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- Joined
- 8 Apr 2013
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- 2
OK this thread is a bit old here, but I am wondering what defines a "premium" car. Is it the badge no matter how low rent the product is, is it's reliability, is it's level of equipment or the price?
I would take a mid to high spec Golf over a BMW 1 series or Mercedes A class at the same priecepoint any day of the week. The MK6 Golf saw a huge jump in pricing at the higher end over the MK5 for very little extra (GT 170TDI to GTD saw a £4k hike for a few styling extras), but the new MK7 Golf is bristling with new tech as standard and looks a little better than the MK6 externally without the ridiculously oversized rear lights and it's sharper lines.
Compared to the BMW 1 series and Mercedes A Class the interior is massively better in equipment and materials in a Golf. The Golf may be safe/bland in it's looks but for many people the BMW1 series is offensively ugly and the Merc is just one of many VW Scirocco clones that doesn't look as good as the car it is mimicking. Line up the 3 cars and the Golf looks the best value, best specced and feels most solid. It also has amazing residuals. At the higher end, who would pick a Phaeton over a 7 series? Sticking a BMW or Merc badge on a small car that doesn't feel at all premium doesn't make it a premium car to me.
The Audi A3 is a very small step up in cabin quality from the Golf now (as the Golf has come a long way recently), but is very expensive to get to a reasonable spec - almost everything you'd want is an optional extra.
The most surprising thing I have seen with cars over the last year is that Alfa are prepared to give a 5 year warranty but the German big boys won't - so much for their own confidence in German reliability.
I would take a mid to high spec Golf over a BMW 1 series or Mercedes A class at the same priecepoint any day of the week. The MK6 Golf saw a huge jump in pricing at the higher end over the MK5 for very little extra (GT 170TDI to GTD saw a £4k hike for a few styling extras), but the new MK7 Golf is bristling with new tech as standard and looks a little better than the MK6 externally without the ridiculously oversized rear lights and it's sharper lines.
Compared to the BMW 1 series and Mercedes A Class the interior is massively better in equipment and materials in a Golf. The Golf may be safe/bland in it's looks but for many people the BMW1 series is offensively ugly and the Merc is just one of many VW Scirocco clones that doesn't look as good as the car it is mimicking. Line up the 3 cars and the Golf looks the best value, best specced and feels most solid. It also has amazing residuals. At the higher end, who would pick a Phaeton over a 7 series? Sticking a BMW or Merc badge on a small car that doesn't feel at all premium doesn't make it a premium car to me.
The Audi A3 is a very small step up in cabin quality from the Golf now (as the Golf has come a long way recently), but is very expensive to get to a reasonable spec - almost everything you'd want is an optional extra.
The most surprising thing I have seen with cars over the last year is that Alfa are prepared to give a 5 year warranty but the German big boys won't - so much for their own confidence in German reliability.
![[TW]Fox](/data/man-of-honor/2009.png){kind=avatar}
just seems like a slightly modified GTI. At least the old mk4 and 5 R32 were a bit more "special" with the VR6 engine.