GolfGTIforum.co.uk
Model specific boards => Golf mk7 => Topic started by: Watts on 13 September 2015, 19:54
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I'm really enjoying the experience so far, it's such an accomplished car. I'm not a big fan of gadgets (less really is more in my view) but I am gradually getting to grips with some of the tech. Not tried out the ACC yet but will give it a go. Nav, definitely handy but in a 10 minute span it tried to get me to drive up a dirt track, then into someone's drive followed by two goes at getting me to join (ironically) a golf club :grin:
The best bit though is the performance. My old Audi was hardly slow but the GTI is fantastic! Gets the adrenaline going without being ridiculously fast and feels so controlled on the road. Admittedly I've probably not stretched it much but it's really fun! The manual box is great but I may go back to auto for my next car as traffic is a pain. Ride quality even on 19's is impressive but a bit bumpy at times, I'd definitely consider DCC on the next car but wouldn't consider it essential.
Economy - very impressive and better than expected. So far I only have the car computer's word for it but on busy traffic journeys nearly 40mpg on mixed roads and 32ish on short local journeys. One trip was nearly 45mpg! I hit just over 400 miles on my first tank and the guage had only just dipped into the red. My Audi was about the same other than it was a 72 litre tank!!
The interior is such a nice place to be. I have the standard seats and the tartan really lightens up what would otherwise be too dark and gloomy. The controls all have a smooth, quality feel and despite being a 3 door, the rear seats are comfortable and spacious (admittedly though I've only tried them for a few seconds after the test drive).
Negatives? Not much, actually struggling to think of anything. It looks great, drives fantastic, great performance and economy, it's spacious and very comfortable, if you get a good deal then great value for money, cheap insurance and reasonable VED. Very, very pleased so far.
Just one thing though (assuming anyone has been bored enough to waste their time to get this far) - what of any use to a car and driving will fit in the under seat draws?? Even my National Trust book won't fit!
Ps - this forum has been really helpful, lots of good advice and tips so many thanks one and all. :smiley:
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Good review watts.
I too have 2 week old gti pp on 19's. I've come from a Astra vxr (stage 1). I agree, the cabin is a great place to be and the drive is smooth and very accomplished.
The entertainment system is a bit buggy. Had two instances where Bluetooth is playing from iPod - but nothing on screen (no matter what I press). Off/on seems to sort it.
The one criticism I have, is the lack of pace. I didn't expect it to have the same punch as my old vxr. But when I press the loud pedal at low revs it seems to take quite a while before the power feeds in. Only 500 miles on the clock - so hoping it loosens up a bit too.
Not trying to cause a argument, just my initial thoughts.
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Cheers Dave, glad you're enjoying yours too! What spec did you go for?
Performance wise, I'm sure it will loosen up and improve with a few miles under the belt. Our opinions may seem at odds but they are based on coming from different directions - I strongly suspect your VXR was more than a touch sharper off the mark than my old Audi!
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It's my first new car - so I don't really know how much loosening to expect! Dealer told me to start driving it hard from 500 miles to get the best results!
The only two options I ticked were perf pack and 19's. It looks the business in pure white - loads of comments from colleagues and friends.
I have no doubt, that round a track the gti would be quicker than the vxr. But off the line feels a long way off the 0.5 to 60mph that's on paper.
It's about time a grew-up anyway!! 😆😆😆
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An excellent and thorough review Watts.
Couldn't agree more on all counts, including the excess amount of useless settings and gadgets (which seem to be de rigeur on all modern cars now).
The under seat drawers are useful for transporting sneaky bits of cake I've found. Just make sure the bags are well sealed as a spirited drive means you'll be finding crumbs for months afterwards...
Aside from that they serve no purpose.
Dave Young: the problem you have with the low end power is the massive amount of excess travel in the pedal before it does anything.
Try wearing 1970s platform shoes or buy a DTUK pedal box as these make the car far more satisfying to drive without actually adding any power.
