A3 or Golf

[steve67]

ok,
looking swap my car , had nearly 2 years on a pcp and can get out with some equity ( not much)
so been to see the A3 and already test drove a Mk7.
i like them both and up to now the pcp deals are coming in very very similar

A3 1.6se tdi adding hill hold and parking sensor
Mk7 1.6se tdi adding parking sensors

i'm waiting until the new deals come out on the 9th Jan 2014 to see if any new deals come out.

let the debate begin, which shall i go for?

[zollaf]

both very nice cars. i would probably drive off in the audi myself, because i think they look better. thats really the only reason.

[a8toa6convert]

It comes down to personal preference, and how they compare when you test drive them, assuming there's not much difference in the PCP rates.

Golf may be a bit quieter on the motorway, and a bit more enjoyable in the twisties, judging by what I've heard.

[steve67]

what mpg are the 1.6tdi engines doing in the real world?/

anyway i think its going to be a tough call, probably end up flipping a coin..lol
just have to see which dealer gives the most freebies ...

[C5Clive]

I narrowed my choices down to the 2.0 A3 Sport and the Golf GT.

In the end I went for the Golf as to get the same spec in the A3 would have cost about £3k more, to me the cabin of the A3 felt a bit cramped and the A3's suspension was a bit firmer.

I doubt there would be any noticeable difference in MPG given that the engineering of the cars is pretty much identical.

[C5Clive]

Oh......and I was quoted 7 month waiting time for the A3. Clowns.

[andyCYM]

It depends on how pointy your shoes are I think, and whether you have the sort of hair cut you have to ask for by name.

[cs2009]

let the debate begin, which shall i go for?

Have a look at my thread here:
Ride and tyre noise in the Golf ?
- which might have some influence on your decision.

I will almost certainly be swapping my A3 for a Golf next Spring, mainly because of the noise/ride issue.

I'm also still not convinced about the A3 styling either (although that is personal preference of course). The car looks good from the front, but there is something odd about the side and back views. Also, I find the ergonomics of the A3 interior to be poor, because the dash is set lower than normal to accommodate the pop-up screen. The A/C controls for example are very bunched up with buttons that are too small.

[steve67]

Have a look at my thread here:
Ride and tyre noise in the Golf ?
- which might have some influence on your decision.

I will almost certainly be swapping my A3 for a Golf next Spring, mainly because of the noise/ride issue.

I'm also still not convinced about the A3 styling either (although that is personal preference of course). The car looks good from the front, but there is something odd about the side and back views. Also, I find the ergonomics of the A3 interior to be poor, because the dash is set lower than normal to accommodate the pop-up screen. The A/C controls for example are very bunched up with buttons that are too small.

thanks for the feed back,
i haven't test drove the A3 as yet but i have driven a 2.0tdi dsg mk7 when they first came out, was really impressed,
road noise is always a niggle with me, when i got the mk6 new they swapped all the alloys as one was chipped but in doing so went from Michelin to goodyear tyres, they were dreadful so i made the dealer swap them again...must admit i often check the windows are shut in my mk6 due to road noise...

[dickt]

I test drove the A3 before I bought my Mk 7. From a personal point of view, I found the A3 to be extremely ugly to sit in. There are two huge plastic volcanoes in a wide sea of cheap plastic, and the sat nav from the VW Up! perched just above the volcanoes. (The volcanoes are supposed to be airvents.)