Poll - what's your favorite mk4/A4 body style?

What's your favorite mk4/A4 body style?

  • Golf

  • Jetta

  • New Beetle

  • Jetta Wagon

  • 2 Door Golf


Results are only viewable after voting.

benIV

Veteran Member
Joined
Oct 25, 2009
Location
Southeast NC
TDI
2003 PG 5m Jetta GL Sedan, 2003 RS 5m Jetta GLS Wagon (Golf Variant)
There wasn't an "all of the above"... At one point I wanted to have every a4 body style there is, oh well.
 

vandermic07

Veteran Member
Joined
Jun 5, 2011
Location
West Central Pennsylvania
TDI
01 Golf 5 spd, 03 Jetta Wagon
I dont quite understand the attraction to sedans. my first car was a 98 sunfire 2 door. We made it work for fishing and hunting but we were always trying to figure out how to haul or gear or take 2 cars. Not friendly to 3rd and 4th passengers either.

flash forward to my 01 golf. I have no issues trying to fit my gear and i can carry 2 loaed ice fishing sleds in the back with the seats down. I can carry 1 sled in my 03 JW and keep the seats up.

I have a hard time even thinking about getting a sedan. Hatches are definitely more practical if you haul stuff. I think they look better too.
 

BobnOH

not-a-mechanic
Joined
May 29, 2004
Location
central Ohio
TDI
New Beetle 2003 manual
Sedans are best for folks like me, at age 66. In my younger days don't think I could have lived without my pick-up truck, the tiny little wagon would not have helped much. Many of us oldsters like taller vehicles cause they're easier to get in. I'm really happy with my NB, I consider it the best platform.
The Jetta is gaining in the poll.
 

hskrdu

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Oct 17, 2003
Location
Maryland and New England
TDI
2003 Golf GLS 4D 5M, 2015 GSW SE 6M
I'm going to have to say 4dr Golf. My bias stems from growing up with Rabbits (after Beetles), and always being able to use the hatch opening (compared to a Jetta trunk). I slept in the back of my 79 Rabbit on a few camping trips, which was my first car with 4 doors. I need access to the back so often that I said I would never go back to a 2 door, and it's held true (even as I still load the back, and back seat) with gear.

I think the MkIV Jetta is among the better looking VWs, but it's just not as practical, which is a significant factor in my comparison. I also find the NA Jetta headlights to be problematic. It's awfully tempting to pick the JW/Golf variant, but the over the last 20 years I've lived places where parking is really tight (circle the area for 20 minutes looking for a space to open), and my Golf was able to sneak into spots that I wouldn't have tried with a wagon, even though the length is what, only 10"(?) difference. I love the MkIV wagon, and I'd own one (with a Golf nose) for fun, but the shape doesn't appeal to much as a Golf, which I think really hit the Euro/German sweet spot for design.
 

IndigoBlueWagon

TDIClub Enthusiast, Principal IDParts, Vendor , w/
Joined
Aug 16, 2004
Location
South of Boston
TDI
'97 Passat, '99.5 Golf, '02 Jetta Wagon, '15 GSW
I am a little mystified by all the hating of Jetta headlights here. I have both a Jetta and a Golf, both with stock DOT lights, and although the Golf lighing is better, it's not a huge difference. I have decent bulbs in the Jetta (Wagner Britelights, I believe) and I'm fine with the overall lighting. Maybe I have low standards. I have a BMW with HIDs, and I don't find those a hell of a lot better.
 

oilhammer

Certified Volkswagen Nut & Vendor
Joined
Dec 11, 2001
Location
outside St Louis, MO
TDI
There are just too many to list....
I find the DOT Golf headlights far better, but both my Golfs have glass Ecodes in them, and those are even better yet. I cannot drive at night with the Jettas anymore. My low light vision is failing me as I have gotten older (as is my up close vision with corrected for distance lenses in). I can tolerate the Passats at night, but try to avoid driving in the dark with those cars unless I have to.

I was amazed how bad my Dad's 2015 F150's headlights are, as those seem blinding to me on the road (the regular ones, not the stadium lighting HID trucks). I think my '96 and '97 F-trucks have better lights than the 2015.
 

IndigoBlueWagon

TDIClub Enthusiast, Principal IDParts, Vendor , w/
Joined
Aug 16, 2004
Location
South of Boston
TDI
'97 Passat, '99.5 Golf, '02 Jetta Wagon, '15 GSW
For some reason Ford SUV and truck headlights are the worst for blinding.

My town has no street lights, and I can usually drive around with the high beams at pre-dawn because there's no one on the roads. But on most other areas where I drive the ambient lighting is good enough that I don't even rely on the headlights that much. I just follow the taillights in front of me. I guess I do have low standards.

Only time recently that I was unhappy with the Jetta lights was on the Indiana Turnpike at 1 AM when I had to swerve pretty quickly to get around a deer in the middle lane. After that I just drove with the high beams on. Irritating other drivers is better than dead, in my opinion. And there aren't many people on that road at that hour, anyway.
 

irvingj

Veteran Member
Joined
Nov 28, 2006
Location
Etna,NH
TDI
2005 Jetta Wagon TDI (PD/BEW)
hskrdu, I'd have to agree with you about Rabbits. I avoided air-cooled VWs like the plague for years, and when I started wrenching (or rather learning to wrench), I saw too many of them with the #3 exhaust valve either embedded in the piston crown or in the crankcase. Air-cooled, my foot! They're OIL-cooled.

