If, then, you have
even half a droplet of common sense, you'll be choosing between these two... the BMW M135. and Volkswagen's latest Golf GTI. Both cost around £30,000. Both are available
with three or five doors. Both come as standard with many things. And both will be as reliable
and as long-lasting as Edinburgh Castle. You might think, then, that
they're pretty similar, but they're not. Which is why I am in the BMW. You see, the Golf has a two-litre
four-cylinder turbocharged engine and that's very nice. But the BMW has a three-litre,
six-cylinder turbocharged engine. And that's even nicer. Yes, the Golf is lighter. But that is not enough
to offset a 90-horsepower disadvantage. A point I shall now demonstrate
with a small race. Front-wheel drive Golf
is clinging on jolly well, but frankly, it's pointless. I can overtake any time I like.
I have the power. And I have an eight-speed gearbox
compared to his paltry six. Yes, the Prussian aristocrat
is trampling all over... the lumpen people's car. There we go. Power! Come on! And there we are in front. The BMW, then, really is very fast. What's more,
because this is the first hot hatchback for 30 years to have rear-wheel drive,
you can do this. Woo-ha! So far, then,
the BMW is running rings round the Golf. But I then line them up
for a simple straight-line drag race. And there was a problem. A big one. Three... two... one! Good noise! Win this in reverse... At this point, I was feeling confident. But as I hit 120 miles an hour... This really is... Oh... [bleep] Yeah, you see, the Golf won that,
because this... well, it lost control. That's what happened there. Woo! After this incident,
I switched to the Golf GTI. And I decided immediately
it was a lot better in every single way. Not only was it able to travel
in a straight line without spinning off... but, thanks to its smaller engine,
it's a lot more economical than the BMW. and a lot cheaper to insure. In fact, because Volkswagen has fitted
this with a forward-facing radar system that won't let you have a low-speed crash, this GTI is in an insurance group
five down from the previous model. It'd be more expensive
to insure a pencil sharpener. So, the GTI is cheaper to run
and cheaper to buy and much better
in a straight line than the BMW. But what if you want to transport
a nuclear warhead? Well, what we've got here in the boot
of the Volkswagen is a warhead and, as you can see, it fits perfectly. But will it fit in the boot of the BMW? Oh, dear. Oh, dearie me. See, this is the problem, really,
with rear-wheel drive. It does rob space. So, you'd have to drive along like that
and somebody is going to notice. Hans Blix is, for sure. Things are much the same
when it comes to space in the cabin. The Golf can handle three
people on the back seat easily. But the only way you're going to get three
people in the back of the BMW is by sawing their legs off with a hammer. Now, this is not only complicated
and messy, but, in Britain at least,
it's currently against the law. Come on! The bone! One... It's probably easier
to buy the Golf, really. So the Golf is cheaper to buy
and cheaper to run and also more practical than the BMW. But it's like driving around
in James May's sock drawer. Everything is exactly where
you'd expect it to be, all organised. Blue ones, brown ones,
pink ones for special occasions. Don't think, however,
because it's sensible and practical and economical
that it's in any way boring. Look. The gear lever's
a sort of golf ball shape. You see, you Englishers, you have the
ze Monty Python and ze Harry and ze Paul but ve have a sense of humour
also with this. Ja? There's more as well, because this particular car is fitted with
Volkswagen's optional performance pack. That means better brakes, more power,
a top speed of 155 miles an hour... and a trick front differential. Now, we've seen clever front differentials
before, but nothing like this. My foot is hard down now,
coming round Hammerhead. And there's no torque steer.
There's no understeer. You can feel the whole car
being dragged in, pulled towards the apex. I've never felt anything like it. A baboon could get this around here
as fast as the Stig. So, there we are.
These two cars are not the same at all. One is brilliant in every way. And the other tried to kill me.
It’s a repost but it’s so good it bears reposting every once in a while
Actually, the fact that Clarkson dailies (or at least used to) a GTI was what first got my attention. Cause I'm a tall guy, and Clarkson's a tall guy, so I figure if he can live with one, I probably could too. I've sat in a handful of cars that I'm too tall for, even in the front seat. So I usually use Clarkson as a quick guide to see if I can fit into a car.
And the fact that a guy worth millions, who gets to drive every cool car ever made, deems the GTI a worthy car to drive everyday, that's a huge vote of confidence.
That's hilarious, thanks for posting
What year GTI did they test?
Brilliant in every way
That and the BMW isn't offered in the States ..
Like those wheels
I bought my mk7 manual autobahn at around the same time Jeremy Clarkson had his up for sale (same year too)
I occasionally say that my GTI can fit a nuclear warhead in it to people who question how big the trunk is.