The local dealer called my old man yesterday to tell him that had a GT TDI150 DSG taxed and ready as a demo (the same model as he fancies to replace his Mk5 GT TDI170 DSG) so we had a run up to drive it, before the mad rush of the launch weekend.
Lovely car.
Refinement seems a step up on the Mk6, for sure.
Trim materials are better too.
Auto handbrake/auto hold work well...but it was the stop/start that really stood out on a DSG car - brilliant!
The car looks considerably lower than a Mk6 although certainly as good for room inside.
Seeing it next to a Scirocco in the showroom, to my eyes it looks to have as much in common with that (styling wise) as the Mk6.
£20 a year Road Tax for a 2.0 TDI 150 manual and £30 for the DSG. I had to do a double take at that...unreal.
All in all, a lovely car.
The quicker models will be interesting, for sure.
Yeah I took our demo out for a run today..... Few things I picked up
1) Nice thing with the stop start in the dsg on the mk7 is you don't have to keep your foot welded down on the brake for the cut out to remain. You just come to a stop with a nice firm press on the brake the engine cuts out then you can let go of the brake, sit there not burning a drop of fuel and when your ready to go touch the accelerator and off you move. Instead of the current system on other BMT cars you need to keep your foot pushed on the brake which takes away the point of having auto hold.
2) Also the pedal was something I didn't remember from driving it in Spain how it now pivots from the top not the bottom. So same type of pedal as in a polo.
3) Interesting that some of the launch gt cars they forgot to fit electric folding mirrors too........silly Germans ; )
4) Really like the parking sensors that as you turn the wheel the image of the car on the touch screen radio give you an indication as to the turning area that the front of the car will swing out into and what direction the rear will move to. Like the bendy lines on others models with reversing cameras.
5) Thankfully the electric folding mirrors you can now select to auto fold when you lock the car instead of turning that silly switch and turning it again when you get it.
6) Having that extra level in the boot like a golf plus or mk5 polo really makes it a flat load bay and the boot lip is lowered making it easier to load dead bodies in.
7) Love the Adaptive cruise control bit scary to start with but just set the max speed you want to go and the distance you want to follow the car in front and just steer. It will follow the car ahead speeding up and slowing down to a stand still until it pulls out the way and then you just speed up to the maximum speed you have set.
You actually have space in the armrest for a few small bits and bobs as the mdi is now down where the ash tray used to be.
9) Cd player is now in the glove box along with 2 sd card readers, interesting that the nav data is now on sd card so another thing to order when the car arrives in stock to delay the customer taking delivery.....
10) Love the fact you can set pictures to the radio stations and phone contacts so along your radio stations you could have little pictures of your loved ones ; ) or pictures of your car just pop them on a sd card or on a usb to upload onto car.
11) Also the proximity sensor on the radio is cool how when you put your hand near it the buttons along the bottom increase in size so when you are driving along it makes them easier to hit with your fat sausage fingers.
I am sure I will find more to say over the next few days and others will add or comment on