GolfGTIforum.co.uk
Model specific boards => Golf mk7 => Topic started by: mikehull89 on 22 September 2014, 11:46
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Hi there, first post here.
Im just about to order my new Golf. Just wondering if anyone could give me any details regarding general living, economy etc. And just how they act as a day to day car for work and back as well as a quick hot hatch and also useage for long distance driving! One question I also have, I'm upgrading the car to the performance pack aswell as a sound pack; Are these worth it? Does the performance pack justify the £980(give or take)?
Anything is welcomed!
Thanks very much
Mike
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Cancel the order and order the Golf R is sadly the advice I can give you. Otherwise your'll join the horde of people that are chopping their GTI's in for an R :laugh:
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Without wanting to upset anyone as I am a fan of GTI's as much as most on here,but my advice would be get an R instead.
My only other advice whatever your getting is don't pay full asking price.Get a quote from orange wheels and demand that your local dealer at least match it.If not get it through orange wheels.You will save 12% off list price Gti or R.
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Yes, i'd get the R too. It costs about £3k more than the GTI PP but has a Guaranteed future value about £5k higher than the GTI, so will actually be cheaper on a monthly payment basis - as crazy as that sounds. An R on RON98 doing 10k miles a year will cost about £35 a month more than a GTI on a RON 95 diet due to the realistic 5mpg less for an R and the fuel costing 8p a litre more.
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A lot of love for the R! I thought this would be the case.
Im getting mine through my works leasing scheme and unfortunately the hospital i work for won't let me have an R due to the emissions! I was rather angry as i'd ordered it and was expecitng it. Quite unhappy actually.
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I work for the NHS also,is your scheme GMP salary sacrifice as is the one we can use.I had a look into this and our scheme had the R listed.It seemed pricey to me though.It still might be cheaper through a PCP with the 12% discount as you get no discount with the NHS scheme.I know its a tax efficient scheme but I concluded that it wasn't worth it.
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Doesn't the NHS scheme affect your final pension not an expert in this but it is something my wife mentioned
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That's correct it does affect your pension.
Plus points are you only really have to put fuel in,all servicing,road tax etc are taken care of.
It's not for me though.
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It does effect pension yes, but its something which i've thought about and its something im relatively new to, ill be working till im about 200 anyway unfortunately.
I've priced it up, for me, its the best way through salary sacrafice. £294 per month deducted from my actual wage. Thats with the PP, different wheels and sound system. I think thats fairly reasonable personally :)
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Can anyone give me any actual GTI info though! :laugh:
I've read a lot of reviews, some mixed. But i like to get an actual insight into people who have owned them personally, much more reliable
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Can anyone give me any actual GTI info though! :laugh:
I've read a lot of reviews, some mixed. But i like to get an actual insight into people who have owned them personally, much more reliable
It's a great overall package. It looks goods, has decent amount of power, is very practical, handles superbly and the level of standard equipment is fantastic.
Does the PP add to the overall experience, probably not unless your hammering it round corners. However, for an extra £1k your getting a LSD, 10bhp, bigger brakes, red callipers and most importantly the feeling that you have ordered the best GTI.
I can't comment on the sound package as I only have the standard set up but it's still very good. Keyless entry is one option I couldn't live without, you should consider it.
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Thats great, cheers.
I was considering Keyless entry, something I will be thinking about.
How does the fuel do when you are city driving? On the PP, i also read somewhere and had it mentioned to me that it could help on resale too.
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Thats great, cheers.
I was considering Keyless entry, something I will be thinking about.
How does the fuel do when you are city driving? On the PP, i also read somewhere and had it mentioned to me that it could help on resale too.
City driving probably round 30mpg. Motorway can be 35-38 approx. PP is one of the few options that will hold its value on the 2nd hand market.
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Can anyone give me any actual GTI info though! :laugh:
I've read a lot of reviews, some mixed. But i like to get an actual insight into people who have owned them personally, much more reliable
I haven't test driven a mk7 gti but I've had 4 gti's 1 mk2 1 mk5 and 2 mk6's and all have been a joy to own and drive, I think the first option I would be ticking would be the PP not for resale value but knowing I had got the best gti there is. Hope these thoughts help and good luck in your purchase :smiley:
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Can anyone give me any actual GTI info though! :laugh:
I've read a lot of reviews, some mixed. But i like to get an actual insight into people who have owned them personally, much more reliable
I love mine! Went for the adaptive suspension, heated screen/advanced phone and Dynaudio. Pleased with all options, especially the adaptive suspension.
Ian
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My GTI with performance pack is amazing! I love it. I will also be using it on track and it's much preferred over the R.
