Why would anyone buy the Audi? Why not the cheaper Volkswagen?

[Kowalski]

So..there I was pottering around the Audi USA Website, and then I decided to build "my A3 2.0 Turbo DSG".

I added just about every available option, including Brilliant Black colour, Sport Comfort Seats, 18-inch alloy wheels and the S-Line package.
In the end, the Audi Hatchback that started costing $26.820.00 ended-up costing a rather whopping $35.970.00.

Then, I decided to pay the Volkswagen USA website a visit and build "my own GTI 5-door 2.0T".

Again, I added just about every available option (except the tacky "ground effect kit", "Sports and the other Roof racks" and those "boot storage trays"), including Candy White colour, DSG Gearbox, chromed mirror caps, heated washer nozzles, Hufeisen 18-inch alloy wheels, Leather Seats, GTI Floor Mats and DVD Sat Nav.

In the end, the VeeDub that started at $22.720.00 ended up costing $29.855.00.

That's a difference of $6.115.00 between the Audi vs the VW.

Why would you spent the extra $6.115.00 in a car, that is basically exactly the same as the $6.115.00 cheaper car? Because of the 4-rings badge??? For the same money as the Audi, you could get the $35.131.00 Jetta GLI 2.0T DSG with the same level of equipment as the GTI, either in black magic or candy white colour.

You could argue the difference between a prestigious badge to a plebeian one is only $839; the A3 is a more practical car because it is a 5-door hatchback and you would be right saying so. Thing is though, if you have a family, then the saloon would be more handy, think what the $839 could do in your family budget in the end of the month.

 

[Yperion]

So from what i can understand the A3 and the Jetta are considered to be the same?
And why buy the Jetta and not the cheaper Skoda Octavia?

If Audi is considered to be the same with VW then VW can be considered to be the same with Skoda.

Seriously now two different guys , the one is a mechanic at my local Audi-VW dealer and the other one works for the central VW-Audi representative in Greece , have told me that the build quality and reliabilty of Audi is much better than VW's.
Of course i knew that already.

 

[Kowalski]

Yannis...are you mad at me?


Correct if I'm wrong, but the current Golf and A3 share the same PQ35 platform. So different body styles aside they are nearly the same animals underneath, right?

 

[Choleric]

Why buy a Lincoln when you can get a Ford or Mercury?

Why by a Chrysler when you can buy a Dodge?

Why buy a Lexus when you can by a Toyota?

Why buy a Infiniti when you can buy a Nissan?

Why buy a Acura when you can buy a Honda?

To me Audi has better build quality than VW especially in the interior, and they are more stately. I would happily pay $6K more for an Audi.

 

[Bruce]

I can understand Kowalski's point. However, I also agree with Jeff who said you could say the same for many other car companies. In certain cases, I might be inclined to choice the less prestigious brand - although not here.

If I had the extra cash to buy the A3 I most certainly would. Not only because I feel it's better built with a better interior, but because I prefer it's exterior.

 

[Poverty]

So..there I was pottering around the Audi USA Website, and then I decided to build "my A3 2.0 Turbo DSG".

I added just about every available option, including Brilliant Black colour, Sport Comfort Seats, 18-inch alloy wheels and the S-Line package.
In the end, the Audi Hatchback that started costing $26.820.00 ended-up costing a rather whopping $35.970.00.

Then, I decided to pay the Volkswagen USA website a visit and build "my own GTI 5-door 2.0T".

Again, I added just about every available option (except the tacky "ground effect kit", "Sports and the other Roof racks" and those "boot storage trays"), including Candy White colour, DSG Gearbox, chromed mirror caps, heated washer nozzles, Hufeisen 18-inch alloy wheels, Leather Seats, GTI Floor Mats and DVD Sat Nav.

In the end, the VeeDub that started at $22.720.00 ended up costing $29.855.00.

That's a difference of $6.115.00 between the Audi vs the VW.

