stripethree

So I test drove a new GTI this afternoon and compared to what I drove to the dealership, I was impressed. The problem being that I didn’t drive my car to the dealership, I drove a stock 05 GTI 1.8T. The mark 5 is a new car, its supposed to be better than what it replaces and it is, minus a few choice areas. It’s got more power, it handles better, the interior is a definite upgrade (but maybe a little too busy for my tastes), and the fit and finish are better. The problems with all that start with my lack of appreciation for the exterior, it hasn’t grown on me enough, even seeing pictures of modified GTIs. Its cousin, the Audi A3 is much more visually appealing to me in both stock and modified form. The GTI just looks too tall, and it is tall sitting next to a mark 4. The black valances don’t help and the hatch seems to go on forever. While it definitely handles better than the mark 4 GTI, it’s still got some weight. It felt an awful lot like my R32, which is good in that it handles very, very well, but bad in the fact that its hauling around nearly as much weight, in base model, no leather, sunroof, or 18 wheels (or 4Motion and Konig seats while we’re at it) trim. That raises an eyebrow considering VWs message of ‘The GTI is back’ implying a return to the days of lighter more nimble GTIs. Let’s be honest, the car, like the mark 4s, is a fat ass. If there is anything close to the GTI of old in the VW lineup, it’s the Polo and we don’t have the privilege of being able to buy the Polo here (unfortunately). My next gripe is the jacked up price. The one I drove was listed as $22k, only $2k less than Kharissa’s car was new. Granted, she got a heck of a deal, but still, her car has Tiptronic, sunroof, better sound system, and leather seats, all of which would push the new GTI into the $27k range given how the new package trim levels work. Yozwa; for those scoring at home, that’s only $2-3k short of what a new R32 cost. Is the new GTI worth it and better than the R32? In some respects, yes, it is. It might not be a fair comparison, but it is what it is: not enough that I’d trade in my car for one.

What I would do, and I hope that Audi sees that there is a market for this, is seriously consider an A3 2.0T Quattro 6-speed or, dare I dream, an S3 (even a five door). I did enjoy the 2.0T very much, and the tunable aspect has GTI fans everywhere salivating at something that’s faster and better than the holy grail of 1.8T, myself included. As I said, it’s more the package surrounding said wonderful engine that I am not the biggest fan of, and I’ll admit, I’ve enjoyed, and become slightly spoiled by, 4Motion. I have been falling all over the A3, and the opportunity of having one, with all wheel drive and that could have more power for less aftermarket dollars than an R32 is indeed very, very tempting. Alas, I have a new car obsession every week, so we’ll see what happens. I’ve yet to drive one, although I imagine is it probably very similar to the GTI, again, just in a different package.

Ok, so I’ve rambled enough, and apparently my current car heard me and didn’t like that was driving or ever thinking of another car. Not only have the angel eyes still not been resolved (in fact, the passenger side has gone out again), but also now my battery might be on the way out. :sigh: Twice today I came upon this situation: turn key, nothing, cluster goes out, clock and odometer go out; remote lock and unlock, check, still work; try to start again, fires up with trip reset a la battery disconnect. Hmmm. Weird. What can I say, other than those jumper cables in my car might come in handy now. Hopefully I can get this handled tomorrow.