3 years and 42,000 miles with my GTI so far and it’s been nothing but good to me. Wouldn’t trade it for the world.

GTI with a DSG is the answer. Better build than the Civic, with more power, more room, and more refinement. And the DSG is MILES ahead of any CVT or torque converter in terms of responsiveness and engagement. Contrary to what many will say, it requires some finesse to get it right - and it’s very rewarding when you…

Yes, slightly smaller turbo as well. Its sort of a frankenstein EA888 gen 3. Here are the differences I was able to find:

It is the new EA888 gen 3, but lacks variable valve lift on the exhaust side like the GTI has.

Oh my god yes. They lack any detail and simply fade away into the abyss from a distance. No character or highlight at all.

You’re talking about Audi Pearl White. My dad’s A6 is that color. Fun fact - they actually put crushed pearls in the paint to achieve the effect. Beautiful in person. Also, that RS3 is actually an original Porsche color - Viper Green. Audi seems to have adopted it these days.

A3 rear seat has decent room. Same leg room as a Golf/GTI with a bit less headroom given the shape of the car.

In terms of performance/feel? Pilot Super Sports to replace my crappy stock all seasons:

No widespread water pump issues on the Mk7, luckily. And knock wood - 3 years with mine coming up soon and no big issues to speak of. Love it to death.

Ahem.

Seeing loads of C7 Corvette and Jaguar F-Type in the front end.

This is absolutely infuriating and completely confusing for other drivers. Worst is when GM vehicles are street parked and someone locks/unlocks the car. Makes it look like the car is in reverse and ready to drive.

This is why I love VW’s implementation of the LED lit gauges. They have an in-built ambient light sensor in the gauge cluster that dims or turns off the backlighting as it gets dark out.

THIS.

That has to be an error/typo. DSG gearboxes are all from Germany, for one. Actually, some early 2015 window stickers had to be retracted and reissued with corrections.

R’s are still built in Germany. But even so, the cars coming out of Mexico are just as good. Same robots, same parts, same procedures. My GTI has been fantastic.

Weight.

You say bland, I say refined and classic. VW’s are relatively timeless - 10-15 year old Mk4's still look just as great as they did when they came out. The same can’t be said about some of these new “dynamically-styled” design languages...

Manufacturers are integrating radar, forward collision sensors and such into the emblem itself rather than having ugly cutouts in the grille or other blackout plates, etc.

Not sure how the Audi RS5 DSG works, but doesn’t the clutch engage when your foot is off the brake but you’re in “D”? Unless your car works like the Golf R’s electric parking brake and the “auto hold” function.