GTi v BMW 228i

[am1w]

haven't actually decided yet 

will be calling in Saturday to see if I can make the dealer really choke - If I can secure extended warranty / servicing and a bit more part ex it will be hard to say no..

For God's sake man, just get it and stop vacillating! You'll be getting a car with the performance of an R, but with better fuel economy. You can even rent the boot out as it is massive! What's not to want and love?

Nothing VW make compares, except 'possibly' the R. Even this does not have that premium feel like the BMW.

[monkeyhanger]

BMWs feel far less premium than they used to. All mainstream cars are built to a cost these days, the accountants determine spec. The current 3 series feels no more premium inside than the MK7 Golf, the 1 series interior is on a par with Honda/Toyota in terms of materials used, falling behind the equivalent VW and Audi offerings. Audi is king of mainstream car interiors and has been a fair while.

What you will get from the BMW is a nice comfortable cruiser with excellent in-gear acceleration that doesn't require you to milk every last drop from the revs like the R does. That makes it a completely different car to drive. Given the 2 cars, you'd likely rather be in the BMW sat on the motorway for a 350 mile journey, but rather be in the R everywhere else. Apples and oranges.

[drisser]

I have to disagree about interior and general quality.  I have had more issues with Audi's than BMW's over the years.  My 3 year old A3 just had an alternator failure despite being an AUC.  It rattles way more than my 14 year old e46 330ci.  I think modern BMW's have just as good an interior and better or equal tech than VAG cars.  My 1997 year old Fiat coupe has (genuinely) been more reliable than any modern car I have owned (and on this subject, how much have cars REALLY moved on in 17 years - it does 0-100 in 14.5 seconds which is still GTI PP beating these days)

I do agree that across the board quality has come down over the years - my 330ci feels more sold than most modern cars but all manufacturers have gone that way.

I think its hard to compare the Golf R to the 330d TBH, very different segment - however the closesness on price makes them comparable for other reasons I guess.

For me I need my daily driver to do all things - reasonable economy, space, quality, ideally 4wd to cover the winter time.  I have pondered a Golf R many times but at that price I just don't like 4 cylinders and artificial engine noise, no matter how much power it puts out and in my experience BMW engines, like for like are way more efficient than VAG.   An R is a very different drive for sure despite probably comparable real world driving performance.

[monkeyhanger]

A BMW from 14 years ago would've been far better built than a current VW or BMW - back then they were were still considered a properly premium car (too good for the likes of the police and reps) and were the proverbial tank. I wouldn't compare a BMW from 14 years ago to a new VW/Audi or BMW.

I definitely prefer the MK7 interior to that of the 3 series (not by much), the current A3 is a small step up again. There's not a massive gap either way - they're all well above average.

Reliability wise, BMWs (and VAGs) are pretty average these days, you don't buy German for supreme reliability now, and the electrics/electronics are the achilles heel of all modern cars (some have crap mechanicals too). That being said, once any niggles have been sorted under warranty, i'd expect a VAG TDI or BMW D unit to be good for 250k miles, German cars generally look newer for longer, but that may be because they hold their value and are therefore an expensive purchase for all, so they get looked after.

They feel more solid (until we've started thinning the bodywork for "weight savings"), use the most up to date tech, and manage to squeeze power and (relative) economy out in a way the Japs don't quite manage and the French/American makes can only dream of (Ford have only just managed to squeeze as much power out of a 2L diesel unit as BMW and VAG have been doing a long while).

There's no way my wife would get behind the wheel of a 3 series, it's just too big for her. If she was never going to drive my car and I wanted a motorway miler, i'd have a 335D X-drive with big discount.

[wigit]

there are some cracking lease deals on 4 series gran coupes at the moment which is where I have been looking of late as a far better looking and hatch

228 is probably a superb car that gets lost in the phlethora of the other models so an odd ball come residual time

[monkeyhanger]

there are some cracking lease deals on 4 series gran coupes at the moment which is where I have been looking of late as a far better looking and hatch

228 is probably a superb car that gets lost in the phlethora of the other models so an odd ball come residual time

When I looked into a BMW when the wait for the R was starting to look ridiculous, there was nowhere near the level of discount that could be seen on the 330/335/530/535, it was 10-12% rather than 24%. That level of discount took it out of contention straight away. You need 24% off a BMW to take the edge of the residuals which are quite poor for a German car.

24% off a BMW 430 M Sport might've lured me away from my R order.

[davedodd]

It's interesting to see what people consider as comparisons. I wouldn't expect to see a magazine test between a hatch and a saloon as they're not comparable. A 3 series I don't see in the same sphere as any Golf as the VW is a hatch. A Passat is surely the comparable VW for a small exec saloon.
I'm currently changing from a 5 series BMW to a new Golf GTI PP as I need to carry bikes, therefore a saloon isn't upto the job. And I have to differ with some of the opinions above, the interior quality of my 5 series is not as good as the Scirocco I had before it.
The 1 series is surely the comparator for the GTI, as it's a hatch. `i'm sure the M135i is a great car, and compares to the R, but I'm afraid looks alone would keep me away.

[matchboy]

For God's sake man, just get it and stop vacillating! You'll be getting a car with the performance of an R, but with better fuel economy. You can even rent the boot out as it is massive! What's not to want and love?

Nothing VW make compares, except 'possibly' the R. Even this does not have that premium feel like the BMW.

Golf R - 0-60 4.9 seconds
BMW 330d - 0-60 5.6 seconds

So not the performance of an R then.  Close, but not in the same league.  And I'm no VW fan boy, the 330d is a great car - I'm just saying.

[CraigW]

For God's sake man, just get it and stop vacillating! You'll be getting a car with the performance of an R, but with better fuel economy. You can even rent the boot out as it is massive! What's not to want and love?

Nothing VW make compares, except 'possibly' the R. Even this does not have that premium feel like the BMW.

Golf R - 0-60 4.9 seconds
BMW 330d - 0-60 5.6 seconds

So not the performance of an R then.  Close, but not in the same league.  And I'm no VW fan boy, the 330d is a great car - I'm just saying.

It's possibly compensated Mark by the increase in torque in the Beemer 413lb versus 380 in the R

[matchboy]

It's possibly compensated Mark by the increase in torque in the Beemer 413lb versus 380 in the R

Possibly, but I've had quite a few 330d's try it on and I've left them for dead!