Golf GT Sport 170 TDI DSG vs GTI

[R P Leon]

Hi,

After snooping around for a few months its now time to join in!

I'm a company car driver and very happy with my Leon Sport TDI. However, its now time to change and I have decided on a Golf, mainly because it offers the 170bhp oil burner with the DSG box - I drive 40k a year and live in London so an auto is now a requirment!

I presumed the GTI was out of reach because of the CO2 based tax, until I did the sums on www.comcar.co.uk, there is nothing between a GT Sport TDI with climate control added to the spec compared to a GTI....great methinks.

So I now have a dilema. I love the torque of the TDI, as I do a lot of motorway work it makes sense, then again I feel naturally drawn towards the GTI because of the write ups it has. I've driven both and my only concern is that the GTI is too sporty(!) for such a lot of driving a DSG makes sense...aaaaahhh!

So, does anyone here live with a GTI for so much driving a year, how does it shape up? Anyone else had a similar choice?

Any pointers appriciated

[prolfe]

for 40k a year the TDi has to be the one, doesn't it?

The GTi will take a lot of very very grandad like driving to get it to do 36mpg whilst you can thrash the 170 about all day long and still get 36mpg.

Plus - as I have just posted elsewhere - the 170 is probably pushing out between 180and 190bhp - so at best only 7bhp off the GTi.

The Gti is quicker 30-70 by 1.3 seconds
It's quicker 30-50 in 4th by 0.5 seconds

and that's all.

Don't get me wrong, I love the GTi - love it's looks and well just love it. Unless money is no object, 40,000 miles a year is a lot of money in a Petrol car.

Plus the DSG tdi will be quicker than the figures above, so the GTi and TDI will be even closer.

And the DSG is more fuel efficient.

[BlackSmoke]

And don't forget you can always get a remap on the tdi to get that extra "sportyness" for the odd moment when you're bored on a long journey and want to pep it up a bit.

[Teflon]

I love to read the TDI versus GTI debates. You can always spot the guys with an oil burner, when they harp on about 30-50 acceleration times and remaps. Blah blah. At the end of the day, it's still only a diesel.

You might have guessed that I've got a DSG GTI. I've also got a big Audi diesel and I've been driving with smelly stuff for 10 years. I've got grey hair, so I'm not some spotty kid who thinks he's Lewis Hamilton and 0-60 doesn't float my boat that often nowadays.

Bottom line is....... the GTi is a better car in all respects. Period. Unless you want to tow a caravan.

But here's the important bit. I break out the champagne if I get over 30mpg. Around town 25mpg is worth celebrating.

If your employer is paying for all your fuel and you do enough private miles to make it worth paying the taxman all that wonga, get a GTI. But unless that's the case, go for the TDI and you still won't be unhappy. A TDI ain't far short, and it's head and shoulders above an oily Focus or an Astra.

p.s. I nearly went for the Seat TDI, but wanted the DSG so ended up in the Golf camp. You won't be dissappointed, the box is amazing and the interior is better.

[prolfe]

There's no denying the cars are close.

I had a choice, but I do a lot of miles, so it had to be a diesel. Am i disappointed.... No

Why? because it can embarrass a lot of "fast" cars.

My colleague had a choice too, he went and got a VRS petrol. He's having to drive it very carefully so that he can break even with the pence per mile that we get.

Where's the fun in that?

As I said in an earlier post the GTi is great. It isn't however "better in all respects"

The guy asked which one would be the better car to get.

Based on the 40,000 a year he'd be better off with the tdi and he won't be loosing out on performance, especially in and around london.

Perhaps the 170 S-Line A3 at £21,960 could persuade him to venture over to the dark side.

Maybe even the Golf 1.4TFSI - that has gti performance in a petrol and can be had for £18k, the 1.8TFSI A3 is also a quick petrol at £20,930

[Teflon]

Boy, I love this game!

GTI performance in a TSI? Er, no. Drove them both. Close, (in a TDI sort of way) but no cigar.

But how about TDI economy in a 1.4 TSI? Yeah, now there's a thought. It's a grand cheaper than a TDI too.

"There's no denying the cars are close". Of course they are, in the same way that Jordan and Kelly Brook are close. They're both based on the same chassis and I bet they are equal fun around town, but perhaps one of them is trying just a little bit too hard to be appealing. Know what I mean? Guess which one most people would like to keep for 3 years. Not the one who's a bit grubby.

Look prolfe, I've already agreed with you. He should have a TDI not a GTI for all the logical, pence per mile reasons. So what exactly are we debating here? Trying to persuade yourself perhaps?

Shall we play some more?

[prolfe]

Not sure what i would be persuading myself into or out of. I love my A3 and have no plans to change it. So i guess nothing else to debate.
Which is shame.



hmmm...............

It's not that one is trying to be more appealing. It's giving a similar experience in terms of performance at a far cheaper cost. Both fuel and insuarance.

Could the same be said about the GTi and R32?

[RichieG]

You can't really balance a TDI on the throttle whilst haring round a wet roundabout in a nice 4 wheel drift though can you!

I miss my Mk2 16v GTi

I love my TDI too, but it's just not petrol - the power is in all the wrong places!

[prolfe]

I'm sure you can.

It's the turbo that makes it difficult to balance the throttle.

But then again those drifting guys are all in 200SX's and Evo's and that have massive turbos so it can't be that hard.

[Donkey Kong]

I would'nt buy either at the moment. The new golf is out in less than a year and used values will fall. If you change your car every three years or so buying a car at the end of its life cycle is never a good idea unless the discounts are big - which they are'nt unless you import. However if you keep your cars for a lot longer then get the GTi - better car and stronger residuals.