Just browsing Autocar again and read this review of the new Mk 7 golf.

Being the boggo verison is has a torsion bar rear suspension and basic trim levels. You get a taher athsmatic 1.6 TDI engine with only 104 bhp. All this for the bargain price of just over 20K. WTF.

http://www.autocar.co.uk/car-review/first-drives/first-drive-review-volkswagen-golf-16-tdi-s

Why oh why would you pick this over a Skoda. For the same 20k i got a brand new CR TDI VRS Estate with DSG.

DSG > Manual (IMO)

170bhp > 104bhp

Multilink rear suspension > Torsion Beam

Octavia Estate > Golf ( In terms of interior space )

VRS Spec i.e body trim and interior styling > "S" trim on golf = absolutely bog all toys and nice looking bits.

18" Alloys > 15" Castors.

Golf has the newer platform but really how would that make your day to day life any better and it certainly doesnt offset every other area where the golf basically has less.

Even if the platform is so good that it could make the difference then the new octy will have this and still be better value than this golf.

Surely badge snobbery cannot overwhelm this massive gulf between two cars for the same money. I can understand the kudos of owning a Golf R but not a Golf S.

Because it's a Golf.

VAG need to earn money and have a selection of brands in the marketplace which they need to keep in seperate price brackets for different people who care about badge image.

People are sheep, they place ridiculous faith/loyalty in certain brands, when the distinctive quality of that brand over others expired long ago

Mine should have been £24k , oh it's a golf and its built better ? Heads down here come the flak

Edited 30 January, 201313 yr by seboni121

People are sheep, they place ridiculous faith/loyalty in certain brands, when the distinctive quality of that brand over others expired long ago

*cough* Skoda *cough*

Chris

I can see me keeping the VRS a long time. I struggle to see the value for money in most cars right now.

It's gone that way with new Clio we have a brand new Clio dynamiuqe S in our show room with a 1.5dci 86bhp engine and sat nav.

£16,750 that's Fabia vrs money.

The new Renault sport Clio will be £23k

The new Renault sport Clio will be £23k

Doh! Serious cash, was deciding between that and a new ibiza cupra potentially but that might just have put me off :(

Facelift Cupra is 18.5k

Drive the deal atm do a the Fabia vRS at under 16k.

Same car, but the Fabia is fugly

It all comes down to branding, badge snobbery and sheep syndrome IMO- the equivelent of 'keeping up with the Jones's' or in my case if I come up behind them in their £20k golf in my luverly £18k vRS 'waiting for the Jones's', then 'Passing the Jones's' (when it's safe to do so of course)

If people want to buy another brand and pay more for less I'm happy with that, similarly if people want to pay loads more for a better car I'm happy with that too.

Wouldn't be so happy if I found someone who'd bought a better car for less though.... Not intending on holding my breath waiting for a reply at this point.............

Things like this are aimed at people like my neighbours lol, a common phrase to me is you must be crazy to be driving round in all those 20 plus year old cars, my reply, no mat you are the crazy one paying 600 quid a month for a car you will never own..... ( big BMW, mercedes and Audi sheep)

Two real reasons most of the Mk7 golfs actually come with a fairly reasonable list of equipment ok its nit got everything and the extras are more.

But the biggest is its just a nicer place to sit, and people look at you diffrently if you have a skoda vrs or a golf as to anyone who a car is a box to move from a to b in a golf is better automatically. The truth is its about the percieved value and on that alone any golf is worth more than any skoda.

So basically the badge snobbery is still evident.

Saying that i read there is only £400 between the golf and octavia at base spec models.

Facelift Cupra is 18.5k

Drive the deal atm do a the Fabia vRS at under 16k.

Same car, but the Fabia is fugly

Different chassis too, I think.

Fabia is the old one and IIRC the new ibiza is the newer chassis.

If you want vw quality in a skoda you have too go back to the mk1 Octavia IMO that car was as good as any vw , however the vw has just got better and better,I agree the skoda is a very good quality and not a great deal of difference but there is a difference, and as previous post not much in financial terms either so if there's only a couple of £100 difference between base models ( new) however a skoda doesn't keep its residuals as well as a vw so you will snap up a much better bargain between a 2/3 year old skoda Octavia and a golf

Two real reasons most of the Mk7 golfs actually come with a fairly reasonable list of equipment ok its nit got everything and the extras are more.

But the biggest is its just a nicer place to sit, and people look at you diffrently if you have a skoda vrs or a golf as to anyone who a car is a box to move from a to b in a golf is better automatically. The truth is its about the percieved value and on that alone any golf is worth more than any skoda.

Pretty stupid buying a car to appeal to other people who only see a car as a mode of transport. Thats like cutting your nose off to spite your face. Likewise any perceived value that these "A to B" type people think a car has is irrelevant as they know nothing about cars in the 1st place. It basically equates to badge snobbery and a bit of badge ignornance. Plus id rather have real value as opposed to perceived value.

If you want vw quality in a skoda you have too go back to the mk1 Octavia IMO that car was as good as any vw , however the vw has just got better and better,I agree the skoda is a very good quality and not a great deal of difference but there is a difference, and as previous post not much in financial terms either so if there's only a couple of £100 difference between base models ( new) however a skoda doesn't keep its residuals as well as a vw so you will snap up a much better bargain between a 2/3 year old skoda Octavia and a golf

Have the new octy prices been announced yet? Would be interested to see what they are. You have to rememebr the octy is a bigger car so that alone offsets the badge deficit some what.

Is the octy bigger than a golf ? I haven't had the honour of being in the newer model , I had the mk1 and that was awesome but I came from fabia too the golf so I can't really judge, however the golf was £10k more so not fair comparison, but I've driven the polo and too be honest the vw polo is a slightly better car , but there again the skoda is closer to my heart, I would probably part ex the golf for an L&K tomorrow if wifey let me

It must be a better car, becuase it costs more.

How much is a basic A3 ? more than the Golf ? then the Audi musy be better than the Golf, becuase it costs more

The a3 and base golf are the same price nearly I think the golf is slightly more ?

Edited 30 January, 201313 yr by seboni121

I wouldn't mind so much except at trade in time the dealers look at your mint 2-3yr £20k car suck their teeth and say "nah mate worth **** all now".

Then put in on the forecourt for £500 less than a new one.

I'm skunnered with cars. I'd drive a classic except I actually need to get to work and SWMBO gets all uppity when I mention bikes.

Edited 30 January, 201313 yr by Aspman

Aspman mine won't let me have a bike either

Aspman mine won't let me have a bike either

I'm finding the Brisky Bikers thread particularly painful right now. Like being an ex-smoker in a tobacconists.

At one time I used to have the bike in the parlour

Like this one with these on it