Good to read your update DTD, it all sounds very positive so far.
How do you find the engine drives in normal driving compared to your previous GTI, does it still have the same low end flexibility now that they’ve added a few extra horses or has there been a sacrifice? It’s stuff like that which is important every day which only regular users can appreciate as opposed to a YouTuber thrashing around for an hour in sport mode using someone else’s fuel.
Thanks. Yes, overall, very positive. It not easy to compare with my 7.5 as I am having to get used to the DSG again after 3 years in a manual, but the engine/turbo combination definitely has a lot more grunt. Not too surprising as my 7.5 was not a PP so "only" had 227 BHP. Someone upgrading from a mk 8 might be better placed to answer that question. However, the way that the power is delivered is more 'urgent' (i.e. even better throttle response) and smoother than the 7.5. The first time I briefly floored it (from about 40 mph, on a deserted road
) elicited a "holy sh1T" response, so that probably tells you all you need to know. I can also confirm that the renowned GTI low end flexibility is still alive and well in the 8.5. You can tootle around all day at 30-50 mph without any issues and the start/stop system is well behaved when you are queued.
