Mk7.5 gti performance v mk8 clubsport

[willni]

The lack of buttons isn't a problem at all and as you have a 7.5 GTi you'll be familiar with the steering wheel buttons, they may look different but they work the same!    It amuses me when people say you have to go through several screens to turn the radio down/change the temperature/etc as they are easily done on the wheel or by voice.

I was speaking with a mechanic at one of the other VAG dealerships, as they mentioned the lack of dials and move toward slider scales have actually hurt sales for their brand.

The mk8 is a fantastic looking car IMO, but the interior is a real let down for me, especially since the mk7/7.5 had a great interior for ergonomics. I think the facelift for the mk8 will remedy all this though and it will improve a lot of the issues.

[Foxy367]

I must admit I was nervous about not having a dial and using it on the move but it is actually fairly easy to use and the haptics and sliders actually also work really well. Granted there are times when I make an incorrect swipe or bring up a menu I didn’t mean too but I’ve really got used to it. Sadly this is the way a lot of manufacturers are going to a greater or lesser extent.

My biggest bug bear is the sound settings menu the bass treble and mods are quite difficult to position just as I’d like so I end up with it with either far too much or too little of each trying to hit the sweet spot. Standard sounds system is actually pretty good too though to be fair

[willni]

I must admit I was nervous about not having a dial and using it on the move but it is actually fairly easy to use and the haptics and sliders actually also work really well. Granted there are times when I make an incorrect swipe or bring up a menu I didn’t mean too but I’ve really got used to it. Sadly this is the way a lot of manufacturers are going to a greater or lesser extent.

My biggest bug bear is the sound settings menu the bass treble and mods are quite difficult to position just as I’d like so I end up with it with either far too much or too little of each trying to hit the sweet spot. Standard sounds system is actually pretty good too though to be fair

Glad to hear you're not having many issues with it, maybe it's just a learning curve we all need to take.

It's a  shame they didn't go the BMW route a row of buttons for climate and a volume knob, with the option of using the touch screen and steering wheel, they're probably the best blend of old and new design I've seen first hand but BMW's do often have a very conservative interior design versus the more contemporary VAG group's.

[Brocky_]

I must admit I was nervous about not having a dial and using it on the move but it is actually fairly easy to use and the haptics and sliders actually also work really well. Granted there are times when I make an incorrect swipe or bring up a menu I didn’t mean too but I’ve really got used to it. Sadly this is the way a lot of manufacturers are going to a greater or lesser extent.

My biggest bug bear is the sound settings menu the bass treble and mods are quite difficult to position just as I’d like so I end up with it with either far too much or too little of each trying to hit the sweet spot. Standard sounds system is actually pretty good too though to be fair

This is a legit con with the infotainment, yet not one I have seen anyone else mention.  Much more of a valid point than the myriad of ESC and volume/temp sliders complaints.

[Foxy367]

I don’t have an issues with turning off ESC there is a short cut i can add and in the real world that’s not that much of a concern it’s the little things like adjust sound settings. Even on the 7.5 that wasn’t done with a knob but the sliders on the screen were bigger and easier to adjust, it’s the every day little things like that that are harder to adjust to!

[Shalako]

I have just gone from a Mk7.5 R to a Mk8 Clubsport, but there’s a  story behind it;
 I had only bought my R last September and loved it but in April this year I was T-boned by another motorist who had gone through a crossroads without looking, my Golf R was repaired by VW, it took x 3 months and cost the other insurer 14k and to be fair VW did a fantastic job but I never felt comfortable keeping the car afterwards so was reluctantly looking at alternatives.....

I had originally intended to get the new Mk8 R but the their high prices combined with lack of availability led me to test drive a Mk 8 Clubsport at my local VW dealer. I was blown away by how well it drove and actually test drove it three times before deciding although it was a tough decision to part with the R.
Prices for the 7.5R have gone bonkers recently as everyone knows and even post accident  I was offered far more than I paid for it from the VW dealer, combined with a significant discount on the Clubsport.
So to cut a long story short I bought a brand new VW Mk8 Clubsport from a Surrey VW dealer just last week, it was from their showroom in Reflex Silver Metallic, the rear view camera was added by them  otherwise basic spec with the 18” Richmond alloys - which I actually like, I think I’m the only one who does from what I read on here, my R 7.5 had 19” Black Prets.
I am still running in my Clubsport but so far I really love it, I was slightly underwhelmed the day I collected it and it was hard handing over the keys to my R but every day since as I get used to the looks, interior and controls I am liking it more and more and have no doubt I made the right decision. I have spent a lot of time getting used to the infotainment system and in my humble opinion people shouldn’t worry so much about it - it’s actually very good once you get used to it, no where near as bad as people make out on the reviews.  I was however annoyed VW had got rid of both the sunglasses holder and convenient cubby hole by the drivers door but otherwise all good. I am already noticing the better fuel economy, ride quality on the 18” wheels feels about the same as my R did on 19” wheels, much better feel to the steering and the IQ lights are impressive and the blind spot indicators are a useful addition.

