GolfGTIforum.co.uk
Model specific boards => Golf mk7 => Topic started by: monsta on 06 September 2013, 18:15
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Not sure how many of you have actually driven the new GTI before ordering (like I did) but my dealer emailed me today to say that their new demonstrator is going to be ready on Monday for test drives! :cool:
Managed to persuade him to give me a 2 hour extended test drive :grin:
The car is a performance pack model with DynAudio (still deciding on whether to add that onto mine but pretty close to doing so), not sure on the colour but hoping for Carbon Grey so it will be fairly close to my order!
I'll go along with my DSLR camera and take some decent shots for you all :kiss:
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my dealer lent me one for a weekend during which it racked up 300 miles
totally won me over and i am seriously nit picking at things i do not like
biggest surprise was how good the DCC was compared to the set up on my rocco which was utter sh!te
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Look forward to your impressions and photos. If you can give the dynaudio a good go and let us know that would be much appreciated :)
I must have had "buy" written all over me, I was only allowed 2 10min test drives ;)
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I ordered blind, and the first time I sat in one was when I picked it up from the showroom! Enjoy the test drive mate :)
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I must have had "buy" written all over me, I was only allowed 2 10min test drives ;)
Wasn't Vindis was it? They gave me a 7 min route which the salesman drove half of. I eeked it out to 15mins but it was a total waste of time. You just can't get a proper impression of the car in that time. I had 2 hours in the Beemer and even then I'd say that was only just enough time to properly test it out.
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Harlow (Jardine) Volkswagen were just as bad. Ten minutes and not even on a decent road, of which there are lots in that area. W***ers. If you think I am buying a car of you after that, then you are very mistaken. What is it with VW and their dealers? They have great cars, but the absolute WORST customer service.
Skoda dealers, always brilliant, Honda OK, BMW OK.... At least I can use MJ Warners for servicing and leave the big chains out of it.
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Wasn't Vindis was it? They gave me a 7 min route which the salesman drove half of. I eeked it out to 15mins but it was a total waste of time. You just can't get a proper impression of the car in that time. I had 2 hours in the Beemer and even then I'd say that was only just enough time to properly test it out.
No, this was Ridgeway in Oxford and Wayside in Milton Keynes. The weekend I ordered I did ask for an extended or unaccompanied test drive and Ridgeway gave me the whole risk speech, which sort of sealed it really.
Ordered through Wayside in the end as there was a small discount (Ridgeway wouldn't budge) and most important of all, the nice person at Wayside arranged a test drive despite the pouring rain and the likelyhood that I was a test pilot ;)
I had driven a couple of other cars though (A3, Octavia, Leon, XF, 1-series) and by far and away the GTI felt the one I was most comfortable in.
Though I agree all round I would have much preferred an hour or two to go some places that I knew.
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I ordered blind, and the first time I sat in one was when I picked it up from the showroom! Enjoy the test drive mate :)
Yeah did the same, love my mk5 and the mk3 before that so knew the mk7 was a safe bet without driving it.
Can't wait to have a proper go though :)
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I bought after a 20 min test drive. Just had to have it after that :smiley:
Enjoy your ride on Monday. I'll keep an eye out for your report.
You'll :kiss: I'm sure.
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Not sure how many of you have actually driven the new GTI before ordering (like I did) but my dealer emailed me today to say that their new demonstrator is going to be ready on Monday for test drives! :cool:
Managed to persuade him to give me a 2 hour extended test drive :grin:
The car is a performance pack model with DynAudio (still deciding on whether to add that onto mine but pretty close to doing so), not sure on the colour but hoping for Carbon Grey so it will be fairly close to my order!
I'll go along with my DSLR camera and take some decent shots for you all :kiss:
I had a really good experience regarding the the new GTi as I phoned my local dealer (King's Lynn VW) out of the blue in June to ask when the new GTi would be in the shops and their demo had just arrived on that day, was PDI'd on the Friday and we had the first over 2 hour unaccompanied test drive on Saturday! We had tried the VXR, Focus ST,etc and really fell for the Golf, dealer helped too I guess. Ordered in July, build week 43 and can't wait, even more so as we sold our current car ,Type R 2 weeks after ordering the Golf. Vauxhall combo van, Mx5, and Daf CF 75 truck just don't quite cut it!
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interesting hearing people's experiences with other dealers, Ridgeway Oxford are woeful (except their parts dept), ironically the Wantage had no issue with the 48 hour test as an existing customer and Wayside in MK were woeful
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Interesting to see how different dealers behave with these test drives. I can consider myself fairly fortunate I guess to get 45 mins drive (with salesman in car).
It still wasn't enough time though I felt, after all it may take longer to decide on a £500 sofa let alone a £30K car.
My experience was brilliant, but it was over with too quickly. I would want to go back and have a 2nd drive. Thing is the demo car is sold on already with no replacement due.
