Best Fast Diesel: Golf Vs Audi A3 140 vs 170, others

anronmor

Hi Folks,
This is my first decent car, after a landrover and a van and a lot of saving.
I'm interested in buying a fast diesel, advice appreciated from those in the know.Fast and reliable hopefully

I'm 6' 7" tall so needs to have enough headroom
I'm going for this sized car as I mostly drive myself to work with the good lady along on weekends.
I'd like a sporty diesel, just wondering what mpg & performance 140 vs 170 is like?
Are the GTD running costs much higher than a plain Golf?

How do the Golf and A3 compare in diesel models? I'd be going for an S line
There's a sweet looking A3 Quattro 170 for sale in the north but it sounds like they guzzle

Wishlist:
Cruise control
A/C
Roofrack compatible
Willing to go for leather seats as will keep the car a while - 180'000 k target
Aiming for a 2-5 year old car
thanks

MuppetCheck

Any GTD in the budget will be towards the upper end of the age range for a start, and many have high mileage. The 170 is is better for overtaking, nice punch from them but the 140 can be smoother to drive as the power delivery isn't as abrupt as the 170.

How much mileage do you do?

bazz26

I'd have a look at the Volvo V40 D3 also, they are rare but the 163bhp is deceptively brisk.

For example:
http://www.driving.ie/usedcars/index.cfm?fuseaction=car&carID=98514151318864360&message=You%20searched%20for%3A%20Volvo%20V40%2C%20Engine%20Min%3A%202L%2C%20Diesel%20Only%2E%20Your%20search%20returned%20one%20vehicle%2C%20which%20is%20shown%20below%2E&CFID=145345133&CFTOKEN=35693723&jsessionid=f03068d0a96355160e31314977806729b764

JJJJNR

I'm 6'3" and struggled with normal hatchbacks, the golf would be too small for me, the Seat Altea although 10 years old still looks good in the right colour, would be a good choice but are as rare as hens teeth here, you can pick up one in the UK for OK money and they came in 170/140 guise. I would go for the 140 ( bkd engine) as it's reliable, and there's very little performance difference plus no dpf.

Into The Blue

I had a 2.2 civic for 4 years.. Put up serious mileage and only ever needed tyres and oil change.

Nice, quick and comfortable

kay 9

Worth considering the mazda 3/6 in 2.2 (the sports version), the type s accord/civic is a beaut. The auris sr180 is decent but might is less than it should be and the dpf is a niggle.

Bpmull

I recon at 6ft 7 you'd be fairly bet into a golf tbh. I'm 6ft 1 and I have the seat one notch of fully back in my mk5 golf and only have 1-2 inches head room. Although someone was on here recently saying they got extended seat rails so the seat will go back further in their golf I think they were 6ft4 so you would need to sit in a few and see.

Foreign Sports

Bpmull wrote: »

I recon at 6ft 7 you'd be fairly bet into a golf tbh. I'm 6ft 1 and I have the seat one notch of fully back in my mk5 golf and only have 1-2 inches head room. Although someone was on here recently saying they got extended seat rails so the seat will go back further in their golf I think they were 6ft4 so you would need to sit in a few and see.

Does your MK5 have a sunroof? The sunroof eats into headroom by a few inches.

I'm 6'4 and I used to fit comfortably into my old MK 5 GTI (no sunroof). In fact my current hyundai i40 has less headroom than the MK5.

Bpmull

Foreign Sports wrote: »

Does your MK5 have a sunroof? The sunroof eats into headroom by a few inches.

I'm 6'4 and I used to fit comfortably into my old MK 5 GTI (no sunroof). In fact my current hyundai i40 has less headroom than the MK5.

No sunroof. I'm not saying that I am stuck for space either I have plenty but then Im shorter than the op. I must check how far I have my seat jacked up although I think it's set reasonably low I have 2 inches headroom and have the seat forward a notch too so sure someone taller would fit alright but I would have thought anymore than 6'4 and it would start to get cramped maybe I'm being too harsh they certainly aren't a small car. Anyway Sitting in one will tell fairly quickly.

Foreign Sports

True enough, the OP will have to sit in a few in order to know for sure if the head room is suitable for his needs.

I was slightly concerned before pulling the trigger on a MK 7 given that its headroom is 1" less than on the MK 5/6.

Again, sitting into one allayed my fears given the adjustability of the seat and the reach / rake adjustment of the steering wheel.

OP, i've heard that the S-lines have a very harsh ride which might not suit. Although some people might like the sporty nature of the S-line suspension.

RORY O CONNOR

I have a Golf Mk6 gt which is a 2000 cc turbo with 140 BHP. Its a 12 D and it is my second one. Its a highline model and it comes with all the toys.It was an Ex company car with 13000 miles-hardly even run it. I was considering an A3 but a Dublin dealer treated me so badly I will now never buy an Audi.

