I think my Dad's GTD was the first one that arrived in the UK and posted on this forum - he picked it up July 1st.
...MK7, that car was a huge jump in tech, equipment and refinement over the MK5/6, and the MK6 was no great improvement over the MK5 - slightly different styling and marginal output improvements on some of the engines but essentially the same car.
...there have been very few true technological improvements made to fuel economy in the last 5 years - stop-start gains for mpg have been massively overstated because the test cycle output can be massively affected by it, but real world gains are tiny...
I'd likely be more peeved I bought a MK6 just before the MK7 came out, rather than buying a MK7 just before the MK8 came out.
A few months ago, I had the Mk7 out for a weekend test drive. It was silver the same as my car. Most visitors didn't even realise it was a different car to my Mk6. All they saw was another silver Golf. It even had a different number of doors. Not sure whether that says more about the visitors or the style changes to the Mk7. I guess if you are not really into your cars the Mk7 is just another Golf.
On paper the new GTD is a lot more economical than the old one. However, in real world driving people are saying that the Mk7 does not seem to get anywhere near the manufacturer claimed mpg figures. We have also noticed this with our new A3 and it has 25k miles on it now.
I read that there will be a new European fuel economy test introduced in 2020. This will test real world mpg figures more accurately. So I am hoping that the Mk8 cars will see a significant real world jump in miles per gallon. That would peeve me if I bought a Mk7 just before Mk8 with better smiles per gallon.
For a test drive we decided to take the Mk7 GTD over our local mountain to the coast to get lunch. It is a lovely scenic run. The road is wide with white lines down the middle. My wife immediately noted how much firmer the suspension is than my old Mk6 with the suspension set to comfort and 17 inch Goodyear tyres. By the time we arrived for lunch she felt travel sick. Not sure what that says about the Mk7 GTD suspension or my driving
She hated the comfort. I loved the handling.
Especially liked the progressive steering in tight corners. I was made go home another road, even though I promised to go slower. Frankly, I was disappointed. Having a Mk6, I expected the Mk7 to be more comfortable. Though it definitely handles better if you only drive on good roads or race tracks. When we arrived home, I actually checked the tyre pressures and had a look to see if the transport pucks had been removed out of the suspension. All 4 tyres were under-inflated at 32 psi.
I have read good things about the new DCC adjustable suspension.
No doubt the Mk7 is a better car. Just not that much better that I have to have one now. Having a Mk7 for a weekend has actually made me less peeved
