- Sep 17, 2002
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My wife's car has been been declared "totaled" by our insurance company, so we're starting to look at replacements for her. Our preference (or my preference) is a wagon/hatchback, but we could be talked into a sedan. I REALLY want a manual transmission, but my wife is pretty resistant...and this is her car...so I don't want to fight that battle. So we've been looking at just about everything from Fords to Infiniti's to Buicks. So far the car we can come to the most agreement on is a VW GTI. We like the A3 (although she likes the look of the VW better...I like the Audi), but it has seemed more expensive with only minor improvements over the GTI (little bigger/wider, AWD, open-sky sunroof, etc). The reason I'm leaning toward the A3 at the moment is that I've found a few brand new 2009 models that the dealers are offering deep discounts on that bring them to the same price level as the GTI... but with extra features (AWD being highest on the list).
I'm well aware that the Golf is "brand new" MKVI...but really it is just a evolutionary change from the MKV that the A3 is based on. I also know that VW/Audi are not known for outstanding reliability...but we're fine with that. They are expensive to get fixed, but I can do most of my own work once the warranty is over...so again, I'm not concerned.
So beyond reliability issues...talk me out of this car (I like being berated by AT). What other suggestions would you make? We'd like to stay in the 30-35K range. Since I can't have the manual (and have regular sex), a good auto trans is high on my list.
Update 11.19.2009:
Ok, last night we had an exhaustive night of test driving that included Ford Fusion SEL, GTI w/DSG, A3 Quattro w/DSG, Audi A4 2.0T Quattro, Acura TSX inline 4, Acura TSX V6, BMW 328i/335i. Here were our thoughts:
Ford Fusion SEL: Impressive car for the price (especially considering we would likely be able to get a better deal. I was hoping to find a Sport with AWD, but there weren't any on dealer lots nearby so far as I could tell from the internet. The car handled reasonably well, had a decent ride and the engine had decent pep. Didn't love the Automatic...but it got the job done and the engine really helped. Just seemed a little hesitant to kick down. Wife and I are both just not sold on the looks. Too much chrome on that front "razor" grill and the profile just doesn't look cohesive enough. Definitely a good car though, well deserving of its COTY title for what you are paying. Price as tested 28K.
VW GTI: Moving from the Ford to this, you could definitely feel the more sporting nature of this car. The car was very direct and the transmission definitely added to that feeling. Shifts were fantastic...and I was even impressed with its creeping performance...I was expecting it to be jerkier. Interior is great, sound system (Dynaudio) was nice. Wife warmed up to hatchback styling and practicality. The engine seemed on boil...again I think the transmission helped convey this after stepping out of the Ford slushbox. Price as tested 30K.
Audi A3 Quattro: Have to say the new GTI seemed a little more "collected" than the A3 we drove. The A3 had the sports package and was just a little bit more brittle than the GTI over road...may have been that we were driving it on different roads though. We did not notice any perceptible difference in how the car performed from the GTI even though the A3 was heavier and had quattro. I'm sure if I was at a track, I could tell the difference, but in the real world driving that we were doing...the quattro did not have any noticeable affect. We liked the car, but would not pay the extra to get this over a GTI unless you get them for the same or similar price. price as tested 36K.
Audi A4 Quattro 2.0T: Wow. Color me impressed. This car is very buttoned down and has a serious premium feel to it. The slushbox (it is a trad. auto...not the CVT since this is the quattro model) definitely takes some of the performance out of the engine, but it is smooth as silk and the car still felt perfectly capable. The model we tested did not have the sports package, but it still could take a corner well. My wife really enjoyed driving this car and one of her first words were how much she loved that the steering was so direct...no play at all (this was completely un-coaxed by me. The Band and Olufson stereo system was FANTASTIC. We were a little embarrassed in a way because the reason we liked this car so much was just how luxurious and smooth this car was...not how sporty it was..made us feel old. The car was 39K...so definitely higher than the range we were originally looking in...so we'll have to think long and hard if we want to spend anywhere near that much.