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Ah, cake. Thanks Exonian. My cake though normally takes the form of a wedge rather than a slice. Perhaps I'll have to consider a change of allegiance from Coffee and Walnut to Battenberg :grin:
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@Watts, interesting you mention the nav as mine is awful as well. It has been back to the dealer for a new gps aerial but still no change. Looks like a complete new MIB for me under warranty @£5K :shocked:
I have discovery pro is yours the same? Would be interesting to know what firmware / maps etc your running?
Mine takes me via fields etc during the first 10-15 mins of every journey :angry:
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The media system is a little buggy at times particularly with the blue tooth and think the integration and UI need more work in general
Only commenting on the GTD here but it tangibly loosened up from similar to how described in there being a delay in the power coming in to being as responsive as expected.
However in last 1000 miles noticed that throttle response has been fading but it is due in for its 2 year service this month so something be flagging for assessment.
My GTD was very tight for at least 2000 miles but as said the GTI might be a different animal.
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@Watts, interesting you mention the nav as mine is awful as well. It has been back to the dealer for a new gps aerial but still no change. Looks like a complete new MIB for me under warranty @£5K :shocked:
I have discovery pro is yours the same? Would be interesting to know what firmware / maps etc your running?
Mine takes me via fields etc during the first 10-15 mins of every journey :angry:
Morning Optimus. Mine is the standard nav. I've been reading your posts about the issues you've been having. Hope you get it sorted soon. I don't think there is anything wrong with mine (apart from some of the odd pronounciation!) as it knows where I am and the 'roads' it wanted me to take did indeed exist but just weren't appropriate. In fairness, we were in the middle of nowhere at the time.
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Just got home from a wonderful week in West Yorkshire. Brought a few things back, some beer, a larger belly and even more respect for my GTI. Great fun driving (where appropriate), comfortable and spacious. The boot was a bit tight but we are used to a much bigger one, we'll just adjust with time. The auto handbrake was excellent with all the hills and the sat nav was reasonably well behaved if some of the routes were a bit iffy.
Economy, I thought it excellent. First tank averaged 40.5mpg (and I double checked the computer which was spot on) and the return journey 41.5. Ride comfort was very good but a bit jiggly on the odd occasion, uncomfortable on cobbles though!
Those good people of West Yorkshire seem to like their new performance Golfs, never seen so many Rs! A few GTDs but not one GTI. GTIs are seemingly a very rare beast.
Not cleaned my car since I've had it and the red seems quite forgiving but it really is filthy - hoping to get on with it over the weekend if all my new cleaning kit turns up as planned tomorrow.
So, all in all, settling in very nicely with Golf ownership, a great all rounder.
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Sounds brilliant, the GTI seems to be a very rare car, can't wait to get mine!
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I'm sure you'll love it Bungleaio - including the exclusivity! When's yours due?
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It was built yesterday so I'm hoping to get it in the next 4 weeks.
I've never ordered a car from new, I'm super excited!
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Just got home from a wonderful week in West Yorkshire. Brought a few things back, some beer, a larger belly and even more respect for my GTI. Great fun driving (where appropriate), comfortable and spacious. The boot was a bit tight but we are used to a much bigger one, we'll just adjust with time. The auto handbrake was excellent with all the hills and the sat nav was reasonably well behaved if some of the routes were a bit iffy.
Economy, I thought it excellent. First tank averaged 40.5mpg (and I double checked the computer which was spot on) and the return journey 41.5. Ride comfort was very good but a bit jiggly on the odd occasion, uncomfortable on cobbles though!
Those good people of West Yorkshire seem to like their new performance Golfs, never seen so many Rs! A few GTDs but not one GTI. GTIs are seemingly a very rare beast.
Not cleaned my car since I've had it and the red seems quite forgiving but it really is filthy - hoping to get on with it over the weekend if all my new cleaning kit turns up as planned tomorrow.
So, all in all, settling in very nicely with Golf ownership, a great all rounder.
Glad you're enjoying it. Mine is 5 months old now and done just over 5K miles. I have a feeling it may have loosened up a bit over the past 2K miles but it's a bit subjective. On long runs it's great just setting the ACC and letting it cruise or track the car in front. It's a bit annoying on motorways though as you have to keep switching it off to avoid undertaking the tiresome middle lane morons when there's nothing in the inside lane. How did you drive it during the "running in" period?
