I really do value all the attributes of the GTI, good acceleration, beautiful interior, good fuel economy, large cargo capacity, decent handling, and a pure joy to drive. But not if it's at the expense of having to take it into the mechanic for repairs every other month, or spending thousands of $$$ on repairs every year. I know of someone who had a MK7 and only kept it for 1 year because it was constantly in the shop for repairs (mostly electrical issues). The last straw was when the fuel pump failed- all within the first year of ownership!
Would be interesting to see what the 2019 Mazda 3 with the Skyactive-X will be priced at. Mazda is supposedly doing more work to tweak the engine to increase the HP- and still achieve diesel-like fuel economy.