This is not a b!tch but…..

[Philip]

Agree with all the above.  The Mk8 GTI isn't popular, probably best illustrated by the fact that my local VW dealer has a 2019 19 plate TCR with 11.5k miles for sale at £32,990 or for exactly the same money you can have a 2020 20 plate Mk 8 GTI with 4.5k miles.

[fredgroves]

In defence of the Mk8.... its a really good driving car.... it totally is. I even like the looks and the minimalist interior if I am honest.

All it needs is software that works all of the time...

I think most Mk8 owners frustration is because they keep taking it back only to find it doesn't get fixed. It doesn't get fixed because there is no fix yet - my advice, don't waste your time at the dealers until you read on here that its finally fixable.

I've said it before and I'll say it again - my big massive gripe with VW is not that a new product has faults, but its their piss poor handling of that. They aren't being open and honest at all. It will really damage them and no mistake.

Unfortunately what with covid, the semiconductor shortage, B***t, VAG software problems and other things, its a bit of a perfect storm that makes considering a new car somewhat tricky, probably for another year yet too.

[Watts]

I've said it before and I'll say it again - my big massive gripe with VW is not that a new product has faults, but its their piss poor handling of that. They aren't being open and honest at all. It will really damage them and no mistake.

I think it's disgraceful that VW keep selling cars knowing they have faults, some of which could be considered as dangerous, that they can't fix AND when they are rejected just re-sell them.

[karlos]

The styling of the Mk 8 has grown on me but what concerns me is that the Mk 8 is two years old in November. That's nearly two years that VW has had to fix the problems with the car but I'm starting to think that they are unable to do so, either through incompetence and bad management or that there is an underlying problem with the hardware which can't be fixed without replacing components.

Think I'll wait for the facelift.

[SRGTD]

I've said it before and I'll say it again - my big massive gripe with VW is not that a new product has faults, but its their piss poor handling of that. They aren't being open and honest at all. It will really damage them and no mistake.

I think it's disgraceful that VW keep selling cars knowing they have faults, some of which could be considered as dangerous, that they can't fix AND when they are rejected just re-sell them.

Agree. I certainly wouldn’t be tempted to buy a nearly new mk8 Golf. If it was a rejected car and a would-be buyer asked the salesperson why an almost new car with nominal mileage and one previous private owner was up for sale, IMO it’s extremely unlikely they’d be told the truth.

I wonder what happens with other brands of cars that are rejected by their owners? Even if they’re not resold by the original selling dealer, no doubt they’ll end up on a garage forecourt for sale somewhere within the motor trade for some unsuspecting punter to buy.

[JB GTI]

A change of situation forced my hand so I wasn’t going to be in the market for a MK8 GTi this time anyway. However, reading all the problems people are suffering with what sounds like a car that was not fully ready to be released and with its frumpy looks and penny pinching Interior 😧 I can’t help feeling I have dodged a bullet!
I genuinely feel for those who have bought one and I’m sure VW will get it sorted but still really shocked how a major manufacturer appears to have been so half arsed over the launch of a new and let’s face it iconic car and then the subsequent delays in getting it sorted too.
Meanwhile. For now though having broken the Golf cycle (hopefully temporarily) I have to say I’m really happy with my new modes of transport. A mile munching frugal (mid 70’s) 80% Golf for work 😁 and a high spec (where the tech works 👍😉) go kart for the weekends 🥳 As they say. Every cloud has a silver lining 😃😉

[Exonian]

Having a good b!tch isn’t a bad thing if you feel the product you’d have been considering isn’t anywhere near up to scratch.
Staying quiet won’t be a step toward VW to improve on the design and execution. And VW will improve on it if there is enough noise. The ID.3 is getting some rushed through improvements already and a reported early facelift due to the negativity surrounding many aspects of it for example, and that’s a separate issue to the software gremlins it has similar to the mk8 Golf and related models.

The Golf used to be VW’s favourite baby but it’s on borrowed time, we are all aware there’s a revolution going on and (nearly) all focus is on the MEB cars. There is no excuse though for bringing a badly developed car to market, particularly from a manufacturer that milks its old reputation for build superiority in the market segment.

My car has had zero visits to a dealer in nine months and circa 5k miles so not every one is a dud (although it has sporadic software weirdness), but I’m not one to take offence if anybody criticises the design and execution of the mk8.
The mk8 hardware is mostly well developed but the software is already legendary in its unreliability and there is just and fair criticism of the interior plastics etc bearing in mind the car isn’t exactly cheap.

[Jason b]

If I was in the market for a new car, I’m afraid the mk8 Golf wouldn’t be on the shortlist. The looks have grown on me and dynamically, VW seem to have done a good job with the mk8. However…………….the software niggles would be a major annoyance that I’m not sure I could live with. The prospect of multiple dealer visits, unsuccessful software updates or to hear there is currently no fix for some of the issues isn’t what I’d be looking for with a new car.