Why would you spent the extra $6.115.00 in a car, that is basically exactly the same as the $6.115.00 cheaper car? Because of the 4-rings badge??? For the same money as the Audi, you could get the $35.131.00 Jetta GLI 2.0T DSG with the same level of equipment as the GTI, either in black magic or candy white colour.

You could argue the difference between a prestigious badge to a plebeian one is only $839; the A3 is a more practical car because it is a 5-door hatchback and you would be right saying so. Thing is though, if you have a family, then the saloon would be more handy, think what the $839 could do in your family budget in the end of the month.

why buy the VW when you can get a more powerful seat leon cupra for less.....

 

[Poverty]

Yannis...are you mad at me?


Correct if I'm wrong, but the current Golf and A3 share the same PQ35 platform. So different body styles aside they are nearly the same animals underneath, right?

My ibiza and my friends polo run the same chassis yet drive and handle very differently. A fair few of the suspension parts are completely different also!

My car handles better, is cheaper to service, more powerful, sportier and is faster. Yet it cost a whopping £1000 less

VW interior quality is better through and the car will have better residuals

 

[wltsm]

Our passat that we recently got feels very good quality, the doors shut with a very expensive sound, and everything works well. Comparing it to the A4, which are the same in terms of pricing, the passat is much larger and have more equipment for the same amount of money, I really don't know why I'd get the A4!

The passat is newer, a much safer car, and larger, what's the A4 got that makes it worth so much more??? Seeing as Audi and VW share engines and as much other stuff as possible, I don't understand how an Audi could be more reliable. Skodas may be cheaper than VWs, but you can tell that's the case, and that's why I'm not talking about them in this post!

 

[Kowalski]

My point is, there are many overshadowed bargains out there and they worth serious consideration.

In no absolute way, I'm trying to say one is better than another, I am just pointing out that for the same money as an A3, you can get a Jetta or Golf GTI with the same 2.0 Turbo engine and DSG gearbox as the A3.

-The GTI is 6k cheaper.

-The Jetta GLI is a larger car.

In the end, is all down to which one feels the best.

 

[PanterroR]

I think they (you mentioned) drive very similar as well, but the difference in overall build quality (i'm not talking about interiors only) is significant. Audi can share with VW whatever they want, but the difference is there and obvious.

Anyhow, the price difference is crazy for sure. Kowalski does have a point, but here's how i look on that: most people lease their cars (speaking about my country and myself) and buying a car of 29 or 35k won't make too much difference concerning your monthly annuity. Pay 50€ monthly more and drive a fully loaded Audi. 50€ ain't some BIG money after all, afaic. Oh, i'm talking about 7 years of leasing, that's what most people do here, so did i. You can of course (if you have good relationship - aka paying monthly annuity on time) change the contract after 2 years and buy a brand new car without problems. I know with conditions they offer me i don' think i'll ever buy a car for cash or any other way.

 

[phaeton]

Well I would buy the VW badge anyday over the Audi but I'm a VW "Fruitloop" Enthusiast

Although there are some things Audi does better eg TT, R8 (A8/S8 for the more sportiness over Phaeton), some of the S & RS series of cars.

Now I would be seriously tempted by the Skoda equivalent of whatever VW its against.

Also these days, very slowly SEAT, Skoda, VW & Audi have different design languages so it depends on your bank account, what design you like.

Obviously the more you spend in the VW Group the better eg the Quality and Prestige.

 

[Yperion]

Yannis...are you mad at me?
Correct if I'm wrong, but the current Golf and A3 share the same PQ35 platform. So different body styles aside they are nearly the same animals underneath, right?

Lol , i 'm not mad.

Even if two cars share the same platform that doesn't mean that they are the same.
My brother has a 2007 Audi A3 and compared to the VW Golf the build quality (including paint , exterior plastic parts, seats , air con , cd player ect.) is at least one step above.
If you sit in both cars the difference is very clear.

