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      01-02-2013, 10:57 PM   #85
washout04
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Drives: Mini Cooper S
Join Date: Dec 2012
Location: Australia

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Quote:
Originally Posted by Antares View Post
I know; such things make one really angry


As for cars you've listed here, I can give you some first hand experience.

Mercedes A class
very cute car, real sugar.
I've driven it; with a diesel engine and the Automatic.
verdict? NO buy.
Why?
The chassis (undercarriage) is worth nothing; a VW Polo or a small Renault is better to drive. All the road imperfections are felt inside; uncomfortable. The wheels practically "read" the road to you. Mind, this was not the sport suspension.
The cabin insulation is strange; you get the feeling there is an opening somewhere where the drivers legs are, so that the road (wheels) noise can freely enter.
At the same point, the diesel engine is so noise insulated, you have no feeling of it. Coupled with a badly spaced tachometer, that is also somewhat not user friendly to read, you must use the speed limiter, if you want to avoid a speeding ticket in the city.
The Automatic should be remade.
Back seats are walled (small windows) and the rear window is a joke.

Volvo V40
Just leave it. Old Ford technology that gets recycled on an infinite basis. Where should they take hundreds of millions necessary for development?

VW Golf
The car is far nicer live than on photographs.
The interior is really new and great; I like it far above the Mercedes A and BMW 1.
Big glass surfaces all around make the car really pleasant; it feels bigger and not cramped.
It drives, or should I say glides along, in a calm manner. It's very quiet.
Perfect family car; you don't need more in a car (unless you would like to impress the neighbours with a 5 series from BMW) and would not want to have less.
Great feedback, particularily on the A class and V40 which were both tempting me.

So basically it comes down to the 1 series vs golf/A3. I think that while my head says golf, my heart says 1 series. The long bonnet, lower/sportier driving position will win the day I think. I also hate the idea of owning the most popular hatch around. So boring.

I think I will wait till march to make sure there isn't a front end change and then order the 125i with m-sport pack, adaptive suspension and maybe the auto, although it's a very expensive option at $3,000 in Aus.
Appreciate 0