A full day of test drives approaching..

[drisser]

After much mulling over prices, specs, performance etc I have finally arrived at a shortlist for this Saturday to try and make a final decision in my search for " sensible, fast, every day fun, reliable" performance.

I am going to give the R a 2nd chance despite not being moved at all with my first experience.. So the plan is ..

Golf GTi PP. looking cheap and good value in this list..
Golf R .. Ticks boxes but not really enough cylinders really..
Audi S3 .. Nicely made, solid residuals, fast, bit safe ?
Audi RS3... Can't really see me affording one, but a drive might tempt me.. Residuals look cast iron.
BMW 330d.. Much debated already, ticks a lot of boxes, boring to look at..great deals..
BMW m235i.. Haven't driven a 2, but depending on price might be an option.. RS3 performance nearly,  more than 4 cylinders..

Am hoping to drive all 6 on Saturday if I can fix it up.. Should be intriguing.. Not sure I can get in an RS3 at short notice but will see.

Watch this space will post a full back to back review hopefully..

[Booth11]

That's quite a line up. That'll be some test drive day!   Be very interesting to hear your view on how all these cars compare.

[GTI_Ant]

After much mulling over prices, specs, performance etc I have finally arrived at a shortlist for this Saturday to try and make a final decision in my search for " sensible, fast, every day fun, reliable" performance.

I am going to give the R a 2nd chance despite not being moved at all with my first experience.. So the plan is ..

Golf GTi PP. looking cheap and good value in this list..
Golf R .. Ticks boxes but not really enough cylinders really..
Audi S3 .. Nicely made, solid residuals, fast, bit safe ?
Audi RS3... Can't really see me affording one, but a drive might tempt me.. Residuals look cast iron.
BMW 330d.. Much debated already, ticks a lot of boxes, boring to look at..great deals..
BMW m235i.. Haven't driven a 2, but depending on price might be an option.. RS3 performance nearly,  more than 4 cylinders..

Am hoping to drive all 6 on Saturday if I can fix it up.. Should be intriguing.. Not sure I can get in an RS3 at short notice but will see.

Watch this space will post a full back to back review hopefully..

Your comment about the R not having enough cylinders surely applies to the S3 as well?  I agree that for the price it would be nice to have 5 or even 6 cylinders.  For me the straight 6 would be the only reason to buy the 235i.  The engine is sublime.  Choice of 6 cylinder motors is sadly very limited nowadays, especially straight 6.  Fairly expensive to run though, compared to the GTi.

[monkeyhanger]

After much mulling over prices, specs, performance etc I have finally arrived at a shortlist for this Saturday to try and make a final decision in my search for " sensible, fast, every day fun, reliable" performance.

I am going to give the R a 2nd chance despite not being moved at all with my first experience.. So the plan is ..

Golf GTi PP. looking cheap and good value in this list..
Golf R .. Ticks boxes but not really enough cylinders really..
Audi S3 .. Nicely made, solid residuals, fast, bit safe ?
Audi RS3... Can't really see me affording one, but a drive might tempt me.. Residuals look cast iron.
BMW 330d.. Much debated already, ticks a lot of boxes, boring to look at..great deals..
BMW m235i.. Haven't driven a 2, but depending on price might be an option.. RS3 performance nearly,  more than 4 cylinders..

Am hoping to drive all 6 on Saturday if I can fix it up.. Should be intriguing.. Not sure I can get in an RS3 at short notice but will see.

Watch this space will post a full back to back review hopefully..

Drisser:

Make sure the salesperson allows you to really frig the R - it doesn't show its full potential until you pass 4k revs in acceleration, below that my R seems as fast as a GTD being driven very hard!

RS3 residuals seem rock solid - a ridiculously expensive hatchback made more reasonable with great residuals to hopefully not make the monthlies too daft if you're not buying outright, but the options you WILL need will affect those residuals as they will retain 20% of what you paid for them at 3 years old.

S3 - An R in a different set of clothes. What you gain in leather seats you'll be spending on the options just to get it around the standard equipment level of the R. Good discounts via Audi dealerships seem much harder to achieve than via VW dealerships - usually need to go to the brokers to get the best discount (fine if you have nothing to p/x). They might have a GFV £2k higher, but you'll spend £2.5k minimum on the options to get the R's basics, so there's that GFV advantage eaten up.

