GolfGTIforum.co.uk
Model specific boards => Golf mk7 => Topic started by: Madeinireland on 23 May 2017, 20:23
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Hi,
As per the title currently considering options and don't want the costs to run out of control.
Is it really worth it? I have a friend who has owned lots of GTI's and is happy to run with standard settings so he obviously doesn't think so.
Is the DCC one of those options that is a novelty for a short while and then you just leave it alone and effectively have just wasted nearly a grand or a vital option that you really need to get the car just right.
Your views appreciated.
Thanks...
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I've never tried it but standard setup even on 19s is much better than my previous car. Perhaps the quality of your local roads might be the deciding factor.
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Is it really worth it? I have a friend who has owned lots of GTI's and is happy to run with standard settings so he obviously doesn't think so.
Is it really worth it? The answer is - it depends!
It depends on the cars you have driven previously and what suspension you are used to. Then it depends on the quality of roads you drive and your driving style.
DCC is at the very top of my options list, but I drive some really bad roads. Personally, I would not have another performance Golf without adjustable suspension.
Some people will tell you it does not make much difference. I think it really does make a big difference. :rolleyes:
Edit: I sometimes put my Mk6 Adaptive Chassis Control into sport mode. If I forget to change it back I am usually sitting at some point on my way home thinking 'this road is really terrible' before I remember.
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I think the standard set up on my GTI is perfect but I have 18'' wheels so that could be the reason.
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I've got the DCC on standard 18s and it's really good. Gives you a choice depending on how you feel and what roads your on.
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Yes!, it´s a big diffrent!
Crazy what a ride comfort in comfortmode . Then in sport, it is like a racecar. STIFF :grin:
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I think its great, but is is 900 quid great?
Hard to say really!
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If you intend on keeping your car for a number of years and you drive on UK roads (e.g. third world quality) then I would say it's a worthwhile option
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I would spec it again, had it on my mk7 2.0 TDI estate and the ride was so much better than the mk7 GTD I have now (where I sadly did not have the possibility to spec). Also makes a difference if you intent to corner hard.
Needless to say the area I live in has some of the most pothole infested roads in the world (I have been to developing nations with better roads).
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I would spec it again, had it on my mk7 2.0 TDI estate and the ride was so much better than the mk7 GTD I have now.
I wonder how many people who have DCC would want to go back to a car without it :huh:
I was reading a comment on another forum. The guy said that he was young enough that the firm ride didn't bother him. Luckily I'm old enough I can afford DCC :grin:
I had a Mk7 GTD without DCC for a weekend test drive. Even my wife noticed the difference :shocked: And my current car is a Mk6 with the old DCC system. Though my car has 17inch alloys and Goodyear AS2 tyres - which help make it more comfortable. Though when I press sport mode - jiggle, jiggle, bump, jiggle, jiggle, bump.
The new MQB chassis and more advanced DCC system should be even better at smoothing things out. Though at the end of the day it is still sports suspension with low profile 18 inch tyres. So I am not expecting miracles.
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I have DCC and would certainly option it again.
Its well worth the £830 imo (considering just Park Assist is nearly £600!)
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I have it, it was high on my shopping list, I drive in comfort mode about 80% of the time, I wouldn't be without it having been in a friends GTi without it - Is it worth it? I'm middle aged and like my comfort :grin:
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Now I had it on my Mark 6 with 18" wheels and made it a priority to have on my new R especially with 19"s!
But! odd this it rides as good in normal as my Mk6 did in comfort and better than my wife's MK7 GTI without DCC on 18s.
Doesn't make sense to me AWD? Normal softer?. Whatever comfort seems truly comfort.
I would recommend it without hesitation on a GTI/D/R especially of specifying 19"s
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Now I had it on my Mark 6 with 18" wheels and made it a priority to have on my new R especially with 19"s!
But! odd this it rides as good in normal as my Mk6 did in comfort and better than my wife's MK7 GTI without DCC on 18s.
Doesn't make sense to me AWD? Normal softer?. Whatever comfort seems truly comfort.
I would recommend it without hesitation on a GTI/D/R especially of specifying 19"s
I too have found that the R rides a bit better than the GTI (and I have 19's on the R... 18's were on the GTI). Maybe its due to the extra weight, the car being a bit more planted. The springs are also different in the R to cope with that extra bit of weight.
