JD’s archives: Little Big Fun (A4 vs 323i vs Contour SVT vs G20 vs 9-3 vs Jetta)

[Dobes]

[too_slow]

Wow, I remember reading this article inside Chapters when I was in Grade9...

I've always had a soft spot for the G20t's, even though they were super crazy expensive in Canada ($29-33k CAD back then...)

[Mosbius Designs]

I remember reading this article like it was yesterday.

[Angry_Birds]

The Mk4 and the E46 have aged pretty damn well compared to the other vehicles.

[jamerican1]

Looks like I picked the right one Mayweather ftw btw

[SVTJayC]

So in a shootout of performance sedans, the contour got dinged for having too much snarl and not enough back seat room. Brilliant.

[helement2003]

Funny how they say in the Jetta "can't dance," yet the BMW has the lowest skidpad and emergency maneuver mph.

[Jrod511]

Funny how they say in the Jetta "can't dance," yet the BMW has the lowest skidpad and emergency maneuver mph.

Jetta VR6's of that generation were notably floppy, soft riding cars. It's not just about skidpad grip, something most people on here don't understand.

[helement2003]

Jetta VR6's of that generation were notably floppy, soft riding cars. It's not just about skidpad grip, something most people on here don't understand.

Oh I know it's about driving feel and all. They mention how it dives, etc.

Just funny though as the BMW isn't a performer in this group.

[KahviVW]

Love the instrument panel comparison, wish more reviews did that.

[nickthaskater]

So in a shootout of performance sedans, the contour got dinged for having too much snarl and not enough back seat room. Brilliant.

Take your common sense out of here.

[bbk]

The Audi still looks great. Timeless design.

[MRVW00]

The Audi still looks great. Timeless design.

I think it's the cult car of the 90's of what the E30 was to the 80's.

[HerrGolf]

What a difficult choice. I lean toward the Contour, and the G20 and would probably choose the former. It's hard to say, though, because the SR20 can withstand to be turbo'ed and has ideal suspension geometry (in the sense that a beam axle and double wishbones in the front are better for keeping wheels perpendicular to the pavement). Also in the Infiniti's favor is durability and quality.

But I always liked the Contour's interior and they really make that motor sound charismatic. Not to mention, they handle very well, as everyone knows, and have a solid feel and a nice heft to the controls.

The Jetta deserved its last place finish and that BMW still seems dull to me. The Saab and Audi both have their charms. I always enjoyed those Saabs' steering (they complain that it wriggles and follows road camber too much but it always conveyed good feel to me) and they handle well with mods but the shifter is awful and I never liked the power delivery in day-to-day driving. The Audi seems classy and solid but with handling that's ponderous and deliberate. Dead steering, too; great front suspension in those cars deserves better.

[nickthaskater]

I'll take the G20 or 323 over the A4 in the looks department any day.

[Mosbius Designs]

I'll take the G20 or 323 over the A4 in the looks department any day.

All three still look great today. I have a huge soft-spot for the G20, though.

[mac dre]

Man, I remember reading this back in 2nd grade. That instrument cluster excerpt was fascinating to me at the time.

[Mosbius Designs]

Man, I remember reading this back in 2nd grade. That instrument cluster excerpt was fascinating to me at the time.

2nd grade?!

Holy crap, I'm old.

[mac dre]

2nd grade?!

Holy crap, I'm old.

I'm on the younger side of TCL, about to turn 20.

[GolfVIDriver]

I would still take an SVT Contour and never look back.

Sadly, I ended up with a Jetta VR6. I note some interesting things too - the seats they raved about were preproduction GTI seats, and were not reflective of the seats the production car got. The suspension, however, WAS, and needed a LOT of help. I ended up yanking literally the entire thing and starting over. Once you fix the suspension, the Jetta danced very well. The problem is by the time I was done with that, i could have bought a 328 and had a lot more fun.

[MrKevkevL]

Although the B5 A4 is my favorite out of all the cars in this comparison, I'd have to say that in terms of exterior design, the E46 and the MKIV have aged the most gracefully. While the B5 looks great, it looks decidedly 90's while the E46 and MKIV manage to "bridge the gap" between 90's and present design. The G20, 9-3, and Contour simply look outdated from a non-biased standpoint especially when one looks at the interiors of the respective cars. When it comes to interior design particularly, I'd say the three Germans have everyone beat

[P-Body]

Always loved the G20....too bad I was too young to be a buyer when it was around. I always wonder why Infiniti didn't do something more interesting with it to try and improve it (more power being the prime issue). They released it, it sold like junk, and then they gave up on it. So much of the 90's Infiniti lineup ended that way in retrospect (J30, Q45, G20).

