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You can’t beat a nice bit of wafting around, but the A6 isn’t the best at it.

Used Golf R, with DCC so you can have decent comfort when you want it would unsurprisingly get my vote.  I’m an even bigger fan having done a few thousand miles in it than I was when we placed the order.

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The looks aren’t an issue for me and the interior of yours looks much more upmarket than I expected. The Golf and A3 are being replaced soon so there could be some good deals in the next year. Assuming we’ll be able to buy then in post Brexit Britain.

You do love a walk more than most, but I bet you wouldn’t when faced with commuting to and from work!

Andrew Frankels view on the Golf, from an a feature in Autocar this week.

“I’m being blown away all over again, not just by the Golf’s relentless point-to-point pace, brought about by an unrivalled blend of power and all-weather poise in the class, but also by the tranquillity that accompanies it. Maybe the interior should be a bit more exciting, maybe the exterior looks too much like a normal Golf with a big wheel upgrade, but I’m not sure I care: in all situations it works better than you could hope”

You could almost argue that a 4wd GTI would be a great addition to the range but tbh I think that it would be too close in price to the R. The R sounds like it has all the power you’d ever need from a Golf whilst being as easy and relaxed to drive as my Bluemotion version. I know you’re not keen on an estate but have you looked at the Alltrack? The estate Golf really isn’t that much longer that you’d have trouble parking it.

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No idea, but I wouldn’t be messing with a new car.  

As has been said, you need to try the cars to see what suits your driving / the roads you use, which will be different to most forum members.  As will taste, I don’t particularly like the S3 interior, the instruments are great, but the pop up screen looks a mess and it has one of my pet hates, no cover for the cup holders. 

So unless there’s something out there that you’re not aware of, not much point in asking anyone else!  

What's made you decide that your next car has to be AWD? 

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Nope, you're just too demanding and too fussy !!

There is plenty of choice out there, but in the  same way that there is nothing on the market at the moment that really appeals to me, there's also nothing that appeals to you either.

One difference, though, is that I'm not at the point of changing my car at the moment.

There's quite a considerable difference between my old RWD 335D and my current 4WD 435D. Off the line in damp conditions it will take care of almost anything daft enough to have a TLGP. The only cars I have any trouble with are the likes of S3/RS3 and GolfR which are pretty similar in performance.

Coming out of damp corners or roundabouts the 4WD makes a massive difference and where I would have been feathering the throttle and waiting for things to straighten up, in the 335D, in my current car, I can pretty much floor it and it just takes off. I have grown to really like the balance I can get with the 4WD because of the way it can be used to eradicate the understeer and turn it into a bit of oversteer or very neutral balance: I find it is the timing of the application of power and the fact that you have to give it a bootfull that makes it very enjoyable.

I have about a mile uphill from my house to the main road and in the 435D it has never been a problem in the snow (or at least normal snow. Last March wasn't normal and was deeper than my ground clearance)- just a gentle throttle and it will get up. With the 335D, it was better than it should have been when I turned all the TC off but there were several occasions over the years that I had to leave my car up the hill and walk, or I only made it by the skin of my teeth.

My 4WD experience (and an even wetter west coast) has pretty much fixed in my head that my next car will also be 4WD - I don't see any downsides and the upsides just put a grin on my face.

I know you're not the greatest fan of diesel Tim but the 335/435D is a good one. It will still sound a bit diesel like at low/slow speed (the 3 and 4 series don't have the sound deadening the 5 series has) but it has a nice sound when you apply the loud pedal and will do considerably better in mpg than anything petrol which has the same performance.

The new M340i is going to be 4WD and I presume the 440i will be too when it arrives. As I have said before I would like to see these cars stretching the power window up nearer 400HP but retaining some comfort.

I would suggest an Octavia VRS 4x4 DSG but I think it might be diesel only on 4x4 spec.