[Neckromacr]

My fiance and I are looking into replacing our gas guzzling (15 MPG

) Mazda 6 wagon in about a year or so. We were looking at the two door for me, but we were also kicking around the idea of switching to a 4 door GTI. Problem is our 6 has a very generous 33 cu ft of storage compared to the GTI's 15.
She says its not eough room, for us, her two boys (11 and 8) and a future baby planned (and all things one must haul around with the kid). Especially when we go on a family trip. I say it'd be tight, but I'm looking for any advice on the matter from those with similar experinces.

 

[kweetech]

Re: GTI 4-Door as a family car? (Neckromacr)

I see a minivan in your future

I would swing the gti with two kids...but I think 3 would be pushing it. I'm waiting on the 5 dr. with the idea of a kid in the future...figure if I'm going to buy new, I'm going to keep it at least that long....

 

[chicagovwsales]

Re: GTI 4-Door as a family car? (Neckromacr)

1. You could make do with the smaller space in the GTI four door, which is really nice but seems kind of too small.
2.Get a slightly used A3 which should have plenty of room.
3. Try a 2.0T Passat Wagon, its a lot nicer drive than you might expect...

 

[Neckromacr]

Re: GTI 4-Door as a family car? (chicagovwsales)

According to KBB the A3 is a smaller on the inside in ever aspect except for front leg room.
Might go with a Passat wagon, but it was a bit more than what were looking to spend, plus with its increased girth the milage takes a bit of a hit. But we did really like the look and feel of it when we were wagon shopping initially.
What would be perfect is a 2.0T Jetta Wagon, but there's been no word one way or another thus far if there will even be one.

 

[Fishbone]

Re: GTI 4-Door as a family car? (Neckromacr)

Husband, wife, 3 kids and roadtrips? 4-door GTI is too small. Don't forget on a road trip you will have to haul a car seat, stroller, diaper bag, luggage, snacks, cooler, etc. for 5. I know you'll looking for good MPGs, but you need space.
Either a Passat wagon or Touareg.

 

[feels_road]

Re: GTI 4-Door as a family car? (Neckromacr)

Get both!

(That joke refers to my own stable of cars...)
I agree, with 3 kids a 4-door Golf/GTI is manageable for everyday tasks, but not for weekend trips or vacations. I have the Passat to use when we need more space. What kind of car does your fiance have?
If the 3rd one truly is in the near future, I'd go with the Passat wagon. If it is 2-3 years away, I'd buy the GTI.

 

[RSDA]

Re: GTI 4-Door as a family car? (Neckromacr)

Definitely too small, if it's the only car. I'm trading in a Passat wagon for the four-door GTI, but second car is a 9-5 wagon.
I don't know about you, but I'm always lugging stuff around. Couldn't get by without at least one wagon.

R

 

[lirandy]

Agree with all of them...the GTI is too small in your situation. And don't forget, the 11 & 8 will getting bigger. Passat wagon seems the way to go. But if you still wanna go crazy sometimes, I would suggest the Subaru Legacy wagon GT.

 

[RSDA]

Re: (lirandy)

Quote, originally posted by lirandy »

But if you still wanna go crazy sometimes, I would suggest the Subaru Legacy wagon GT.

Or perhaps the Volvo V50 with the turbo (and that wacky center console)...

 

[kmead]

As a person with three kids, buy a minivan. They are not as bad as you think and there is nothing better than having enough room. Our Sienna is averaging 22 over the last 22000 miles which is mainly around town with a few long trips.
A GTI and a A3 are effectively the same size inside, neither are big enough for the three for a trip, around town you could likely get away with it. Our Passat (B3) was just barely big enough for 3 and it has much more room than the GTI/A3. The Volvo V50 is as small as a GTI inside with a bit more storage, not what I would recomend.

 

[Sincity]

Re: (kmead)

Yeah....you need a minivan. No way you are going on a road trip with 5 of you! Well...maybe with a roof rack for luggage. Or for that one noisy and persistent kid.

 

[masemoto]

Re: GTI 4-Door as a family car? (Neckromacr)

If you have your heart set on a GTI or VW, have you considered the VW GLI? All the GTI greatness with tons of trunk space?