I think I'd be tempted to spec DCC if I were going again though, as it seems anyone who does have it seems to think its great and there are times when my own car just feels a bit too harsh and it'd be nice to press a "comfort" button.
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The R definitely rides a bit better than the GTI and GTD. Having spent enough time in examples of each I'd say the bump absorption on the R is much more refined over sharp motorway joints and such like. The trade off for some odd reason is the R's turning circle being like an oil tanker's.
I've had plenty of cars I've added suspension kits to in the past and generally grew to hate them as the springs were always too firm for UK roads but I've never felt the need for DCC, and I'm quite fussy. I've run GTI PP and R on both 18" and 19" wheels and although there's a difference in ride quality you'd have to be extremely sensitive to notice it in general use on normal roads.
I sometimes wonder why people buy hotted up hatches if they're not prepared to accept limitations caused by the necessity of stiffer suspension, and it's not as if VW are hardcore enough to go for extreme settings in their conservative range of cars.
I've run various permutations over the years on all generations of Golf right through from mk1 to four mk7's plus numerous hire cars. Cars I've changed for stiffer springs have all suffered in the ride department but stiffer dampers have improved body control no end. I tried Koni FSD's on a mk5 GTI, but again they were a compromise, and although I initially liked them as they made the car a bit more fleet footed I found they bottomed out on the bump stops too readily and actually raised the suspension height on standard springs.
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I have it on my R with 19s but am fairly indifferent to it as I was on my mk6 GTI (also on 19s). I specced it only as I'd had it previously and wondered if it would offer any enhancement over the previous incarnation but being honest I don't really think it does. I have been in a mk7 GTD (on 19's) without DCC a fair few times and thought the ride was absolutely fine. I appreciate that it is adaptive and changing to the road conditions and driving style etc, but if budgets were tight I wouldn't be overly upset at dropping it from a future spec list. I mainly have it set to Sport or Normal and have probably used Comfort twice in 20 months ownership. But then I much prefer my suspension on the firmer site and am not a lover of a cushioned ride. I can appreciate it may be highly desirable option and even a necessity for many but I think I can take or leave it personally. If I had a reasonable budget for options and it meant not missing out on some other wishlist options then I'd probably spec it (not getting any younger so who how the bones will hold up in future) but if it was a decision over DCC and say Dynaudio then I'd drop it without regret.
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Thanks for the input everyone - it seems on balance I should have it - but now I need to be concerned that I'm not ticking the Dynaudio box as well going on your reply Booth11.
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I think the standard audio system is very good and I do like my tunes. It delivers a good meaty sound. Everyone who spec's Dynaudio says it's great so I'd be very curious myself to hear how much better it is over stock.
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Dynaudio is very good and the generation in the mk7 is quite noticeably better than the previous gen in the mk6. It's not just that it delivers a deep rich sound (once speakers are bedded in) but as far as value for money options go, I think it is outstanding for the price. Many people say the standard setup is pretty good and don't doubt it but if you have a spare few £££ kicking around spend it on Dynaudio and you won't be disappointed.
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Dynaudio is very good and the generation in the mk7 is quite noticeably better than the previous gen in the mk6. It's not just that it delivers a deep rich sound (once speakers are bedded in) but as far as value for money options go, I think it is outstanding for the price.
A little off topic but how long did it take for your speakers to bed in? What are your current settings? I've been playing around with the settings an awful lot and I can't seem to fine the right balance just yet.
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I've had DCC on all my Golfs where it was an option & once again I have spec'd it on my new GTD order.
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Dynaudio is very good and the generation in the mk7 is quite noticeably better than the previous gen in the mk6. It's not just that it delivers a deep rich sound (once speakers are bedded in) but as far as value for money options go, I think it is outstanding for the price.
A little off topic but how long did it take for your speakers to bed in? What are your current settings? I've been playing around with the settings an awful lot and I can't seem to fine the right balance just yet.
I'll have to have a look tomorrow at the settings as not going out to car right now, lol. And occasionally I will tinker with them. It took a good few hours say 30+ at a guess for the speakers to bed in, but no great hardship as I listen to music every second I'm in the car. Somewhere on there is a thread on sound settings which is worth a read. This might be it.
http://www.golfgtiforum.co.uk/index.php?topic=264178.0
Have a read particularly of page 5 which has settings from a sound engineer who says the out of the box setup is poor and needs a lot of tweaking. I think I used these settings as my starting point iirc.
