Has anyone come from an MK5 GTI or Edition 30? Happy? Regrets?

[GTIJamie]

After going to the Early Edition show at the weekend and speaking to several owners of brilliant examples of cars, I received a general response that the MK5 GTI / Edition30 is a better car for the money than the MK7 GTI Performance Pack. Before I take the leap into an MK7, I wondered whether anyone had owned both of these cars and would share their experiences?

[Hertsman]

There will be a more informed Edition 30 view coming from someone imagine but having been in a standard MK 5 GTI and driven the MK 7 for near 6 years now and soon to extend that to 9, think the obvious difference would in what the modern technology brings, the MQB platform, the v2 DCC that actually makes a real difference to the ride and not least the front differential.

The MK 5 GTI ED 30 is a great car, particularly if get a pristine example that you likely saw, so has a real heritage pull and still works very well as a daily car but in terms of driving a MK 7 GTI Performance will take the whole experience up a significant notch.

Personally I would like both, the MK 7 GTI Performance as my daily, and the MK 5 ED 30 as my weekend drive when take a run out to a pub garden as still lots of fun and will get the heritage admiration

Like said others here will give you a much better breakdown, but ultimately it will depend on what you are personally looking for most

[GTIJamie]

There will be a more informed Edition 30 view coming from someone imagine but having been in a standard MK 5 GTI and driven the MK 7 for near 6 years now and soon to extend that to 9, think the obvious difference would in what the modern technology brings, the MQB platform, the v2 DCC that actually makes a real difference to the ride and not least the front differential.

The MK 5 GTI ED 30 is a great car, particularly if get a pristine example that you likely saw, so has a real heritage pull and still works very well as a daily car but in terms of driving a MK 7 GTI Performance will take the whole experience up a significant notch.

Personally I would like both, the MK 7 GTI Performance as my daily, and the MK 5 ED 30 as my weekend drive when take a run out to a pub garden as still lots of fun and will get the heritage admiration

Like said others here will give you a much better breakdown, but ultimately it will depend on what you are personally looking for most

Hi Hertsman, thanks for your input, it's greatly appreciated. Altogether, it will be my daily driver / show car / B-road basher / track time possible! I've heard a lot of people say that the MK7 GTI lacks the soul of the MK5 GTI / Edition30 but the MK7 is fantastic and a smile-inducing drive so it's difficult to imagine that the MK5 platform is better! More views would be appreciated if anyone has experience of both.

[Exonian]

What’s “a better car for the money”?
Considering most Mk5 GTI’s are now 10 plus years old and pretty worn out then they certainly won’t be at their best.
It depends on how much you pay and how you plan on using the car.
If it’s for show use then a mint Mk5 will have more kudos but if it’s a daily driver please don’t underestimate the cost of keeping a Mk5 in A1 condition in average use. They’re now at the ages where just about everything will need replacing if you’re using it daily unless its had a fastidious previous owner.
A colleague of mine bought a very tidy Mk5 GTI a few years ago for around £3k and uses it every day. It’s cost literally thousands in things that have worn out; bushes, drop links, springs, dampers, brakes, tyres, wheel refurbs, central locking fixes, water pumps, cam belt, engine ancillaries, air con malfunctions, clutch have all needed attention or replacing.
I think the exhaust might still be original though!
Plus despite careful owners it has the usual rust.
Yeah, you can buy a half tidy one and run it on peanuts if you’re not fussy and don’t expect too much but if you’re a car enthusiast you’ll be forever wanting to tidy bits and replacing things to get it back to how it should look and drive.

I’ve never liked the Ed30 engine much so haven’t had one of those but I owned a Mk5 GTI manual for a couple years, “upgraded” to mk6 GTI’s and have had mk7 GTI PP, R and Ed40 CS.   

Go from sitting in a Mk5 to a mk7 and the driving position will be instantly familiar.

What’s better about the Mk5?
The metal panels and general feel of the car are of more solidity, it’s properly painted inside and out, the steering wheel and seats are perfection, the dials are lovely and it’s iconic as a car.   

What’s better about the Mk7 PP?
Well the dash is nicer, the tech is more modern (but that can also be a downside as these things date, the interior of the Mk5 is devoid of much tech but has some nice touches but generally more driver focussed which I prefer) and depending on what options are specced it can be a very luxurious car.
The engine is better, a nice torque spread means you can cover ground rapidly without having to work hard plus it’s better on fuel.
The brakes are much better than the 312’s of the mk5 and 220PS MK7.
But the stars of the show are the steering and handling.
In Sport the steering is very sharp after the Mk5 and despite the (from memory) more sophisticated suspension of the Mk5 the handling is much more lithe.
The VAQ diff is a revelation as far as traditional Golf GTI handling goes. Gone is the slight understeer, replaced with neutral tenacity and sheer grip (tyres permitting) that you have to learn to trust allowing you to power through bends you’d have lifted off for in a previous generation of Golf.

