GolfGTIforum.co.uk

looks mint that! what size are the Pretoria's ? and when can you do mine? 

Why do you want to add a second user?

If you created a VW ID for them it would be so they could use the online services (find my car, sound the horn etc)

If you just wanted someone else (significant other for example) to have things like their radio station, climate settings, mirror positions etc that should be possible just by using the second key.

Hi folks, long time lurker and so it’s about time I contribute.

I have had my normal Golf Mk7.5 from new since 2017 and done 68k miles to date. When I bought it I thought it was a great car, replacing my mk5 VW Polo, and only in hindsight has It become more apparent how VW nailed the Mk 7.5.

I’ve been wanting a special car for so time now before I have a family, logic need not apply. Initially, I was set on a sports car; if not now whilst young then when. First, I took an beautiful little green Alpine a110 for a week across north Wales. It was nimble, light and responsive. However, I felt the 1.8 engine lacked soul. So of course naturally I then took a 718 Cayman S around the South Downs for a week. The Cayman was more mature and interior was more plush but the 4 pot droning noise would become unmanageable for my motorway trips.

Surely then the answer must be the Cayman GTS 4.0 (NA). Booked a day with PEC at Silverstone, tested it track and the backroads. It was the most complete car of the lot. However, as I left I thought to myself do I want to spend of life savings on this, and it seems no. The GPF filters have muted the car, and it was perhaps too fast to exploit for my layman abilities. I expect the car I’ve been looking for all along has been the 981 Cayman GTS, NA and pre filters.

Whilst I’ve been learning and testing, I have been patiently waiting for the Golf GTI Edition 50 probably since the launch of the Mk 8.5 GTI and Clubsport if not even longer under the the loose hope that VW go balls to the wall before ICE get cancelled and does something akin to the Mk7 Clubsport and S. It’s looking promising so far. It’s this or the 981 Cayman GTS. The Golf would be brand new, hopefully very reliable, and discreet to not attract attention in the staff car park.

I’ve tried to find all the info I can beyond what is already discussed here.

1. This website has a 80+ pager forum from Germany about the GTI Edition 50. The lease deals they're getting is nuts. 1/2k down and 250 euros PCM. Last few pages talks about 16/20% discount on private purchase, but I can’t find any evidence of that.

https://www.motor-talk.de/forum/gti-50-jahre-jubilaeumsmodell-2026-t8175078.html?page=87

2. Lack of Alcantara wheel in UK - I rang my dealer and VW customer service - both were useless. I then emailed VW. A lovely person said although the product team are reviewing the options list, but there is no plans thus far for the Alcantara wheel. I when back and said to log my request with the product team, seems completely daft to leave it out.

3. Limited production info - Spain has limited to 325 cars. VW Barnetts in an intsta post says 1000 for the UK. VW customer service email said there was no end date for the order book. Can’t find any other details.

4. Reviews - from the event in media event on Barcelona, seems some videos/maybe review will go live this Friday.

5. Discounts - my local dealer said no discounts even thought it’s not a limited production car in the UK. Not sure if they will budge on this.

I idly checked DTD today to see if they included Ed 50 only to find they currently list only EVs on their VW section.
I think this means something significant for the future more generally……. but I don’t know what!

They told a friend of mine last week that the usual models would be back up on the site within a couple of weeks.  I think they are just finalising a new VW dealer partner following Hayselden's demise.

have the 8.5 from new for 3 whole days now  , here are my first impressions (and questions)

Drive: been keeping low revs till after i hit the fist 800 miles or so, but what a piece of machine this is... coming from the GTI mk6, the difference is immense.  Be it city, countryside or open roads, this is a beast.  Very responsive, even though i haven't put it to its limits obviously, but from what i gather, it can cope with pretty much everything.  Sound > nice pops here and there especially when downshifting manually, THAT grawl while accelerating makes me smile every time, sporty without being noisy.

consumption: only got something like 300miles so far, averaging about 30mpg.  Not bad i would say. I expect this to go all the way down to 25mpg once i start driving it properly 

Ride: 19'' wheels fitted with DCC, i must say pretty happy for splashing a few extra quid for the combo, expected it to ride harder overall and it does when you set it nearer the sport end, but when DCC is set on comfort, makes for a comfortable ride

Looks: stunning.  Got moonstone grey, black estorils and s/r.  I would have preferred a slightly bigger spoiler end but overall, damn impressive design.  Fog lights - how i wish it were night all day long just to keep those on Got some condensation in both headlights when I gave it its first wash the other day, soon dissolved, initially thought that it could be insulation issue, then it occurred to me that i had the engine running for some time before and temperature change may have caused that.

Cabin quality: could improve but a solid 8.  Nice sporty seats, super steering wheel (no illuminated shift paddles though, same as in mk8, whereas the 7.5 has those lit up along with rest of wheel).  Other than that, not much has changed.

Infotainment: the Good > compared to wife's mk8, this is a treat, fast response, even though i find it lacks some shortcuts (e.g. more buttons on top for quick access could be useful than the 4).  The annoying > absolutely huge fonts when you play media or radio, getting older but not that old.  Jury still out on Harman Kardon, i kind of feel that Dynaudio in my 7.5 sounded, won't say better but definitely louder.  HK has more settings to play with and maybe i have yet to hit the sweet spot, but i expected it to sound louder for 480kw output.  This is the one area I would improve.

Questions: still trying to figure out a couple things, activated trial for Dynamic Background Lighting but for the love of me, can't see why anyone would shell 50 pounds or so to get this for life.  Connect plus for 2 years and connect for a further 8 with zero cost is a nice touch, spotify for free but how much music can one listen to?  Also getting some problems with mobile hotspot connectivity. 

Finally, wasnt able to add a second user yet (not a guest), it seems to need to be a user with an active VW ID, when i try to go through the steps, that's what it requires.  Any ideas here are welcome.

Next steps: ceramic coating when the weather permits.

Hope this helps future buyers
C.