New car purchase (VW or Subaru) - where to start?

Well I live 50 km North of Toronto and I've always driven FWD cars with proper snow tires, and never got stuck.

AWD is nice to have if you don't have too much experience in the snow or if you just have one car, but I already have one so AWD vehicle so it was not my priority for the second car.

AWD is not a must, unless you drive on deep snow all the time, maybe in AB, SK or Northern Provinces, but not in Southern Ontario.

I assume you are in Barrie or thereabouts? Muskoka gets a lot more snow. When I was a kid, several feet wasn't uncommon. Our current cottage isn't year-round, but Gravenhurst gets some good dumpings, as does Bracebridge, Hunstville...etc. North Bay is of course even worse.

Even here in the 'pete, we get the odd good dumping and if I have to go somewhere before the plows have been out, 4WD/AWD is a huge help, and that's with snow tires.

My old GC back at my buddy's hunting camp. His F-150 got stuck. Snow wasn't super deep, but it was that sandy-textured stuff where you just dig down.
JeepSnow01.jpg
 
I assume you are in Barrie or thereabouts? Muskoka gets a lot more snow. When I was a kid, several feet wasn't uncommon. Our current cottage isn't year-round, but Gravenhurst gets some good dumpings, as does Bracebridge, Hunstville...etc. North Bay is of course even worse.

Even here in the 'pete, we get the odd good dumping and if I have to go somewhere before the plows have been out, 4WD/AWD is a huge help, and that's with snow tires.

My old GC back at my buddy's hunting camp. His F-150 got stuck. Snow wasn't super deep, but it was that sandy-textured stuff where you just dig down.
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Thanks for the input

I live in Bradford-West Gwillimbury, not that far from Barrie. If you have a cottage in the north and if you live there year round, you're right AWD/4WD becomes a necessity.

If you live closer to GTA, it's just not required. As long as you have a winter tire and know how to drive, you should be fine.
 
That doesn't seem like that's all you wanted to know:



We use to have paved roads anywhere. Why should I need 4WD?
Maybe if your morning started like this at the bottom of a steep hill, and you have to climb said hill to get to the main road...even the 4WD people with the wrong tires had trouble getting to the main road.

IMG_20200315_073736289_HDR by thisistan, on Flickr

Sadly, there was no powder day, since COVID closed all the ski resorts the night before.
 
Thanks for the input

I live in Bradford-West Gwillimbury, not that far from Barrie. If you have a cottage in the north and if you live there year round, you're right AWD/4WD becomes a necessity.

If you live closer to GTA, it's just not required. As long as you have a winter tire and know how to drive, you should be fine.

Yes, it's always milder around the GTA thanks to the lake effect. They also plow a lot better and more frequently than areas further out.
 
Hey guys,

I took the delivery 3 days ago, just had a chance to post as it's been crazy busy at work. I didn't even have a chance to drive that much, only put 25 miles since I got it. I am super glad that I picked this color, I love how it looks (personal opinion).

What I found that US-Spec GLI's don't get black rims/mirrors/roof standard, as well as missing some features like heated rear seats even with the top trim - not sure why but Canadian version seems like a more well-rounded package as everything you see comes standard.

Anyways, thanks again for all the input and help!

View attachment 69918
Great color, great car congratulations!
 
Maybe if your morning started like this at the bottom of a steep hill, and you have to climb said hill to get to the main road...even the 4WD people with the wrong tires had trouble getting to the main road.
Sadly, there was no powder day, since COVID closed all the ski resorts the night before.

I grew up in the mountains, I learned to drive in the mountains, I used to ski for two decades.
Owned several Audis and BMWs with 4WD. I don't miss any of them. I don't remember ever
being stuck with a FWD or RWD (I do remember others being though), perhaps just because I
never tried what they are not capable of. That said I always had and still have dedicated winter
tires for the colder season for any of my cars (except for the 911 that will never see any snow),
even though I live in an area with milder climate now. Some of them had LSDs just like the GTI,
which definitely helps. For me it's more than sufficient as well as it has been in the past.
 
pretty much ALL of todays AWD systems are "watered down" to get better mpgs + better meet EPA mileage. still better than nothing + if you want snow + ice traction you NEED real snow tyres. my 2001 FWD jetta was good with snow tyres BUT it was great when i had a Quaife torque biasing differential installed!! VAG vehicles with the engine CORRECTLY installed front to rear have better AWD than Haldex types. most FWD cars running real SNOW tyres will do better than typical AWD with all season but winter tyres that also STOP in shorter distances! i even passed struggling 4WD trucks without SNOW tyres!!!
 