Never liked the sound of them, either. Only flat-four VW I ever owned was strictly as an investment -- bought the van cheap, had the engine OH'd, sold it. I will say that those vans made the absolute best use of space I've ever seen, however. This one was a camper that somebody had fixed up very nicely, then blew the engine 300 miles from home and couldn't afford to have it towed or fixed so I offered a fair (but low, I'll admit) price and he took it.

Fast forward a few years and I had a chance to drive the NEW VW Fox... and was very impressed. A few years later, I did a guy a favor and gave him a few hundred bucks for a '79 (petrol) Rabbit 4-door that was pretty beat up. What a difference!! I LOVED that car! Great in the snow, I could put a dozen 8-foot 2x4s in it and still close the rear hatch, got great fuel mileage, never failed to start (CIS) during our very cold NH winters, was fun to drive and not particularly anemic, and --did I say this already?-- with a good set of snow tires on it, was absolutely amazing in the snow.

That was the first car I'd ever had that seemed to actually be engineered, not slapped together (well, truth be told, other than a '65 SAAB 96 3-cylinder 2-stroke I drove for a while) -- it didn't seem that there was anything that you couldn't remove, clean up, repair and/or lubricate, put it back on, and have it work -- almost like it was designed that way!! I liked it so much I bought another, an '82 with no rust, that I eventually gave to my daughter when she moved away.

That's what made me seriously consider another VW, and I still like my MK4 wagon's styling the best... though I still miss that Rabbit 4-door!
 

GlowBugTDI

Veteran Member
Joined
Jul 20, 2018
Location
Cambridge, MN
TDI
2001 Beetle GLS TDI (BIODSL). 01 original Glow Bug TDI (sold)
Wagon
Golf
Beetle/jetta

I'd love to own a golf, or a wagon someday. Good wagons are hard to come by these days sadly. Golfs are largely hacked around here, and sadly wagons are hard to get in good shape or mileage
 

wonneber

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Oct 12, 2011
Location
Monroe, NY, USA
TDI
2014 Jetta Sportwagon,2003 Jetta 261K Sold but not forgotten
I personally am not that concerned with looks.
I need the wagon for the cargo space, but a bit longer would be better.
For looks I use to like the GM Hummer. :)
A box going down the highway.
Last, I wish VW would bring back the pickup truck.
I had one way back.
Loved it.
 
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KrashDH

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Dec 22, 2013
Location
Washington
TDI
2002 Golf
I personally am not that concerned with looks.
I need the wagon for the cargo space, but a bit longer would be better.
For looks I use to like the GM Hummer. :)
A box going down the highway.
Last, I wish VW would bring back the pickup truck.
I had on way back,.
Loved it.
I saw a TDI truck when I went to Belize for Thanksgiving. New too.
 

Matt-98AHU

Loose Nut Behind the Wheel Vendor
Joined
Apr 23, 2006
Location
Gresham, OR
TDI
2001 Golf TDI, 2005 Passat wagon, 2004 Touareg V10.
My son has recently made a career change and is doing carpentry work. He lives in rural western MA, and drives to work are long. A co-worker was complaining about how much he spends a week on fuel for his Silverado, and insisted he needs the truck to carry tools. My son keeps the rear seat folded in his Golf, and all his tools easily fit. They probably would even without folding the seat, but sometimes he's got a table saw in there.

We were also laughing that we no longer tell non-TDI people how many miles are on our cars because it simply doesn't register as a real number for most people. 300K miles they might get, but when you say a number over 400K they just look at you like you misspoke.
I've considered the same swap on mine. If you aren't rough with them, they hold up fine. The other reason I like them better is they don't get "floppy" like the Golf vents do. They stay aimed where I want them.
 

oilhammer

Certified Volkswagen Nut & Vendor
Joined
Dec 11, 2001
Location
outside St Louis, MO
TDI
There are just too many to list....
My Golfs' vents are nice and firm, thank you very much. :D No flops here, even with GTI/Billy suspension! (maybe it is dirt holding them? ) ;)
 

pkhoury

That guy with the goats
Joined
Nov 30, 2010
Location
Medina, TX
TDI
2013 JSW, 2003 Jetta Ute, 2 x 2002 Golf, 2000 Golf
I like the Beetles for the monster head room for my long torso, at least the models without a sun roof. Not nearly as practical as any of the other bodystyles, but they're the lightest weight and pretty fun to drive on curvy roads.
I won't disagree with you there. I'm tall and taller in the torso as well, but I still like how I fit in my Golf. Ironically, most SUVs are too small for me, go figure. Except the Tiguan, but that car is a POS in its own right.
 

pkhoury

That guy with the goats
Joined
Nov 30, 2010
Location
Medina, TX
TDI
2013 JSW, 2003 Jetta Ute, 2 x 2002 Golf, 2000 Golf
Ever since they started calling just about anything an SUV.

But my Suburban is commodious.
Yeah - all the way from big to small. Now they have crossovers, but to me, they still scream SUV. Just give me a good 'ol fashioned hatchback (or wagon) and I'm good.
 

FluffySmooth

Active member
Joined
Dec 17, 2018
Location
Georgia, USA
TDI
2003 Alaska Green Jetta ALH TDI sedan 180,000 miles 02J 5spd transmission (aftermarket injectors, unsure of brand)
Definitely the 4 door Golf.... and I don't even have one :(
 

BobnOH

not-a-mechanic
Joined
May 29, 2004
Location
central Ohio
TDI
New Beetle 2003 manual
Colors seen on computer monitots and other devices are not "true". You can calibrate your monitor for your particular lighting, but few people do that.
 
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