As far as other things go, between the two cars it’s sixes and half dozens; ride, performance, tunability and styling all familiar but different takes on a familiar theme.

If you want the ultimate GTI for posing at shows and sheer performance then it’s a Clubsport, CSS or TCR.
The Ed30 is iconic but a lot of them were tuned and thrashed and I don’t like the boosty nature of the engine as standard. Some prefer that! 

[clubsport]

I've driven quite a few Ed30, they are a good car and a return to form for the GTi. I nearly went down that route before buying my mk7 PP, as they age, half the battle is finding a truly good rather than average example.

In terms of performance with the mk7 PP, there is very little in it on the road, again having driven and along side an Ed30, I came to that conclusion.

The biggest difference between the two cars is the technology, adaptive cruise, handbrake, infotainment etc...

I am not a fan of the cambelt/water pump routinely scheduled tax on the Ed30, the road tax and insurance are higher than the mk7 PP.

As a daily car to use I would take the mk7, at the same time an Ed30 is fine for the daily grind, but a good one may be worth keeping as a weekend car, if that is your thing.
Personally, I would want a weekend car to be a bit more of an event than a Golf hatchback and I have been there with a BRM Mk1 GTi to qualify that statement.

[Hertsman]

Good to see I was on a similar track in my thoughts to my more esteemed and informed board members as some great follow up advice - It will really come down to exact need and what prepared to spend in £ and time to maintain.

Personally I would always have the newer car for the daily and if can afford have the car pushing towards heritage as the second car - I am already thinking with the way cars are going in general and the specific way the MK 8 seems to be going in keeping the TCR after 3 years and moving it to the second car at the 4-5 year mark and hopefully with the then lower mileage at 10 years it will be a very clean, well maintained nod to the past when cars were still half decent and not automated boxes on wheels

But good additional insight from the informed and reason why these boards are invaluable, likely saved my loads of ££'s and even grief in gaining an informed view.

[GTIJamie]

Thanks for the input guys. It sounds like the Edition30s are really special cars but having one as my every car might be quite difficult with repairs, maintenance etc. and I need to have my car as and when I need it. I guess maybe some point further down the line when I have the finance, I can get the Edition30 and keep it a bit mint etc. but for the time being, the MK7 GTI PP sounds like the perfect solution

[Yusee]

What’s “a better car for the money”?
Considering most Mk5 GTI’s are now 10 plus years old and pretty worn out then they certainly won’t be at their best.
It depends on how much you pay and how you plan on using the car.
If it’s for show use then a mint Mk5 will have more kudos but if it’s a daily driver please don’t underestimate the cost of keeping a Mk5 in A1 condition in average use. They’re now at the ages where just about everything will need replacing if you’re using it daily unless its had a fastidious previous owner.
A colleague of mine bought a very tidy Mk5 GTI a few years ago for around £3k and uses it every day. It’s cost literally thousands in things that have worn out; bushes, drop links, springs, dampers, brakes, tyres, wheel refurbs, central locking fixes, water pumps, cam belt, engine ancillaries, air con malfunctions, clutch have all needed attention or replacing.
I think the exhaust might still be original though!
Plus despite careful owners it has the usual rust.
Yeah, you can buy a half tidy one and run it on peanuts if you’re not fussy and don’t expect too much but if you’re a car enthusiast you’ll be forever wanting to tidy bits and replacing things to get it back to how it should look and drive.

I’ve never liked the Ed30 engine much so haven’t had one of those but I owned a Mk5 GTI manual for a couple years, “upgraded” to mk6 GTI’s and have had mk7 GTI PP, R and Ed40 CS.   

Go from sitting in a Mk5 to a mk7 and the driving position will be instantly familiar.

What’s better about the Mk5?
The metal panels and general feel of the car are of more solidity, it’s properly painted inside and out, the steering wheel and seats are perfection, the dials are lovely and it’s iconic as a car.   

What’s better about the Mk7 PP?
Well the dash is nicer, the tech is more modern (but that can also be a downside as these things date, the interior of the Mk5 is devoid of much tech but has some nice touches but generally more driver focussed which I prefer) and depending on what options are specced it can be a very luxurious car.
The engine is better, a nice torque spread means you can cover ground rapidly without having to work hard plus it’s better on fuel.
The brakes are much better than the 312’s of the mk5 and 220PS MK7.
But the stars of the show are the steering and handling.
In Sport the steering is very sharp after the Mk5 and despite the (from memory) more sophisticated suspension of the Mk5 the handling is much more lithe.
The VAQ diff is a revelation as far as traditional Golf GTI handling goes. Gone is the slight understeer, replaced with neutral tenacity and sheer grip (tyres permitting) that you have to learn to trust allowing you to power through bends you’d have lifted off for in a previous generation of Golf.

