GolfGTIforum.co.uk
Model specific boards => Golf mk7 => Topic started by: MDR on 03 February 2015, 22:18
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Hi there, sorry if this is covered in previous posts...
I'm test driving the GTI this week and I'm almost certain to take the plunge but was wondering about which parts of the options list truly are indispensable.
I was considering a manual car with the performance pack, DCC, winter pack and full sat nav, but I would be interested to hear of any opinions on that lot or the bits im missing. The heated windscreen is tempting but it's annoying that you have to pay for an upgraded phone system as a consequence.
Thanks in advance.
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I'm in the same boat. Just ordered, April delivery... Went for 3 door, manual, pp , winter pack, dcc. That's it, didnt fancy other popular add-ons like keyless, rear camera and thought the sat nav was just too expensive.
Question is... What colour will you go for... toughie!!
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I'm edging towards white. It seems like a common choice but I like the idea of the classic gti colours. Black is too much hard work for me..
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Personal opinion is that Keyless is brilliant and just adds that touch of class. Plus you get a nice shiny start/stop button which is very :cool:
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Is there no start button without keyless then? That would be a shame.
I've had keyless on my last few cars (Nissan, BMW, ford) but the negative press makes me wonder if it's worth it.
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I bought my 3dr Pure White GTi 6 Speed Manual with the following options :-
Performance Pack
19" Santiago Alloy Wheels
DCC
Winter Pack
High Beam Assist
Dynaudio Sound System
Climate Windscreen
Advanced Phone Prep
Park Assist
Keyless Start/Go
Reversing Camera
GAP
AutoGlym LifeShine
Service Pack
4 Year Warranty
:laugh:
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First of all, Welcome :smiley:
No options are going to make you any real extra money when you come to sell. Just choose what works for you. Personally I only ordered the rear view camera this time because I thought it may make reversing down my drive a bit easier but have found it to be a really useful piece of kit (and Cheap too :whistle:o) and was one of the easiest choices to spec again. For me Dynaudio is a must. I have had it on my last three cars and can't see me unticking that option anytime soon. I am not a massive fan of leather and the Kings ransom VW ask for it made leaving that off very easy. I had DCC on a Scirocco and was really hovering over that but in the end didn't and to be honest I have not missed it at all.
Just go with your instinct/finances you are buying the car for you. No one else !!
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I'm pretty new to all this GTI stuff but having just purchased a pre reg car my thoughts are as follows. Ultimately though it's down to you and colours, spec etc will always divide opinion.
ACC - Not tried it but is meant to be very good (as is the normal ride quality). Probably depends on what kind of ride quality you're coming from.
PP - I've purchased a car without it and it felt plenty quick enough (and I'm coming from a Cayman). Most seem to say it's worth it if you're going to really push the car to its limits.
Winter Pack - Essential for me as heated seats are a must. A bit overpriced if you go for leather as heated seats are included.
Leather - Divides opinion but I really like it.
Nav - if you're going to use it every day then go for it. Lots of people like it because it does look good but is expensive if you're not going to be a regular user.
Reverse camera - Quite cheap and looks cool!
Keyless entry - Some love it. Others don't. If you've had it previosuly you may well want to spec it again. However, you don't tend to miss what you've never had!
Pan Sunroof - Is not really panoramic from the inside but looks great on certain colours - like white.
Dynaudio - Like your tunes loud? Worth considering. Stock system is also very good.
High beam assist - Finsishes things off nicely if you like your tech.
Larger alloys - Look good and go well with ACC. Many like them even on stock suspension.
Climate Screen - Very handy but linked to Advanced Telephone Prep.
Advanced Telephone Prep - need the best call quality at all times and use your phone a lot while in the car? This option might be for you. Sacrifices some multimedia options.
No doubt I've missed things out but hope the above helps.
GB.
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Is there no start button without keyless then? That would be a shame.
I've had keyless on my last few cars (Nissan, BMW, ford) but the negative press makes me wonder if it's worth it.
Yes there is no start/stop button without keyless.
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Hi MDR, this is a dangerous game to play on here... reading reviews on this forum bumped up my options list significantly :D My thoughts:
DCC - Love it, use it everyday (well it's always active, but I mean switching!) I alternate between comfort for more sedate drives, and sport when I am giving it a few beans (and there is any kind of corner or roundabout.) I think it's very effective and would most likely chose again.
Pan roof - Was great in the summer months and I like having the sky above me (glass closed) in winter. It's pretty cool for the starry skies I get around here. Could live without it but would definitely miss it.
Standard Nav - I like the convenience (just jumping in the car and going) but it's not the best nav I've ever used. Rerouting can be suspect, especially in London, and has occasionally suggested 'Non-HGV lanes' when there is a perfectly good A road in 100 yds! I would probably think about using a phone and a nice holder next time, unless the options are better and more reasonably priced.
Winter Pack - No brainer for me, the heated seats are awesome in this weather and were even handy for both my wife and I in different times during the summer due to back pains!