The performance pack is well worth the money. The LSD is the big thing in the pack. The only other upgrades I went for is the phone connectivity and climatic windscreen. I can use it all day every day, and after getting a stage 1 Revo map it will happily do town mpg at around 37 depending on how much of a lunitic your being
Also, before ordering use www.carwow.co.uk I am disabled and used car wow first, got 8% off of the car and then was aloud to save the vat due to my condition whether I took it on tick or paid outright for it. I don't know if this is applicable to your circumstance?
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15 months and 16k.
Perfect car for me, makes me smile every single time I drive it... or even just look at it.
The R has a tiny boot and the looks are nothing special. Thirsty also but the worst thing is no tartan seats....
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Love everything about my GTI. Chose a sunroof over the PP and don't regret it. The few times I need a satnav my Tomtom suffices so I have the CMS sytem and the sound is just fine. Did a spirited 100 mile run around Essex B roads the other week and got 37.4 mpg which I thought was pretty good.
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Even thought I'm chopping in for an R, the GTI is an amazing car. Performance pack is so worth it, not only for resale but for the handling, calipers etc. If you can afford it, I would also say the DNS Pro is excellent, even though I don't have it (wife has it on her GTD). Dynaudio is also great value for money. I also prefer the 19" Santiagos, but that's only because the standard 18's look like the Monza's off the Mk 5 and 6, of which I had both, so I fancied a change alloys wise. The standards still look the nuts.
Consumption wise I get less than some of the others on here (on average 31-32) but I do have a lead foot so that may be something to do with it.
I love driving it every day even now after a year. It's a great car. I still get looks now when driving around town, it stands out without being too flashy :smiley:
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I didn't choose the PP as I probably don't drive my car hard enough to get the benefit of it, and to justify the extra £1k.
Fuel economy is a steady 35mpg (both on trip computer and manually recorded), with around 30mpg in town, and high 30s/low 40s on a longer run. e.g. Trip to Glasgow and back at the weekend, using ACC nearly all the way returned 41mpg.
Very comfortable seats, and the non-DCC suspension is a good balance between ride & handling.
I only added the Discover Nav & Winter Pack as the rest of the equipment I wanted/needed was already standard. Everyone has their own opinions of must have optional equipment, but only you can really decide.
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I can only echo what has been said above really. I've loved living with mine. Had it 6 months and 7500 miles and can see me keeping it a good few years. I didn't choose the PP as the other options were more important to me. I'd be surprised if anyone could notice the power difference (+10bhp but also + 80Kg for the diff) during day to day driving.
On the very odd occasion where I'm really giving it some down a B-Road, I do wish I'd have gone for that diff. The standard Bridgestone S001's that came on my car are absolutely awful and scrabble for grip in the dry, never mind the wet. I'll be changing them as soon as funds allow but they came last in this months EVO Magazine tyre test.
I chose Dynamic Chassis and I wouldn't be without it, the ride in comfort mode is pretty spot on (much more composed than my Wife's brand new BMW 1-Series M-Sport) but in Sport its firmer, but still has a better quality to the damping. The calibration work they have done is fantastic as far as I'm concerned.
I love the options I've chosen, IMO the Keyless and the Reversing Cam really make the car feel quite premium and a lovely place to be.
I'm seeing an average of 28-30mpg in day to day driving and can see 38mpg on motorway runs.
It's a brilliant car, you'll love it.
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Forgive me for correcting you but,
Performance Pack version weights 31kg more than a non PP version and not 80Kg, this includes the bigger discs at the front and rear, bigger calipers at the front and the diff.
The 5 door version adds a further 30kg, but as OP is looking at the 3 doors that saves some more weight and adds some rigidity too!
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Forgive me for correcting you but,
Performance Pack version weights 31kg more than a non PP version and not 80Kg, this includes the bigger discs at the front and rear, bigger calipers at the front and the diff.
The 5 door version adds a further 30kg, but as OP is looking at the 3 doors that saves some more weight and adds some rigidity too!
Thanks for that. I remember reading the weight differences somewhere but I must confess my post above came from my (quite shocking at times!) memory!
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Forgive me for correcting you but,
Performance Pack version weights 31kg more than a non PP version and not 80Kg, this includes the bigger discs at the front and rear, bigger calipers at the front and the diff.
The 5 door version adds a further 30kg, but as OP is looking at the 3 doors that saves some more weight and adds some rigidity too!
Thanks for that. I remember reading the weight differences somewhere but I must confess my post above came from my (quite shocking at times!) memory!
Can you pay me that £100 you owe me :whistle:
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Forgive me for correcting you but,
Performance Pack version weights 31kg more than a non PP version and not 80Kg, this includes the bigger discs at the front and rear, bigger calipers at the front and the diff.
The 5 door version adds a further 30kg, but as OP is looking at the 3 doors that saves some more weight and adds some rigidity too!
Thanks for that. I remember reading the weight differences somewhere but I must confess my post above came from my (quite shocking at times!) memory!
