So, now you've got a few miles on the clock...

[Exonian]

Right, back off my hols, back to the dreary night shift grind and my tan fading by the second.
Still no sign of a build date for my GTI and still not won the lottery so I need something to fire my brain up!

A few of you boys and girls have your shiny new mk7s now and will have a few miles on the clock.

So how are the cars shaping up in daily use?

Now you've got used to them, how are they compared to your last Golf (assuming that's what you had)?
Is the performance gain noticeable now the engine is loosening up?
Are the fuel economy benefits there to be seen?
Does the car have any annoying features or stand out brilliant little touches that you've really grown to appreciate?
What else do you like and dislike?

Money well spent compared to a mk6 or Scirocco?

Lets hear it, warts and all!!

[HA54SYM`]

Power is definitely better for me.

I like driving with the steering in non sport mode, as for me it induces to much overstear in tight fast corners, but this could be the diff on the PP, not played to much with it, but he first time I threw it in to a tight corner at speed I nearly steered into the ditch!

Non sport mode is also good for motorway, as the sound actuator is quitter.

Not sure if the PP really makes a difference in real world, however the front brakes do really bite!

Standard 18's are a pain to clean, as they have a funny ridge in them that runs behind the spokes, even more of an issue to keep clean with the PP as the calipers are so big its hard to get really to the inside of the rim.

The PP front brakes also seem to throw a lot of dust out, not sure if this is the pad contact size or the compound being used.

Not sure if the Dynaudio pack is worth it, better than the mk6, but no real bass quality like I have with my Mondeo Sony system in the estate boot.

The electric handbrake is still a bit of a pain for me, as I don't drive the golf everyday so its still a get used to thing.

Interior gloss trim show all finger marks easy.

Other than that its an awesome car, does everything I want and more.

Last gripe (non mk7 GTI related) I forgot how much a pain Deep Black Pearl is to keep clean!

Dave

[joet]

My previous car was a 10 year old BMW 330ci. That also had 230 bhp if I remember correctly.

I would say the Golf easily matches it for pace, in fact it feels faster. Power delivery is obviously different - there seems to be much more torque on the Golf. From above 2k revs it just pulls like a train. Very impressive.

Electronic brake and auto hold is brilliant. Once you get used to it it's difficult to go back. Works really well. However, a couple of times the brake didn't disengage automatically when I was taking the car out of the garage. Simple reason. Didn't have my seat belt on! That is a bit of a pain.

Interior lighting is amazing. Bright, sharp and clear, and feels very classy.

Seats are excellent Hold you really well.

Information system is very comprehensive. So many options to play with!

Would agree with the comment on the wheels. The rim on the inside is hard to clean.

Otherwise a brilliant car. I'm really impressed. Last GTI I had was a Mark II, so things have changed a bit!

Note on colour. I have CSG and it's just beautiful. So many people have commented on it. Pictures don't do it justice.

[CraigW]

I've had my car for just over two weeks now and initial impressions are very good however there are one or two small issues to report.

I'll start with the really good stuff 

Performance
As mentioned above the power delivery is excellent. You can really feel that extra torque kicking in when you accelerate. Coming from a 200bhp car there is not a huge difference in power but the extra thrust from the increased torque is really noticeable. You just put your foot down and the car glides past others with ease. 10/10

Ride and Handling 
The handling in this car is superb. The steering is so responsive and in no way for me has the electric steering dulled the experience. It turns into corners beautifully although I have to say i've not felt the extra benefit of the LSD yet as i've been taking it fairly easy. The car is incredibly comfortable over the roads and rides over any bumps and pot holes ( ) really well. Again, I opted for ACC and have been mostly driving in normal mode. I've not noticed a huge difference between the different set ups but have not really had the car long enough to make a full assessment of whether ACC is worth it or not.

