Hi All, probably not the best place to post this but I'm thinking of moving on from my MK3 vRS TDI. Having recently bought a Kodiaq TSI DSG for my wife its cemented the idea in my head of another petrol and ideally DSG. 

Have any of you gone from vRS TDI to any of the hot hatches in the VAG stable I am considering:
 

• Golf R
• Leon Cupra
• Audi S3

I've driven the Golf R and a manual Leon and despite the low-rent interior I actually prefered the feel of the FWD Leon. Just wondered if anyone had gone from TDI to TSI on a similar platform and if after a while they feel very similar and I should go for something else like a 2/3/435i or S5. 

Thanks!

No but I'm tempted to go from a TSI VRS hatch to a Leon Cupra 4drive estate. Same platform still but more power + 4wd is appealing.

 

If you don't do the mileage to warrant the diesel, then petrol makes far more sense.

I do a decent amount of miles (15-20k) but my TDI has depreciated as quickly since owning it as when I was leasing it so the extra fuel cost is offset by slightly better residuals on the options I'm considering (man maths). I ran a Lexus IS-F alongside my TDI last year and really miss the sense of occasion and noise/power. I don't have room for a 2 car combo anymore due to other vehicles so it needs to be a good all rounder. 

 I've had a few diesel vrs's prior to my (now ex) Leon Cupra and the difference is night and day. The progressive steering and LSD also handle the power well but you are liable to get wheel spin in some of the higher gears if the conditions aren't spot on.

That's what persuaded me to get the 4wd SUV version lol.

BTW I was getting about 30mpg and there may have been some extra assistance involved too.

Was your Leon manual or DSG? Whatever I buy will probably be receiving some extra assistance too lol. I drove a stock manual Cupra, had reservations how it would cope compared to DSG?

Went from a v6TDI to a 220TSI vRS. Mapped the vRS to c.300bhp, but still prefer my 230 GTI. Drove lots of R’s, but I personally find 2wd more involving and don’t really need 4wd (still fancy it though!).

V6 was auto, but the vRS and GTI are both DQ250 DSG’s.

 

Gaz

Edited 4 July, 20196 yr by V6TDI

mr @Jaco2k did this to go to a 4drive Cupra estate...

 

 - Bret

36 minutes ago, Liggy said:

Was your Leon manual or DSG? Whatever I buy will probably be receiving some extra assistance too lol. I drove a stock manual Cupra, had reservations how it would cope compared to DSG?

DSG is the way to go - it makes for effortless driving!

5 minutes ago, brettikivi said:

mr @Jaco2k did this to go to a 4drive Cupra estate...

 

 - Bret

 

Having driven it and seen it in action, I think you have a pretty good idea why

On the Manual vs DSG debacle, I have driven manual cars all my life and am almost anti-automatic but...

...having no other gearbox option for the Cupra Estate 4drive, I went along and... I can say that I have embraced it fully.

It has different qualities from a Manual box, but having dealt with tuned cars before and the need to upgrade clutches, everything pointed me to a DSG box being a better option on a car you plan to tune (which I do...)

I looked at both the Cupra 4drive and Golf R estate before 'settling' for the Superb 280.  Though if I had the choice again I'd forget VW and toss up between a Hyundai i30N or Civic Type R (obvs both manual though) 

 

Out of the two (Cupra/Golf) I preferred the Golf as the quality just seemed a step up and it seemed more polished and civilised to drive (normally).  Ultimately my wife put her foot down and said no to the Golf R as we personally know two people who have been burgled for the keys to their's, I had nowhere to go with that argument.   Having previously owned a Seat Leon ST FR (TDI) I fancied something different and just swapped my TDI Sportline for the TSI.  Admittedly my Leon never put a foot wrong in 3.5 years.  Remapped from near enough new and not a single fault!

 

I'm so glad I swapped from TDI to TSI though. The EA888 engine in any guise is brilliant and even better with DSG. 

1 minute ago, Jaco2k said:

On the Manual vs DSG debacle, I have driven manual cars all my life and am almost anti-automatic but...

