GolfGTIforum.co.uk
Model specific boards => Golf mk7 => Topic started by: MA1694 on 24 December 2019, 13:39
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Hi all
I’m in the market for a 2013/14 GTI with a budget of £11.5-12k. At that price point most are manual. I do around 6000 miles a year with mostly city driving. My current car is an A3 1.4 also manual but due to the low torque I have to change gear a lot say compared to a diesel. Am I correct in saying a manual GTI would be perhaps less tiresome around town? Also what’s the gearshift like? My A3 has a bit of a long throw which I’m not a fan of.
Cheers in advance!
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Love my manual, great fun! Having said that I could see it being a bit of a pain if you were in constant stop start traffic but if it flows, even slowly, no problem. The shift is very slick but I've added an Audi short shift which I prefer. There's plenty of torque so you don't have to constantly change gears. If you have a mind towards remapping though beware as it seems the clutch on many manuals doesn't cope so you'd probably need to upgrade it.
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Totally depends on the driver. I wanted a manual but ended up getting a DSG . I found the manual far better from an enthusiasts POV, the gearbox is lovely too.
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I have a 2014 manual . lovely and positive box ,engine has plenty of toque I don't really live higher up in the rev range with it very often . great car
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I really like my manual. Nice feel to the shift. As others have said, you don’t have to change gear constantly as it pulls really well from low revs.
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Thanks folks. While a DSG would be good and perhaps better suited to my driving style, I think I’d end up becoming a lazy driver.
I know I won’t get much for my budget in terms of spec but I’d absolutely prefer leather seats than the standard cloth but unfortunately seems like a rare option. But it’s a compromise I’d take over DSG.
What kind of MPG are people getting around town in a manual?
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A lazy driver? There are still plenty of other things to do and be aware of, not just pointlessly manually changing gear. :whistle:
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Thanks folks. While a DSG would be good and perhaps better suited to my driving style, I think I’d end up becoming a lazy driver.
I know I won’t get much for my budget in terms of spec but I’d absolutely prefer leather seats than the standard cloth but unfortunately seems like a rare option. But it’s a compromise I’d take over DSG.
What kind of MPG are people getting around town in a manual?
MPG is very personal with driving style and traffic so unlikely to help much. I get 30-35 on my 5 mile commute but that's with little traffic and not much stopping. So you could get 20 if short stop start upwards. But it's all relative, the GTI is a very economical car for the performance.
A lazy driver? There are still plenty of other things to do and be aware of, not just pointlessly manually changing gear. :whistle:
:laugh:
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I love the manual too but they do vary. My first GTI on a 63 was not as precise as my current car, changing smoothly between first and second was not consistent but this did improve when I fitted a dogbone insert.
Pedal box is a must with a manual car especially driving in town with low to medium revs and partial throttle, it really emphasises the torque. :laugh:
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I love the manual too but they do vary. My first GTI on a 63 was not as precise as my current car, changing smoothly between first and second was not consistent but this did improve when I fitted a dogbone insert.
Pedal box is a must with a manual car especially driving in town with low to medium revs and partial throttle, it really emphasises the torque. :laugh:
I would have thought pedal box more beneficial in the dsg. With the manual you can have the throttle half way down, and revs above 3000 when you need the response ( and the box won’t change up when you don’t want it to)
The box is excellent and there’s plenty of torque low down for town use.
That said, I would only go for the manual if you enjoy the pointless act of changing gear. If you spend a lot of time in crawling traffic, wait for a dsg.
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I love the manual too but they do vary. My first GTI on a 63 was not as precise as my current car, changing smoothly between first and second was not consistent but this did improve when I fitted a dogbone.
They do indeed vary a lot. Seems GTI/R gearboxes around 2015 were commonly a bit crap. My May 2015 R.had a very gravelly throw and an occasional reluctance to slot into 3rd from a higher gear and and also to slot into 1st from 2nd. I had it from day one and the dealerships wouldn't do anything to check out linkage adjustment or anything else. If it weren't for that and the very poor motorway mpg due to the very low gearing, I might still have it now (kept it 46 months). The clutch was also junk - it slipped on me a few times in coldish weather at around 23k miles, completely stock car.
DSG does make you lazy at the wheel. I now have a Polo GTI+ and it only comes in DSG variant. I did try to persevere using the box manually, but it isn't the same when it's not necessary to use it manually and it often overrides your wishes as throttle input trumps your selections when you haven't slotted the lever right over. Feathering in of the gears on a DSG change for smoothness make gear changes with full engagement a lot slower than would be ideal.
I'd rather have a manual box, if it worked properly - my GTD's manual box (and all the previous VWs owned) was silky smooth in comparison to my R's.
Couple DSG with ACC controlled motorway driving and the drive is so unengaging, I feel almost redundant as a driver.
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My manual box has been beautifully smooth.
Except actually recently when engaging reverse from cold. Engages perfectly well when pulling out of the garage but when i try and re-engage reverse when on the driveway it sometimes doesn’t go in. I have to select first, then try again. No idea why.
Otherwise the box is excellent , i have no regrets about choosing manual.
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I was once a manual only guy. Bought a DSG SEAT Cupra in 2010 and have never looked back. First option I tick on any VAG car now. Absolutely fantastic, takes all the hassle out of the daily commute, saves your left knee on longer journeys, makes ACC useable (it’s pointless with a manual), accelerates faster than you could ever hope to with a manual and... if you really want to change gear yourself you still can either with the flappy paddles or the tiptronic shift. If you’ve never driven a DSG, I strongly recommend it before getting the manual box. It’s so very 1932! :evil:
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Thanks people, seems like the manual is a good box overall. Really can’t find many DSG cars at my budget.
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Wait till the mk8 is on sale and the mk 7/7.5s drop a little 👍
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Yeah I could do that to be honest ^
Going a bit off topic here, but I’ve never driven a Mk7 GTI. What is the ride quality and suspension setup like? My A3 has the Sport setup and it’s quite harsh and crashy. I’ve been passenger in a friend’s Mk7 TDI GT and it felt harsh and stiff.
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just get one they are fantastic :smiley:
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Yeah I could do that to be honest ^
Going a bit off topic here, but I’ve never driven a Mk7 GTI. What is the ride quality and suspension setup like? My A3 has the Sport setup and it’s quite harsh and crashy. I’ve been passenger in a friend’s Mk7 TDI GT and it felt harsh and stiff.
My previous car was a 2015 A3 S-Line on 18 inch wheels. My GTI has 19 inch without the Dynamic Chassis Control and compared to the A3, it’s like driving on tarmac coated with a layer of sponge (in a good way!). The A3 was typical Audi - hard and crashy. The GTI is sublime. I can only imagine how smooth a GTI on 18s or a 19 with DCC must ride.
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I can only imagine how smooth a GTI on 18s or a 19 with DCC must ride.
My last GTD had DCC and 18's... my current one does not have DCC.
Difference? I drove on Normal 99% of the time and that feels the same.
Never liked the "comfort" setting, unless I was driving across a car park field (ploughed) because its too wallowy for me and "sport" was just bumpy for bumpy sake.
I test drove a GTD 7 years ago which had 19's and no DCC. It was OK, can't really remember it being any worse than my ones I had on 18's.
All of which basically is that a Mk7.x Golf is not a hard riding go kart, its a benign road going car...