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...but now I need to be concerned that I'm not ticking the Dynaudio box as well going on your reply Booth11.
Priorities!
Wants vs needs.
Unfortunately, because of my local roads, I am one of the people who needs DCC in my performance Golf.
Personally, I don't think I need Dynaudio to listen to the radio. However, I am not an audiophile and doubt if I would really notice the difference. :embarrassed: Especially with engine and road noise in the background. :undecided: I have read that the standard sound system is very good.
Perhaps you need to start another 'is it really worth it thread'.
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DCC is better than preference generations in terms of how you can tailor the settings but having one R with and one without both on 18s
The jury remains out as on the R i just think the stock spring and damper set up is a bit harsh anyway, have I missed it, no, do I say to myself would be better using the one with the DCC for where we are going, no
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I think that's interesting, having 2 R's at the same time gives a good comparison.
I wonder what anyone would consider to be a "must have" optional extra and whether there was any consensus.
Certainly looking at the poll on options I put up a few weeks ago, the only thing that seems to really tick boxes is DSG. The rest is all over the place.
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I personally went for Dynaudio over DCC and have not regretted it for a minute. It is a great system. Definitely loud enough and well refined for all tastes. My mate has DCC and very rarely uses it but does say it is very good for cobble stone roads etc or poorly maintained roads.
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I think that's interesting, having 2 R's at the same time gives a good comparison.
Having gone from a fairly well loaded R to my poverty spec daily I actually find the poverty spec more pure, the Nav is dire compared to Apples offering, i prefer the cloth in terms of feel (not looks) to the leather as a place to be and stuff like keyless has never bother me
On the suspension set up on either R you really notice the weight shift when corning, its not progressive
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I think that's interesting, having 2 R's at the same time gives a good comparison.
Having gone from a fairly well loaded R to my poverty spec daily I actually find the poverty spec more pure, the Nav is dire compared to Apples offering, i prefer the cloth in terms of feel (not looks) to the leather as a place to be and stuff like keyless has never bother me
On the suspension set up on either R you really notice the weight shift when corning, its not progressive
Got to agree with the navigation, its pretty appauling. Thankfully got android auto for Google maps.
I don't have DCC but I certainly don't think the standard setup is in anyway harsh and needs softening out.
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I wonder what anyone would consider to be a "must have" optional extra and whether there was any consensus.
Certainly looking at the poll on options I put up a few weeks ago, the only thing that seems to really tick boxes is DSG. The rest is all over the place.
DSG would be the only absolute necessity for me, although I consider it a car lifestyle choice rather than an optional extra, lol. After 9 years with DSG there is no going back!
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These cars are pretty well specced as standard.
The options list is now purely indulgence.
Poverty spec is far from poverty.
Park assist used to be cheap and occasionally useful. I miss that occasionally. Very occasionally.
Keyless I had briefly. Meh. Fine for women, can't think of any other benefit of it. Flat fob batteries seem to be the only common thing related to it.
Nav? Well it's standard but the price of the car went up £900 odd when it became so.
Winter pack? Meh.
The useful stuff is all standard.
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I don't have DCC but I certainly don't think the standard setup is in anyway harsh and needs softening out.
... if you drive down my road you would!
Dynaudio review - https://www.whathifi.com/features/dynaudio-excite-sound-system-review-vw-golf-mk-7 (https://www.whathifi.com/features/dynaudio-excite-sound-system-review-vw-golf-mk-7)
"Verdict
As with most car configurations, there are a lot of options for the Golf GTI – many of which you can probably live without – but £525 for Dynaudio’s Excite system is money well spent.
If you find yourself regularly at the mercy of congested motorways and city centres, it’s great to know the fantastic sound from this system will be there to keep you company."
So if I don't drive congested motorways and city centres, is it money well saved? :undecided:
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I don't have DCC but I certainly don't think the standard setup is in anyway harsh and needs softening out.
... if you drive down my road you would!
Dynaudio review - https://www.whathifi.com/features/dynaudio-excite-sound-system-review-vw-golf-mk-7 (https://www.whathifi.com/features/dynaudio-excite-sound-system-review-vw-golf-mk-7)
"Verdict
As with most car configurations, there are a lot of options for the Golf GTI – many of which you can probably live without – but £525 for Dynaudio’s Excite system is money well spent.