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It was built yesterday so I'm hoping to get it in the next 4 weeks.
I've never ordered a car from new, I'm super excited!
Think yours and mine must be on the same production run Bungleaio. Mine was done last week as well. Tracker's worse than useless but VW are very good on Twitter. Can't wait :smug:
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GTI_Ant
Glad you're enjoying it. Mine is 5 months old now and done just over 5K miles. I have a feeling it may have loosened up a bit over the past 2K miles but it's a bit subjective. On long runs it's great just setting the ACC and letting it cruise or track the car in front. It's a bit annoying on motorways though as you have to keep switching it off to avoid undertaking the tiresome middle lane morons when there's nothing in the inside lane. How did you drive it during the "running in" period?
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I haven't tried the ACC yet, not sure I'm all that bothered. Perhaps I'm just a control freak! My car was an ex-demo with 1500 miles on it so I've just driven it - nothing outrageous, just regular driving.
Received all the final parts to my new cleaning kit this morning, got the microfibre cloths in the washing machine now and just a couple of new buckets left to buy. Hopefully I'll have a lovely shiny car by the end of the weekend! In the next couple of weeks I'm going to remove the wheels for a thorough clean and to seal them with some Finish Kare Hi-Temp wax.
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Just thought I would post a short update. I've had my GTI 4 months now and covered 4k miles (it's on 5.5k in total). Really getting settled into the difference from my last car which I'd had a very long time and loving it! The occasional road surface can catch the suspension out but most of the time the comfort is excellent and that's without DCC. The performance always makes me smile and is a thrill and yet it can be as docile as you want.
The seats are supportive and very comfortable and the red tartan is just as cheery as when I first got it. The boot is a lot smaller than I'm used to but has been fine so far. We've had a week away in Yorkshire plus short breaks at my mum's in Norfolk and my sister's near Teesside. Motorway manners have been superb and even though a manual, I've hardly had to change gear due to the torque. Economy was first rate too with up to 45mpg on long runs and long term average currently at 38.1. Not bad considering my commute is 5.3 miles!
Technology. I freely admit to being an amateur but enthusiastic luddite but I can appreciate technology when it serves me well. Before I got this car I always poo-pooed auto lights and wipers and I can report no change in this. If I want the lights on I'm perfectly capable of doing it myself, likewise the wipers and I can honestly state I'm better at it than the car is. They work well most of the time but are irritatingly stupid enough times for them to be pointless. Just something to go wrong in my book. Still haven't tried the ACC because I can't be ar**d to read the manual and it isn't something I feel is safe to work out for myself at 70 on the motorway. So to me, pointless however I can see why others would find it useful so fair enough. The stereo is okay, adequate but I don't use it enough to have paid the extra for the upgrade and I doubt the better system would make the Archers any better :smiley:
Glad I went for red with Santiagos, a bit blingy and the opposite to me normally but I love it, makes me smile and feel happy every time I walk up to it and surely that is the point?
Reliability has been near faultless so far, one blown bulb and a broken led. I changed the bulb myself and snapped the led in trying to remove it so have left it, it's only the door handle one and I can't see the point of them, a light in the ignition switch or on the vent controls would've been more useful. Sorry to hear in other threads of people who are having some real frustrations and lack of support from VW, not encouraging and I feel their pain but I thought it best to mention reliability as it seems few people are speaking about good stories. Long may the reliability last! Dreading having to go to the dealer for support, my last car was serviced by an excellent local garage who charged a reasonable price, always did a great job and were very trustworthy so it pains me not to be using them now.
So come on fellow MK7 GTI/D/R owners, share your experiences and give these truly great cars the credit they deserve :laugh:
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I'm due to pick up my Gti on the 23rd and excited is an understatement. How many miles would you recommend to run the car in?
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No running in required. The engine is already run in in the factory according to my stealer.
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No running in required. The engine is already run in in the factory according to my stealer.
They don't run it in at the factory - they are built to tighter tolerances to years ago. Don't baby it during running in - it may have a thirst for oil and be a bit sluggish if you do, just drive it moderately hard once the oil is warmed up whenever the fancy takes you in the first 1000 miles, but don't go mad.