What would you choose as your DD?
 

Hi RS members, need your help.... my lease is up on my 09 RDX. Time for a new DD. My wife drives my daily driver 50% of the time as well, so auto is a must. Not looking for a powerhouse car (have my toys already), but want a kool stylish car that I can drive in the snow comfortably, do regular errands and drive our 8yr old son to various sporting activities.

1) 2012 Mini Countryman Cooper S - loaded $40k

2) 2012 Audi A4 Quattro/Auto - base $40k.

3) 2012 VW Passat 3.6L & DSG - loaded for $38k

which one do you prefer and why?

if you want something thats good all around for all kinds of weather, the A4...

Passat

Pros - Perfect balance of performance and luxury. Comfy seats (half suede half leather), best rear seat legroom and headroom. Great looking IMO.


Cons- it's a pig on gas ( get the TDI)

their all vw's...

prepare to pay 40k for the car

and 40k for maintenance

^ I was thinking TDI too, but I want to try the 3.6 with the DSG. I am not too worried about the gas......

have you looked at an AWD TL? 43k not fully loaded but has a lot of "premium" stuff already.

otherwise, if i must choose from your list I'll take the A4
but as others have said already - prepare thy anus for maintenance unless you are leasing.

if those are your narrowed down choices.. id go for the passat

....notsureifserious. do you feel the same with bentleys,lambos, Porsches and buggatis? They're all made by the Volkswagen group too.

My family and alot of friends have had vdubs and they haven't had any issues what so ever. Vdub had a fase with electrical issues in the early 2000s that doesn't mean they're unreliable forever. They need normal attention as all cars do, nothing more, nothing less.

Yeah the 3.6 is tons of fun if your not too worried about gas.

I like the TL as well, but I had an 05 TL before my RDX, just want to try something differrent.

Mini's are BMW's :suspicious:

^ The man didn't say he didn't pay 40k for maintenance for his 40k car either.... Just sayin' fyi.

Does mini offer the no charge schedule maintenance that BMW offers?
My dad leased an X3 for 39 months not a single penny went into maintenance which was awesome

If you are considering Passat, why not Passat CC?

A4

^ I was thinkin that, but the CC is long in the tooth and I am sure the new one will be coming out soon....

A4

I like the A4, but the one I can get will have quattro and auto.....no options......

if op's leasing it, does it matter how much maintenance is?

i'd go for the A4 tho passat's good too, 2012 doesnt look like a cheap man's CLS anymore

^ I am leasing and this is a company car, probably not going to buy out.....

I am leaning towards the A4, would you get a base A4 with auto/quattro, or a A4 with FWD and a good option pkg (sport pack, premium pack)

If it is a DD and you care more about comfort and tech then get the FWD A4 with options. Like you said you have your toys already and your wife drives the car most of the time. Most of the time you won't even notice the difference between FWD and AWD in normal driving.

whats the mpg difference between fwd and quattro version? i know that gas is your least concern but im just curious to find out

and what exactly does sport pack and premium pack include? is sport pack the s-line package?

even though many people prefer quattro for audi dynamics etc. imo, awd isnt necessary at all if you are just using it as a simple dd and especially when you're living in raincouver where it will just rain for half the year. i think of it as just one of those "nice to have" options if you arent really making a full use of it.

In my opinion, your Audi wouldn't be as great without all those options though :(
I'd be getting the quattro though, even though jpark has said that Vancouver rains more than of the year. I'm one of those people that would just like to have one of those options :troll:..

The mini cooper sounds good though


I'd pick the A4 though; my neighbor got a new A4 few days ago and I couldn't take my eyes off it.

My dad then trolled me, saying he'll get me one. Down payment --> finance = DONE, just like his 4runner. :seriously:
#csb

.

I would also go for the Passat but ONLY if it was the TDi. AWD diesel and super comfortable.

Berz out.