Am I mad changing 2012 Golf for older BMW?

I'm driving a 2012 MK6 Volkswagen Golf Edition R (1.2 TSI). While I like a lot of things about the car I am increasingly frustrated by the significant understeer, lack of steering feel in general and the poor seats. I am thinking of changing to a BMW 3 Series M Sport (318d or 320d) around the 2009 or 2010 mark, using this as a trade in. I do very low mileage but I don't mind spending a bit more. Am I mad? I have a bit of a mental block changing from a 12 reg downwards.

Eoin S (Dublin)

May 2013 Filed under: choosing used car

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Expert answer

Hi Eoin,

OK, first off you're not mad and an M Sport spec BMW 318d or 320d is just about as perfect a car as you'll find. Mind you, test drive carefully before you buy as the M Sport suspension can be pretty stiff and unforgiving on certain roads, and the steering, while more incisive than what you'd get in the Golf, can also be a bit heavy and fake-feeling.

That said, there are things you can do to make your Golf drive with a little more sharpness and the first place I'd start is with the tyres. Most, if not all, cars these days come with high-efficiency low rolling resistance tyres that are there to maximise fuel economy, but don't do much for steering feel or handling prowess. So why not swap the boots for something a little more aggressive? A set of Pirelli P-Zeros or Michelin Pilot tyres might just make all the difference, so it's worth a try if nothing else.

You could also look at modifying the suspension to dial out that understeer, but we'd recommend you seek professional mechanical advice before going down that road.

Let us know what you do in any case.

Neil Briscoe - Complete Car Adviser
@neilmbriscoe