I have no experience with subaru cvt awd system except what i see on tfl cars and quite frankly it looks terrible off-road. Im sure quattro would dominate it. I would go a4
 
pretty much ALL of todays AWD systems are "watered down" to get better mpgs + better meet EPA mileage.
Still quite a few real AWD systems on the market. The Durango and Grand Cherokee are a couple of examples (that use the same systems) but there are others like BMW's X-Drive.
 
pretty much ALL of todays AWD systems are "watered down" to get better mpgs + better meet EPA mileage. still better than nothing + if you want snow + ice traction you NEED real snow tyres. my 2001 FWD jetta was good with snow tyres BUT it was great when i had a Quaife torque biasing differential installed!! VAG vehicles with the engine CORRECTLY installed front to rear have better AWD than Haldex types. most FWD cars running real SNOW tyres will do better than typical AWD with all season but winter tyres that also STOP in shorter distances! i even passed struggling 4WD trucks without SNOW tyres!!!
...except for in this thread... legendary Subaru symmetrical AWD, since it's always powering both axles at once. Subaru uses a CVT for their EPA mileage aspect, so there is no FWD mode on their AWD.... unlike Haldex Gen 5 and Audi Quattro with Ultra Technology (yes, it does have a disconnect for the rear axle). Audi's Crown gear differential is a AWD system, that replaces the Torsen system in much of their product line and isn't "watered down" to get better mpg.
 
Quick update: I've put about 700 miles and it's been a little more than 1.5 months. So far I'm pretty happy with the car. The car is comfortable enough for daily driving and has decent amount of roll on power, and with few small mods it can be good for spirited driving/occasional trackdays. No check engine light so far :D

So far, I've done paint protection film for the whole front end, A-pillars, door cups, and trunk ledge and 30% window tints all around. I also added wheel spacers - 10mm for the front and 15mm for the rear. I'll also buy&install aftermarket rear sway bar before the end of this year. For tune and catback, I'll probably wait for few years to make sure everything works fine.

I also bought OEM 18" Pretoria wheels from VW dealer so that I can have one winter, and one summer tire set. Price was surprisingly good for an OEM rim - I paid $1100 Canadian for 4 rims. My aim is to get rid of the factory all seasons as soon as possible - they are the worst factory tires I've ever tried.

I bought Pirelli Ice Zero FR winter tires, though I won't be driving as much when the roads are salty, winter tires is always nice to have especially for a front wheel drive.

I'm not sure which rims I should put the winters. It'll be installed next week. I'll buy summer tire set next year and will sell factory tires. Let me know which one I should put the winters/summers.

18" Pretoria ET51 7.5J - Also factory wheels of MK7.5 GTI Rabbit edition
Photo 2021-09-27, 10 56 12.jpg


Factory 18" wheels ET49 7.5J
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Thanks
 
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Quick update: Well, seems like I am officially in the club!

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Here is what OBD tool says:

U028700 - Lost Communication With Transmission Fluid Pump Module "A"
static
Date: 2022-02-24 20:17:59
Mileage: 2932 km
Priority: 0
Malfunction frequency counter: 4
Unlearning counter: 255
Engine torque: -16 Nm
Control module temperature: 35 °C
Coolant temperature: 55 °C
Accelerator position: 14.5 %
DTC memory status: 286
Clutch, primary stat: Neu
Selected gear: GANG_R
Driving position: P
Engine speed: 0.00 1/min
Vehicle speed: 0 km/h

The car sat for 2 weeks then drove it for 30 miles (no CEL while driving), then CEL popped up when I start it up again. Even if I clear the code, it comes back after I shut it off and restart the engine, so thankfully it's always there so dealer can figure it out. It drives totally fine even with CEL, didn't feel any difference. The drivetrain is completely stock.

I also have few other stuff need to be checked, passenger front door rubber seal is sagging, fuel line noise (rattling) which is a common problem for all MQB cars, so I think it's time to take it to the dealer for warranty work.

Glad that I got the OBD tool, so at least I can see what's wrong with it. I'll definitely miss Japanese reliability.
 
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