The only option on a 2018 SE are the leather seats. The only way to get a non-sunroof 2018 GTI is to get an S which means no LED headlights, no safety/DAP options, no Fender audio, no VAQ diff or PP brakes.
I'm still pissed the only way you can get Fender and ACC is going for a loaded Autobahn lol.
This is my post from a thread on Vortex of what an Autobahn has over an SE:
ACC
Parking sensors and park assist
High beam control
12 way power drivers seat (leather standard)
NAV with enhanced Car-Net
Fender audio
Climatronic
Auto dimming mirror
DCC
I just did some quick math. After adding the $695 leather to the SE, an Autobahn GTI is $3905 than an SE with leather.
And VW wonders why their sales are down/why they have to offer incentives! Is it just me, or should the Autobahn be $2700-$3000 more than the SE, at most?!
Aside from the DCC, audio, and 12 way power drivers seat, most of the other stuff I feel shouldn't add up to almost $4000. I seriously wish you could just get an SE with the ACC and Fender audio. I'd pay $1500 on top of the SE's price for those two items.
And for those saying that VW sales were good (that's the feedback some had from Vortex), yes, they are, but a huge reason for that is because of the heavily discounted Mk7's. Golf's, Jetta's, Golf Sportwagens, GTI's, etc. Bad for VW and for their customer's. Why? Because just as Chogokin said, he paid a lot more for his 2017 Sport just 5 months ago than what they're going for now. That tends to piss people off and it also makes resale value tank.
As for myself, because I'm not in the market right now (damn negative equity on my Mazda3), I'm kind of hoping 2018's don't hold their value too crazy so I can pick up a slightly used 2018 GTI Autobahn down the road. We'll have to see how much the market values the 6 year, 72k mile warranty. It still boggles my mind how Honda can offer a mid-size car with all of the standard safety tech (lane assist, blind spot, cross traffic monitoring, ACC, and traffic sign recognition) on their brand new $25k Accord, yet VW can't get their compact car in the same pricing bracket haha. I realize these aren't in the same class and the likelihood of cross shopping them are slim, but I guess I was one of the rare ones. I was really eyeing the new 2.0T Sport 6MT Accord but then I realized that ultimately, a Mk7/7.5 GTI with the VAQ diff and larger brakes will suit my needs much better.