car comparo: GTI, RSX Type-S, Mazdaspeed

sleeper_ · Apr 30, 2003

i'm waiting for the 2003.5 but having second thoughts on the car b/c of the following so please add your opinions, thoughts:

some general pros/cons i see about each:

---------------------
GTI

pros:
easy power gains and great tuneability of the engine, great interior, convenient seat fold down, shifting felt good (shift box and clutch), mileage (city & highway: 9.8L/100km & 6.9L/100km), solid feel, low NVH (noise, vibration, and harshness), seats

cons:
looks (kind of tame), suspension/handling setup
---------------------
RSX Type-S

pros:
luxury & refinement, shift box, clean style, decent suspension, seats, 6-speed, mileage (city & highway: 9.7L/100km & 6.9L/100km)

cons:
low torque, non-heavy clutch, 16" rims, fisher price instrument panel (gauges and knobs) LOL, no lsd, limit of price range
---------------------
Mazdaspeed Proteg

pros:
superb suspension/handling, looks, great stereo setup (mp3 playback is great), lsd

cons:
relatively limited engine strength/tunability, seats, car features are quite limited (ie, it's still a protege), shift box isn't as great as other two?, short 5th gear--mileage (city & highway: 11.9L/100km & 9.3L/100km)
---------------------

thanks for the input

sleeper_ · Apr 30, 2003

oh, i thought i'd add some other stuff:
not really considering other cars unless you can cite good reasons.

psifactor · Apr 30, 2003

I will just add one thing about VW's. Recently they did an article in Consumer Reports about all of the different car companys. Ex: Ford, honda, toyota, vw, mazda, ect...... they look at 100 new cars for each company and rate it on how many problems that they find. I blieve the car with the least problmes was lexus with like 21, then toyota. Mazda was 5th with 34 problems per 100. Now twards the bottom of the line was Cadallic with 84 problems pre 100.....2nd to worse was VW with 74 Problmes per 100.
So if you are looking for a semi decent car that wont break all the time get the rxs or the msp.

I hope that kicks the gti out of consideration

Ishmael · Apr 30, 2003

Funny.

Or, you could look at the MSP who's turbo is essentially slapped on at port and whose durability is essentially unproven.

I am sorry, though the supension on the basic GTI is crap, that engine and the rest of the car (you could argue the styling isn;t up to par) is leagues above the MSP. VW has been making and using the 1.8T for an awful long time.

We don't even want to start arguing the tunability of the thing.

Hope that knocks the GTI back into the playing field where it belongs.

Better yet, find a nicely used 337 or a 20th AE, then your suspension problem is fixed, you'll walk all over the MSP in a straight line, and you'll have a longer warranty and a proven power train (coil pack problems aside).

Cheers!

Bryan

1sty · Apr 30, 2003

The good about the GTi is where the facotry lacked, suspension, the aftermarket has more then made up for. I can't think of another car with more suspension parts available other then the civic.
The GTIs down fall is its reliability. For 3 years nor VW has produced completely garabe cars. I won't trust them until I see 3 years of good cars coming out of mexico.

On the other hand, I was at a stop light and a Golf of some kind reved at me, I reved back, blinked and IT WAS GONE! I was still sitting there thinking I just saw a ghost or a 200 shot of N02.

TURBO3WAGON · Apr 30, 2003

1.8t jetta

I owned a Jetta 1.8t and it sucked hard! I went thru 4 power window switches, two front struts, rear brakes, two sets of tires, one transmission, a hand full of sensors, and a computer. I got rid of the car a 40k the motor is strong a hell, the rest of the car bites.

HP

Mazda Fan

1sty · Apr 30, 2003

FASTEST CAR ON ITS WAY TO THE DEALERSHIP!
(rofl)

TURBO3WAGON · Apr 30, 2003

GO MAZDA!!!

Go Mazda and don't look back. All cars have there pros & cons, but Mazda pro's are too sweet and cons will be corrected with the help of our friends on this forum!

Be original... MAZDASPEED...

HP

Mazda Fan
(mspb) (yippy)

1sty · Apr 30, 2003

Why isn't a WRX in the consideration for that price range?

dmitrik4 · Apr 30, 2003

Type-S. best build quality, best mileage, by FAR the best gearbox, the most comfortable and IMO, the best-looking of the three. the sound at 8000rpm isn't too bad either.

i'm not going to dredge up the "which is quicker?" argument here. let's just let sleeping dogs lie.

torque...aaargh. don't just look at the torque numbers. remember that the torque is going thru a 6-speed with shorter intermediate ratios than the other two (not just a 5-speed with another gear)...you can't really compare it to the old B-series engines. and it makes ~80% of peak torque from about 2000 rpm.

and i really liked the dash design...