Acura TSX: This one was the surprise of the night. I knew my wife would like this car as it would feel "familiar" to her. The inline 4 was not to my taste...mixed with a slushbox and it just wasn't up to the task (I'd be fine with a manual and the inline 4...but not the slushbox). The V6 on the other hand was a hoot to drive...what a peach of an engine. The interior was great overall. Some of the materials (liked the titanium colored plastic) fit more in the Fusion than a car in the same price range of the A4 (which had impeccable interior materials)...but overall we liked the interior and the content (ELS system was really nice as well...maybe not Bang and Olufson level...but very good non the less). By the time you get a loaded V6 though, you're in Audi Quattro territory...so seems a bit steep...but it did feel a lot faster than the A4 and was a bit more feature rich (had Nav...Audi didn't). V6 car we tested was 38K.
BMW 3 Series: I do love these cars. The interior content is no where near the Audi and the Acura (at least in the same price range), but the inline 6 engines in these cars are just sooo smooth. The problem is I feel like I'm ruining a perfectly awesome engine attaching them to a slushbox. It is a very good slushbox (best of the night), but still just didn't feel right. The chassis is fantastic, although I do think the Audi has passed BMW at least at the moment (the 3 series is a bit older)...but the 3 Series is still fantastic. Problem is that by the time you put any options on the 335, it is way out of our price range...so as much as we enjoyed the test drive...we're throwing that one out at the moment (possibly consider used). The 328i is still very nice. While very smooth, the Audi and the Acura seemed to have more ooomph. The interior is just not up to the standards of the Audi or the Acura. The fairly loaded 328i we tested was 42K.
If this was my car, a BMW with a manual would be pretty close to a no-brainer...but once you throw in the slushbox as a requirement, the BMW and its not as nice interior drops down a good bit. I still like the GTI/A3, but I am a little worried after reading a lot of the DSG issues on the internet...but we haven't ruled them out as they were a hoot to drive. The Fusion was nice...but once we drove the other cars...it was hard to go back to that as an option...especially when we really don't like the looks. At the moment I'd say the Acura and the Audi are the highest on our list.
We will be testing a G37 and hopefully a Cadillac CTS on Friday night. I know my wife does not want the Cadillac ("my grandmother drove a cadillac")...but I want her to at least drive it. We aren't against buying a used car... so we will certainly be looking for some reasonable deals...but we're also not against buying it new... especially in the case of the TSX as used TSX cars seem to be hardly a deal.
Update 11.23.09:
We went out and test drove the CTS, G37(x), and IS350. Overall thoughts were all of them are fantastic as expected. Here are my individual thoughts:
CTS: Really felt big. Both on the outside and insdie. I have to say I was really impressed with the car. The interior was very nice. My wife was not huge on the exterior look, but she did like the interior. She still was hung up on the whole "my grandma drove a Cadillac" deal, so we moved on. Car drove very nicely and the automatic was good.
Lexus IS350: We both really like the exterior of this car...one of the sportiest of the group that we've looked at. I know some reviewers have written how the car has too much electric nannies that when you push it intrude too much, but we did not notice them at all during the test drive. The Engine was fantastic, had a lot of grunt to it and again, the automatic was fine. I have to say the interior was a little disappointing after just stepping out of the Cadillac. It wasn't that the materials weren't nice, but the overall design/ambiance was just a little disappointing compared to the Cadillac...and it definitely had what seemed like the least space...maybe the BMW had less...but the IS seemed the smallest.
G37(X): We went ahead and test drove two G37's, one with rear wheel drive and one with all wheel drive. We were pleasantly impressed with both cars. I was actually quite surprised how little the all wheel drive system penalized the car. Infiniti definitely has done a fantastic job with this car. Again, Infiniti (like Acura) really put a lot of extra "electronic" features in the car that you didn't get in the German cars without crazy expensive option packages...so that was really nice. The power in the engine was intoxicating as well...really impressed with this car. The interior was very nice with lots of features...wasn't quite as elegant as the Audi or Cadillac interiors...but still very nice. Of the two variants, we settled that we would go with the G37X
So after Friday night, we were pretty set on either the Audi A4 Quattro or the Infiniti G37X. Both of the models we had looked at had a $39K sticker price on them, so price wasn't really an issue. The Infiniti definitely had more of the "electronic" features in that price tag though. Even just small things like memory seating/steering column, etc. We decided to go test drive the A4 once again in the morning with having just test drove the G37X the night before, we wanted a direct comparison.
We really liked both cars, so it was tough, but after talking through it, we decided we liked the A4 just a bit more. I really loved the engine of the G37X, but both of us enjoyed the way the A4 felt to drive, the interior of the A4, and the extra fuel economy of the A4. In the end this would be my wife's car, and she didn't care that the G37 was more powerful, the Audi was plenty powerful for her.