Also an A3 is a Golf with 4 rings on the badge and a €3000 premium for the same specification and driving experience. Audi servicing costs are also more for some stupid reason-ie ripping off the customers unless of course you get it serviced by VW but then the warranty might be voided.

A Golf MK7 1.6 TDi HL is a fine car and no slouch either. There is great value out there if you buy a 141 or 142 pre reg car. VW offer 5.9% loans but you will pay more at a VW dealer. Frank Keane are a very good crowd to do business with in my experience. I bought my Golf in November from an Opel dealer and Id say I got it 1500 euro cheaper than if I had bought the same car from a VW dealer. I am paying slightly more money back at 7.9%

If you have all the money saved look at importing a car from the UK-come with better specs and so long as its more than 6 months old and has 3000 miles on the clock you just pay the VRT. You could save a few thousand off compared to an Irish car and you will also get a longer warranty. Same with the GOLF GTD. Go online to http://www.volkswagen.co.uk/used and do a car search which will show you exactly what cars are available. You can haggle as the Brits are also in a poor state economically.

You need to consider that the A3 quattro will have a higher VRT and road tax as its emissions are higher than a FWD car. DSG also changes the emissions.

anronmor

Thanks for the replies folks, will head to a dealer at the weekend and try a few for room.
I was wondering what the mpg and reliability was on the 170 engines?

Have driven an Auris and they have plenty of head height, didnt know there was a high powered version thanks

My milage is 20 to 25 k max per year. The odd few worm trips to the airport on the n7.

Are the audi's a3's any taller ? I know the back seat in the a4 is crap small

RORY O CONNOR

The current A3 and Golf are built on the new platform-headroom should be a bit better. The 4 door A3 has a bit more room I think.

Look at these in the UK: http://www.pistonheads.com/classifieds?Category=used-cars&FuelType=DSL&Keyword=tdi+sport+2.0&KeywordCleanedValue=tdi+sport+2.0&M=227&NoDoors=003&Page=1&YearFrom=2012&YearTo=2014

bazz26

Best of luck finding an Auris SR180 over here, they were ridiculously expensive and never officially sold here. Much better cars out there for similar money too.

RORY O CONNOR

The other thing is-its all very well having a car that goes really fast but how often will you being going really fast. Perhaps I am getting a bit slower as I've gotten older but I used to fly about in My MK5 GT, then it got stolen in 2011 so I got into a 1.4 Honda Civic and I got used to going slower. I now drive slower in the MK6 much to my surprise. The good thing about the extra power is it makes over taking a whole lot safer as you are on the wrong side of the road for less time. Its also good for speeding away from difficult traffic or getting past traffic when on the motorways. Stick to German built cars. Of the 7 cars I have owned since 1991 4 were German, one French, one Italian and one Japanese.

bazz26

Lets not get carried away though, I would not deem 140bhp to 170bhp cars as fast. Brisk is probably a better description imo.

thierry14

bazz26 wrote: »

Lets not get carried away though, I would not deem 140bhp to 170bhp cars as fast. Brisk is probably a better description imo.

One of these are fast.

http://www.evo.co.uk/news/evonews/290428/243bhp_bbrtuned_mazda_3_diesel_launched.html

Yeah I agree, 170bhp diesel Golf are only brisk.

170bhp in a 1100kg Polo is a different story

RORY O CONNOR

thierry14 wrote: »

One of these are fast.

http://www.evo.co.uk/news/evonews/290428/243bhp_bbrtuned_mazda_3_diesel_launched.html

Yeah I agree, 170bhp diesel Golf are only brisk.

170bhp diese in a 1100kg Polo is a different story

138 top speed is a bit more than brisk. IF 140/170 bhp is not enough for you add in a plug n play Van Aaken Diesel Smartbox and see how you get on.

anronmor

Most people seem to be fans of the golf rather than Audi in terms of value and service costs?
any difference in driving experience?
Stereo spec for starters is marketed as being better on the audis

bazz26

There is not a huge amount of difference between the current A3 and Golf. I'm open to correction but I think all A3s have the more advanced independent suspension setup whereas it's reserved for the higher spec Golfs. Spec wise they are pretty similar though the price difference buys you alot of extras on the Golf. Given the choice with the same budget I'd rather have a good spec Golf over a base model A3.

anronmor

Cheers everyone, time to get the test driving glove on and head to some dealers!

RORY O CONNOR

If you want a good sound system in the Golf pay the extra for DynaAudio. The other things is keep an eye out for a Pre reg high spec car that has been used as a demonstrator. Carzone is a good place to look as the dealers put the cars up there.