Dynaudio - Box ticked for life as I'm a bit of a sound snob and the stereo upgrade is the first thing I look for on any car! Can go louder than I possibly want whilst maintaining clarity and a warm solid bass.
Keyless - Really really like the convenience of keyless and would chose again. Accessing stuff in the boot of a locked car is a breeze too.
Sport & Sound - This one is only relevant to the GTD, but love it and would chose again.
Anything I regret not getting?
I would really like the intelligent headlights, that maintain high beam whilst shading oncoming cars. I don't think we can get this in the UK though(?), in which case I can't really regret it :)
Edit - forgot the reverse camera, useful for the money and handy for bay parks.
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First of all, Welcome :smiley:
No options are going to make you any real extra money when you come to sell. Just choose what works for you. Personally I only ordered the rear view camera this time because I thought it may make reversing down my drive a bit easier but have found it to be a really useful piece of kit (and Cheap too :whistle:o) and was one of the easiest choices to spec again. For me Dynaudio is a must. I have had it on my last three cars and can't see me unticking that option anytime soon. I am not a massive fan of leather and the Kings ransom VW ask for it made leaving that off very easy. I had DCC on a Scirocco and was really hovering over that but in the end didn't and to be honest I have not missed it at all.
Just go with your instinct/finances you are buying the car for you. No one else !!
I'm sorry but I disagree with Dynaudio I find it to be well, pretty poor. The bass from the boot subwoofer isn't deep enough. The sound gets very distorted at anything over quarter volume with the authentic setting and with the dynamic setting the bass rattles the door panels so much that it makes your car sound like some cheap crap. I'm really, really not impressed with Dynaudio and trust me i've spent days and hours trying various different settings, moving the volume to the rear, to the front, middle, turning bass up and down etc etc and just when I think i've got it sounding reasonable it seems some song will come on that makes it sound terrible again! I will definitely not be speccing it again in the future. I'd go as far as saying that the standard sound system in my MK5 sounded better, atleast that could handle higher volumes and still sound brilliant.
I agree with the Reverse Camera. That's like what? Less than £200 and is really useful and you also get to show off every time you put it in reverse. Can get a lot closer than you would have dared to get to objects even with the parking sensors giving a long beep you still have a good 6" to go back! No brainer to spec that and I would certainly have it again.
I also agree with DCC. I spec'd it and to be honest? It's crap. I just end up keeping the car in Sport mode now anyway and very occasionally maybe comfort but if i'm being perfectly honest I don't notice any difference whatsoever. Loads of people on here will tell you that the difference is huge and the suspension really feels better etc etc. But I can't say i've noticed. Yes maybe a little difference but not £1000 worth of difference. I won't be speccing this again either. The Stig on Top Gear got the MK7 GTI around the track quickest in Comfort setting too, so no difference performance or arguably handling wise there either!
Keyless, now I didn't spec that but I regret not doing so. It's cool to have the Push to Start button and certainly gives it a more modern feel. I will be speccing that next time for sure.
Performance Pack makes a lot more sense than DCC and in my opinion is a must for the same money. The bigger brakes not only look great and make the car look more mean but offer much better stopping power and if you ever go Stage 1 or above you can be confident knowing that the PP Brakes will comfortably handle 300BHP. (Same brakes as used on the R). Then you also get the limited slip differential which is BRILLIANT, i've never experienced anything like it. With the diff on and in sport you can literally turn in, wait for the car to settle in the corner and then plant your foot down on the accelerator and the car just grips the road like glue and catapults you around and out the corner with no oversteer at all. Amazing. And if that's not enough, you get 10 extra BHP as a bonus :cool:
Sunroof, i'm sort of 50/50 with this one. I think it adds more to the car cosmetically than anything else. It breaks up the roof brilliantly (especially since my car is Tornado Red) and looks great from the outside. It also looks cool on the inside to have the sky above you and is very nice in the summer in as it lets in more light and you have a blind to pull over if you prefer to drive in the dark. But from a practical point of view....hm no, can't say it's really been useful. I found it more effective in summer and fuel efficient to close all windows and the sunroof and put the air con on. Was like a fridge in there in no time. Would I spec it again? Part of me wants to but it would just be for cosmetic reasons. I would rather spend the money elsewhere.
Discover Nav - Yeah it's not the best Nav i've used, the RNS510 in my MK5 was better in my opinion. BUT I have used it a lot and it has got me to my destination countless of times. If I was to spec again I would go for the Discover Nav Pro as it has a bigger screen and the 64GB SSD Hard Drive built in but it's just a shame about the much bigger price that comes with it. I would have the Discover Nav or Discover Nav Pro again though, definitely!
Winter Pack - I had it on my MK5, didn't spec it this time. Firstly if you are having cloth seats then they never really get cold or hot, that's the great thing with fabric and if you spec leather (which i'll admit makes heated seats useful) then they come as standard so again no point in speccing the Winter Pack. Do I miss not having heated seats? No, not at all. Even in these cold temperatures with had lately the seats have never been cold to sit down on just the air in the cabin! I'd never spec it again unless I had leather and it didn't come as part of the leather package.