So we bought a Black on Black Audi A4 Premium Plus with the upgraded Bang and Olufson stereo and dark walnut trim. Now having owned it for a couple of days, we couldn't be happier with the car. It has been raining the last couple of days, but I will post pictures of the car once it is sunny/cleaned up (hopefully tomorrow).
Thanks for all the input everyone.
I'm well aware that the Golf is "brand new" MKVI...but really it is just a evolutionary change from the MKV that the A3 is based on. I also know that VW/Audi are not known for outstanding reliability...but we're fine with that. They are expensive to get fixed, but I can do most of my own work once the warranty is over...so again, I'm not concerned.
So beyond reliability issues...talk me out of this car (I like being berated by AT). What other suggestions would you make? We'd like to stay in the 30-35K range. Since I can't have the manual (and have regular sex), a good auto trans is high on my list.
Update 11.19.2009:
Ok, last night we had an exhaustive night of test driving that included Ford Fusion SEL, GTI w/DSG, A3 Quattro w/DSG, Audi A4 2.0T Quattro, Acura TSX inline 4, Acura TSX V6, BMW 328i/335i. Here were our thoughts:
Ford Fusion SEL: Impressive car for the price (especially considering we would likely be able to get a better deal. I was hoping to find a Sport with AWD, but there weren't any on dealer lots nearby so far as I could tell from the internet. The car handled reasonably well, had a decent ride and the engine had decent pep. Didn't love the Automatic...but it got the job done and the engine really helped. Just seemed a little hesitant to kick down. Wife and I are both just not sold on the looks. Too much chrome on that front "razor" grill and the profile just doesn't look cohesive enough. Definitely a good car though, well deserving of its COTY title for what you are paying. Price as tested 28K.
VW GTI: Moving from the Ford to this, you could definitely feel the more sporting nature of this car. The car was very direct and the transmission definitely added to that feeling. Shifts were fantastic...and I was even impressed with its creeping performance...I was expecting it to be jerkier. Interior is great, sound system (Dynaudio) was nice. Wife warmed up to hatchback styling and practicality. The engine seemed on boil...again I think the transmission helped convey this after stepping out of the Ford slushbox. Price as tested 30K.
Audi A3 Quattro: Have to say the new GTI seemed a little more "collected" than the A3 we drove. The A3 had the sports package and was just a little bit more brittle than the GTI over road...may have been that we were driving it on different roads though. We did not notice any perceptible difference in how the car performed from the GTI even though the A3 was heavier and had quattro. I'm sure if I was at a track, I could tell the difference, but in the real world driving that we were doing...the quattro did not have any noticeable affect. We liked the car, but would not pay the extra to get this over a GTI unless you get them for the same or similar price. price as tested 36K.
Audi A4 Quattro 2.0T: Wow. Color me impressed. This car is very buttoned down and has a serious premium feel to it. The slushbox (it is a trad. auto...not the CVT since this is the quattro model) definitely takes some of the performance out of the engine, but it is smooth as silk and the car still felt perfectly capable. The model we tested did not have the sports package, but it still could take a corner well. My wife really enjoyed driving this car and one of her first words were how much she loved that the steering was so direct...no play at all (this was completely un-coaxed by me. The Band and Olufson stereo system was FANTASTIC. We were a little embarrassed in a way because the reason we liked this car so much was just how luxurious and smooth this car was...not how sporty it was..made us feel old. The car was 39K...so definitely higher than the range we were originally looking in...so we'll have to think long and hard if we want to spend anywhere near that much.
Acura TSX: This one was the surprise of the night. I knew my wife would like this car as it would feel "familiar" to her. The inline 4 was not to my taste...mixed with a slushbox and it just wasn't up to the task (I'd be fine with a manual and the inline 4...but not the slushbox). The V6 on the other hand was a hoot to drive...what a peach of an engine. The interior was great overall. Some of the materials (liked the titanium colored plastic) fit more in the Fusion than a car in the same price range of the A4 (which had impeccable interior materials)...but overall we liked the interior and the content (ELS system was really nice as well...maybe not Bang and Olufson level...but very good non the less). By the time you get a loaded V6 though, you're in Audi Quattro territory...so seems a bit steep...but it did feel a lot faster than the A4 and was a bit more feature rich (had Nav...Audi didn't). V6 car we tested was 38K.
