[Itgb]

I've recently test driven the MK6 GTI and both Base & Luxury 328i.

• The standard suspension is terrible from an enthusiast's perspective. Don't even waste your time test driving a non-Sport or M-sport model coming from a GTI.
• Interior quality is very equal between the two cars. The fake aluminum trim and busy, overly stylistic interior of the F30 put me off. The wood options look and feel better(haven't sat in an M-Sport yet).
• 328i wins hands down in engine dept. I felt more throttle lag in the GTI and of course less power.
• Brakes and tires in the 328i were a let down. GTI wasn't much better.

[ric124]

Originally Posted by Itgb

I've recently test driven the MK6 GTI and both Base & Luxury 328i.

• The standard suspension is terrible from an enthusiast's perspective. Don't even waste your time test driving a non-Sport or M-sport model coming from a GTI.
• Interior quality is very equal between the two cars. The fake aluminum trim and busy, overly stylistic interior of the F30 put me off. The wood options look and feel better(haven't sat in an M-Sport yet).
• 328i wins hands down in engine dept. I felt more throttle lag in the GTI and of course less power.
• Brakes and tires in the 328i were a let down. GTI wasn't much better.

I think the No-Line has the fake aluminium dont the the Sport and M-Sport is fake feels pretty real to me especially when parked out in the sun.

I think coming from a Gti you need to skip the 328i and go to the 335i. That way you will at least feel a big difference.

[JonoNZ]

Originally Posted by ric124

I think the No-Line has the fake aluminium dont the the Sport and M-Sport is fake feels pretty real to me especially when parked out in the sun.

I think coming from a Gti you need to skip the 328i and go to the 335i. That way you will at least feel a big difference.

There seemed like a lot of plastic in the Luxury I test drove. Even the paddle shifters on the steering wheel felt like a shiny cheap plastic. The GTI shifters are metal and feel great on your fingers, which is good as you use them all the time.

I agree overall though, the BMW interior is superior to the GTI. But it should be -- the GTI is NZD$58k base model, the 328i is NZD$86 base model. The M Sport interior is vastly superior, no question, but it kind of needs to be.

I'll organise to test drive a Sport or M Sport soon.

[JonoNZ]

Originally Posted by MaestroAl

^This^

It's the most obvious replacement for the GTi and better in every way

Yeah, the thought crossed my mind. I'm looking for a bigger more family-friendly car, but without losing the sportiness that I love in the GTI. The 1 is just too small in the back for me unfortunately.

[JonoNZ]

Originally Posted by Antares

Handling "I was surprised at the level of body roll at high speed around corners."
The wheelbase of the F30 is way longer than that of the Golf. A Golf with such a wheelbase would probably just make a straight road out of your bends (and make some wood for the coming winter in the process).
A BMW 135M is something comparable to your Golf.
It says a lot that such a sedan can hold its own in comparison.

Just to be clear, the car I drove could not hold it's own at all. I was quite disappointed in body roll and suspension feel.

Thanks to all the feedback in this thread it's pretty clear I test drove the wrong car. Luxury and Modern have standard suspension setup which seems very soft and setup for comfort. Sport and M-Sport are what I need to drive.

[JonoNZ]

Originally Posted by JonoNZ

Just to be clear, the car I drove could not hold it's own at all. I was quite disappointed in body roll and suspension feel.

Thanks to all the feedback in this thread it's pretty clear I test drove the wrong car. Luxury and Modern have standard suspension setup which seems very soft and setup for comfort. Sport and M-Sport are what I need to drive.

Another point worth mentioning is that New Zealand has a lot of twisty roads (good fun for driving) and therefore I'm looking for a setup that performs well in these conditions not just long straight motorway/freeway conditions.

[JonoNZ]

Originally Posted by F30AM

There has been some discussion that SA made cars supplied to our OZ and KIWI cousins could have a few build issues.

The München F30 samples we get in the UK are truly super. My Wolfsburg Mk6 GTI feels so last Tuesday in every which way.

Yay, something to look forward to! The dealer reckoned the Luxury I drove was a German build, all cars from now on are SA builds.

Our MINI Cooper S Countryman (2011) has had quite a few rattle issues and has been in a few times for these. That was built in Graz, Austria. General build quality on the Countryman is good, but it still amazes me that new cars have so many rattles. NZ roads tend to use a courser chip that most European or North American roads which doesn't help. For example the car doesn't rattle on motorway surfaces, just open road or old city roads where concrete has been used as the surface.

[F30AM]

Wopops! You were quick JonoNZ!!

There has been some discussion that SA made cars supplied to our OZ and KIWI cousins could have a few build issues.

The München F30 samples we get in the UK are truly super. In comparison, my Wolfsburg Mk6 GTI feels so last Tuesday in every which way.

Go and drive an F30 330d M Sport with M Sport Adaptive Suspension and let the light shine through.

[Antares]

Originally Posted by JonoNZ

Another point worth mentioning is that New Zealand has a lot of twisty roads (good fun for driving) and therefore I'm looking for a setup that performs well in these conditions not just long straight motorway/freeway conditions.

We have lots of twisty roads here also. It's the driver that makes the difference.

I think that your evaluation-car suspension was quite similar to "Comfort" setting in Adaptive suspension.
I personally like the Adaptive suspension in Comfort+ mode (in Eco program). The car glides, supremely.

You know, the new Mercedes A class has a very ruff suspension; it drives like a go-cart...