I quite like the Ford, but their comments about the backseat don't even begin to address just how bad that back seat actually is. It's like being in the backseat of a 2-door GT, but it's a sedan.

Oh, and that was the last gen A4 that I really liked.

[BRealistic]

Oh I know it's about driving feel and all. They mention how it dives, etc.

My brother's VR6 GLX 4th gen Jetta was a comfortable cruiser with lots of features and it had the engine power, but driving it did not make me want to drive enthusiastically.
It was Jetta by Buick- which is about the way the controls and suspension just did not inspire confidence. It did have very good brakes though.

Just funny though as the BMW isn't a performer in this group.

Which was mostly due to the low spec tires.

I am glad the OP posted this- as I don't recall ever seeing a BMW 3 series tested without the sports package. It obviously makes a big difference.

[helement2003]

Which was mostly due to the low spec tires.

I actually looked at the tires, and the Infiniti and VW also had H-rated tires on as well. So the same argument, how much better might the Jetta/Infiniti be if they were fitted with V-rated tires like the others?

[BRealistic]

I actually looked at the tires, and the Infiniti and VW also had H-rated tires on as well. So the same argument, how much better might the Jetta/Infiniti be if they were fitted with V-rated tires like the others?

65 series on 15 inch wheels, and just 195 width.
The Audi is rocking 205/55ZR-16 tires.

And yes- putting better rubber (and a plus one size) on any of them will help their performance.
But that can also add noise/harshness.
It is a balance.
The wheel/tire choice for the base 323i in this test is obviously what we like to call "lease spec".

Note I am not a BMW fanboy.

[helement2003]

The wheel/tire choice for the base 323i in this test is obviously what we like to call "lease spec".

Lease spec

[TangoRed]

I think it's the cult car of the 90's of what the E30 was to the 80's.

Hardly.

Interesting comparison test though. I agree with everything they said about the Jetta.

[MRVW00]

Hardly.

Based on?

BTW, am I the only one that notice the Jetta's NON-PRODUCTION COLOR?

[Jrod511]

Based on?

BTW, am I the only one that notice the Jetta's NON-PRODUCTION COLOR?

You could get that color in 99. You could also get both of the snot greens at various points in time. There was also a copper-ish color if my memory works. If. If...

Future Yellow

[SchnellFowVay]

I, too, remember reading this.

April 1999. I was 16 years old, about to turn 17. My lust for cars was just hitting its Apex.

[GolfVIDriver]

Based on?

BTW, am I the only one that notice the Jetta's NON-PRODUCTION COLOR?

Wrong. Well, sort of.

Futura Yellow AND Cosmic Green were both limited (very VERY limited) production colors that were available on the 99.5 Jetta at launch.

I worked for VWoA very briefly, and I managed to dig up the production numbers. I want to say there were 50 - 100 Futura Yellow Jettas made, and 100+ Cosmic Green Jettas.

So, it IS production, but so rare, you will likely never see one.

[50fridge]

I miss when the A4 and 3 series were this cheap. Now a 328i can cost up to $50,000. Audi did a great job with the B5 A4. The inside and outside of car look very modern.

[brandonwillyumz]

I can't see how they didn't like the instrument cluster of the Jetta. It's just so elegant and nice. It's clean and legible also.

[VertigoGTI]

Based on?

BTW, am I the only one that notice the Jetta's NON-PRODUCTION COLOR?

Sorry, I've seen 3 Futura Yellow Jettas. There wasn't a lot of them made, but they were there. All 3 of them were VR6s.

I've also seen 2 Cosmic Green Jettas. One was a 2.0 and the other was Paul's (Cosmic TDI) TDI.

Surprisingly, I've only seen 1 Jazz Blue 99.5 Golf. Weird thing is that the 99.5 Golfs had Jazz Blue listed as a stock color, but FY and Cg weren't options on the Jetta. I still have the literature from the 99.5 MY somewhere around here.

[MRVW00]

You could get that color in 99. You could also get both of the snot greens at various points in time. There was also a copper-ish color if my memory works. If. If...

Wrong. Well, sort of.

Futura Yellow AND Cosmic Green were both limited (very VERY limited) production colors that were available on the 99.5 Jetta at launch.

I worked for VWoA very briefly, and I managed to dig up the production numbers. I want to say there were 50 - 100 Futura Yellow Jettas made, and 100+ Cosmic Green Jettas.

So, it IS production, but so rare, you will likely never see one.

Told you Jrod!

I worked for a VW dealer at the time, and ordering was a part of my job. We tried to order some, and the rep said it was discontinued....immediately. The midwest never received any.