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RE: New jetta opinion poll... GLX or Wolfsburg?
A little background here...I used to own an '83 320i, now I own a '97 Jetta
GLX. I've driven the Mk4 Golf/Jetta as well as a '01 323ci convertible.
Taken many rides in various Mk1, Mk2, Mk3, Mk4, E30, E36, E46, etc etc.
Bill first of all it looks like you are comparing the Mk3 to the E46.
Understandable, since you are moving from one to the other. Of course the
BMW is going to be better. It's also nearly twice the price. I would think
that a Jetta is much better car than a Hyundai Accent. I would also think
that a Porsche 996 Turbo is a much better car than a BMW 3 series. 150%?
200%? Who knows, can't really put a number on things like that. But I will
say that as far as the interior and the sound system, the Mk4 is pretty
darned close in quality to the E46.
Ok let's talk performance. On paper, yes the BMW beats the Jetta in every
category. But why do you keep talking track? Don't get me wrong, I love
racing too. In fact I did some laps in my Jetta at Lime Rock just this past
Friday. But 99.99% of drivers don't go to the track 99.99% of the time. Face
it, production cars are designed for the street, and on the street the
performance margin between the 3 series and the Jetta is negligible. Hell,
even if you do wanna talk track, I bet I can take a Jetta to within a second
or two of a 3 series' lap times. And that sure ain't a 150% difference :)
To me, both the Jetta and the 3 series are good cars for the money. But even
if I had the money I probably wouldn't buy a BMW. Why? Because, like it or
not, most BMW owners *are* snobbish and believe they are better than
everyone else. :P
All that said, my next planned purchase will be a BMW, sort of: a '02 Mini
Cooper S. Let's see you take on that little bugger at the track :)
Kevin Ng
97 Jetta GLX Windsor Blue
-----Original Message-----
From: Bill Hussey [SMTP:list_squid@hotmail.com]
Sent: Wednesday, April 18, 2001 9:20 AM
To: jettaglx@igtc.com
Subject: Re: New jetta opinion poll... GLX or Wolfsburg?
Ok, fit/finish and quality of interior materials and look ... EASILY
150%
better. Audio .. I don't really know, I've never cranked the stereo
in
either a BMW or my Jetta, I love music, I'm just now into cranking
it.
Sound levels? I don't know if the new Jetta's have addressed this,
but with
my current '98, road noises coming through the cabin is one of my
BIGGEST
complaints! There are rattles everywhere, a lot of wind noise above
70mph,
tire noise is abundant (I originally thought it was the Goodyears.
Put
Potenzas on and it helped, but not as much as I would've liked).
Safety ...
4 airbags standard and you need to go watch the video that comes
standard
with every BMW .. they're phenomenal. 30mpg is not too hard to
achieve with
the 2.5 litre inline-6 that earns the 3 series LEV status while
putting out
184 HP (advertised, in actuality, it's a marketing move to make the
330 look
better, 323/325s typically make 165-170HP at the rear wheels and
still
maintaining a beefier bottom-end and midrange than the under-powered
VR6).
Now .. I put those points out there simply because you asked, but
that's not
where things are important. BMW's are misinterpreted here in the
states as
luxury automobiles, when in fact they are engineered specifically to
be the
"ultimate driving machine"s. Every model, from the old 318Ti, to
the 750iL
has near perfect 50/50 weight distribution .. the only model thats a
little
farther off is the X5, but it's got the best weight distribution of
any
non-car on the market ... it's faster around Road Altanta than a
Maxima.
>From the spare tire pushed as far back in the trunk as possible, to
the
battery in every BMW being located in the trunk on the right side
(to offset
the weight of the driver) ... they're built for speed. Without
trying to
sound too much like a BMW spokesman ... they are ultimately
rewarding to
drive hard. Where else do you find salespeople and service
technicians who
can't encourage you enough to drive your car as hard as possible.
Walk into a BMW dealer and take a new 3 series out for a spin ...
just do
it.
Bill