well being from a family who have had Audi's A4's and A6's for the last few years 2009+ it was inevitable that I would end up with one not that I didn't consider something else!
It had to be fast like sub 6s to 60, subtle i.e no overly in your face massive spoilers and body kit like the Subaru's, at my age drawing attention to yourself is only going to end up one way with a fine and points!!!!!
so things I considered:
Audi S3 manual and S-tronic 5doors - need I say more?
Mercedes A45 AMG - a little too pricey for another 60bhp and 0.3s faster to sixty plus the residuals aren't as strong! gearbox torque limitations for remapping???
BMW 135i - really like the engine in this but the interior is just horrible the plastics feel hard and the refinement on the buttons etc just isn't up to the Audi standard. I have a best friend who has a 118i 5dr 2012 plate and there simply is no way you could get 4 adults in it without being crunched up like you are in a Peugeot 106!
Vauxhall Astra - huge fan of the 2.0L petrol engines they produce (my father has one in his seven that revs to 9000rpm sounds like a dream!)
just not quite fast enough to 60 for me plus front wheel drive the under-steer and wheel spin just trying to lay down any kind of power in the wet would be hopeless! worth an absolute pittance after 4years plus they want nearly 27grand for one anyway! not subtle enough sticks out like a sore thumb and has "youth" plastered all over it!
Vauxhall Corsa - too small for my needs same problems as the Astra plus no where near fast enough and would feel like a downgrade to my current 8P A3!
Ford Focus ST - no RS version available, yet again front wheel drive, like the exterior styling but the interior is 3-5 years behind IMO plus how many fords are built every year and they are absolutely everywhere getting a little long in the tooth needs a refresh!
Ford Fiesta ST - a colleague at work has a 3dr 1.3L, a great car for the money but the two/three tone dash, the number of buttons makes you feel like your in a 747 from the 1970's! cheap hard plastics everywhere no color screens just mono tonal, no where near enough power again front wheel drive!
VW - Golf R - as its exactly the same chassis power train and engine and shares most of the same components with the S3, this would be the cheaper option to the S3 but with the rental cars being available so cheap the residuals in a few years time could be questionable, I'm a bit of a badge snob
, plus people know Audi is the premium brand and are more impressed with an Audi than a VW. price wise by the time I specced the golf up against the S3 it was near enough the same price!
VW Golf GTI - 217BHP in a GTI that weighs 1.5tons isn't enough to be called a "hot hatch" these days, I'd have bought a A3 2.0tdi 184 and remapped that and it would be quicker and alot more economical too not half the options I want on it so the price would soon shoot up!
VW - Polo GTI- too small for my needs many of my colleagues have polo's in varying guises 189bhp .... front wheel drive .... at the time the new GTI hadn't been released so it was the older pre facelift model and its ok for the money but nothing to shout home about!
I did consider a few 3.0 diesel models BMW, Audi ,Mercedes etc etc but wanted away from the diesels as they don't make me feel like just going out for a drive plus I like revs .....
could go on about Seat (Leon, Ibiza) Renault (Megane, Clio) but hopefully you get the idea of what I was looking for!
Ricky
