SE Business vs GT

[YawnGumbo]

I'm just weighing up the options for a Passat Estate as my next company car and looking at my limits I can get a really nice spec with premium LEDs, Active Info Display, Upgraded Sat Nav and Dynamic Light Assist with an SE Business model, and can do the same with GT, but would lose the Dynamic Light Assist. Therefore looking for advice on whether the Dynamic Light Assist is even worth getting, and if not then is the GT spec that much better than SE Business? Looking at it, the GT looks to be basically posher seats, bigger alloys and probably a more uncomfortable ride(!), but am I missing something?

Also, other than the above are there any other options I should be focusing on? I've never had a Passat before so don't really know the good options to go for.

Thanks a lot.

[Sam]

Assuming you're on the conventional company car plan (is there any other?) the SE Business will be more BIK friendly than the GT.

The Business models tend to have all the stuff usually required by a road warrior coupled with a more BIK friendly setup - smaller/thinner wheels etc.

What engine were you thinking of picking?

Edit: Looking at what Dynamic Light Assist actually is, it appears to be a gimmick aimed (ha!) at preventing other road users from getting blinded while spreading the light across the entire forward area.

[YawnGumbo]

I was looking at the 2.0 150, and yes I am on the normal company car plan so BIK is important. The SE Business I think sits one tax bracket lower than the GT.

Cheers.

[Sam]

Head says go for the SEB, heart says go for the GT. I preferred the seats in the GT personally ;)

Depends which is more important to you, flashy (but clever) LEDs or £200 pa in your pocket.

[BenR]

I would go for the model with the highest profile tyres. Having just gone from the B7 with 17" wheels and low-profile tyres to the B8 with 17" and a higher profile tyre the difference in comfort is remarkable; the bigger tyres are more forgiving, quieter, smoother on potholed roads and look much better. The handling is generally more "mature"in that it feels like a bigger car and more solid, if that makes sense.

[YawnGumbo]

Yes I had wondered about that. I've got an A4 at the moment and as it's the "eco" model it has sports suspension, and the ride suffers quite badly as a result. A comfy car would be most welcomed!

One thing I have noticed is that it seems the Vision & Communications Pack includes the options I want and I can have it on both the SE Business and GT spec. However on my company car list the SE Business it includes Dynamic Light Assist, yet on the GT it doesn't. The VW website isn't very clear about this as the configurator seems to suggest this pack does include the DLA, but the brochures are a bit more vague. Anyone who has a GT spec car and this pack able to confirm whether or not it includes DLA?

Thanks.

[technik]

I've just gone from an A4 Technik (177) to a GT 150. I've really noticed the drop in midrange grunt - have to change the gears a lot more.
Had the car a week now and it's pretty good so far. I've got the LED lights (not the premium ones) and they don't have the dynamic function. They're pretty good (better than the Audi) although I have seen comments about the spread being set a bit low. As far as the ride quality goes, if you're going from the 136 with 17"s and sports suspension to a GT with 18"s it'll feel sooooo much more comfortable. The Passat is nowhere near as tight to blast down a twisty lane as the A4, but is lovely on long journeys - drove 300 without stopping and didn't have the right cheek ache I always got in the A4.

Oh, and the Adaptive is awesome.

[technik]

Forgot to say - GT every day of the week over the SEB. The inside is so much nicer. Part Leather is nicer than the full I had in the A4 and the strip lighting inlaid in the doors is beautiful.

[P Adams]

Same here with the GT over the SE Business. Tried both at length back in March and have had my GT saloon for nearly eight months and love it. DCC dynamic chassis control is superb on it and alcantara part leather is better than the full leather my brother has on his BMW 3 series

[YawnGumbo]

Thanks for the info. I sat in a GT at the end of my SEB test drive and I have to say it certainly felt like a more special place to be. I just need to weigh up the options and the additional tax of the larger wheels. I've also got to test drive the new A4 and see how that compares so that is the job for January.

technik: out of interest what made you switch from the A4 to the Passat?

[technik]

The A4 was too much as an additional payment. I loved mine, but apart from the badge, so far the GT is every bit as good - and loads more toys! The spec you can get is great.

[YawnGumbo]

Yeah that sounds like a similar situation to me. I can get many more toys on the Passat and really liked the adaptive cruise when I test drove the Passat earlier this month, which would be way out of my price range on the A4.