# VW CC vs GTI...



## Michael Schott (Dec 7, 2007)

The lease on my 328i ends later this year and due to the upcoming birth of our first child I will likely have to get a less expensive car. The two I'm considering right now are the VW GTI 4 door and the VW CC Sport. The CC is beautiful and very well equipped but the GTI may handle better. My requirements are basically for a car with similar driving dynamics to the 328i but at a lower cost. This means a sporty engine and very responsive handling. I know the GTI fits the bill but I'm not sure how well the better looking and slightly larger CC handles. Both by the way are available with manual trannies.

Does anyone have any experience with these two cars?


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## 6 Brit (Jan 19, 2009)

Michael Schott said:


> The lease on my 328i ends later this year and due to the upcoming birth of our first child I will likely have to get a less expensive car. The two I'm considering right now are the VW GTI 4 door and the VW CC Sport. The CC is beautiful and very well equipped but the GTI may handle better. My requirements are basically for a car with similar driving dynamics to the 328i but at a lower cost. This means a sporty engine and very responsive handling. I know the GTI fits the bill but I'm not sure how well the better looking and slightly larger CC handles. Both by the way are available with manual trannies.
> 
> Does anyone have any experience with these two cars?


we had a CC in the shop and they were way better built than the GTI's

saying that there are less of them made so parts will be more expensive - are you buying or leasing?

If you are buying I would get the GTI 
Leasing I would get the CC


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## Coconutpete (Feb 7, 2008)

Michael Schott said:


> My requirements are basically for a car with similar driving dynamics to the 328i but at a lower cost.


Not that it will make a HUGE difference in everyday driving, but just remember..... RWD vs. FWD.


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## Michael Schott (Dec 7, 2007)

Coconutpete said:


> Not that it will make a HUGE difference in everyday driving, but just remember..... *RWD vs. FWD*.


Thanks. Yes I know this but if I want a new car I don't think anything under $30K with 4 doors handles as well as the GTI and maybe the CC.


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## Robert A (May 18, 2003)

With the GTI, just remember, you've got to have room for the stroller. The space in the rear is pretty small.

The CC is a svelte looking car, but the roof line is low. It'll make it more difficult to put the child in and out of the back seat. The CC is also built on the older Passat chassis. For a little more money, you could get into a completely redesigned A4, which is better balanced if you're coming from a BMW.


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## polarizer (Jan 7, 2008)

*CC vs. GTI*

I have a 4 year old, so I can relate to what you are about to get yourself into.

The GTI is going to be more fun but I would get the CC. The A4 is not an option if you're trying the keep the price down. You might as well get another 328i for A4 money.

I say get the CC because of the trunk size and the styling. It is a very nice looking car and the trunk is massive. The only drawback is going to be the low roofline in the rear. Not the best situation for car seats.

To me, the CC is a bargain sweet spot. The money factor is so low on their lease that your basically just paying on the depreciation. A great deal if you are open to buying out the car at the end of the lease.

The CC has the looks of a $40K+ car but the price tag of an optioned out Accord. Trust me, nobody will compliment your Accord

Handling wise, it's no BMW. Neither is a GTI though. Good luck.


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## brkf (May 26, 2003)

Michael Schott said:


> The lease on my 328i ends later this year and due to the upcoming birth of our first child I will likely have to get a less expensive car. The two I'm considering right now are the VW GTI 4 door and the VW CC Sport. The CC is beautiful and very well equipped but the GTI may handle better. My requirements are basically for a car with similar driving dynamics to the 328i but at a lower cost. This means a sporty engine and very responsive handling. I know the GTI fits the bill but I'm not sure how well the better looking and slightly larger CC handles. Both by the way are available with manual trannies.
> 
> Does anyone have any experience with these two cars?


Plenty of experience driving them. Owning them? Well... yes/no/kinda. We have an A3. It's built on the Mrk V chassis. It's decent family car. The Mrk IV GTI is actually better for family car duties in that it has more interior space (less trunk space though). For a baby seat it'll do the trick (we have a 16 month old toddler).

The GTI is cheaper, handles better, is lighter, has a more upright interior and you can drop one seat to give yourself a lot of Costco space.

CC (drove a few) is a bit more upscale, will fit a car seat but with fewer seats. The trunk is pretty darn big. It's a bit sloppy on the handling side and the MSRP is higher. But I think VW dealers may be willing to part with it for a song. Lease deals might actually be better.

For me, the GTI (or TDI) is the winner in this. I am so afraid of VW quality though that I ended up leasing something else. The GTI or TDI would have been a better choice. Then again, a used 328 or even a used TSX wouldn't be bad either. Really *a used 328i* is the best car for about the same money (low to mid 20s). I am sorry my 335i was lemoned as that helped guide me away from BMW but I'll be back in 32 months...