[F30AM]

Originally Posted by Antares

You know, the new Mercedes A class has a very ruff suspension; it drives like a go-cart...

It's as stiff as a corpse on Viagra.

[Antares]

Originally Posted by F30AM

It's as stiff as a corpse on Viagra.

It's not all about stiffness; the acoustic insulation is also very badly conceived.
The front wheels street noise is so intruding you would think there are "windows" openings in the cabin to make you hear the wheels and suspension noise.
On the other hand, the engine (I had a diesel one) is so insulated you have no feeling.

The tacho is so non-practically divided and designed that you surpass the speed limit of 50km/h in town without any chance of noticing, practically you must use the speed limitator, if you want to avoid paying a tribute to astronomical measures (fines). The insulated engine without feeling helps the tacho.

[Itgb]

Originally Posted by ric124

I think the No-Line has the fake aluminium dont the the Sport and M-Sport is fake feels pretty real to me especially when parked out in the sun.

I don't know. I sat in a Sport Line inside the dealership, (sport seats were awesome by the way), but the aluminum trim felt like it was an aluminum film over plastic. In my E46 it is true solid brushed aluminum piece which feels and sounds completely different to the trim in the F30.

[F30AM]

The Mk6 Golf GTI is a very cleverly made cheapish car sold at a premium price. It appears to be of high quality but it is not. What it does quite successfully is to give an excellent false impression of quality.

What I don't like:
The doors don't hang properly on most of the samples I have seen, misaligned bonnet, hard plastics everywhere except on dash top and door trim tops, very flimsy door cards, on leather specified cars most of it is fake and the leather itself is of very low quality, the 18" Monza Shadow wheels suffer from 'whiteworm', the sound deadening is woeful, the Sat Nav is a shocker with terrible sound quality, the ride is horrendous without the adaptive suspension in comfort mode, horrible road noise whatever the tyres, only undercoat paint in bonnet area, under wings, boot area etc, car came with a wonky rear bumper which was a production fault, options cost a small fortune, terrible fuel economy ......

Got all the above production faults sorted under Warranty, though VW Customer Service gave me a very hard time to get the rear bumper replaced.

What I like:
It still looks fabulous IMO, it's got great front seats, the steering wheel feels and looks superb, the Jacara Cloth seats are beautiful, the 18" Monza Shadow wheels are eye candy, it drives and corners reasonably well, nay very well, there is a lack of wind noise, it's very realiable, does not rattle on bad roads too much, the VW Service Dept I go to is superb .....

I still love my Mk6 GTI and it makes me smile alot when I drive it. It's still the best hatchback. However, I will love the BMW even more. Of this I am sure.

[e92miami]

Funny I'm considering going the other way. I really like the new MK7 GTI how its lighter, better MPG and I had a brand new Golf rental car the other day and was really impressed. The wait till 2014 will be tough but unless BMW's new 2 Series is really impressive I'll go to VW or Audi S3 sedan.

[535DMSport]

In a straight line, the 328i hangs with the Golf R Look on youtube

[F30AM]

Originally Posted by e92miami

Funny I'm considering going the other way. I really like the new MK7 GTI how its lighter, better MPG and I had a brand new Golf rental car the other day and was really impressed. The wait till 2014 will be tough but unless BMW's new 2 Series is really impressive I'll go to VW or Audi S3 sedan.

I'd scrub the Audi from your wedding invitation. It looks boring, is boring whatever the engine and I really hate the dash. Looks like an AI on steroids and you know what these can do to your bedroom antics.

[JonoNZ]

I got to the drive the 328i M Sport and also a 335i yesterday. What a difference! The M Sport suspension is worlds apart from the standard suspension in the Luxury, Modern and Sport models as sold in NZ.

Ride is firmer (which I like), body roll is much better contained, everything feels much more direct. Very impressed actually. It's like driving a RWD GTI - which is what I'm looking for.

The steering wheel is beautiful to look at and to use. The M Sport trim really makes the car feel so much different from the other lines. I have to say if there was no M Sport option I wouldn't consider the F30 at all.

I also loved the 335i engine. I was expecting it to be a bit lazy but surprised that the peak torque actually kicks in slightly earlier on the I6. Very smooth and obviously sounds a lot nicer at idle than the 328i.

Now to decide...328i M Sport, or 335 M Sport.

[sean10mm]

The power difference isn't *huge* , but no I4 will be as smooth or sound as good as an I6.

Keep in mind the 335i comes with bigger standard brakes than the 328i, and has some standard features that are options on the 328i, so the extra price isn't just the engine difference.

[F30AM]

Glad you've been smitten. Now try an F30 330d M Sport with Adaptive M Sport Suspension and you'll be in nirvana.

[JonoNZ]

Originally Posted by sean10mm

The power difference isn't *huge* , but no I4 will be as smooth or sound as good as an I6.

Keep in mind the 335i comes with bigger standard brakes than the 382i, and has some standard features that are options on the 328i, so the extra price isn't just the engine difference.

In NZ the 328i has the M Sport brakes and are they are both optioned fairly similarly, including wheels.

[sean10mm]

Originally Posted by JonoNZ

In NZ the 328i has the M Sport brakes and are they are both optioned fairly similarly, including wheels.

Then you're lucky bastards.

[MaestroAl]

Originally Posted by F30AM

Glad you've been smitten. Now try an F30 330d M Sport with Adaptive M Sport Suspension and you'll be in nirvana.

^This^