If you can handle every tdi passing you on the dual carriageway while your dropping two cogs then the 200 is fine.
No doubt, they’re great on a ‘b road blast’ but for real world driving I don’t think think they’re all that.
They’re not good on juice.
They’re not fast anymore unless you’re driving like a penis.
Servicing costs are expensive for what it is.
I was always an Na fan boy and still am in some respects but modern turbo engines make so much more sense now for daily driving.
There is a lot of sense in this. I do really like the 197/200, they are great cars and, if I wasn't doing many miles, I would certainly consider one. However, the above is true, modern turbocharged cars do make so much sense in the real world. Had many a debate with vtec fanboys I know who claim their cars are every bit as good as turbocharged ones, because their Type-R is as quick as a turbocharged equivalent. The thing is though, in the real world, where you're not revving it out in every gear, when you don't want to change down every time you change lanes, a modern turbocharged car is just 100x easier to live with.
Horses for courses at the end of the day though. We all like different things and are willing to compromise to different levels. If I wanted a daily hot hatch and wasn't doing a lot of miles, a 200 would definitely be on my shopping list.