You didn't mention it but used G35s are great cars (too big for my tastes) and they can be had for the low 20s.


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## eazy (Aug 20, 2002)

I was looking at both cars as well. I like the GTI a lot. In fact I like it better then the MINI Cooper S. The CC is a good looking car but it might too big for me. The lease price for the GTI is about $40 cheaper then a CC sport.


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## myke1585 (Mar 14, 2011)

I actually am leasing both cars. I have a 2010 GTI (white with the Interlagos cloth seats) and a 2010 CC sport (black with black leatherette). They are both excellent cars. They both have exceptional 6-speed manual transmission with smooth and responsive transmissions. Comparable gas mileage. The GTI actually has more room with the seats folded down beacuse of the hatch opening, with the CC the seats do fold down but restrict the bigger ticket items. As far as the leases go, I got a great deal on the CC, $299 a month, and the GTI came out to $320 a month. I am actually going tomorrow to the VW dealership and looking at trading in one of them towards the 2011 Tiguan, I need something with all wheel drive for the new commute I do in the winter months.


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## tagheuer (Jun 10, 2004)

Coconutpete said:


> Not that it will make a HUGE difference in everyday driving, but just remember..... RWD vs. FWD.


this is funny to me....BMW enthuisasts saying that there isn't a huge difference in everyday driving between FWD and RWD...and that VW makes cars that provide similar handling characteristics to the "ultimate driving machine". :rofl:

(I tend to agree, but everyone on here bashes VW/Audi, oh they are FWD, they are nose heavy, they can't ever even come close to matching the divine ultimate driving machine, the RWD BMW, oh the 50/50 weight distribution...

No wonder people think BMW drivers are pricks....

I think the GTI and CC are both fine cars, but they are over priced from a value perspective and offer very mediocre reliability.

Plus, VW service blows...be careful at Suburban VW on Grand River....I live near you and I have had two VWs.....most recently a 2008 VW Passat Wagon from a salesman named Cody Pitchford over there....not a great experience.

If price is your primary concern.....maybe you want to take a look at a Hyundai Sonata or its more sporty twin, a Kia Optima.

Things are really changing guys....Kia Optima has best fuel economy in its class (24/35mpg), most roomy interior and trunk, best crash scores (IIHS top safety pick), handles decent for a FWD family sedan, is loaded to the gills with features (i.e. heated and cooled seats, bluetooth, cooled glovebox, LED turn signals, the list goes on)....100k powertrain warranty.

yeah, its Korean, and doesn't quite have the level of refinement as a BMW/VW/AUDI, but for $10k less.....its a pretty compelling lease proposition.

There is nothing special about the VW Passat and CC handling.....they are ok...but be prepared to get less features than the Asians, and much worse service and reliability.

Don't get me wrong, I like VWs, I have had two of them....its just really funny how people on here bag on them all day and all night for being FWD, cheap, nosy heavy, and then people say they are close to a basic 328.

You can probably lease a basic 328 for under $400 a month, I did from Doug Budai over at Bavarian BMW in Shelby....great MF, max. MSDs, etc. etc.


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## Chris90 (Apr 7, 2003)

Did you have the baby yet?

The GTI is too small to be the primary kid hauler, imo. The car seat barely fits in my 330i, and with stroller in the trunk there's no room for even groceries in the trunk. This will be worse with the GTI - you can't fold the seats with car seat installed in the middle (which is safer), and the trunk is tiny with seats up. 

If you have another kid hauler, great, but if this is where you'll put the car seat, you'll regret it, imo.


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## Michael Schott (Dec 7, 2007)

Chris90 said:


> Did you have the baby yet?
> 
> The GTI is too small to be the primary kid hauler, imo. The car seat barely fits in my 330i, and with stroller in the trunk there's no room for even groceries in the trunk. This will be worse with the GTI - you can't fold the seats with car seat installed in the middle (which is safer), and the trunk is tiny with seats up.
> 
> If you have another kid hauler, great, but if this is where you'll put the car seat, you'll regret it, imo.


I'm surprised to see this thread get resurrected. The baby is almost 11 months old and it worked out for me to get another 328i sedan which IMO is a better car than either VW. I ruled out the GTI because as you say it's too small and the CC because you can't put an infant seat in the center of the rear seat. The e90 has been great. Plenty of room even with a convertible car seat behind the passenger seat.

We rarely use the full size stroller when traveling with the baby. We previously used a Graco Snug Ride stroller frame for the car seat and now use an umbrella stroller which takes up very little space.