[Exonian]

I wouldn’t ever recommend anyone changing from a late model mk7(.5) performance Golf to a mk8 unless the end of a finance agreement is looming on the former or the prospective mk8’er feels like doing it just for the hell of it.

At the risk of being Roger Irrelevant here as I’ve never even driven a 7.5 GTI Performance, I have at least owned a mk7 PP, R, GTD, Ed40 and TCR before ‘graduating’ to a mk8 Clubsport.

The two models are similar enough underneath obviously, but there are enough detail differences between them that do create a gulf between the generations of MQB Golf.

Styling is personal but to me the 7.5 looks way better from the front. Way way better.
From the rear the mk8 reigns it back in a bit.
From the side? Well, spoilers aside it’s the same car! A few creases and details differ but….

Inside the cabins it’s been discussed to death so not worth reiterating too much.
The mk8 haptics take a bit of getting used to but it’s ok once you familiarise. The mk7 feels much better quality and more ‘traditional’.
The mk8 reflects where almost every manufacturer is heading as far as digi-displays and ‘one pad equals half a dozen buttons’ switchgear goes. I doubt there’s any going back now, they want us in ID models.

Driving. Day to day the 8 Clubsport drives like a Golf GTI. Comfy enough, economical enough, taut enough and so on. Familiar. Reassuring. Nice.
Then you get a day like I had yesterday. A few long busy crappy weeks on the bounce blown away in one trip out. A dawn blast on country roads, nothing too fast, just real life point to point quick.
One of those journeys where you had no intention of doing anything other than pootling along, but from the off the car itself seemed to want you to take it by the scruff.
There are trips like that where you realise there is a point to cars like the Clubsport still.
The engine is more responsive than the mk7 even if you don’t use high revs, the gearbox will perform ok even in comfort with the right amount of throttle input and some paddle use, the brakes are superb and that  chassis…
The mk7 chassis is excellent, the TCR chassis even better, but the Clubsport does actually feel even more polished than the latter. Just.
I can remember is Arcade Fire’s Wake Up on the playlist and the car just stringing together endless A/B road bends, not needing to touch the brakes once. I was surprised at the amount of ground covered in the duration of one song without even breaking the National speed limit. It’s those chassis tweaks that make the Clubsport feel special.

And then a few hours later the car was just being a normal Golf again, taking a load of rubbish to the tip in comfort.

On the right road, under the right conditions the Clubsport does drive significantly differently to a regular 7(.5) GTI PP.  it’s more urgent (engine, gearing, steering turn-in) and has more composure at high cornering loads (and you don’t have to be doing Nurburgring speeds to appreciate it).

Whether it’s worth the ££££ to change is an individual choice.   

[bjbanny]

it was from their showroom in Reflex Silver Metallic, the rear view camera was added by them  otherwise basic spec with the 18” Richmond alloys - which I actually like, I think I’m the only one who does from what I read on here,
[/quote]
I also like 18” Richmond alloys after 2 month i even get compliments from non car crazy people at my work. 
it works with some colours like my white GTI although i am still on the look for some original 19s if price right.

[Verve34]

My 2020 GTI Performance hopefully gets sold today for £3000 more than I payed for it and a reserved Clubsport will be mine, I love my 7.5 golf and if I’m making the right decision well  time will tell

[SRGTD]

My 2020 GTI Performance hopefully gets sold today for £3000 more than I payed for it and a reserved Clubsport will be mine, I love my 7.5 golf and if I’m making the right decision well  time will tell

If I had a late date 2020 mk7.5 Golf GTI Performance that’s only a few months old and it was a car I really liked, I think I’d have hung on to it. However, with used car values bucking the usual trend at the moment - and in some cases, by significant amounts - keeping or selling is currently a much less straightforward decision, especially if you’ve located a replacement car (presumably one that’s already built and is at a dealers?) and aren’t faced with very long wait times for a new car to be built like some other forum members. 

Good luck with the mk8 GTI Clubsport .