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...so today, me and the fiancee went to test drive our potential new hatchback (she convinced me not to buy the A6). We want a hatch, with 4 doors, with the dsg gearbox so that narrowed it down to these two.
First we test drove the GTI. I am very impressed with its gearbox and the engine. It had the optional 18" rims on it so I was expecting a fairly harsh ride (given all the reviews I've read) but we were both surprised at how soft the ride seemed. Maybe my old A4 had a far more aggressive setup than I thought!! Felt good to get back into a turbocharged VAG vehicle.... Having read some stuff on the vortex about that noise-enhancing tube to the firewall, I was expecting a good healthy roar from the engine....but there was none. It sounded very muted and overall the GTI was a lot softer than I thought it'd be....almost too soft....the interior was livable, about on par with what I expected...the shifter and steering wheel are top-notch in my opinion far better than the Audi based on pictures from the internet.
Then the A3 2.0t S-Line with DSG was test driven in the afternoon. What a difference. The GTI felt compact inside, the A3 seemed to feel much more airy. Such a thing does not matter to me, I am short, the fiancee is short. Anyways, quality of materials inside seems to be step up (especially the much larger aluminum trim) with two exceptions -- the shifter and the steering wheel (the alloy shift paddles are nicer in the A3 though). When driven though, the suspension on the S-Line seemed firmer, which we actually prefer and which is actually contrary to what every review I've read says...
Overall, we're going to end up going with the GTI mainly based on value...for 6k less, we get more options than the A3 at 41k (HID's, etc.). We wish the GTI was a harder-edged car, I honestly thought it would be the exact opposite...
Am I just imagining things?? Is the A3 S-Line supposed to have a sharper ride than the GTI??
First we test drove the GTI. I am very impressed with its gearbox and the engine. It had the optional 18" rims on it so I was expecting a fairly harsh ride (given all the reviews I've read) but we were both surprised at how soft the ride seemed. Maybe my old A4 had a far more aggressive setup than I thought!! Felt good to get back into a turbocharged VAG vehicle.... Having read some stuff on the vortex about that noise-enhancing tube to the firewall, I was expecting a good healthy roar from the engine....but there was none. It sounded very muted and overall the GTI was a lot softer than I thought it'd be....almost too soft....the interior was livable, about on par with what I expected...the shifter and steering wheel are top-notch in my opinion far better than the Audi based on pictures from the internet.
Then the A3 2.0t S-Line with DSG was test driven in the afternoon. What a difference. The GTI felt compact inside, the A3 seemed to feel much more airy. Such a thing does not matter to me, I am short, the fiancee is short. Anyways, quality of materials inside seems to be step up (especially the much larger aluminum trim) with two exceptions -- the shifter and the steering wheel (the alloy shift paddles are nicer in the A3 though). When driven though, the suspension on the S-Line seemed firmer, which we actually prefer and which is actually contrary to what every review I've read says...
Overall, we're going to end up going with the GTI mainly based on value...for 6k less, we get more options than the A3 at 41k (HID's, etc.). We wish the GTI was a harder-edged car, I honestly thought it would be the exact opposite...
Am I just imagining things?? Is the A3 S-Line supposed to have a sharper ride than the GTI??
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