If you find yourself regularly at the mercy of congested motorways and city centres, it’s great to know the fantastic sound from this system will be there to keep you company."
So if I don't drive congested motorways and city centres, is it money well saved? :undecided:
If you don't drive on motorways then you can't have it, sorry. :smug:
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These cars are pretty well specced as standard.
The options list is now purely indulgence.
Poverty spec is far from poverty.
Park assist used to be cheap and occasionally useful. I miss that occasionally. Very occasionally.
Keyless I had briefly. Meh. Fine for women, can't think of any other benefit of it. Flat fob batteries seem to be the only common thing related to it.
Nav? Well it's standard but the price of the car went up £900 odd when it became so.
Winter pack? Meh.
The useful stuff is all standard.
For me colour is probably the only option I'd really need. Perhaps instead of optional extras they could allow us to delete stuff - auto lights, auto wipers, radar, parking sensors....
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I wonder what anyone would consider to be a "must have" optional extra and whether there was any consensus.
Certainly looking at the poll on options I put up a few weeks ago, the only thing that seems to really tick boxes is DSG. The rest is all over the place.
DSG would be the only absolute necessity for me, although I consider it a car lifestyle choice rather than an optional extra, lol. After 9 years with DSG there is no going back!
I know what you mean, I like DSG I also like the wife driving it as her clutch control can be annoying at times.
However I enjoy the manual in our other car, it adds that sense of the fact I'm in control and me and the car are one. :p
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I don't have DCC but I certainly don't think the standard setup is in anyway harsh and needs softening out.
... if you drive down my road you would!
But I still think it comes down to personal tolerance levels. Don't know whereabouts you in the country - there are many places with shocking roads - the roads in East Kent are very bad, but I've still never felt the inclination to put it in Comfort, bizarrely I find Sport actually preferable for really bad roads.
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I wonder what anyone would consider to be a "must have" optional extra and whether there was any consensus.
Certainly looking at the poll on options I put up a few weeks ago, the only thing that seems to really tick boxes is DSG. The rest is all over the place.
DSG would be the only absolute necessity for me, although I consider it a car lifestyle choice rather than an optional extra, lol. After 9 years with DSG there is no going back!
I know what you mean, I like DSG I also like the wife driving it as her clutch control can be annoying at times.
However I enjoy the manual in our other car, it adds that sense of the fact I'm in control and me and the car are one. :p
I think it can come down to how you use dsg. Drive is great when you don't want to have to think about it, and has its place, but my preference is to use sport manual a good deal of the time, sometimes alternating using Sport with paddle override, I find that a great way to use dsg in a more involved way. I think you can be one with a dsg car, it's a just different kind of engagement.
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Going back to the DCC thing - over the last few days I've had the suspension set to Comfort and the ride is much more supple and relaxing, almost floating over badly resurfaced roads and speed cushions, but doesn't add any perceivable roll around corners. In Normal the bumps and road surface are much more noticeable and the ride is firmer. I haven't tried Sport yet.
I'm very happy I chose the DCC option.
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... but doesn't add any perceivable roll around corners.
I'm very happy I chose the DCC option.
It is an active system. AFAIK it will sense hard cornering and firm up the suspension to give more control. For my roads, I would not buy a performance Golf without DDC.
How are you finding Dynamic Light Assist?
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I think in 4 years of Rdom DCC has just been set to sport for everything and suspension as normal with the exception of sport when on track in the other one (in reality the best place to see the differences and comfort in the wet did not make a huge difference) and just never can be bothered to change to comfort
It is the spring rates i do not like as much preferred mine on Eibachs and what I cannot get my head around is the M2 rides better on every surface despite a firmer set up and also now being lowered (joy over speed humps) and people seem amazed why i prefer it in the wet
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It is an active system. AFAIK it will sense hard cornering and firm up the suspension to give more control. For my roads, I would not buy a performance Golf without DDC.
How are you finding Dynamic Light Assist?
That is my understanding as well - it certainly feels more responsive when cornering than the supple ride would have you believe.
I've only used DLA properly once on that youtube video, it's been too light and I haven't driven anywhere at great length in the dark yet! :grin:
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I chose DCC over the PP. Glad I did.
It gives the GTI a much better personality depending on your mood. First option for me.
80% comfort. 15% normal 5% sport.