GolfGTIforum.co.uk
Model specific boards => Golf mk8 => Topic started by: flipflops on 01 February 2026, 12:32
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It's been tricky to find out info on this as most info is mk8 vs 8.5
I'm looking at mk8 CS's, I know that at least the earlier ones were buggy. Are the later ones better or are they all buggy or all now resolved?
Also are there any differences with say the 2020 mk8 cs and the 2023 CS? The only one I've noticed is the GTI logo on the front seats?
TIA
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It's been tricky to find out info on this as most info is mk8 vs 8.5
I'm looking at mk8 CS's, I know that at least the earlier ones were buggy. Are the later ones better or are they all buggy or all now resolved?
Also are there any differences with say the 2020 mk8 cs and the 2023 CS? The only one I've noticed is the GTI logo on the front seats?
TIA
The 2023 car will also have the gloss black centre console. They were a matt grey in the early cars. No other cosmetic differences that I can think of.
The newer cars will more likely be less buggy. Then again, I had a relatively early (2021) car and it was generally fine.
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Thanks Joe. Silly question, can't the older cars be updated to the newer less buggy software?
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Thanks Joe. Silly question, can't the older cars be updated to the newer less buggy software?
Yeah, the cars are frequently getting OTA (over the air) software updates. Some of the updates are very large, taking hours to download. So if you are "logged into" the car, you'll get those updates every so often. However sometimes a dealer visit is required, especially I'd say in cases where the car never got regular OTA.
Newer cars will have newer hardware too obviously, and you can't update to that (not cheaply anyway!).
Actually now that I remember, newer cars have other small differences, such as the clocks (speedo/rev counter) having different configuration options that cannot be done on older cars.
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Thanks Joe, that's really useful to know. So one one hand I could get a 2021 CS, take it in and get a full update then essentially from a software point of view it's the same as a 2023 CS (an updated one) and therefore less buggy. On the other hand clocks would be different still.
Does anyone know if it's as simple as it has GTI stitched into the seats and therefore a 'newer 8 CS' or a little more tricky to work out?
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The (computer) hardware and associated digital controller units all over the car were changed throughout the Mk8 run.
You have to remember these cars are all digital in pretty much every aspect.
The software can be changed but some problems were hardware that couldn't necessarily be fixed without hardware replacement that vw never will pay for.
This has been the whole debacle vw customers have been facing for six years.
Personally I'd pick one from 2023 if you want to stand a decent chance of avoiding crap.
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I just found a couple of photos of the various media settings from my Dec 2020 Mk8 Clubsport and my December 2023 8R.
The hardware number in my 2020 car was H56 and the later car H61.
(https://i.postimg.cc/vZZGNz1x/IMG-7633.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/YhTc4Qzt)
(https://i.postimg.cc/9Fx6rjM4/IMG-1069.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/kBb1pzW9)
The early MK8’s got a shocking reputation for glitches and yet my Clubsport which was one of the very first batch imported to the UK was pretty good. There are a few threads on that car on this forum which catalogued just about everything I experienced with the car.
The first thing you want to check is if the prospective car has had a replacement steering wheel under warranty.
My advice, buy as late a car as you can find/afford that will hopefully still have some of its original factory warranty. Just in case!
But, as stated above, the only real differences were very minor, the dials are no biggie, the later car’s gloss black centre console will soon tell you how well a car has been looked after, and there’s the GTI logo embossed. Aside from mildly updated gubbins inside the dash the media system is much the same.
The Ed45 is nice if you can find one. Not hugely different to the regular Clubsport but has an Akrapovic back box and nicer side decals plus unique wheels.
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Really interesting on the hardware, thanks guys!!!
I'll try and find a good 2023 in that case, still 15k cheaper than an 8.5 and I can add it to the 'all in' warranty too for piece of mind.
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The 5F (infotainment controller) is just the bit you can easily get a version number from... There are something like twenty plus other control units that make up the car.
The problems are all to do with the interactions between them all.
One of the issues is that the initial software was created using the assumption that the other components it was going to talk to were one specific version... When even as they were writing it were changing. Changed many times before all of the bits were joined up in a single finished car.
Some day someone will no doubt write a book about this as its an epic story of hubris, self delusion, denial and the most diabolical customer care in modern times. It goes far beyond just the golf too.
Probably lucky for vw that the whole industry took a whack from first covid then the Ukraine war otherwise vw would have stood out as a disaster area that could be avoided. As it is they took a significant market share reduction.
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I've had both, 8 was on a 22 plate and the 8.5 on a 24 plate. No problem with either.
Apart from visual tweeks mentioned above there were mechanical tweeks as well. 8.5 feels a tiny bit sharper and more responsive. Can't remember what they did though.
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I've had both, 8 was on a 22 plate and the 8.5 on a 24 plate. No problem with either.
Apart from visual tweeks mentioned above there were mechanical tweeks as well. 8.5 feels a tiny bit sharper and more responsive. Can't remember what they did though.
I think flipflops was looking at pre-facelift cars only (2020 - early 2024) but the extra response in the 8.5 is the antilag which was first used in the Anniversary 8R 333. That model is the only mk8 that had the feature but since adopted into 8.5 performance models.
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I've had both, 8 was on a 22 plate and the 8.5 on a 24 plate. No problem with either.
Apart from visual tweeks mentioned above there were mechanical tweeks as well. 8.5 feels a tiny bit sharper and more responsive. Can't remember what they did though.
I think flipflops was looking at pre-facelift cars only (2020 - early 2024) but the extra response in the 8.5 is the antilag which was first used in the Anniversary 8R 333. That model is the only mk8 that had the feature but since adopted into 8.5 performance models.
ah yes my bad, didn't read it properly
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I have a 21 CS, since its had the standard warranty work, new steering wheel, gear selector, software updates, its perfectly fine. Still has random bongs, but nothing most other modern cars (bmw etc) get as things like the cold, condensation and general ice, grime etc, cover/interact with external sensors such as radar, assistance cameras and thier housings and the like. I'd say ignore the haters, as long as its been looked after and had the warranty work, service schedule at VW, you should be good.
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but nothing most other modern cars (bmw etc)
This is true.... VW were kinda out there with the Mk8 and the ID3 as the first of the "computers on wheels" designs but that was a long time ago now and everyone else caught up.
Doesn't matter where you look, you'll find anyone making a modern car is similarly plagued with bugs in a way that straight mechanics and solid state electronics never were... its just that we didn't realise it at the time.
Avoid the 21st century by buying some old crap. Series 1 defender anyone?