Bye Bye GTI

[Darlo]

Well after almost 2 years of ownership the GTI was sold yesterday. I owned the car from new and did 18500 miles in that time. I was genuinely sad to see it go. After being messed about by various potential buyers it finally went to the new owner yesterday for £2000 more than I could have got trade in.

I managed to average 36mpg according to the computer and the car was only ever run on V power/momentum fuel. I have averaged over 400 miles to a tank in recent months. I have owned 17 cars in the 16 years I have been driving and this is the longest I have kept a car. It is without doubt one of the best all rounders I have owned combining great ride, cheap running costs and it felt like it packed more of a punch than the 220bhp would suggest... although mine had a DTUK box installed for over 12 months. The BMW 130i is probably my favorite but the GTI isn't far behind.

Things that annoyed me..... the fact rain water flooded in to the car when I opened the window!! I also didn’t like the touch screen as I found it difficult to operate.

Being a non PP pack car the brakes did start to feel weak when pushing it and knowing what I know now the PP is a must for the car.

I had few warranty issues, two media screens replaced along with front suspension mounts.

Biggest problem with the GTI…. The R. I made the mistake of testing driving the R  a year in to GTI ownership. I have then spent a year to trying to get a deal on an R. VW have been terrible at sorting a deal. I was about to order a DSG R on a lease last month, finance accepted the lot. Then I realised I couldn’t bring myself to pay nearly £9k for a car over two years that I would have to hand back. I then managed to secure a deal on a 18 month old S3 (new 300ps version). £1700 in (the left over from GTI sale) and the monthly payment is only £10 a month more than my GTI. Its fully loaded, Tech pack, B&O etc and only 13k miles on it.

I loved every minute of owning the GTI, maybe if it was a higher spec (leather) I would have kept it longer as the interior didn’t feel special enough. I suspect I’m going to miss the low running costs compared to the S3 but my DTUK box has been sent back to be set up for S3 so 350bhp+ is going to be fun.

I won’t be without a MK7 Golf though, the Mrs has a new GTD. Its not a patch on the GTi but I suspect I will be driving it a lot more if I’m getting sub 30mpg on the S3!

The forum has been a great help and I hope my thread on the DTUK box install has been help to some.

Darlo


A couple of pics....

[mjh_056]

Think that is a really good summation and hard to disagree with.

The media system for me though adequate really does fall down on the integration's, User Interface and general screen quality (talking the standard system)

Think your rationale for the move to an S3 is pretty good to, as lovely as is to own brand new the ££ in pocket will soon compensate and your driving experience will be no different whatsoever.

Fact wife has a GTD now means you can still have some more economic but decent and fun longer journeys. You obviously used to decent performance given remap your cars so can see why GTD does not set pulse racing but its actually no slouch and you really have covered the bases with 2 cars you own now.

If mine was not a company lease would 100% go for a 2nd hand R on good terms.

What colour is the S3? is it Sportsback? Saw a black one the other day in car park and looked really good with trim and the red S3 badge. You lose all the lines on R with Black.

Think we can all understand why moved but testament to the GTI you added a year to normal turnover of cars and that wife now has a GTD and pretty sure if deals were right on R you would be driving one now. 

[Darlo]

Yes 100% I would have an R but the money they were after was stupid, £70 more a month than the S3 and £3300 more deposit (I appreciate new R vs used S3 though). Having thought about it since buying the S3, maybe the R wouldn't have stayed round for long as the interior is so similar to the GTI it perhaps wouldn't have felt like a new car.

The S3 is a 3dr in monsoon grey. I do like them in white but keeping my white GTI in top condition was hard work! I wont miss cleaning off the tar marks that's for sure!

I've been using her GTD since mine went and as you say they are fairly quick but you have to thrash the life out of it. To drive normally I find I'm up and down the gear box way too much. It feels like its missing a little low down torque for me. Its a lease car otherwise it would get a DTUK box for it. She got one of those cheap deal so at £140 a month we cant complain too much. I could defiantly get use to the 50+ mpg though! Although the Mrs is a petrol head like myself so I suspect she will be having the S3 off me at every opportunity.

[mjh_056]

Yes 100% I would have an R but the money they were after was stupid, £70 more a month than the S3 and £3300 more deposit (I appreciate new R vs used S3 though). Having thought about it since buying the S3, maybe the R wouldn't have stayed round for long as the interior is so similar to the GTI it perhaps wouldn't have felt like a new car.

The S3 is a 3dr in monsoon grey. I do like them in white but keeping my white GTI in top condition was hard work! I wont miss cleaning off the tar marks that's for sure!

I've been using her GTD since mine went and as you say they are fairly quick but you have to thrash the life out of it. To drive normally I find I'm up and down the gear box way too much. It feels like its missing a little low down torque for me. Its a lease car otherwise it would get a DTUK box for it. She got one of those cheap deal so at £140 a month we cant complain too much. I could defiantly get use to the 50+ mpg though! Although the Mrs is a petrol head like myself so I suspect she will be having the S3 off me at every opportunity.