 

[Neckromacr]

Re: (Sincity)

Yeah, sad but true, as I was affraid. I just had this cool image in my head of a black 4 door and a white 2 door in our stable. But even with the gas guzzling, payments on a new car still wouldn't be more cost effective. The 6 seems to be staying, and at least its a blast to drive.
Now I just gotta wait a while to get into my Candy White 2 door. The MKIII will get handed down to Winter duties and then onto the 11yr old when its time to start driving. Getting the Dubbing in his blood.

 

[Peter_Rabbit]

Re: (Neckromacr)

Well, my 2-bits, I'd say make the family car a jetta. And why not a tdi... the pkg 0 (we have one) is nicely equipped for out the door $22K, we get 42 mpg which is rushhour and city driving. Diesel is cheaper than premium (what you need for the gti/gli). We find our jetta huge, and it is fun to drive... sure, it is not as fast as my gti, but I still enjoy driving the tdi... It serves well as our family car...

 

[badb5]

Re: (Peter_Rabbit)

I have the Subie Legacy GT wagon - I get 18-19 MPG in everyday driving and around 24 MPG on the highway - that's with stage 2 power of over 300 hp - which hasn't changed the gas mileage from stock at all. If I keep my foot in it I've seen as low as 12 MPG on a tank

but it easily hangs with E46 M3's in the "foot in it" mode

If you want performance mixed with AWD you really can't beat the Leggy GT. My GT replaced an 01 X5, it has a lot more utility than the Bimmer ever did.

 

[aconsola]

Re: GTI 4-Door as a family car? (Neckromacr)

We got a sienna a couple weeks before the gti, for almost the exact same price. For long trips (really any trips) with a little kid, you can't beat a minivan. with the gti, or even a biger wagon, the non-driving adult is stuck in one spot. with the minivan, rear access from the passenger seat is easy, and prevents having to stop when the kid is crying or needs something.
I'm not a big fan of driving the minivan, (nor the tahoe we traded in on it), but for long trips the gti's always stayed home.
gas mileage on the sienna is 19/26, not as good as the 2.0t, but the same as my old vr6.
my wife thinks I'm nuts for getting the gti and that I should have gotten a second sienna.

she'll never understand.
-Anthony

 

[kmead]

A second Sienna? Who in the world needs two peak need vehicles, jeez...
We are happy with the one large box and look forward to something else a good bit smaller for general drive to work and carrying just a few of us. A 5 door GTI or a Passat wagon are looking better all the time.

 

[akuska]

Re: (Sincity)

Quote, originally posted by Sincity »

Yeah....you need a minivan. No way you are going on a road trip with 5 of you! Well...maybe with a roof rack for luggage. Or for that one noisy and persistent kid.

Funny, in Europe the Golf looks like such a big car compared to everything else on the road. "People carriers" consist of Dodge Caravan-sized (and I don't mean Grand Caravan-sized) Ford, VW, and Mazda vans. VW and DC are working on a van for the US, but that's a few years off. Most people make do with smaller cars there. It's only here where having 3 kids (or 2 or 1) means gravitating toward an SUV or minivan.
Do you need the hatch/wagon utility? If not, consider a Passat sedan. The GTI has as much rear leg and shoulder room as a Jetta, so unless the larger trunk is a necessity, a GLI doesn't really give you much of an advantage over a GTI, particularly a 4-door GTI. A Jetta gives you a little more luggage space than a GTI, but then you lose the hatch versatility. The Passat has a smaller trunk, but fitting two kids and a car seat in back might be easier.
As for luggage room on family trips, consider packing lighter! If you can limit everyone to one bag (probably hardest for the fiancee

), then the Jetta, GTI, or Passat should work just fine.


Modified by akuska at 10:16 PM 4-21-2006

 

[akuska]

Re: (RSDA)

Quote, originally posted by RSDA »

Or perhaps the Volvo V50 with the turbo (and that wacky center console)...

The Jetta wagon supposedly is coming in 2008 with a new name. The Volvo V50 is an interesting proposition, particularly with the T5. A Mazda3 wagon is always an option as well, although it's a step down from a Jetta or GTI.

 

[Mike Gordon]

We did trips with two kids and a Golf, but the MKIV has a tad biger hatch than the MKV. I don't recommend doing three with a GTI. Would they all fit with the car seat and the other two? I think it would be bit cramped. Now if it was just two kids I would think it would be no problems.