Almost two years ago the lease on my BMW 3 Series was up, so I purchased a Chevy Camaro V6 which I rather enjoyed. However interest rates are in the toilet right now, and I realized that if I traded, I could pick up a new car with a new warranty, get something more economical, and score a lower interest rate that would make my car payment considerably less.
After doing my usual research I noticed that just about every review of the VW GTI (or VW Golf GTI in Europe) was very positive. Even a reviewer for Consumer Reports did a whole You Tube video about the GTI being the car he would buy if he were personally making a purchase.
Intrigued by all the good reviews, even ones made by Americans who would normally shun a hatchback I took a test drive. I suspected that the drop from 312HP of my Camaro to 200HP in the VW would be a bit of an issue. But the lighter smaller car made the 200HP more than enough, delivering exciting, fun and impressive road manners.
In fact considering this was almost a downgrade for me, the VW being $4,000 cheaper than what I paid for the Camaro, it actually felt like an upgrade. The materials in the GTI put the Camaro to shame, it really does feel as upscale as a decent Audi. The steering is a perfect weight. The automatic gearbox is a dual clutch system so efficient it outperforms a stick shift in both fuel economy and 0-60 times, despite being a shade heavier. The DSG provides paddle shifters for manual mode, a sports mode which is pretty aggressive, and a regular D mode for better fuel economy. But shifts are as fast (1/10th of a second) and smooth as any automatic I have ever driven.
My old car only had a year of warranty left, had a major crack and chip in the windshield, and so I decided that switching cars now would give me three more years of warranty, free servicing for three years, save me from having to replace that windshield at an insurance deduction of $250, and save me on gas, since the GTI is capable of 32 MPG and even in mixed driving is going to score better than the Camaro.
Despite the logic of the move I was a little skeptical that the dealer could pull off a deal that would lower my payment sufficiently. Kelly Blue Book and the dealer's Black Book both gave me disappointing numbers for my trade. Yet when I came to working the numbers, the first deal the salesman presented was actually far better than I had imagined. In fact the impulsive side of me told me to just sign the papers. But I kept my poker face and told him I needed to see a better deal. To my astonishment the salesman returned with an offer of $1,000 more than any trade appraisal I had seen on my trade, along with invoice price for the new car. Oh, and the interest rate was excellent too. When all was said and done my car payment dropped $120 a month. Too good a deal to walk away from, so I took it.
It's still early days for the VW. Far too early to write about reliability and quality. But as of right now, I can say that the car is way more fun than the Camaro. More comfortable driving position, better seats, better driving position, better visibility, better fuel economy (although admittedly it uses premium, so the savings will not be out of this world), easier parking, and so on. It's just a superior car that manages to feel way more expensive without compromise.
Sure, I'll miss the head up display of the Camaro, but the clean black and white gauges with the precision German red needles look way better than the Camaro's retro greenish dash illumination. I don't regret my ownership of the Chevy, but for now I want to head in a different direction.
Another thing that impresses with the GTI is the attention to detail. Peer into the headlights and you'll see that the diffuser is a VW logo. When the doors are locked the illumination changes to let you know. VW took the time to trim the window rockers and mirror adjusters with aluminum. The Bluetooth downloads your address book and then can simply respond to verbal commands like, "Call John Smith on his cellphone" without any prior training, set up or programming. It just works.
As the many reviews will tell you, the GTI is not the fastest hot hatch out there. So if out and out power, handling, or 0-60 is key for you, then this is the wrong car. But the GTI wins out not because of specs on paper, it is what the sum of all its components equal.
I really feel like I got a very upscale and quality car, at a bargain basement price, and thus far I'm very happy. I'll post again when I have logged a few more miles in this thing!
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