, BMW might be a serious contender for me next time (sorry guys).

VW
Bit unfair to compare this one as I know the dealership well (having purchased 6 VW's from them before). TBH, it was a bit of a standing joke with the salesman that I knew more than him, so he never tried to "sell" me the car. Good trade in price, and even though the GTD had just been launched in the UK (March 2013), still secured a decent discount, and also got a fixed trade in price for the Scirocco (which I purchased from them).

That was the good part, now the bad, such was VW UK's incompetence, that upon selecting my options for the GTD and having it all entered nicely in the computer and accepted, I was contacted 5 weeks later to say there had been a screw  up on the configurations and some options were not available on the GTD and had to be removed, and the car had then gone in again as a new build. At this point, both I and the dealer had no real idea as to the price of the car, as VW UK, were still finalising prices and options ! In comparison to BMW's promise of 6-8 weeks, I was quoted initially 15-16 weeks for the GTD which turned into 23 weeks - for a bloody Golf ! VW customer services (or rather non customer services) got involved, but it still didn't change the fact that that despite ordering 1st week March, it was delivered last week in September.

As I seen recent posts (from MH amongst others) that seems to indicate VW UK are still up to their old tricks with monstrous delivery times to the UK, I seriously doubt if my next car is a new factory build it will be a VW. As I said most likely a BMW. VW, great cars, let down by abysmal UK agent and absurd delivery times (especially considering that the UK is one of VW's biggest European markets).

[monkeyhanger]

Sootchucker:

Your experiences almost completely mirror my own:-

Audi Garage: Looked into the S3 after the GFVs on the R fell £3k. The Audi salesman was polite but condescending, in a sleazeball American Lawyer you see on TV kind of way. The Audi is a whole new driving experience apparently, the S3 is the best car you can get under £50k etc, and will be far better than an R (I told him I had considered the R, hadn't told him I already had one on order). I put it to him that asides the Aluminium doors (which felt very light on their hinges) and interior changes, the car is essentially the same as the R but with leather seats in lieu of equipment. He pretty much told me I didn't know what I was on about (in a nice way). I asked about GFVs and his attitude was pretty much "if you have to ask then you can't afford it". I put it to him that the main reason for going German was residuals and that I didn't mind paying more to see more back at p/x time. Very reluctant to talk more than 3% discount and a crap p/x offered on the GTD. Although the materials used are of a slightly higher quality than the MK7, there is almost nothing in it these days, and the uncluttered interior looks too uncluttered, spartan even.

BMW Garage: A short while ago, when predicted BW for my R started getting ridiculous, I looked into a BMW 335D X-drive, considering the 24.5% broker discounts available.

Spoke to the used car sales manager as I knew the new sales didn't have anything close to a 335D to test drive, but they had a 330D used. Nice car, bigger than I need, softish ride though, had similar grunt to my DTUK'd GTD (which has around 240ps), the 335D would be even quicker. The BMW lot are a great bunch, no pretentions. They know their place now - they make great cars quickly, but going in heavy on fleet has given the retail side a real kicking without heavy discount...and they know it. I liked their honesty, and if the handling was likely to be a lot sharper than reality I would probably go for one.

Merc: TBH, never considered them, my mate has an A200 CDI and it has an interior quality on a par with a Seat Leon (last gen) and a very crashy ride. I'm sure most of the trading is on the badge and not the car itself.

[JB GTI]

I have to agree with Sootchuckers comments about VW's  long delivery times but overall I can look past that as the product always hits the spot 
I have looked at other manufacturers products Audi, BMW and Mercedes Benz  but always walked away as there is something which drives me back to VW every time.
I think with Audi it is the dealer staff. Cars are great and interior is different class but if the level of arrogance and incompetence is a sign of things to come with ownership it's time to walk away. I did have an A3 and probably got away with it. Car was great but each trip to the dealer was a distinctly unpleasant experience !!

BMW: 
Like the cars from a distance but it all goes pear shaped when you get up close. Seriously the inside of a 1 series and 3 series is like a reverse tardis. They are so cramped. Add in the cost when you spec them up to VW standard levels and it gets quite frightening. Add in the arrogant sales people ( it must be a certain company thing as the BMW and Audi dealer in my area are both the same group) and it becomes a "No" from me !!

Mercedes Benz:
Salesman I had a chat with to be fair was brilliant. Knew his product very well and offered a test drive within 5 minutes........
Next !! C Class I went out in although it drove very well the interior was very cheap poor quality plastics that I couldn't live with for much longer than the test drive. Shame really as there is definitely a Mercedes Benz in me fighting to get out 

So back to VW. It's like putting on your favourite shirt. Coming home to your own bed when you have been away. It fits and that's why for all the steam and piss that happens between ordering and taking delivery I can't see anything other than Volkswagen No:7 sitting in my garage in 3 years time 

[CraigW]

Exact same experiences above as regards Audi dealers. Their sales people are arrogant condesending twits but here in Scotland they know they can get away with it as all the dealerships in the west of the country are owned by the same company. You do get the feeling that they judge you as soon as you walk through the doors and have already made up their mind whether they are even going to bother speaking to you. Heaven help you if you start asking about potential discounts. I was almost dismissed out of hand immediately and basically told by them that i couldn't afford this car (TT). Very next day they phone me and ask me to come in and discuss the car as if the day before conversation hadn't even taken place.

And yet, after saying all of this, if they were decent sales people, im afraid to say it would be Audi every time for me over VW. Call it badge snobbery or whatever but my own personal view is that Audi is a class above VW as is BMW and Merc.

[monkeyhanger]

JB GTI: Aye, there's a hell of a pull back to VW for me. I was not a fan of the MK6, but the Scirocco pulled me in a different direction, and the MK7 has pulled me back again, everything about it is great except the wait and the thickness of the bodywork - I would've happily lived with the car being 23kg heavier to feel a bit more solid (I haven't had any dings yet, but I park like Sheldon Cooper would if he drove - park on the end of a row to halve the possibility of getting someone else clattering me with their door, park well away from everything else, try to park next to something not only more expensive than mine, but looks like it would have been privately bought rather than a company car etc.).

The product is good (hope we never have another MK3 moment), the equipment is generous (for a German car), the high RRP is countered by generous discount availability and decent residuals, and it is a respected car on the road - people will actually slow to let you out of a sideroad, but they generally won't do that for Audi drivers. 

[monkeyhanger]

And yet, after saying all of this, if they were decent sales people, im afraid to say it would be Audi every time for me over VW. Call it badge snobbery or whatever but my own personal view is that Audi is a class above VW as is BMW and Merc.

I do have to disagree with badge holdings there (but that's what makes a good debate!), BMW have cheapened themselves recently by becoming the new Mondeo repmobile (they still make good cars, but everyone has one as a company car or privately bought 1 series), Merc build quality/refinement is quite poor below E class these days. Audi is on top out of the 4 marques, but for me the gap is the smallest it has ever been, VWs aren't cheap any more (look at the price differences between the S3 and R, about £700 in it, and the S3 gets leather in lieu of £2700-worth of equipment on the R), their interiors have surpassed Merc, matched BMW and are almost there with Audi.

There has been a lot of meeting in the middle IMO between the 4 marques, the Audi has just about held it's head above the crowd. The VW range has a few bum cars - the Beetle and Touran, but the Golf and Tiguan are very well respected.