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I ordered without driving the car - no need having had loads of GTI's previously. My dealer took me out for at least 30 mins of driving, then took me & the missus out for half an hour, and then too us out again in a GTD - all on separate occasions. All after ordering so he didn't have to do any of that. Apart from 5 mins of him driving me, the rest were all us driving - yes he was in the car but that's pretty good service I thought.
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In reality you get an idea in the first 20s it's a cracker, the extended drive just confirms this and whether there are any issues with seating position etc which may not show up in brief drive
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So back from my 3 hour test drive this morning. Unfortunately the lovely summer weather we've been having disappeared and left me with some damp roads and moody looking skies.
Before I write about my thoughts, here are all the pictures :)
(http://www.wanstall.co.uk/image-hosting/Test%20Drive/Resized/dsc_3595.jpg)
(http://www.wanstall.co.uk/image-hosting/Test%20Drive/Resized/dsc_3596.jpg)
(http://www.wanstall.co.uk/image-hosting/Test%20Drive/Resized/dsc_3597.jpg)
(http://www.wanstall.co.uk/image-hosting/Test%20Drive/Resized/dsc_3598.jpg)
(http://www.wanstall.co.uk/image-hosting/Test%20Drive/Resized/dsc_3599.jpg)
(http://www.wanstall.co.uk/image-hosting/Test%20Drive/Resized/dsc_3601.jpg)
(http://www.wanstall.co.uk/image-hosting/Test%20Drive/Resized/dsc_3602.jpg)
(http://www.wanstall.co.uk/image-hosting/Test%20Drive/Resized/dsc_3603.jpg)
(http://www.wanstall.co.uk/image-hosting/Test%20Drive/Resized/dsc_3604.jpg)
(http://www.wanstall.co.uk/image-hosting/Test%20Drive/Resized/dsc_3605.jpg)
(http://www.wanstall.co.uk/image-hosting/Test%20Drive/Resized/dsc_3606.jpg)
(http://www.wanstall.co.uk/image-hosting/Test%20Drive/Resized/dsc_3609.jpg)
(http://www.wanstall.co.uk/image-hosting/Test%20Drive/Resized/dsc_3610.jpg)
(http://www.wanstall.co.uk/image-hosting/Test%20Drive/Resized/dsc_3617.jpg)
(http://www.wanstall.co.uk/image-hosting/Test%20Drive/Resized/dsc_3618.jpg)
(http://www.wanstall.co.uk/image-hosting/Test%20Drive/Resized/dsc_3621.jpg)
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Spec:
Performance Pack
Leather
Panoramic Roof
DynAudio
Park Assist
Nav Pro
DynAudio
Having been in two minds about DynAudio recently I was pleased to hear the demonstrator was fitted with it so I could give it a decent test out on the road. It sounded fantastic but I had nothing to compare to so I got the dealer to show me a standard Golf stereo setup when I got back.
I have to say, there isn't much difference in terms of volume or even the level of bass that you get. But the difference really comes in clarity. The DynAudio system is just sharper and more defined. I personally found the subwoofer to be rather annoying if turned up anything above zero as it tended to pop when playing music at high volume.
Is it worth the upgrade? I wasn't sure, in fact I had to really consider whether I wanted to add it to my spec. But when it didn't adjust my build week I figured that if I didn't order it then I would regret that decision in the long run! So, it's now on order.
Picture of the sub in the boot for those still in doubt as to whether it comes with one or not!
(http://www.wanstall.co.uk/image-hosting/Test%20Drive/Resized/dsc_3607.jpg)
Performance Pack
This being the first mk7 GTI I've driven I really can't compare the standard power with this car. Also I had to remember that I was giving the poor thing a bit of a thrashing when it was fairly fresh off the lorry (it only arrived last week). There is simply bags of torque when you want it, and it doesn't seem to stop - certainly not before you either feel like you're about to cause an accident or you clock the speedo and get paranoid about running into the boys in blue!
The diff however is certainly noticeable when applying power on corners! Combined with the shorter distance lock to lock you really feel like the car is stuck to the road, again I can't compare to a standard car but the comparison to my Mk5 is unbelievable. There are many times where I have realised that my mk5 is not to be trusted in certain conditions - the mk7 doesn't have that at all. Depending on your personality, this in itself could be dangerous but there's nothing like a bit of self confidence when your going for a "spirited" drive in the countryside :)
Normal/Sport/Eco definitely made changes to the car, not least with the noise. If you are in Normal or Eco then you don't get the really throaty noise from the engine bay. I have to say knowing that this is down to the sound actuator it makes me feel a little cheated. I wanted real engine noise but then I guess I wouldn't want it all the time so the actuator is a great compromise. Average MPG is definitely higher with Eco on but then when you accelerate thinking you're in Sport you realise why, it's like being de-tuned. Should be useful on those motorway commutes though and you can quickly switch between the modes thanks to the dedicated mode button.