BMW 3 Series: I do love these cars. The interior content is no where near the Audi and the Acura (at least in the same price range), but the inline 6 engines in these cars are just sooo smooth. The problem is I feel like I'm ruining a perfectly awesome engine attaching them to a slushbox. It is a very good slushbox (best of the night), but still just didn't feel right. The chassis is fantastic, although I do think the Audi has passed BMW at least at the moment (the 3 series is a bit older)...but the 3 Series is still fantastic. Problem is that by the time you put any options on the 335, it is way out of our price range...so as much as we enjoyed the test drive...we're throwing that one out at the moment (possibly consider used). The 328i is still very nice. While very smooth, the Audi and the Acura seemed to have more ooomph. The interior is just not up to the standards of the Audi or the Acura. The fairly loaded 328i we tested was 42K.
If this was my car, a BMW with a manual would be pretty close to a no-brainer...but once you throw in the slushbox as a requirement, the BMW and its not as nice interior drops down a good bit. I still like the GTI/A3, but I am a little worried after reading a lot of the DSG issues on the internet...but we haven't ruled them out as they were a hoot to drive. The Fusion was nice...but once we drove the other cars...it was hard to go back to that as an option...especially when we really don't like the looks. At the moment I'd say the Acura and the Audi are the highest on our list.
We will be testing a G37 and hopefully a Cadillac CTS on Friday night. I know my wife does not want the Cadillac ("my grandmother drove a cadillac")...but I want her to at least drive it. We aren't against buying a used car... so we will certainly be looking for some reasonable deals...but we're also not against buying it new... especially in the case of the TSX as used TSX cars seem to be hardly a deal.
Update 11.23.09:
We went out and test drove the CTS, G37(x), and IS350. Overall thoughts were all of them are fantastic as expected. Here are my individual thoughts:
CTS: Really felt big. Both on the outside and insdie. I have to say I was really impressed with the car. The interior was very nice. My wife was not huge on the exterior look, but she did like the interior. She still was hung up on the whole "my grandma drove a Cadillac" deal, so we moved on. Car drove very nicely and the automatic was good.
Lexus IS350: We both really like the exterior of this car...one of the sportiest of the group that we've looked at. I know some reviewers have written how the car has too much electric nannies that when you push it intrude too much, but we did not notice them at all during the test drive. The Engine was fantastic, had a lot of grunt to it and again, the automatic was fine. I have to say the interior was a little disappointing after just stepping out of the Cadillac. It wasn't that the materials weren't nice, but the overall design/ambiance was just a little disappointing compared to the Cadillac...and it definitely had what seemed like the least space...maybe the BMW had less...but the IS seemed the smallest.
G37(X): We went ahead and test drove two G37's, one with rear wheel drive and one with all wheel drive. We were pleasantly impressed with both cars. I was actually quite surprised how little the all wheel drive system penalized the car. Infiniti definitely has done a fantastic job with this car. Again, Infiniti (like Acura) really put a lot of extra "electronic" features in the car that you didn't get in the German cars without crazy expensive option packages...so that was really nice. The power in the engine was intoxicating as well...really impressed with this car. The interior was very nice with lots of features...wasn't quite as elegant as the Audi or Cadillac interiors...but still very nice. Of the two variants, we settled that we would go with the G37X
So after Friday night, we were pretty set on either the Audi A4 Quattro or the Infiniti G37X. Both of the models we had looked at had a $39K sticker price on them, so price wasn't really an issue. The Infiniti definitely had more of the "electronic" features in that price tag though. Even just small things like memory seating/steering column, etc. We decided to go test drive the A4 once again in the morning with having just test drove the G37X the night before, we wanted a direct comparison.
We really liked both cars, so it was tough, but after talking through it, we decided we liked the A4 just a bit more. I really loved the engine of the G37X, but both of us enjoyed the way the A4 felt to drive, the interior of the A4, and the extra fuel economy of the A4. In the end this would be my wife's car, and she didn't care that the G37 was more powerful, the Audi was plenty powerful for her.
So we bought a Black on Black Audi A4 Premium Plus with the upgraded Bang and Olufson stereo and dark walnut trim. Now having owned it for a couple of days, we couldn't be happier with the car. It has been raining the last couple of days, but I will post pictures of the car once it is sunny/cleaned up (hopefully tomorrow).
Thanks for all the input everyone.
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