So if I was to spec again I would spec the following;
Performance Pack, Discover Nav Pro, Keyless, Reverse Camera and maybe High Beam Assist (Kinda Cool) and that's it!
The leather is cool but the price tag is ridiculous for it and the GTI cloth seats are excellent quality so don't regret not going for leather at all. If I had an R though I would probably be tempted to spec the Carbon Nappa Leather seats as the standard grey cloth ones look a bit....grandad like. (Don't shoot me guys! I'm sure they're very comfortable :laugh:)
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Anything I regret not getting?
I would really like the intelligent headlights, that maintain high beam whilst shading oncoming cars. I don't think we can get this in the UK though(?), in which case I can't really regret it :)
Yes, you need to order lane assist to get it - weird I know, but that's where it lives because it uses the camera that lane assist adds.
From the VW configurator:
"Lane Assist camera controlled warning system should the vehicle drift out of its lane, including Dynamic High Beam Assist. Side scan radar sensor controlled warning system for lane changing and blind spots with visual warning via light in .door mirror housing.
Includes: High Beam Assist"
If I had actually understood wtf the damned VW site was trying to tell me, I'd have ordered this and not just high beam assist.
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Thanks for all the comments, very helpful. I have a tendency to get carried away with options so this is my vain attempt to try and keep it sensible.
The decision to make is going to be around the sat nav. It's going to be a second car so won't get used every day so maybe the simple nav will do. Is the smaller screen ok and whats the deal with subscription to traffic info? The upgraded audio plus lower spec sat nav may be the way forward. Keyless is something I should think more about too.
I'll be honest and say that I will also be test driving the new focus ST so it will be interesting to see how the 2 cars compare.
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Traffic only comes via TMC over RDS - its free for life. It suggests that it will do Google traffic via VW CarNet, but thats not available in the UK... so a lot of the wizzy things the NavPro can do are not working in the UK - you get a bigger screen and thats about it in real terms...
I'd spec standard nav and add dynaudio if I was doing it again - 100% for sure!
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so a lot of the wizzy things the NavPro can do are not working in the UK - you get a bigger screen and thats about it in real terms...
Not quite as you also get a DVD and hard drive and the ability to customise POI / add speed cameras as well as voice activation.
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The DVD drive doesn't come with the standard entertainment system?
Yes, you do get the hard drive, complete with the most dragged out map update system known to man. On the standard nav unit, you copy the files to a SD card and job is done.
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The DVD drive doesn't come with the standard entertainment system?
Yes, you do get the hard drive, complete with the most dragged out map update system known to man. On the standard nav unit, you copy the files to a SD card and job is done.
No the DVD drive doesn't come with the standard entertainment system, it only comes with the Nav Pro.
I was just pointing out the Nav Pro is more than just a larger screen. Whether its extras are of any importance is debatable :rolleyes:
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ProNav is probably not worth the extra cash.... I use the nav every day and the small one is OK (has it's limitations like not being able to import POI but traffic is usually reported OK via TMC).
Useful extras: bi xenon headlights with full beam assist or dynamic full beam, huge difference to the halogen candlelights, DCC (anyone used to M42 north strech or certain parts of M25 will tell you comfort is massively better than sport setting there), heated front screen WITH telephone prep (this is not a gimmick - you will need it as the metal layer in the screen is VERY good at blocking phone signal), heated front seats, adaptive cruise.
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Updating of the nav pro is no more of a task than updating the basic nav! In fact you can even use your own SD card, I don't see what the issue is with updating. The bigger screen finishes off the dash really nicely.
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I went for Dynaudio which is ok but not worth the money.Also white, now that is a rip off ! Standard spec is fine for the driving I do :smiley:
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Updating of the nav pro is no more of a task than updating the basic nav! In fact you can even use your own SD card, I don't see what the issue is with updating.
Four hours (might have even been longer actually) of it copying off of the SD card with the download (4 hours of car switched on time) to the SSD during which NAV isn't available and for some of it the entire infotain system goes offline.... vs copying it onto the card and then it just works for the standard nav...immediately.
Ok, so I'll probably only do it twice a year but it was a massive butt ache.
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Four hours (might have even been longer actually) of it copying off of the SD card with the download (4 hours of car switched on time)
Did it actually take you 4 hours to do this?
Updated my Nav Pro in December and it took me approx 1h 10 mins to do and that's including the download time for the update from the net.
The Nav was actually updated in the time it took me to drive to work and home again the very same day and that's about a 15 min drive each way (traffic pending) :wink:
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Your broadband must be seriously much quicker than mine then - I didn't even include the download time and the time to copy 17gb to the SD card.... just the time it took to sort its life out from the SD card to the SSD.
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what kind of sd card did you use. a decent class 10 with fast read and write is whats needed.
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what kind of sd card did you use. a decent class 10 with fast read and write is whats needed.
Yupp second that - I used a Sandisk Ultra SDHC class 10 -30MB/s and it was super fast :whistle: