Your cars look just like mine magnificent in white. Your pick up days also look just like mine wet, very wet. I have had my car for two weeks now and ever since my pick up day it not stopped raining, except for a brief period yesterday where I rushed out to give it a clean. But no sooner had I got my hands on my camera to start taking pics of my new clean car it started to chuck down with rain again. The timing was so uncanny.
Thought I would give you an update on how I find my car after a couple weeks of driving.
The car overall is amazing. I am more in awe of the car now than when i picked it up. The overall finish and quality is second to none. Coming from a Civic Type-R which I previously owned, the suspension and ride of the Golf is absolutely amazing. It is much softer but firm enough to handle the road like it's on rails and makes the whole driving experience feel like a breeze. Infact I would say driving the car feels too easy and effortless, amazing stuff.
I was a bit cautious of the Auto Brake, but after using it for a couple weeks I would not be without it. I decided I would not be without it a couple hours after pick up on the same day. I did not stop reaching for the manual handbrake until after a couple days though. The speed of the car is actually much quicker than it feels. I was driving home from my pick up and was doing 30 - 40 more than I thought I was doing, the car is so poised and effortless you have to keep an eye on your speedo.
One downside is the Speedo. I find it's position and complex numbering of small numbers a bit hard to glance at quickly. But I soon sorted that and set the multi-function display to display the digital speedo. I have dynaudio and Nav Pro installed on my car and all I can say is WOW! The Bass produced from the system is immense. I have been in my mates ridiculous Ford Escort with 2x 12" Subs in the past Although the Dynaudio does not produce enough bass to rattle the screws in the boot enough to make the boot stop opening or the glass in the boot to fall out, who would want that... It does produce an immense amount of bass on par with some ICE systems costing a lot more. The clarity of the range from the highest treble to the lowest bass note are all crystal clear. I would completely promote the Dynaudio system to anyone unsure, it is amazing stuff, and it can go really loud and still remain clear. The Nav Pro does seem like a lot of money, but if you can afford it, I would say get it. It is also amazing stuff. I have not tried the Nav on it yet but the overall usability and polished finish of the UI on the Nav Pro is great stuff. Yet again I am still discovering stuff I never knew was on it. Regarding Album Art I have found a great piece of software for PC called 'MP3Tag'. It allows you to really easily delete, change or add album cover art. Much easier than some other software suggested.
The Oryx White paint which i have not had a chance to see in sunlight yet, due to absolutely shocking weather, looks great when i got to see it under some white lighting in the workshop at VW. It is not so much a pearlescent effect with colour shimmering all over. I would liken it more to a silky looking sheen on the paintwork. It looks absolutely fantastic you have to see it on the car to fully appreciate it.
The Performance Pack installed on my car has not had a full on test yet to see what it can do. But if you are unsure and have a tight budget You can live without it with everyday driving. But I would go for it myself every time. Will let you know what it's like, when the wife is not in the car and weather is dry enough to give it a go. However I cannot give you a comparison to a GTI without as I have only ever driven the one I have now with Performance Pack installed.
To those of you who have not picked up your cars yet, I cannot tell you this enough, ensure you check every inch of your car. I had a left hand drive piece of dashboard between the centre air vents, within which the Hazard Light Button sits, fitted to my right hand drive dashboard. I know my car was built during a Friday but needless to say it took a while for it to really sink in that something was not right about it during the drive home. On pick up of your car there is a lot going on and your head will be buzzing with excitement but try to keep poised and ensure you check every inch. Luckily the Dealer was great and said they would order one straight away for a right had drive dashboard and fit it ASAP. Another thing I have just noticed is some orange specs on the paintwork after I washed the car. It looks like the same orange specs someone else mentioned on this forum. The specs do come of with a little elbow grease, but the car is peppered in them on certain areas. It looks like they have originated from transportation
I had the GardX Paint protection applied to my Car, it was originally going to be Autoglym Life Shine? I know there are a few of you on here who will say I was silly doing this and that I should polish and detail it myself. I have taken note of some of your advice and bought myself some car wash kit like Wash Mits, Snow Foam etc,. The only thing I will do differently though is I will not wax or polish it, instead due to the coating applied to the car I will be applying the GardX Conserver. The car does not have an as glossy appearance as one with Polish or wax applied, but the process of applying the GardX Conserver is a breeze and the water does bead off afterward just like the car when you pick it up from the showroom. I have to mention also the Snow Foam and Gilmour Snow Foamer attachment for a Hose, I cannot praise enough. I was a little sceptical at first but believe me when I say this stuff really works and is worth every penny. Cleaning the car after applying Snow Foam is so much more effortless.
Despite the very long waiting time for your order to come through, six months in my case, I would get another GTI. I am completely sold of VW Golf GTI's now. This is coming from a Civic Type-R fan (I have owned four Type-R's). The GTI is light years ahead of the Type-R and having the highest top speed hot hatch is only bragging rights (not talking about the Type-R here). It's not just about top speed or acceleration. how the power is planted on the road, quality of ride and finish of the car and the overall pleasure of driving the car also come in to it. This is where the Golf GTI comes in to it's own above the rest.
