I was reading some of the comments below the video on YouTube and the majority didn’t like what VW had done to cheapen the mk8 over the outgoing mk7.5.
I could live with the manual bonnet prop, the glove box not being lined, no cover over the cup holders and no small storage compartment below the panel for the light controls. It’s the removal of the physical buttons and switches for the everyday functions that’d be the deal breaker for me, and I agree with the guy in the video about all the piano black trim around the AID cheapening the look compared to the mk7.5.
I know the two cars weren’t the same model; the mk7.5 was an R and the mk8 - based on its wheels - looked like a fairly low level model. However, I think the comparisons being made in the video were valid as parts highlighted such as bonnet prop, cup holder design, light control panel, AID surround, heating controls will be common across the mk8 model range.
For anyone thinking of getting a Golf for the first time, they won’t be aware of many of the points highlighted in the video. However, comparing the two cars side by side, IMO the mk8 has been cheapened in some key areas that’ll be noticed by existing mk7 / mk7.5 owners considering the mk8 as their next vehicle, and I think many won’t like what they see.