The driving position is excellent and the seats are extremely comfortable, much more so than my TT. I'm also reliably informed that the back of the car is a very nice place to be 10/10

Looks
As I've mentioned in other posts the car is a real head turner especially for those who perhaps know what they are seeing. Although, I have not had any direct comments, you can tell by people's reactions that it stands out. For example, I had one car pull up alongside me today and you could clearly see the passengers where very impressed, particularly with the alloys, (on a side note the red callipers really are very nice especially with the GTI logo if you have the PP). The led lights at the rear are very very nice but the DRL's at the front are something else. The car just looks mean and aggressive. Being objective, I still think it cant compete with the looks of my TT but it is beautiful in it's own way 9/10

Technology
This has to be the most impressive aspect. The car is just packed with gadgets. The electronic handbrake along with the hillhold assist function is just brilliant! It's amazing how quickly you adapt to it. The stop/start system is also very good and combined with the hillhold assist is very effective. The automatic lights work wonderfully well and going through a tunnel you can see how bright the xenons actually are. The swivelling/dynamic lights going round corners are a nice feature. The dimming rear view mirror works really well at night and the cruise control is very easy to use. The dab radio is quality and the standard speakers imo are fine but then I don't know what the dynaudio sounds like.

For those that have added the keyless entry this is lovely feature. Just walk up to the car, put your hand on the handle and pull and hey presto the car is open. Hit the start button and the needle sweep jumps into action. Brilliant! To lock just touch the handle, the wing mirrors fold in and that's you. The puddle lights are fantastically bright.

I also added the sat nav pro which just completes the front console imo. Its a really nice size screen. The functionality through the screen (pro or standard) is excellent with so many set up options and useful info.

Overall, the cabin is just a lovely place to be in and even more so at night when everything lights up 10/10   


The okay stuff

Mileage
To date i've covered 616 miles in total and the average mpg is currently sitting at 33.4. Coming from a car that was averaging about 27-29mpg it is an improvement but I was perhaps hoping for slightly better, maybe 35-37 but its early days. It doesn't help when your sitting in traffic jams all day mind you. 6/10

Alloys
As mentioned by the other posters above the 18" wheels do have this groove behind the spokes which makes them difficult to clean and water just collects in them when your trying to wash the wheels 7/10

Door Frames
This is just a minor point but I noticed tonight for the first time that when you are sitting in the car you can see the metal of the door frames from inside. Its obviously the way the car is designed but this is the type of thing you expect to see on cheaper smaller cars, not £30k cars. I'm probably just being very fussy 6/10

The Trim
The trim inside is not the nicest and is probably going to drive me nuts trying to keep it clean. It shows all finger prints and is bloody difficult to remove marks 3/10

Engine Note
I can't say I've really heard any of those nice engine noises that has been talked about in so many reviews. I've not heard any nice pops or rasps yet however what I have heard is road noise as the cabin is not the quietest when your on the move. A bit of a double edged sword this comment 5/10

The Not So Good 

Rattle
In the last few days the car has started to develop a kind of rustling noise from behind the driver seat. It's almost now become a permanent noise from the moment I drive off to when I stop. I've not been able to pinpoint exactly where its coming from. Im not sure if its the seatbelt tensioner or perhaps even one of the panels at the back but its really tarnishing my overall experience of the car and is really really infuriating. I would expect better from a two week old car and may have to take it back in to VW to get it looked at if I can't figure it out myself. 0/10

Engine
This is one i'll have to keep my eye on. Every now and again I've noticed that just before I change up gears at fairly low revs the engine has started to make a sort of buzzing noise. So when i'm in second for example about to change up to third, this low buzzing noise appears then when I change to third it disappears. I'm then in third for a few seconds and the noise reappears before I change up to fourth. This happens all the way up to 6th and then disappears completely.

As I say its only happening now and again but i'm hoping its not a big problem waiting to strike    ?/10

Verdict
So overall I would say my experience has been very positive and i'm delighted with the car. However, right at this very moment in time the noise coming from the back is killing my enjoyment 

[mk7gti]

A great breakdown of the car Graig. Nothing worse than a rattle. I'd get someone out with you sitting in the back to try and find the root cause ASAP...