Panoramic Roof
I love this. Simple as that. Looks great on the white car - it'll be less noticable on my Carbon grey when it comes and I'm sure it's a personal thing too but I would rather have a sunroof open getting air into the car than drive around with Air-con on all day. I do not regret ordering this!
(http://www.wanstall.co.uk/image-hosting/Test%20Drive/Resized/dsc_3611.jpg)
(http://www.wanstall.co.uk/image-hosting/Test%20Drive/Resized/dsc_3612.jpg)
Park Assist
Fantastic gimic but it won't stop you kurbing your alloys as it lines you up with the cars at either end of you, if they're touching the kerbs then so are you gonna be. Personally I like playing with it but don't need it.
Nav Pro
Personally I hate built in sat navs. They cost a fortune to update and a fortune to buy as options. If it was possible to have the bigger screen without the nav I'd go for it. I didn't even test the nav, that's how much it doesn't interest me!
Leather
I first got into the car and thought, wow I wish I had leather on my spec. I then reconsidered that further down the road as I realised that it felt like I was driving an Audi S3! The steering wheel feels just the same and with the leather seats you kind of forget what the true GTI feeling is. For me, ever since the return of the tartan cloth in the Mk5 if you don't have that then you're diluting the true GTI feeling somewhat. That and when I went on a long swooping bend I found I slid on the seat a little, you don't get that with cloth. Don't get me wrong, I love the red stitching and the general look but it's not for me thanks.
Adapative Cruise Control
What a fantastic invention. I have cruise on my mk5 and I'm forever turning it off and on to deal with people driving in front of me slowing down, this completely solves that problem. To give you a scenario, if you take the A23 north out of Brighton you have a little run at national speed limit then you get into some road works with a 40mph average speed limit restriction. I had cruise set at 70mph (honest) an went all the way through the 40mph limit with the adaptive cruise keeping me at the speed the car in front was doing. As soon as we came out of the restricted zone the car took me up to fulll speed again. It's brilliant.
Conclusion
What a big jump this is going to feel going from my mk5 to a mk7. As engine power goes, they're not too far apart (sure the mk7 would kick the mk5's ass in a drag race) with plenty of torque across the rev range and that ability to put a smile on your face and make the right noises. The real difference is the overall driving experience, this thing is so well planted on the road you wonder what you'd have to do to get into trouble and it just encourages you to keep pushing.
Likewise when you're taking it steady you still get the same level of feedback and responsiveness that keeps you satisfied knowing you can unleash the real animal underneath whenever you want.
MPG wise, it seems to be doing about 7mpg better than my current mk5. That would mean that I could expect 40mpg average on a tank which is insane given how much of a beast this car can be.
I literally cannot wait to get my own one.
Roll on week 43!
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Oh good, another white one.
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Great pics Monsta... although they've come out huge for me! Good to hear your first impressions of the car too.
Is that Devil's Dykke by chance?
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Great pics Monsta... although they've come out huge for me! Good to hear your first impressions of the car too.
Is that Devil's Dykke by chance?
Edited the post with width/height settings so should look OK now - yep Devil's d**e, are you local then?
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Oh good, another white one.
It's a demonstrator. :rolleyes:
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Oh good, another white one.
It's a demonstrator. :rolleyes:
What have you ordered?
I think VW make them in batches.
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Oh good, another white one.
:grin:
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Oh good, another white one.
:grin: :grin: even I'm fed up of seeing pictures of white GTI's and I've got one
@monsta - nice review of the options. I like the pano roof but feel it would be completely lost on any other colour than white.
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Oh good, another white one.
It's a demonstrator. :rolleyes:
What have you ordered?
I think VW make them in batches.
Carbon grey...
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Edited the post with width/height settings so should look OK now - yep Devil's d**e, are you local then?
Not local anymore but I remember blatting about those South Downs roads when I had my old 205 GTI. When my GTD finally arrive I'll have to take a trip down there from Surrey :smiley:
Sorry, off topic!
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Nice pictures and a great write up. I must say I'm starting to get the style of the mk7 now. It's certainly growing on me.
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Great review and the overcast skies make car look awesomely moody :D
I have to say if I was given a couple of hours in the car I probably would have ordered a month or two earlier than I did.
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Great review and the overcast skies make car look awesomely moody :D
I have to say if I was given a couple of hours in the car I probably would have ordered a month or two earlier than I did.
You should have had more faith on how good it would be
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True :)
Hopefully get bw confirmation in the next 4 weeks, definitely itching now ;)
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True :)
Hopefully get bw confirmation in the next 4 weeks, definitely itching now ;)
Mine's on 44 too, was 43 but slipped a little! Patience is a virtue :cry: