Frisky Dingo

Camaro ZL1 isn't currently available so is off limits. We have no pricing details, anyway. There is no new CTS-V Coupe.

So, in the interest of spicing things up around here, I'm bringing over one of my thread ideas from MT. The premise of this is I take a review of a new model, and then give you roughly the same amount of money to either buy that car, or something else, so long as it exists in roughly the same realm. In other words, if it's a sports car in question, you can't chose a Jeep. Similarly, if it's a truck, you can't take a luxury sedan. So today we'll focus on the new Audi TTS. Car & Driver just posted up their review here- http://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/2016-audi-tts-test-review- for those interested. Seems like a pretty sweet package, though the TT has never been for everyone. The tester rang in at $59,100 w/ a base price of $52,825. So you have within 10% of this cost to spend on a car that is relatively similar. Some sports coupe, sporty lux coupe, etc, etc. So you have to spend a minimum of $47,545, but no more than $65,010. The car must also be new. So again, you have $47,545-65,010 dollars to spend on a new sports coupe of some sort. Have fun.

I don't think anyone is being dramatic. Just discussing. Nobody is insulting anyone. The A4 has notably differently shaped lights, both front and rear, than the A6, and the rear quarter window has a much different shape. It also has a more blunt front end. The A8 has a much blockier design still, with almost completely rectangular shaped lights. The characteristic body line may be the same, along with the proportions, but the front bumpers differ a lot from car to car. All of the luxury makers are as guilty of this as the rest, really. Someone brought up the new the E43 AMG, and I have to say I really, really like what I see so far. Think I'd peg #2 among this group, maybe even #1 pending reviews. Also was next to a new GS-F in traffic this morning. Sounded great, and aside from the terrible wheels, looked awesome, too.

Definitely no worse than Cadillac, sorry. And you can't use the fanboy argument here, either. I'm just calling it like it is.

Anyone who says the Cadillac models don't look like one another is just lying to themselves. Sorry. There's nothing wrong with it, but no reasonable person would say there is anymore distinction between Cadillac models than Audi models. They're both pretty big offenders of the 'same sausage, different length' mentality. BMW is a little better, Jaguar is a little worse. MB's all look the EXACT SAME.

An A6/S6 looks no more like an A4/S4 than a CTS does an ATS, XTS, or CT6. At a glance, the average person wouldn't be able to tell them apart.

Obviously not a popular opinion, but the Caddy would be my last pick here. Not because I dislike it, but because I like the S6 so much. I've been lucky enough to get some seat time in the S7, and that powertrain is just a gem. Add that to AWD and Audi's stunning interiors, and I'm sold. For the Lexus, I know it is going to be a pretty uncommon piece, and I'd rather have an NA V8 over a boosted 6. So it's the Caddy in last for me.

This is awesome!! Also, welcome. There are bunch of us fellow MTers who jumped over here. I wish this place were a little more active.

Total BS article, but the results aren't surprising, and I don't totally disagree with them. The Camaro is so great until they compare the GT350 to it, and then they'll be dissing it left and right. Just like they did the Z/28. Then the 1LE will come out, and it'll have them creaming themselves. It's gotten so bad I can't even take these guys or anyone else seriously anymore.

You just had to go and upstage me didn't you? J/k. Car is sick man, congrats.

Thanks for all the positive feedback guys! I'm really digging it so far. I'll get a more intensive review up soon, and I won't hold back.

Interesting power plant, for sure. Curious to see reviews on it. Still not entirely sold on the new design, though.

Don't know what was being downgraded inside, because the new car is easily nicer than the Mk6. Virtually everything is soft touch, and fit and finish is superb. Not to mention switch gear and the infotainment system. It's a much nicer more complete package as a whole. And the power increase is very noticeable.

GTI w/ Lighting Pkg The GTI w/ the Lighting Package just has too much red for my tastes. Especially when you add the red badging of the Perf Pkg cars.

Pics for reference- Golf R

You can retrofit HID Golf R lights for about $700. Not too bad. And it'll allow me to skip the red line intersecting the lights of the factory Light Pkg cars. I don't like it as much as the R's lights.

So a little back story on all of this. As many of you know, I've been on the hunt for a car for a while now. Everything from the FR-S, to the new Camaro, to the 4dr Cooper S has been on my radar. It wasn't so much outright performance, or price, or practicality, or styling that was the determining factor. Just driving enjoyment primarily, with each of those aforementioned aspects having varying degrees of significance. The funny thing is, I actually drove a new GTI at one point earlier in my search. It was a DSG SE car w/ no Perf Pkg. I only had a brief drive in town and came away unimpressed. Fast forward 5 months, and I start working at a VW dealership after relocating to St Louis. The plan was to find another 335i to buy, because I still miss my old E90 terribly. But I'm driving the different VW models to get acquainted with them, and I drive a CPO '13 GTI. I immediately liked it. Small, nimble, quick, playful, brimming with personality. Wow, I'm thinking, this could be a new candidate. But is the older car really that much better than the new one I read rave reviews about everywhere? Another drive in the new car, and I mean a REAL drive erased any doubt. When I was done driving it, I knew my search was over. It did everything the Mk6 did and more. Interior was nicer, more features, quicker. With my decision made, it now came time to pick a specific model. I wanted a 4DR SE w/ 6MT, Lighting Pkg, and Perform Pkg. There weren't any. Like, in the entire country. I'm smitten with the plaid seats and the Lighting and Perf Pkg, so I compromise and say I'm open to a DSG car. Still none. Dammit. Ok, I guess I can live w/out Light Pkg. Still none in 800 miles, and I just wasn't willing to jump on it. So I did some more soul searching. How bad do i want a manual? How bad do I want the plaid seats? The SE gets heated leather(ette) which I really don't like, but it adds Fender audio and passive-entry/push-to-start which I like a LOT. Ok, so maybe I'll look at an SE. The only 6MT SE's w/ Light and Perf Pkg were 200+ miles away, and would have taken a few days to wrap up the dealer trade. That would have pushed the deal into March, and I wouldn't have lost some rebate. So I had a choice- take a local DSG SE w/ both packages, or leave off a package. DSG cars w/ both options were more than I wanted to spend. That left DSG-only cars. Really wanted a stick, but I know I'll want something else before the lease is up, so getting auto will let me hand it down to the wife (she can drive stick, but doesn't prefer it as a DD). Now we're getting somewhere. Now I just have to choose between Lighting Pkg and Perf Pkg. The Light Pkg really makes the looks of the car, and it's hard to turn it down. It opens up more colors, as well. Can I really pass on Perf Pkg's E-diff, brakes, etc to get fancy lights? So I drive a Perf Pkg car again, and I know I must have it. You can readily tell a difference in the two cars. So I end up buying a Carbon Steel DSG SE w/ Perf Pkg that was in stock. Got a good deal, so I'm happy. Plus, I can always add the upgraded headlights down the road, where I couldn't realistically do the LSD, brakes, and what not. Stay tuned for a driving impressions post.

No, incentives on it actually weren't that great. I leased it. $500 rebate and a crappy money factor, honestly. But I did get a killer price.

Got it. A new GTI. 2016 DSG SE w/ Performance Package to be exact.

No dice so far.

Well, we have one very, very close guess.

Not much of a Benz guy, so no C36. Can't afford a Black Series, and it's the only one I'd have.

Not a vert.

It's foreign as in not owned or affiliated with a Domestic nameplate in any way.

It is foreign. I'll allow a few more guesses before the next clue.