I’ve had my current car (2020 Polo GTI+) exactly a year and apart from its first service yesterday, it has only been back to the dealers once to have a damaged driver’s door sill scuff plate replaced (it was damaged before I took delivery of the car). Everything works as it should and it’s been problem free, and has also been free from creaks and rattles. It was the same with my previous car (previous generation Polo GTI) - problem free and creak/rattle free and only one visit per year to the dealer for an annual service / MOT - and IMO that’s how a new car should be and I don’t think it’s too much to expect (I could live with the odd creak or rattle though).

The mk8 Golf software issues must have been harmful to the VW brand. However, it’s not just the mk8 Golf that’s afflicted by software issues though - other VAG vehicles that are built on the MQB platform that share the same or similar software with the Golf also have software gremlins (e.g. current models of the Audi A3, Skoda Octavia, Seat Leon, VW Tiguan, Seat Ateca - there will probably be others too), so other brands under the VAG umbrella are also likely to have suffered damage in terms of customer dissatisfaction and lost sales. I understand there’s a major software update due very soon that is supposed to fix the known issues; hopefully it does.

Nice to here this we have a Polo GTI very fond of its a good fun a mini 7,5 which hasnt missed a beat and a good buy thanks to timing . i have a 7 the 8 is a hard sell i im a Golf gti advocate

[SRGTD]

If I was in the market for a new car, I’m afraid the mk8 Golf wouldn’t be on the shortlist. The looks have grown on me and dynamically, VW seem to have done a good job with the mk8. However…………….the software niggles would be a major annoyance that I’m not sure I could live with. The prospect of multiple dealer visits, unsuccessful software updates or to hear there is currently no fix for some of the issues isn’t what I’d be looking for with a new car.

I’ve had my current car (2020 Polo GTI+) exactly a year and apart from its first service yesterday, it has only been back to the dealers once to have a damaged driver’s door sill scuff plate replaced (it was damaged before I took delivery of the car). Everything works as it should and it’s been problem free, and has also been free from creaks and rattles. It was the same with my previous car (previous generation Polo GTI) - problem free and creak/rattle free and only one visit per year to the dealer for an annual service / MOT - and IMO that’s how a new car should be and I don’t think it’s too much to expect (I could live with the odd creak or rattle though).

The mk8 Golf software issues must have been harmful to the VW brand. However, it’s not just the mk8 Golf that’s afflicted by software issues though - other VAG vehicles that are built on the MQB platform that share the same or similar software with the Golf also have software gremlins (e.g. current models of the Audi A3, Skoda Octavia, Seat Leon, VW Tiguan, Seat Ateca - there will probably be others too), so other brands under the VAG umbrella are also likely to have suffered damage in terms of customer dissatisfaction and lost sales. I understand there’s a major software update due very soon that is supposed to fix the known issues; hopefully it does.

Nice to here this we have a Polo GTI very fond of its a good fun a mini 7,5 which hasnt missed a beat and a good buy thanks to timing . i have a 7 the 8 is a hard sell i im a Golf gti advocate

Yes, it is quite like a mini mk7.5 and I have no regrets buying it, although there are a one or two aspects that make it feel less premium than a mk7.5 Golf, such as hard plastic door cards (although that seems to be the norm in the Polo class of car) and unlined door bins.

The facelift version of the Polo has recently been announced and as far as tech goes, it’s seems that it shares much of its tech with the mk8 Golf. IMO, that’s not a good thing if it’s also afflicted with the same software gremlins as the mk8 Golf.

I’m glad mine is the pre-facelift model . I’ve no plans to change it for the facelift model.

[AGB]

I am on my third Mk7/7.5 and fifth performance Golf.

Been an enthusiastic regular reader of the forum for years, occasionally joining in. Loved it all.

I looked forward to sharing the excitement of the new Mk8 section of the forum where the anticipation and discovery of the new version should be evident in all the posts from early adopters.

But…….reading the Mk8 forum leaves me totally shocked to the extent I will not be buying a Mk8 performance Golf, I will be hanging on to the 7.5 baby I have for some time then moving on, I know not where.

I’m surprised I haven’t read more opinion like this or maybe other forum members are just too polite.

Similar boat to you in terms of forum and multiple performance Golfs. I tried the 8/CS a little while back - the dealer lent me one when my CSS went in for a service. Software crashed and had to do a reset when I could pull over. Driving the 8/CS vs 7/CSS was night and day in terms of experience. I appreciate that it's not the fairest comparison but it was the comparison I had. The TCR is my wife's car and we debated whether we'd wait till the 8 or get the 7.5 TCR. After 18k miles, I've been offered nearly £5k more than what we paid for the TCR when new which surprised me. Admittedly, it's symptomatic of wider conditions but the popularity of the MK8 has to be a contributing factor.

There are very few other cars that I'd be interested in though. I test drove the AMG A45S and the +. The + was a bit too try hard with the stick on wing - it juddered so badly when I shut the boot, I thought it was going to come off and the dive planes at the front are a bit Halfords. It was a great car and the bucket seats in the + version were probably some of the best seats I've ever tried. If you could take the wheels and seats from the A45S and put them in the A35, I don't think you could do much better. I looked at an Alpine but I tend to give up when you leave six messages and they don't call you back from the flagship retailer.

I think I'm turning into an old man and will be saying things like 'they don't make them like they used to' before I know it.