[Gryzor]

Yup, a rattle is well annoying, you need to get that sorted ASAP.  But, if the only real common gripes relate to cleaning the alloys and interior dash, that's close enough to the bottom of the barrel for me! 

[JoeGTI]

Craig,

Door frame visible from inside - its been like that since the MK5.

Rattle - get used to it! It's a 30k car based on the same components as a €15k shopping trolley. Rattles in Golf's are par for the course I'm afraid. Luckily I haven't noticed anything too annoying in mine yet but every Golf I've owned has rattled to some extent. I would not advise letting a dealer anywhere near it.

Alloys - agreed, they aren't as easy to clean as the MK5 monzas!

MPG - I haven't even managed 30 long term. If you are getting mid 30's average and you are doing city stop starts you are doing well. Expecting much more than 34-35 is hopeful, but anyone hoping for 40mpg with that kind of driving/typical journeys is dillusional.

Engine note - agreed. It's muted. The MKV had a much better rasp from it IMO.

[CraigW]

Craig,

Door frame visible from inside - its been like that since the MK5.

Rattle - get used to it! It's a 30k car based on the same components as a €15k shopping trolley. Rattles in Golf's are par for the course I'm afraid. Luckily I haven't noticed anything too annoying in mine yet but every Golf I've owned has rattled to some extent. I would not advise letting a dealer anywhere near it.

Alloys - agreed, they aren't as easy to clean as the MK5 monzas!

MPG - I haven't even managed 30 long term. If you are getting mid 30's average and you are doing city stop starts you are doing well. Expecting much more than 34-35 is hopeful, but anyone hoping for 40mpg with that kind of driving/typical journeys is dillusional.

Engine note - agreed. It's muted. The MKV had a much better rasp from it IMO.

Sorry Joe, I don't accept that i just have to get used to rattles, especially not after only two weeks of ownership. It's simply not good enough.

In terms of the door frame its been a while since I've been in a golf so wasn't aware that was the situation in the mk5 and 6. It just cheapens the car imo and I wouldn't expect it on a £30k car

[Gryzor]

I'm with you CraigW, I hate rattles too, and would be getting it looked at especially as you've only just got the car.

Generalising that Golfs develop rattles is hardly fair, given than apart from one annoying squeak from the dash after a few months, promptly sorted, my Mk5 has been solid.  I know a few people with golfs and have ridden in them many times - where are the rattles in those, because I couldn't hear them?  No car is immune from things working loose, rattling, and materials rubbing against one another.  My mates Focus, on the other hand, has been a nightmare in that regard - at motorway speeds it sounds like there is a family of mice in the back on loudspeaker, despite being in three times to get it looked at.

[JoeGTI]

Craig,

Door frame visible from inside - its been like that since the MK5.

Rattle - get used to it! It's a 30k car based on the same components as a €15k shopping trolley. Rattles in Golf's are par for the course I'm afraid. Luckily I haven't noticed anything too annoying in mine yet but every Golf I've owned has rattled to some extent. I would not advise letting a dealer anywhere near it.

Alloys - agreed, they aren't as easy to clean as the MK5 monzas!

MPG - I haven't even managed 30 long term. If you are getting mid 30's average and you are doing city stop starts you are doing well. Expecting much more than 34-35 is hopeful, but anyone hoping for 40mpg with that kind of driving/typical journeys is dillusional.

Engine note - agreed. It's muted. The MKV had a much better rasp from it IMO.

Sorry Joe, I don't accept that i just have to get used to rattles, especially not after only two weeks of ownership. It's simply not good enough.

In terms of the door frame its been a while since I've been in a golf so wasn't aware that was the situation in the mk5 and 6. It just cheapens the car imo and I wouldn't expect it on a £30k car

The alternative is letting the dealers rip the interior to bits, probably causing more problems than they fix. The voice of experience here!
As for your rattle, my first check would be the parcel shelf, rear seat belts and the catches that hold the rear seats in place (when not folded down). Try giving all those a solid main dealer style thump and see does that help