Golf 7-5 V. Golf 8 cost cutting

[Panelpin]

https://youtu.be/X48c9lFX3NY

[Sootchucker]

Not pretty ....

[Splashalot]

Wow, that was a great summary.  Brutally honest.

That touch screen system is lunacy.  I understand the need for the company to cut costs due to deiselgate etc, but that is just suicide IMO.  I expect heaps of Golf owners will jump ship to another marque.  I know I will be.  That system is a complete deal breaker for me.

[SRGTD]

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.

[p3asa]

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.....

I think that sums it up. What you haven't had, you won't miss.

Folk on these forums will know but I'd imagine that's a small drop in the ocean for VW and lets face it, who is going to dump having a new GTI or R because it doesn't have a gas bonnet strut or under steering wheel cubby hole?

As for changing the layout with no buttons etc, I don't know how many times I've got used to a picture editor or music maker programs only for them to bring out a new version with a completely different layout and I then can't find those buttons to do the simplest of tasks. I moan about it but after a few weeks its like second nature.

I just see it as the price we need to pay if things want to evolve in technology.

[fredgroves]

I ws watching the Space-X launch the other day (well not launch as it turns out).

That Dragon spacecraft is controlled by touch screens. If those guys can use a touch screen then you can while driving on a slightly bumpy road.

Read this if you want to know what being fired into space actually feels like:

https://www.airspacemag.com/ask-astronaut/ask-astronaut-what-does-launch-feel-what-thoughts-and-emotions-run-through-your-mind-180959920/

[Al1040]

Well he is certainly not a fan, I do have to agree with the touch screen and 'bolt on' Ipad look which i really do not like and was a major factor in buying my lease car.
Looks like I will be keeping my 7.5 for a while yet....

[Exonian]

The flock lined door bins and glove box, the bonnet struts, the extra cubbies, the nicer quality plastics in slightly less key areas, these were the things that set apart the marques. These were the things that added the perceived quality to the Golf to set it apart from the Octavia, the Leon and even the Polo.
These things will be noticed as the Golf has one of the highest repeat ownership percentage figures in the segment in the UK and quite likely much of the rest of the world.
The guy doing the vid is a fairly typical enthusiast owner, but even in the wider market these things will be noted as to how VW can command a premium over a Skoda.

Touch screens are routinely accepted in Teslas which are one of the biggest selling cars now. We will get used to them and voice control will end up being used for a lot of on the fly changes if there is no steering wheel button for a particular user request.
VW are edging us towards the ID range which will be all touchscreens and I do wonder whether part of the ugliness of the mk8 is deliberate to steer people towards the slightly prettier ID range.

Mind you nearly all of the current crop of mid-size hatches are pretty ungainly so we’ll get used to it to the point they’ll be the norm.
Incidentally, the pig ugly new Focus looks loads better in the slightly taller half arsed SUV version they do which has the plastic arch spats etc. I’ve seen a few about now.



I saw my first Mk8 in the wild on Wednesday. It was a dirty black one.
I was just approaching a right turn lane in an industrial estate, so was anticipating the approach speed of a black Astra coming the other way before I could make the right turn when the dawning realisation as it got close by was that it happened to be a Golf!
I only got a brief glance at it trying to take in all the details in mental notes (sad b*****d that I am) then watched the rear end disappear in my door mirror (thankfully the traffic was incredibly quiet so I could pay it full attention for a few seconds).
Impressions, aside from it looking like an Astra to a casual glance?
Well, I think black is the worst colour for a mk7 as it hides the lines and creases but is quite flattering for a mk8. The back end seems to look taller than a mk7 but it can’t be as it’s the same car give or take.
The black paint minus the chrome accents does hide some of the more awkward styling the mk8 suffers.

[SRGTD]

Well, I think black is the worst colour for a mk7 as it hides the lines and creases but is quite flattering for a mk8. The back end seems to look taller than a mk7 but it can’t be as it’s the same car give or take.
The black paint minus the chrome accents does hide some of the more awkward styling the mk8 suffers.

So, for anyone thinking of getting a mk8 Golf, get it in a dark colour, as it masks some of the ugliness .

I think the back end of the mk8 might look taller as (I think) the rear screen isn’t as deep, top to bottom.

[Guzzle]

Not great, but then again my Octavia didn't have most of those things either, and after a while I stopped noticing. I've never used the cubby in the dash.

Maybe i'll look at another Octavia next time, as early impressions suggest that's got improved interior quality. 🤷‍♂️