Dexter · Apr 30, 2003

i love the rsx-s. its a great car, but it was just out of my price range. if i didnt get the mazdaspeed, id have an rsx type s

1sty · Apr 30, 2003

When I test drove the RSX I niced first that second gear grinded. Second the car is one massive blind spot, you cant see dick around you especialy to the back quarters. Third, overall somehow the RSX felt bigger then my integra.

dmitrik4 · Apr 30, 2003

some cars/people have that problem. on the other hand, mine never ground once. you might have gotten a beaten-on test-driver...???

blind spots, true. can't argue there. but i got used to it w/in a few days. plus, take a look at the side mirrors and how huge they are.

sleeper_ · Apr 30, 2003

great, lots of feedback so far, guys. thanks

yeah, my only concern re the gti is the poor suspension and the iffy reliability probs, i actually don't mind the styling all that much.. hehe

i don't really like the "be original" argument either, simply b/c there aren't that many gti's around. and the type-s indeed is quite good for quality and not as common as lesser rsx's..

as for the mazdaspeed turbo probs... i'm not feeling too confident about its setup due to the problems reported on the board.. heh and yeah, the 1.8T is great w/o a doubt, the type-s.. the torque really isn't quite there.. 6 gears is great sure.. but then again, the 337 is almost within reach if i save enough to offset the dif.. the wrx is just pushing it too far in terms of budget although that car would be nice to get.. hehe

oh, and type-s BARELY has better mileage than the gti only 0.1L/100km in city driving whereas the target (what's the actual?) mazdaspeed mileage is considerably worse

as for the revving of the type-s.. sure it's nice.. but there is far too much sound for how much torque i seem to be getting :/ and when the salesman was trying to show me the vtec "kick in".. i was like, "yeah.... i felt it.." hahah.. and when i drove it.. i didn't quite feel it either.

i'm not THAT concerned about which is quicker either... all 3 actually have comparable #'s..

as for producing 80% of torque after 2000 rpm's.. well 80% of little is still little.. lol

i didn't mind the visibility in the type-s actually, i was comfortable with it. and i had no probs with shifting on the type-s... definitely a nice shift box... i should go to vortex and ask how the 6speed is.. or just go for a test drive today.. lol

dj5tyle5 · Apr 30, 2003

I would consider a wrx. Does anybody have any reliability/opinions on this?

1sty · Apr 30, 2003

I have 3 friends with WRXs and not one has ever gone back to the dealer for a problem. 2 cars are 2 years old and the other is 1 year old.

Since you can get them in the states for 23,000 with options once you talk down the price I think its a good choice.
Right now I am debating an RSX type S, TSX, or WRX.

TURBO3WAGON · Apr 30, 2003

I guess it depends on where you live. In Florida GTI's are a dime a dozen, same for the rsx. I have only seen 2 Speeds on the road.

Anyhow good luck with which ever car you pick.

HP

Mazda Fan

sleeper_ · Apr 30, 2003

ah. heh. well the type-s is in the bottom end of the range.. but in the states if you can get em for 23,000.. hrm...
20,000 is to 27,000 as 23,000 is to ~31,000... that would mean i'd be able to get a 2004 for around that low? lol.. unlikely i'm guessing.. but i guess i'll stop by and ask today.

ah, crap, i forgot to think about insurance.. i'll have to find out today too.. hehe

Blown · Apr 30, 2003

Sleeper_ - If you're looking at a WRX, don't look in Edmonton. Both dealerships are owned by the same people and you won't get a deal at all! In Calgary, you can get then $37,500 out the door! Compared to the $40,300 range in Edmonton.

Now, I was in the same situation as you. I had a deposit down on a GTi 337 and backed out of it. I was worried about reliability and I didn't like the test drive. Even though, it's a limited edition car, the R32 will far exceed it. Now, the type S is decent but still pricey for what you get. When it came down to it, I wanted a MSP but being a first year car, I decided to wait and let Mazda work the kinks out first. I learnt my lesson on buying first year cars with on a 2001 civic. Also, the MSP doesn't seem all that powerful when compared to other available cars.

So, here I am driving a Protege5 and waiting till something worthy comes out.

RX-KEVIN · Apr 30, 2003

I have smoked each of these cars

car comparo: GTI, RSX Type-S, Mazdaspeed

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