av_audi

I do know and acknowledge that these are totally different cars, so please don't jump on me , but has anyone who ended up with a current B8 considered the GTI during shopping?

First, the negatives of the GTI: looks are perhaps a little immature and not 100% suitable for a low 40s person (who cares about what others think? ), not as refined/luxurious (ex: mostly manual control seats), or even probably as well handling (but very close?), FWD (but with a simulated slip differential), when fully loaded with the Autobahn package the $29K and change price gets very close to a Premium A4, and finally perhaps a more nervous ride.

Now some of the pluses: it could be a blast to drive, it looks very cool and funky/unusual inside and out, the back seat may actually be roomier, functionality of a hatch, and most of all, I would be happy with the base 4-door manual which can be had for $24K. That would be an easy-on-the-wallet midlife crisis type of a car. I could write a check for it and be done with it, while paying only say $4K over any CamCord type of boring appliance. Unlike Audi, VW doesn't remove things like trip computer and folding rear seats from the base trims, and so the only thing I would miss from the higer trims are the Xenons.

I am trying to keep an open mind But am I thinking straight here?

NeoReaper

i actually cross shopped the gti and the a4 premium because i was looking to lease an a4 avant and apparently they didnt lease well so i figured id try a hatchback instead and found out a3 hatchback also does not lease well (go figure) so i looked into the the gti. both cars are nice but very different to me. the gti is much "sportier" but i didnt find it to be much faster if speed is what you looking for. maybe im just not driving it right and the awd from the audi gives me a false sense of security, i dunno. i had an easier time cornering hard in the a4 rather than in the gti. i was very impressed by the dsg gear box on the gti but at the same time i couldnt fault audi's new 8 speed auto. at the end of the day the reason why i picked the a4 is because i prefer the more luxurious ride, better feeling materials, its queter, definitely torqueier (is that a word?) and for everyday driving with the occasional injection of fun, i thought the a4 was a better package. i think im really gonna miss the xenon lights (my previous a4 had them), ive had the new a4 for about 1.5 weeks and we havent had bad weather or anything but i really forsee myself wishing my car had xenons. time will tell. i thought i would really be annoyed missing the trip computer and the folding seats but apparently not. i have a car seat installed so basically i never get a chance to use folding seats anyway. ive read in this forum that with a vag com theres a way to re-enable the trip computer but im not sure cuz i dont have a vag com. the display in the middle still shows ur miles to empty and such which i think is fine and on my old a4 i always use the computer to sure my MPG for the current trip so i can to drive a little more economically (videogame syndrome i need a high score). i dont think you can really go wrong with either cars but they cater towards a different "expreience". my friends love bmw's but i find them more "sporty" and i prefer more "luxury" and in the end, 328i vs 2.0t quattro... the 328i isnt any faster with all seasons on... maybe if they had summer rubber, but here in NYC where i live we usually ride with all seasons. dont trust the reviewers who compare bmw's with summer rubber to cars with all seasons.... if the GTI were wearing summer tires i probably woulda liked it more but i know if i bought one id be too lazy to keep an extra set of snow tires around.

kidrock

You’re absolutely thinking straight.

I also considered GTI. I’ve always liked the GTIs. I guess probably because the toy reminds of my HS years.

As much as I liked the dual exhaust, the sport, flattened at the bottom steering wheel, few basic things really threw me off. First would be the engine which is pretty much the same since around 2006 (I have that in 07 Passat), second – no LED lights even as an option on US market, and if you really start adding options you will very fast find yourself in the basic A4 price territory.

So I figured, may as well go with Audi...

UmIsThisThingOn

I shopped the GTI, the A3 and the A4/S4.

I kept coming back to the S4... ended up in the A4.
I'm happy that it worked out the way it did and love everything about my car, except the interior rattles that come with VW/Audi.

ckamps

Makes sense to me. I crossed shopped GTI, A3, and other 5 doors. Ended up with a 2010 Avant S-line.

I looked at the GTI briefly, but I've never liked the look of the 5 door Golf/GTI. Perhaps a minor thing: the small HVAC ***** and their lighted indicators in the US GTI model seemed cheap and very hard to read to me. (Euro models seem to have different and larger controls). The stock cuisinart wheels look goofy to me, but I could have gotten other ones.

I also looked at the A3, but the rear seat leg room didn't work for me. As with the Mazda and their 3, I feel that Audi did a really good job on the styling of the 5 door A3. Another downer on the A3 was that it was nearer the end of its generation's life. That was a plus for me on the second year A4 2010 (well, second year in the US).

3 series wagon wasn't contender due to its ho hum styling. Cadillac's CTS wagon looked interesting on paper, but look and feel of the interiors really threw me off. Volvo? Never been impressed by the efficiency of their engines and not so sure about them as a company.

Of course, the price of the GTI was very attractive. But I had the cash and the Avant checked pretty much all of our boxes.

johnny ro

I did, and the A3 and the Passat CC.

The Passat was the closest call.

Problem with A3 is its priced too high, almost the same a base A4. The GTI is nice but the CC is much nicer.

The CC plus $5k = A4 Quattro with the better motor. I think CC is the prettier car and its got a better cockpit. I went for the A4.

I laugh at a loaded Passat CC though, they were horribly overpriced- in the $40s in the magazine reviews, loaded with V6. Its a $25k car with an $80k interior and a nice car at $25k. I think they may have discontinued the V6 for US.

I also cross hopped Suzuki SX4. Not the Kizashi. For cheap and fun the Suzuki is hard to beat.

Buckeye96

I wouldn't own another VW, even if you gave it to me. The dealers and dealer service is ****.

ScottAW

Yes, I looked at the GTI, the A4 w/ sport package, the BMW 3 series w/ sport package, and an A3 w/ sport package.

I had an '06 A3, loved it, but missed Quattro enough that I really wanted to get back into an AWD car. Quattro is just too much fun in the corners. So, that was one negative for the GTI and A3. (manual transmission a must) So, that threw out the A3, and I was considering a base GTI, since it'd be an economical choice.

Considered the 3 series, but they would not give me anything for my trade.

In the end, went with the Audi. They gave me a significant amount for my trade-in. The same dealer sold VW's, but I decided to go with the Audi...the lease was only about $75 more per month, and that was comparing a $37k car vs. a $25k car. So, ultimately I felt the A4 was the best deal and the most enjoyable overall to drive.

Toecutter

Too small for me. I'm thinking of even going up a size.

MML

I did look at a bunch of cars and went with the GTI. It is a very fun car and in handles really well with summer tires. I have owned 3 A4's in the past... I mainly switched to keep costs down as times are tough right now, and I wanted something less expensive. I am happy with the car and have owned it for about 8 months. I will say the thing that I miss the most is Quattro, FWD isn't very good. If you have the money I would say to buy an Audi.

When the economy gets better and I can get a better job, I would buy a A5 2.0T. The is the car I would love to have, or possibly the next generation A3 with Quattro. The GTI is nice and fun, but it isn't an Audi.