Friend of mine said exactly the same thing for reason who moved from the R in that he never been in same cabin for more than 2 years and would find it very hard to do so.

Personally that's not an issue for me as aside from the media system the cabin has always really been a nice place for me to be and the hope is the move from GTD to R with that extra BHP and 4WD will be the smile bringer.

Like the grey on most cars its a colour you really cannot go wrong with. Though having had black Audi previously the Pure White has been 100% easier to maintain and keep looking good. Not into getting detail quality and so if stand back a few feet and looks shiny then that's good for me. The Black looked awful within days. Tar is an issue but do that about once a year as its only mild spotting usually get.

My statement for the GTD is its truly the perfect compromise as you get a real balance of economy comfort and performance. The 50 MPG on a run to say Manchester is very satisfying.

But ready for a little more performance and sacrifice a £1000 fuel to have it and be choosing the R in April and then waiting 20 weeks!

Enjoy the S3!!

[Exonian]

I quite like your thinking with moving to the S3. It's similar enough to be familiar yet different enough to feel different too!
Many of the controls will be much the same so it'll be easy to just jump in and drive having come straight out of a Golf but much of the styling is very different.
Also, with the GTD in the household too, having two MK7 Golfs might be just overly familiar.
So yeah, good move!

Keep us updated 

[Darlo]

Thanks for the posts guys. Collected yesterday evening, Teeside Audi were fantastic. They even filled the tank for my drive back.

Took over two hours to get home. I had been up at 3am for work after not much sleep so i just had a steady drive home at 70/75, eventually got home at 7.30. Averaged 44mpg which i was happy with. Got 37 on the way to work this morning, which i would usually see 40/41 out of the GTI so im more than happy with that.

Anyway less of the mpg chat..... its very quick, sounds awesome and the interior is a very very nice place to be. The media system is soooo much easier to use than the VW system. The B&O stereo sounds amazing and is much better than the Bose system in the Mrs old A3.

Its not all good though. Things i miss; adaptive cruise control, electric folding/nearside dip mirror and auto handbrake (lucky i always leave my car in gear otherwise it would have rolled off my driveway last night  ). All things that arnt essential but are nice touches in the Golf. Oh and the position of the cup holder makes it impossible to fit my tall Starbucks mug in 

The previous owner must have been like me as the car is literally like new. Not a single mark or stone chip. Really was like collecting a new car.

The steering wheel is smaller and chunkier, gear change much the same. Ive set it up with everything in dynamic apart from the steering which is in comfort. Will probably leave it like that as my Golf was always in sport.

All in all im a happy boy. A slightly newer S3 with 5k less miles and a nice spec all for £10 a month more and i get two free services as part of the deal. I wouldnt have been disappointed with the R, far from it but im really happy with my choice. I can always jump in the GTD to get my mk7 fix for the day ha ha.

DTUK box should be back with me, it feels quick enough to be honest and doesnt feel like it needs anymore... but £10 for a software update and only £7... yes £7 more when i declared it to insurance company its a no brainer to install it. They are quoting 375bhp with it installed which sounds ridiculous, 350bhp would be nice 

Here a couple of pics from collection

[Exonian]

That's one classy looking S3 Darlo.
Love the colour.

It looks like you've got a good deal there, the £10 a month would easily be swallowed up by two services.

I didn't realise the A3 had a normal handbrake and not the electronic one.

I think the one thing I wouldn't miss from the Golf would be the ACC and I'm very much going to be in the minority but I just don't use it much and generally have never used cruise control very often so a swap like that for me would be an easy one!

Can't argue with your logic around the tuning box but I found with the R it just came alive with the addition of a DTUK pedal box and it's the first car I've ever had that I've not been in the slightest bit tempted to modify further (yet at least). But as you have the tuning box sat there waiting for you it would be rude not to fit it!!!
Who is your insurer by the way?
I was with Admiral previously and they were quite modification friendly when I ran quotes.

[Darlo]

Thanks mate. I had loads of compliments at work today about the colour. Easy to maintain as well!

I don't know who the insurance company is, it's a broker I use via work. It was £75 more to insure than the GTI and £82 modified. I can only assume that as I declared it on the GTI the I had paid the majority on that if that makes sense. I will get a better idea of the true cost come renewal time in May.

The handbrake is electronic but not automatic, I looked on the Audi website and auto handbrake is an additional cost, much like the ACC and folding mirrors.

I will definatley miss the ACC..... Purely as I am really lazy ha ha

[Exonian]

Is the handbrake switch different to the Golf?
I wonder if the auto part could be VCDS enabled

[Darlo]

Yeah it's different and no button labelled auto next to it.... U can see it here below the control dial



Biggest problem with the S3.... All the forums are rubbish compare to the VW/BMW forums!!