Can you pay me that £100 you owe me :whistle:
:laugh:
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Love my GTI. Drive it like a baby or rag it. Its fast (enough) - sticks to the road like glue and stops well.
Ive had some grief with the Infotainment system (had it replaced once and the software updated three times). I didn't buy the R or any of the 300bhp cars out there as I simply wont use it. The GTI simply does all I want - and the R wasn't out when I ordered :)
Extras.
The sunroof is great (and auto shuts on fob).
The performance pack makes the brakes phenomenal and the limited slip diff is great.
Keyless entry is a gimmick as is keyless start.
Check the 2 sizes of Infotainment as I wouldn't bother with the large one again.
Winter pack - well the heated seats are great
B-Xenons are terrific - gets you beam bending in corners
Voice works great
Acc is fun but a gimmick
Park assist is a gimmick
I wanted the rear cameras but they stopped doing them - retro fit £1000 (haven't don't it)
The boot liner lets all your stuff slide everywhere.
Best of all is the Intelligent cruise control - set your max speed and if you catch up the car in front, yours slows down, and then keeps pace to your maximum - no pedals.
32ish mpg - can get 37ish in Eco if you take it real easy and I don't do long journeys when I expect it could get its advertised 40mpg
Hope this helps but please remember this is only my opinion
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Don't know who told you 1000 to retro fit the camera but they're vastly over estimating it. The nav pro is brilliant and really finishes the dashboard off well. Just a shame yours has been playing up Night Blue.
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going back to the original question, I think I've read just about every world-wide review of the GTI. I'm interested to hear that the original poster thought reviews were mixed. I don't think i've ever seen a more glowing set of reviews for a car.
Some U.S. reviewers say it's not exciting enough but their roads don't have corners so they don't really 'get' the GTI, which is why it's never sold well over there. You have to remember they think the Corvette is a good car.
In Europe, any negative reviews seem to centre around the argument that it's too perfect and that makes it boring! Well, if that's all they've got!
The PP sounds sensational value if you can afford it. I can't claim first hand experience as I've not driven a GTI, not even a test drive but mine is now on a boat from Germany as we speak!
I don't agree with some on here that the 'R' is a straight swap for the GTI. It's undoubtably a fine car but there is a definite difference between the two; price, image, fuel econ, specification etc
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Interesting thoughts PeterG, having seen all the finance figures banded about on here I'd have thought for 99% of buyers the R would look like a very appealing proposition (aside from front bumper styling which is not an excuse not to buy a very capable car!).
I've always been a bit of a GTI purist and even so far as to preferring the 'normal' GTI's to the special editions but if I was buying now I really think the R has a massively persuasive list of positives compared with a GTI.
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Love my GTI. Drive it like a baby or rag it. Its fast (enough) - sticks to the road like glue and stops well.
Ive had some grief with the Infotainment system (had it replaced once and the software updated three times). I didn't buy the R or any of the 300bhp cars out there as I simply wont use it. The GTI simply does all I want - and the R wasn't out when I ordered :)
Extras.
The sunroof is great (and auto shuts on fob).
The performance pack makes the brakes phenomenal and the limited slip diff is great.
Keyless entry is a gimmick as is keyless start.
Check the 2 sizes of Infotainment as I wouldn't bother with the large one again.
Winter pack - well the heated seats are great
B-Xenons are terrific - gets you beam bending in corners
Voice works great
Acc is fun but a gimmick
Park assist is a gimmick
I wanted the rear cameras but they stopped doing them - retro fit £1000 (haven't don't it)
The boot liner lets all your stuff slide everywhere.
Best of all is the Intelligent cruise control - set your max speed and if you catch up the car in front, yours slows down, and then keeps pace to your maximum - no pedals.
32ish mpg - can get 37ish in Eco if you take it real easy and I don't do long journeys when I expect it could get its advertised 40mpg
Hope this helps but please remember this is only my opinion
Great summery.....only thing id question is you opinion on the keyless.....I find it works flawlessly and is a great option to go for.
Ken
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I've been running a 3dr GTI PP Manual for 12 months, 16k miles.
great car, all you need for the road. Good for 150MPH (I was in Germany...honest..)
Options I picked:
Small NAV - excellent, use it more than I thought I would. Definite choice to have, forget tomtom, they look crap.
Keyless - again, excellent and very handy to have.
Dynaudio - dont bother, not worth the money
PP - hmmm on the fence. I drive pretty hard so I appreciate the brakes. But you find you are constantly looking to "deploy the diff" and end up doing every tight bend at vmax. Unless you want to drive like you've rented it, dont bother.
Overall the car is fantastic, and I echo other people in saying how genuinely useful the ACC is. Even as a manual gearbox.
I get approx 30mpg, have once seen 39 when I drove like a nun.
Order it, no one ever regretted buying quality!