Of course if we compare a brand new model like the Passat with (soon to be replaced) Audi A4 , it's obvious that the Passat will have better safety features , more interior space ect. but the luxury feel , the build quality and the attention to detail in the Audi are still superior.

 

[Mr. M]

I do see your point Kowalski, and for the same issue I ruffled a little of Martinbo's feathers about the A3 vs. GTI debate...

Some may see it as a waste of money paying so much more for the A3 (believe me, the price premium here for the A3 2.0T is so much more), but I do see the merits of an Audi. The A3's interior is remiscent of its more expensive brothers. It shares its gauges with the A6, its air-conditioning controls with the rest of the Audi lineup and of course, its quality is top-notch.

Whereas for the GTI, its lineage includes the sensible affordable family car, the Golf, and the Jetta. It feels like a less premium product than the A3. I have heard of many GTI owners experiencing rattles in their cars, as well as minor problems with the electronics etc, so from what I see the Golf does have more problems than the A3. I've heard nothing from the A3 camp at all, there have been no reliability problems.

Still, I was at the Audi dealer a while ago, and for what they were asking for in price, the car simply wasn't a worthy proposition. The car's plastics just felt a little softer and its gauges/controls more tactile and fancy, but it had less supportive seats and didn't feel anymore well-built than the GTI.

If you ask me, given a million dollars, I'd still pick a GTI over a A3 SB 2.0TFSI.

 

[Centurion]

I do see your point Kowalski, and for the same issue I ruffled a little of Martinbo's feathers about the A3 vs. GTI debate...

Some may see it as a waste of money paying so much more for the A3 (believe me, the price premium here for the A3 2.0T is so much more), but I do see the merits of an Audi. The A3's interior is remiscent of its more expensive brothers. It shares its gauges with the A6, its air-conditioning controls with the rest of the Audi lineup and of course, its quality is top-notch.

Whereas for the GTI, its lineage includes the sensible affordable family car, the Golf, and the Jetta. It feels like a less premium product than the A3. I have heard of many GTI owners experiencing rattles in their cars, as well as minor problems with the electronics etc, so from what I see the Golf does have more problems than the A3. I've heard nothing from the A3 camp at all, there have been no reliability problems.

Still, I was at the Audi dealer a while ago, and for what they were asking for in price, the car simply wasn't a worthy proposition. The car's plastics just felt a little softer and its gauges/controls more tactile and fancy, but it had less supportive seats and didn't feel anymore well-built than the GTI.

If you ask me, given a million dollars, I'd still pick a GTI over a A3 SB 2.0TFSI.

Same here. Although I like the A3 I have and will always be negative too hatchbacks priced at over 30k. In this GTI vs A3 debate I stand behind the GTI. But in general you get what you pay for, for the 6k more you get a much better interior, better reliability and heck even better design.

 

[Merc1]

Oooh a meaty thread.

Well I'm not so sure I buy that and Audi is better "built" than a VW. What I do know or at least seem to see as the differences between the two is that Audis have better materials and finishes. This is on top of VW's what are already better than most other cars in their respective classes, but in actual physical build I'd say it is pretty much the same between an A3 and a GTI. Of course an A6 or A8 is built better than a Passat or Jetta, so don't get me wrong here.

As far as why buy this or why buy that? I'm going to use Choleric' earlier post to break this one out.

Why buy a Lincoln when you can get a Ford or Mercury?

There is absolutely no real differenc between a Ford and a Mercury. Mercury has to be the most redundant brand on the U.S. market at this point. The only reason it isn't killed off is because Lincoln dealers couldn't survive without it. Mercurys are nothing more than Fords with better grilles and more interior chrome. Now the Lincoln variant usually has a higher quality interior (ugly as hell though!), pretty much like what you get when going from a VW to an Audi. Lincoln, like Audi shares much of (actually) all of their engines with Ford, so Audis are more exclusive in that regard overall since Audis and VWs don't have the same engines up and down their respective lines like Lincolns and Fords do. What is worse yet is that Lincoln doesn't even tune their version for more power.