As far as other things go, between the two cars it’s sixes and half dozens; ride, performance, tunability and styling all familiar but different takes on a familiar theme.

If you want the ultimate GTI for posing at shows and sheer performance then it’s a Clubsport, CSS or TCR.
The Ed30 is iconic but a lot of them were tuned and thrashed and I don’t like the boosty nature of the engine as standard. Some prefer that!

very interesting post.
I've been pleasantly surprised by how good the steering is on my GTI. Not only sharp, but I have found the feedback very good- particularly noticed during the recent wet weather. I don't think I was expecting too much though, as reports on the steering were variable ( some said "numb"- I certainly don't agree with that).
The car really does feel very agile too. There's an interesting article on handling in this month's evo- includes an interview with Karsten Schebstat- who I think was the chief engineer on the mk7 gti. He mentions "high yaw gain" as an important characteristic of a good handling car. No idea what it meant until I googled it- but I'm sure the mk7 GTI has it!

[GTIJamie]

What’s “a better car for the money”?
Considering most Mk5 GTI’s are now 10 plus years old and pretty worn out then they certainly won’t be at their best.
It depends on how much you pay and how you plan on using the car.
If it’s for show use then a mint Mk5 will have more kudos but if it’s a daily driver please don’t underestimate the cost of keeping a Mk5 in A1 condition in average use. They’re now at the ages where just about everything will need replacing if you’re using it daily unless its had a fastidious previous owner.
A colleague of mine bought a very tidy Mk5 GTI a few years ago for around £3k and uses it every day. It’s cost literally thousands in things that have worn out; bushes, drop links, springs, dampers, brakes, tyres, wheel refurbs, central locking fixes, water pumps, cam belt, engine ancillaries, air con malfunctions, clutch have all needed attention or replacing.
I think the exhaust might still be original though!
Plus despite careful owners it has the usual rust.
Yeah, you can buy a half tidy one and run it on peanuts if you’re not fussy and don’t expect too much but if you’re a car enthusiast you’ll be forever wanting to tidy bits and replacing things to get it back to how it should look and drive.

I’ve never liked the Ed30 engine much so haven’t had one of those but I owned a Mk5 GTI manual for a couple years, “upgraded” to mk6 GTI’s and have had mk7 GTI PP, R and Ed40 CS.   

Go from sitting in a Mk5 to a mk7 and the driving position will be instantly familiar.

What’s better about the Mk5?
The metal panels and general feel of the car are of more solidity, it’s properly painted inside and out, the steering wheel and seats are perfection, the dials are lovely and it’s iconic as a car.   

What’s better about the Mk7 PP?
Well the dash is nicer, the tech is more modern (but that can also be a downside as these things date, the interior of the Mk5 is devoid of much tech but has some nice touches but generally more driver focussed which I prefer) and depending on what options are specced it can be a very luxurious car.
The engine is better, a nice torque spread means you can cover ground rapidly without having to work hard plus it’s better on fuel.
The brakes are much better than the 312’s of the mk5 and 220PS MK7.
But the stars of the show are the steering and handling.
In Sport the steering is very sharp after the Mk5 and despite the (from memory) more sophisticated suspension of the Mk5 the handling is much more lithe.
The VAQ diff is a revelation as far as traditional Golf GTI handling goes. Gone is the slight understeer, replaced with neutral tenacity and sheer grip (tyres permitting) that you have to learn to trust allowing you to power through bends you’d have lifted off for in a previous generation of Golf.

As far as other things go, between the two cars it’s sixes and half dozens; ride, performance, tunability and styling all familiar but different takes on a familiar theme.

If you want the ultimate GTI for posing at shows and sheer performance then it’s a Clubsport, CSS or TCR.
The Ed30 is iconic but a lot of them were tuned and thrashed and I don’t like the boosty nature of the engine as standard. Some prefer that!

very interesting post.
I've been pleasantly surprised by how good the steering is on my GTI. Not only sharp, but I have found the feedback very good- particularly noticed during the recent wet weather. I don't think I was expecting too much though, as reports on the steering were variable ( some said "numb"- I certainly don't agree with that).
The car really does feel very agile too. There's an interesting article on handling in this month's evo- includes an interview with Karsten Schebstat- who I think was the chief engineer on the mk7 gti. He mentions "high yaw gain" as an important characteristic of a good handling car. No idea what it meant until I googled it- but I'm sure the mk7 GTI has it!

Is that in this month's article of Evo? I must read this!

[Yusee]

It’s the June issue- yeah it’s worth getting a copy. Fascinating to hear how the top engineers define “good handling”