Golf or A3?

[Cable Monkey]

My company car is up for renewal in 4000 miles. I can have a TDi 130 Golf with 6 speed box or the 130 TDi Audi A3 for a little extra. What would you have and why? Any alternatives you can think of?
Cheers...

[Herminator]

Golf I think is faster but audi looks nicer IMO. as for alteratives, SEAT have golf build for less, so a nice sporty Leon would be good.

[LANcaster]

You could get a Leon Cupra, they are fairly nippy!
I should point out that I have a Leon and have had absolutely no problems with it, has very good handling and a really comfortable interior. Also, as Herminator said, it's basically a Golf with a different body shell and a fair chunk off the price.

[Cable Monkey]

I had a Seat as a loan vehicle for a while, it was what made me look at the Golf engine/chassis combo's more closely. Unfortunately neither the Seats, or Skodas that share the mechanicals are on my list :( . They would be cheaper than the German examples available to me. I do like the look of the Audis, but isn't the A3 about due for a revamp? I will have the car for around 4 years so don't want to get stuck with an outdated car.

[screechXL]

If you're going for the Golf, have the 150 GT TDi its very tasty! However my friend does have one and the only thing that I thought let it down a bit was the seats-its branded as a GTI and costs alot for a car of its size- i was expecting half leather recaro's or the like instead of standard offerings!

The 6 six speed box is a waste of time on a diesel as they're all torque and their power band is very broad. 6 speed boxes are best suited for high revving engines with narrow power bands like the Civic type R where you need as many gears as possible to keep the engine in the sweet spot.

Still nice to have the choice mate! Good luck

[ZStation]

I'd go the Golf any time. The A3 is an overpriced, underspecced and poor performing Golf.

Does it have to be diesel? I honestly can't see diesels being cheaper - petrol is cheaper, petrol cars have longer service intervals and the services are cheaper. OK, you might get 10mpg less on the petrol, but unless you're doing one hell of a mileage then it's really not worth it IMHO.

[Cable Monkey]

The 150 is not yet on offer in our package. Apparently the 6 speed box on the diesels is a 5 + 1 box for motorway cruising. The decision to go diesel is because I can get a GT TDI130 for the same as the 110bhp 2 litre petrol GTI, and tax will be a lot cheaper for a diesel. I must say I am swayed towards the Golf now. Spoken to a colleague who had a 130bhp A4 diesel and it took a while to settle and become reliable.

[audiman]

the Audi a3 and the Volkswagen mk4 golf are both over due a revamp which will be happening later this year.

with the vw,audi,seat,skoda,lamborgini ,bentley etc all under the the v.a.g group.
you pay for the badge you want and can afford.

diesel engines have came a long way in the past decade no more a jcb sound alike there far more torquer than there petrol brothers and the can still be modifiyed for more power.

[abe]

Golf all the way, I drive one when I need to and its great, comfortable and fast.

[Geoff B]

I drive a 150 bhp Golf GTI diesel as a company car. Lowest tax bracket (147g CO2 emissions) makes this a good choice for you in my opinion.

The performance stats are 0-62 in 8.6 secs and 236lbs ft of torque at 1900 revs. The 130 bhp is 0-62 in 9.6 secs and 228lbs torque. To put the torque in perspective, a Porsche Boxster is 225lbs at 4500 revs.

There is not a lot of difference between the 150 and the 130 so if you have the option of the 130 I would go for that and spec it up a bit with the options. My mate is a car dealer and he told me that a number of his customers swapped the 130 for the 150 and couldn't tell the difference, apart from the lighter wallet ...

The 150 is a great drive - oudles of power, quiet as a petrol engine, and fandabbytastic for motorway overtaking. I'd imagine the 130 is similar.

Go for a test drive - best way to decide !

[abe]

The insurance on a Golf for a year would hit me hard though, just short of £2000, which I can't afford.

I dread to think what the Audi would cost...