...having no other gearbox option for the Cupra Estate 4drive, I went along and... I can say that I have embraced it fully.

It has different qualities from a Manual box, but having dealt with tuned cars before and the need to upgrade clutches, everything pointed me to a DSG box being a better option on a car you plan to tune (which I do...)

Same here, my IS-F changed my mind about a decent auto and the latest 7 speed DSG in the wifes car is brilliant. I drove a vRS 230 DSG and it didn't feel any different to my TDI with DTUK box so is not really a worthy 'upgrade' in stock form hence thinking of the others that are lighter to start with. 

1 minute ago, penguin17 said:

I looked at both the Cupra 4drive and Golf R estate before 'settling' for the Superb 280.  Though if I had the choice again I'd forget VW and toss up between a Hyundai i30N or Civic Type R (obvs both manual though) 

 Superb 280 probably a bit OTT for us now with having the Kodiaq, although I'd forgotten about them. Its funny you should mention the i30N and Civic - they are exactly the two I'd be looking at with a larger budget! 

The Superb is a different type of car... Love them, but they are really a motorway cruiser.

The Superb is a different type of car... Love them, but they are really a motorway cruiser.

6 minutes ago, Jaco2k said:

The Superb is a different type of car... Love them, but they are really a motorway cruiser.

The Superb is a different type of car... Love them, but they are really a motorway cruiser.

Indeed, still 'capable' on a B road but they are biased towards comfort.  The Sportline with lower/stiffer suspension makes things much more tolerable (the standard setup is very wallowy!) but the Golf R and Cupra are much more focussed and sharp.  

 

For 90% of the time I find the 280 perfect but for that other 10% I would prefer something a little more hardcore.  With a Civic Type R I'd spend 90% of the time worrying people could actually see me driving it and then 10% of the time not giving a f**k because I turned my smile up to 11. 

Edited 4 July, 20196 yr by penguin17

I went from a Mk2 Octy TDI to a MK7 Golf GTipp DSG and loved the difference in power and comfort but very quickly regretted not going for the MK7 R so I took the hit and traded for a new DSG R and have never looked back.  The R feels more planted than the GTi and grips far better - no more front axle tramp - just goes, its a mini super car, the GTi might be quicker when driven by a professional driver but for most of us the R  just monsters it - I took both cars round Bedford in similar conditions and I was 15 second a lap faster in the R.  On the road the extra grip and performance of the 4wd system gives a security and confidence you will never get from FWD motor.

 

Surprisingly low insurance - less than the Octy - but much lower MPG, if MPG is an issue the GTi will do 5+ more mpg on average.

 

Lastly suggest you go for an R with DCC and upgraded Audio and be prepared to never stop smiling.

20 hours ago, octavia5 said:

Lastly suggest you go for an R with DCC and upgraded Audio and be prepared to never stop smiling.

The Cupra has it as standard IMMSMC.

Have a bit of (2 gen old) car porn to help you make your decision.

 

Edited 5 July, 20196 yr by john999boy
Typo

Went form a 2.0 diesel manual to a 1.8 petrol DSG, (again because it was the only gearbox). No regrets here

 

DSG although not completely without fault won me over very quickly. Would not have a manual in a daily driver now. Petrol is quiet, smooth and warms up amazingly quickly. The 1.8 is capable of making progress down the road as fast as I would ever want to go in most circumstances. Haldex 5 is the icing on the cake

 

I have a long list of things I would like to do to this car but the main reason I haven't is it works so well just as it is.

On 04/07/2019 at 14:05, john999boy said:

DSG is the way to go - it makes for effortless driving!

And boring uninvolved driving. A hot hatch MUST be manual 🤓

On 04/07/2019 at 14:05, john999boy said:

DSG is the way to go - it makes for effortless driving!

 

5 minutes ago, teescom09 said:

And boring uninvolved driving. A hot hatch MUST be manual 🤓

I'm glad that we agree on what effortless driving is!