Why by a Chrysler when you can buy a Dodge

Different look, thats it. Everything else is the same, right down the interiors minus a precious few trim items. You guys might not remember or know about Plymouth, but it was pretty much like Mercury. Thank goodness they killed it off.

Why buy a Lexus when you can by a Toyota?

This used to be a valid point in my old Lexus vs MB wars on different site, but now Lexus is seperate car in chassis and engine in most cases. The only exception as far as their cars go is the ES350 which is pretty much a nicer Camry right down the few extra hp it gets from the same engine. Now Lexus SUVs are another story, all of them are nothing but Toyotas in drag especially the new LX model, now the LX570...a Toyota Land Crusier in drag.

Why buy a Infiniti when you can buy a Nissan

Somewhat the same case as Lexus. Infinitis used to be nothing more than Nissans in drag. The Senta/G20, Maxima/I30/I35, Cedric-Gloria/our first generation M45, but now things have changed. All Infiniti car models are seperate cars except in the case of the G35/G37 which shares its chassis with the Nissan 350Z, but you wouldn't know it unless someone told you. Their trucks are a mix and match, the FX is a on the Z platform, while the QX56 is nothing more than a Nissan Armada with a big ole grille and wood trim, just like the Lincoln Navigator is a Ford Expedition with a big ole grille and better leather and wood trim. No difference in build quality, read- both brands are cheaply made compared to Lexus. Infinitis unlike Lexuses seems to have same rough edges Nissans have, while what little roughness there might be in a Toyota (arguable there is none) is buffed and thubbed away in a Lexus.

Why buy a Acura when you can buy a Honda?

Acuras are nothing more than fancy Hondas and/or rebadges of cars you guys in Europe know as Hondas. Acura wonders why they can't sell the RL here in the U.S. no one wants a 50K Accord-based luxury car!

____________________________________________________

Then also here in the U.S. there is the luxury car dealer vs regular car dealer factor in play when deciding between Audi and VW. Especially Audi and VW. VW dealers are consistantly ranked the worst going while Audi's are rated pretty much at the opposite end of the scale. Same thing with Lexus dealers vs Toyota dealers. Toyota buyers love their relaibility and all but they don't love their dealers. We all know how Lexus buyers feel about their dealers. Never seen a group of people so happy about a freaking dealership!

I personally want a Jetta so I'd go for a Jetta GLI over the A3 and also because I don't really care for hatchbacks.

Lastly we really don't know (without sawing the cars in half) what VW takes out of their cars underneath or what components are of lower grade compared to the Audi. Ditto for all companies that share platforms/chassis etc. Apart from things like suspension pieces done in aluminum in the expensive car compared to steel in the cheaper one, what else do they alter to get the same chassis down the VW prices? A pretty good example of this was what Chrysler did to the old W210 E-Class platform to turn it into the LX cars (300/Magnun/Charger), which is where I remember reading that about the suspension on the Chryslers were done in iron compared to aluminum for the Benzes. Cheaper seat frames, etc. etc. Ford did some of the same things when they took the Volvo S80's platform and made it into the 500...now new Taurus. Something has to give somewhere, anyone have any internal documents...lol???

M

 

[Giannis]

the build quality and reliabilty of Audi is much better than VW's

Well said! Actually it's the basic and only main answer to Kowalsi's question, which i may add, have asked to myself a million times! So thanks Kowalski for bringing it up!

In the same way, why buy a Volvo when you can get a Mondeo, since both cars have the same platform? Well, the answer is obvious...

 

[PanterroR]

In the same way, why buy a Volvo when you can get a Mondeo, since both cars have the same platform? Well, the answer is obvious...

...Mondeo is a better car!

 

[Giannis]

Mondeo is a better car

Yeah, right...
That's why a base S60 cost's more than 20.000eur more than a Mondeo here