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## brkf (May 26, 2003)

Michael Schott said:


> I'm surprised to see this thread get resurrected. The baby is almost 11 months old and it worked out for me to get another 328i sedan which IMO is a better car than either VW. I ruled out the GTI because as you say it's too small and the CC because you can't put an infant seat in the center of the rear seat. The e90 has been great. Plenty of room even with a convertible car seat behind the passenger seat.
> 
> We rarely use the full size stroller when traveling with the baby. We previously used a Graco Snug Ride stroller frame for the car seat and now use an umbrella stroller which takes up very little space.


Yeah 328i is a pretty decent car for a small family. I have 16 months left on my lease and really there are only 3 cars on my radar:

Used e9x sedan, used ZHP, used e60. Wife is still bringing up the Countryman but I can only see doing that with the All4 and then it's so heavy an e9x or e60 makes more sense. In all cases: manual and four doors with RWD bias plays heaviest in the decision making. Wife is talking about a second kid and I've agreed to one year from now so the e60 may win out with 2 kids.


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## Chris90 (Apr 7, 2003)

Michael Schott said:


> I'm surprised to see this thread get resurrected. The baby is almost 11 months old and it worked out for me to get another 328i sedan which IMO is a better car than either VW. I ruled out the GTI because as you say it's too small and the CC because you can't put an infant seat in the center of the rear seat. The e90 has been great. Plenty of room even with a convertible car seat behind the passenger seat.
> 
> We rarely use the full size stroller when traveling with the baby. We previously used a Graco Snug Ride stroller frame for the car seat and now use an umbrella stroller which takes up very little space.


Cool, I thought the thread was from this April, not last April.

We're using the Snug Ride also (2 month old), even that barely fits in the E46 trunk. But we plan to get a CR-V, since we're always towing my father-in-law around, in addition to the baby.


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## Rmart (Feb 20, 2002)

I would consider the new Jetta GLI that will be released soon. Much more interior room and similar performance to the GTI. The complaints about the new Jetta are addressed in the GLI. Such as the addition of IRS and soft touch interior.


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## Frank Rizzo (Aug 2, 2003)

I have a CC (VR6/4mo) and had a R32. People who get in the CC that have never gotten into 4dr coupe hit their head often. I have to tell people to duck when getting in. The car blows everything else away for bang/buck. $39k, fully loaded w/ventilated seats and the Dynaudio is the best factory car stereo I've heard in a sub $65k car. It's not very sporting tho, so I did H&R springs and rear sway bar. Now the dash creaks when it's cold.:thumbdwn: The R32 was definitely more fun to drive. I can carry 8 foot 2x4's in the CC with the trunk closed.

I think the Benz C350 would be a good choice in the category as well, especially if safety is a concern.


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## AutoUnion (Apr 11, 2005)

OP, huge VW/Audi fan here.

Here's my take. My brother owns a '10 CC Luxury model with the 2.0T and 6spd DSG. It has the beautiful two tone interior. I've driven it so many times in almost every condition and that engine is a complete gem with the DSG. Back seats are a little down in the headroom department, but you have to give something up for the beautiful exterior. Well put together, he's got 25k on it and it's been rock solid. No issues at all. The engine gets up and goes very well. Interior is solidly put together. Seats are brilliant. Sound system is great. AC is good because he lives in NoVA. I can't think of anything wrong with it. It's got a large trunk. it looks sexy.

GTI: I driven these at length so many times. It's more for a younger crowd. Same brilliant engine/gearboxes. Same great feeling interior. Good handling. They're both amazing cars for the price. Nothing beats then in the segment.


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## JBsZ06 (Oct 8, 2003)

Current lease deal for the CC is 600 bank fee 279 a month for 36 months...

Leather interior heated seats blue tooth.. Sport model with DSG 

10 k miles a year for the mileage but as long as you contact VW leasing before the 30th month of the lease...you can buy more mileage at 18 cents..


Its a sweet car. sweet deal... 10 grnad for three years of onership....of a 33 thousand dollar vehicle is a hell of a deal....including full maintaince coverage.. 

Can't go wrong with this subsidized lease


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## Frank Rizzo (Aug 2, 2003)

Wanna update?

You get what you pay for. At about 5k miles the floodgates of creaks and squeaks let loose. It's been into the dealer several (4 times and 12 days total) times with no real success. The A pillar and rear deck have been really problematic. They disassemble the headliner every time and try to "relieve" the stress and spray some horrible stinky undercoating type spray on the metal, but it does not really help. I'm at 12k miles and the noises are getting worse.

I think it's related to the panoramic sunroof (see below). It's a huge glass panel (that does not open - only tilts BTW) and combined with the extra curved roofline allow the car to flex too much. Lower model cars without the roof dont have any problems with creaking.

It's really too bad. Overall the car is awesome but the noises make it feel like a 1987 Hyundai Excel. My R32 was rock solid even with many outings to the track and daily trips over Mulholland to work.


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