GTI PP looks very cheap on paper with deposit contributions etc, but judging by your other cars of interest, will 230ps be enough for you?

BMW 330d is a completely different car to the rest - a motorway cruiser with great midrange and 40-45mpg all day, but realistically no quicker than a GTD with a tuning box. Poor value without huge discounts due to higher than average (for a German motor) depreciation.

M235 - a little nicer looking than a 135i, a slightly better looking variant of what is still quite an ugly car and nowhere near as practical as the Golf.

[fredgroves]

What's the most important thing to you? You've got to be realistic unless you are so rich that you don't give a stuff.

The GTI is probably half the cost of some of the things on that list and probably the cheapest to run too.

I'd have the GTI, pocket the change and spend it on trackdays

[am1w]

Keep it simple.

You either want a saloon or a hatchback. Both are practical in their own way. Forget the 2 Series as it is not practical due to only 2 doors. The M135i has challenging looks for some. So, that's out. Then there is the RS3 which is in a different performance league and will cost you a shed load more unless you can get a very good discount on it, which I doubt. So scrub that out too.

So, you are left with 3 variants of the Golf and the 330d. The GTI and the GTD (even with tuning boxes) do not have the performance of the R, S3 or 330d xDrive. Therefore, out with the GTI and GTD.

That leaves you with 330d xDrive, R, S3. So, a final 3 to choose from.

Get the one from these 3 excellent cars which gives you the best deal.

Simples.

PS: Have you considered the Golf R Hearse? Fast and practical, though not very pretty.

[isleaiw]

Keep it simple.

You either want a saloon or a hatchback. Both are practical in their own way. Forget the 2 Series as it is not practical due to only 2 doors. The M135i has challenging looks for some. So, that's out. Then there is the RS3 which is in a different performance league and will cost you a shed load more unless you can get a very good discount on it, which I doubt. So scrub that out too.

So, you are left with 3 variants of the Golf and the 330d. The GTI and the GTD (even with tuning boxes) do not have the performance of the R, S3 or 330d xDrive. Therefore, out with the GTI and GTD.

That leaves you with 330d xDrive, R, S3. So, a final 3 to choose from.

Get the one from these 3 excellent cars which gives you the best deal.

Simples.

List of requirements doesnt menton practical but sensible. It'll be the M235i.... sensible if not quite as practical, and has that engine.

Ian

[am1w]

He might as well throw in practicality with performance. Hence a mention of the R Hearse in my post. It would also seem that he is partial to 4WD rather the 2WD (front or rear driven).

And drisser, the 330d is not boring looking. It is a very good looking and elegant car with near perfect proportions. The R and the S3 look like boxes on wheels. That's the nature of hatchbacks.

[drisser]

Thanks for the comments guys..all very useful

Actually my list of requirements isn't so specific hence a range of quite different cars..  We don't have a family but might have soon so we could do with 4 doors (other half has a 2 door A1 which she loves so that probably isn't going anywhere) just in case.  The I figure if I want an everday car that ticks everything, 4wd is handy for the winter too.

Tend to agree with MH that in the real world, the 3 sensible options with similar performance are Golf R, Audi S3 and BMW 330D X drive.  All 4 doors, all 4WD, all sensible to buy and run.

The others have a few more compromises, be it price, running costs etc..  Not sure of discounts on an M235 v 135 but by the time you spec it up a bit with Nav and a couple of things its knocking on £40k list..

Read the Autocar review of the RS3 last night and they managed 38MPG on a cruising route !  I am seriously concerned that if I drive the RS3, I will want it !

Be interested to know those who went with an R - and probably a few considered an S3 - why did they go with the R ?  S3 is a bit more expensive but better residuals (actually really very good long term residuals) but maybe a bit "safe" ?

Must admit as S3 sportback is starting to worm its way into my head as a good all rounder. 

[am1w]

I went with the R as a got a cheap as chips lease deal which I could not with an Audi. But, truth be told, I would have preferred an S3 Sportback. However, every Audi dealer in my area is pants which has put me off ever getting an Audi. A good and sympathetic dealership is essential to enhance the ownership experience.