Test drives and driving impressions

[gregozedobe]

Thought I'd start the ball rolling, as I went for a few test drives today (I am thinking about buying a new car). Conditions started out wet, then gradually dried out. Feel free to ask questions, and please add your own impressions.

Golf GT TDI manual (less than 50Km) 2.0 125Kw TDI
Drove OK, some initial turbo lag, then gets going at about 2,000rpm. Plenty of torque, good acceleration (revs well for a diesel), quiet at cruise. Fairly restricted rev band compared with the turbo petrol motors. (and yes, I have a Transporter with a 2.5l TDI motor, so I know how to drive a diesel on the torque band).

Golf GTI manual (1,200Km) 2.0 TFSI 147Kw
Loved the response and power of the motor, good gearchange, nice supportive seats (but might be a bit tight if you are on the "solid" side). Ride was a bit jiggly/lumpy on less smooth roads. Handles well, nice feeling of connection with the car. The most fun to drive, but also probably the one most likely to blemish my "clean" driving record

Octavia RS Wagon manual (1,400Km) 2.0TFSI 147Kw
Best ride of these 4 (more absorbant, less jiggly and lumpy), more refined feeling than the others, less sporty, less involving and fun. Motor felt a bit soft, particularly at higher revs (nowhere near the zing of the GTI, despite both supposedly having the same motor). Good seats, with a bit more room but less support than the GTI seats.

Octavia manual hatch (20Km) 1.8TFSI 118Kw
Very, very impressive engine, pulls well at low revs, lifts well at higher revs, quiet the whole time. Noticed the engine seemed to lurch somewhat when I backed off the accelerator a bit quick, has anyone else noticed this ? The ride was a bit jiggly (nowhere near as good as the RS), this on standard suspension and 16 wheels. Seats were pretty ordinary compared with the other 3. Would be good to try out this engine with the sports suspension (supposedly the same as the RS suspension, but with 17" wheels instead of the 18" wheels the RS comes with, but my dealer said they won't get one until March 2008.

Overall impression - Cars have certainly progressed a lot in the 15 years since I last bought a new sedan ! The brakes were very sensitive in all 4 (I had to drastically re-educate my right foot). I liked the GTI best as a driving experience, but the RS wagon was probably the most practical for my purposes (and rode a lot better). The perennial head vs heart debate . I don't do many kms per year (mostly around town) so fuel economy isn't a big deal for me, but I do tend to keep my vehicles for a long time (typically 10 years or more), so I try to only buy ones I like enough to keep.

I would like to try a different RS out to see if it's engine performed more like the GTI I drove (I was promised that the GTI I drove had NOT been chipped ). Comments anyone ?

[SoVeReIgN]

Could have been a case of the Golf having more kms on it ??

Engines typically losen up after a short while - Not in full swing till about 10,000kms+ though.

[gregozedobe]

Could have been a case of the Golf having more kms on it ??

No, as I said, the GTI had done 1,200Km and the RS 1,400Km (both were demo cars, so these were probably pretty "hard" Kms), so I think it was a fair comparison. The 1.8T did have very low Kms on it, and it also revved more freely than the RS (and no, I didn't take it to the redline, I just couldn't bring myself to do that to such a green engine ).

[SoVeReIgN]

I don't mind me I totally missed that!

haha.

[mhh]

My suggestion is that you buy the GTI. You (and pretty much everyone else who has driven it) rate it as a great car. If I was buying one car to last me for 10 years and choosing from the field you have looked at, the GTI is it. On your list it is the only true classic.

All IMHO of course.

[phaeton]

Buy from the Heart

[gregozedobe]

Test Drive revisited

I decided I needed to take a Golf GTI and a (different) Octavia RS (378Km) for another drive to choose one or the other. This time it was dry and warm, and being a slow time for the salesman we were able to go for a longer drive in each, including a particularly gnarly, pock-marked, pot-holed stretch of road with lots of repairs and different textures (the southern section of the Sutton rd if any Canberrans are looking for a good test of ride and NVH).

I was again impressed with how well the Octavia rode on it's 18" michelins (significantly better than the GTI on 17" CSC2s). The GTI was distinctly "jiggly" on small, sharp undulations (but better on bigger bumps that made the suspension actually give a bit), where the same small bumps were hardly noticed in the Octavia.

The GTI gave the impression of being faster, but I don't think it was actually faster, just felt and sounded like it was because of the exhaust and engine noise. The GTI steering was possibly a fraction more responsive too.

The Octavia was definitely more relaxing to just cruise around in, but the GTI was more fun when you were driving a bit harder.

After reading this thread
http://www.golfmkv.com/forums/showthread.php?t=36751
I think it is quite possible the different tyres are the major contibuting factor to the different handling feel of the two cars.

Conclusion. The Octavia RS wagon is the one that best suits what I want, but I can see why some people would prefer the GTI.

[Splashalot]

Good feedback - thanks. Can you remember which Michelins were on the Octavia? PP2s?

SS

[gregozedobe]

Can you remember which Michelins were on the Octavia? PP2s? SS

I think it was something like Pilot Exaltos(?) (or some other weird "made-up" word like it). If I remember I'll jot it down next time I visit the dealer, which will probably in the near future to show the other half what a yellow RS looks like

[gregozedobe]

Can you remember which Michelins were on the Octavia? PP2s?

Took an Octavia RS demo hatch home tonight to check what the standard Hologen headlights are like (good, but not brilliant, so it looks like HID is the go for me).

The Tyres were "Michelin Pilot Exalto PE2 225/40 ZR18 92Y Extra Load Treadwear 240 Traction A Temperature A Made in France" (and a whole lot of other gobbledygook that I couldn't be bothered writing down, so that lot will have to do you curious types).

I've decided a 2008 build Octavia RS Wagon with Xenon lights in "Barney Banana" Yellow is the go, now I'll have to start negotiating price.