The VRs 245 has the VAQ differential and the 230 has the E-diff....
I’m in research phase (as ever) but seem to be down to 340i Touring, VRs 245 estate, Golf GTi. All can fit a towbar for bike racks.
i30-N and Leon Cupra 300 appeal but can’t have towbar fitted. The 1.8 Leon at 18k is an absolute steal though!! Great engine!
The 180 petrol? That's a massive drop in price in comparison to when I looked in September '17. Glad I went for a focus instead!
A top spec Focus comes in at a shade under £19k. As far as residuals are concerned, I think the Leon would hold it's price better, albeit slightly. Either way, cars are expensive!
Golf GTE's are not being offered at the moment. Not even on VW's website due to massive demand.
I know - I'm hoping that they'll sort their stuff out in the next 18 months or so so before my car has to go back.
If it’s of any use, we’ve also been looking at used A3 Golf, Leon ST and Octavia 1.4tsi for a while. Very nearly bought a 10 month old Leon ST a couple of days ago, but demo drives revealed a couple of electrical niggles with it (& the dealer just tried to bull**** us, so we walked). As you’ve probably seen, there’s quite a few ex-Europcar fleet cars coming through just now, so plenty of choice. My advice would be to really check all the electrics over before you buy, and maybe also have a play with the infotainment system, as the user interface is a bit ‘different’ compared to the other VAG variants. May be we just dropped unlucky, but the Seat dealers we tried also seemed a bit iffy compared to most of the Audi, VW & Skoda dealers.
After a lot of searching, we’ve just put a deposit down on an Octavia 1.4tsi SE Sport hatchback. Very similar spec to Leon FR, but has nicer infotainment, auto lights and wipers, and the boot is bigger than the Leon ST. Throw two large 29ers in the back and get in with them! To top it all, we got it £1000 cheaper than the Leon ST and it has two thirds the mileage. Personally, I don’t like the outside of the car as much as the Leon ST, but when you’re inside, it’s much closer to a Mk7 Golf than the Seat - we found the interior lighting and dash display is less gaudy and cluttered than the Leon. My OH isn’t bothered, but what also sold the Octavia for me is that it weighs over a 100kg less than the Leon ST, but it has the same power & torque - for a 1.4 it really shifts:)
HTH
