Golf gti ,which was the greatest generation

[Exonian]

We've had a thread like this before, possibly several that invariably get moved into the general section.

I'm another that has owned an example of each generation of Golf GTI excluding the mk3 (I had two VR6s instead and an Ibiza Cupra GTI which uses a mk3 GTI engine and front suspension).
I've had one mk1 GTI plus a Scirocco GTI using the same platform.
I've had at least four mk2 GTI's, it's too long ago to remember exactly how many but I think it's four.
I had one mk4 GTI 1.8t
A mk5 GTI
2 mk6 GTI's
& a mk7 GTI PP


I'm torn on which is the greatest for me.
My mk1 was hideously unreliable as standard and was also the first car I went to town on modifying so I have mixed emotions on that one. The mk1 Campaign was the best looking GTI by far though.

I never really gelled with the mk2 16V so that one is out.
I had three(?) mk2 8V's and I still think these are the best blend of talents vs build quality - as Dubber says, useable performance, not too heavy, not too big and built like tanks.

The mk3 GTI was... well I guess it was ok in its day as far as Golfs of that day went but the VR6 was a much nicer car to drive just for the sound.

The mk4 GTI was ok once remapped and with decent shock absorbers, I also owned a Leon Cupra 1.8t of the same generation and much preferred the driving dynamics of the latter.

The mk5 GTI runs the mk2 GTI close - it still looks good today and has aged well unlike the regular mk5's.

The mk6's were really good cars too,  can't fault them.

The mk7 GTI again was just a fantastic car. So good that VW thought to re-introduce the golf ball gear knob as standard for a non special edition GTI after many many years. That says it all!



It's quite hard to separate cars that spanned nearly 30 years of my life into which is best, and I also owned different cars amongst those totaling well over 20 cars in all.
I still run an old GTI as a family hack too, it's a bit rough round the edges but up until now has been very reliable over many years and generally easy to fix or get fixed. As it's got older I tend to do more jobs myself on it.

The only car I felt really sad to see go as it drove away was my black big bumper GTI 8v. I sold that on my birthday and couldn't eat my meal later in the day I was that sad to see it go. That was about 20 years ago now and I've never become attached to any of my Golfs since, so that will have to be my answer - a mk2 8V Golf GTI with power steering was the greatest GTI for me and the mk7 GTI running it a close second; when I bought my first GTI back in 1987 230 BHP was the sort of power dreams were made of when it came to GTI's. Even the iconic quattro of the day only produced 200bhp util the runout models a couple years later with the 20v heads.

[dubber36]

back in 1987 230 BHP was the sort of power dreams were made of when it came to GTI's. Even the iconic quattro of the day only produced 200bhp util the runout models a couple years later with the 20v heads.

In around 1989, I had a Cavalier SRI 130 which I thought was quick. Somehow I managed to blag a test drive in a Sapphire Cosworth which had around 220 BHP. That thing felt ballistic. I wonder how one would feel these days?

[lemski]

back in 1987 230 BHP was the sort of power dreams were made of when it came to GTI's. Even the iconic quattro of the day only produced 200bhp util the runout models a couple years later with the 20v heads.

In around 1989, I had a Cavalier SRI 130 which I thought was quick. Somehow I managed to blag a test drive in a Sapphire Cosworth which had around 220 BHP. That thing felt ballistic. I wonder how one would feel these days?

Probally still feel quick in todays stqndards, even though its nearly 30 years on

[gazmondo35]

Ok I have finally made up my mind ,but before I get to that here is what I'm been driving over the last 20years

My love For fast golfs started with a 1990 big bumper golf gti in Tornado red (poverty spec)it had no alloys wheels ,no powered steering ,no Central locking or Electric windows but I loved it .I done 60000 trouble free miles in it & still managed to sell it for what I paid for it.

Golf gti mk3 8v not much to say about this,it should have never been given a gti badge,I quickly replaced this with golf Vr6 ,which I did love at the time,but God did it understeer.

It was while had golf vr6 I bought a mk1 golf GTI campaign ,it needed a lot of work to start with but once it was sorted ,it was like driving a go kart so much fun on the twisty stuff,it still annoys me to this day that I gave the car away for free.

Never had a mk4 gti drove a few stock ones but didn't like it, went for a 2001 mk4 4 motion instead ,this car was pretty much fully loaded ,the leather Ricardo seats were amazing ,the previous owner had specialists to fit the Rockford Fossgate stereo system ( still to this day I haven't Heard a better car stereo)
It was ok to drive amazing engine sound ,but lacked in the handling department.

Then onto the golf gtii mk5 ,it took me nearly 3 months to find the right car in the right spec, finally bought a Tr gti dsg. such a awesome all-round car ,i used to love the fact he had a better gearbox then what you would get in some Ferraris for the time ,ended mapping it & keeping it for 6 years.

Never had mk6 gti or r (recession years )

Mk 7 gti pp in TR it so refined it never as raw as my mk 5 did , so I decided to spice it up a bit with a revo map,but that ended breaking a Engine mount on Santa pod Raceway, smashing the gearbox radiator, catalytic converter & some  other bits £8000 Worth of damage.

So anyway whats my favourite ,it a very close call between mk2 & mk5 they are both awesome cars but for me it's the mk 5 .

[Exonian]

Gazmondo, funnily enough I always thought your username was because you'd had an Ed35, it's interesting to see that's the one model you've not had!
I was tempted to put the mk5 ahead of the mk7 too. I loved mine, especially once mapped.
My mk4 GTI was mapped too and that transformed it, as did the Koni suspension I had on it but alas the latter's ride quality was what hastened me to strip it back to standard and sell it again.
Funny you should say you enjoyed the V6 4mo as I went to buy one of those but came home with a second hand GTI 1.8t instead! I found the 4mo a bit flat after the VR6 and the engine too muted in the cabin. I've always regretted not buying a mk4 R32 though, but had young kids at the time and no money!

It was your and Lee's (remlapeel) front suspension disasters that stopped me mapping my mk7 GTI and instead swayed me towards the R. The lighter weight of this model of Golf definitely comes at a cost of thinner metal.

Going back to the comments about the Sierra Cosworths power: I agree, they'd still feel very rapid today and would take considerably more driver skill and provide more fun than the modern VW and Ford 220 - 250 bhp hot hatches. Even the R with 300 bhp has much of its character subdued from the factory forcing you too look to the aftermarket to bring a bit of old skool fun back to driving.
Those that like a bit of driving fun that is, rather than worrying about keyless and radar cruise control... 

 

[gazmondo35]

Gazmondo, funnily enough I always thought your username was because you'd had an Ed35, it's interesting to see that's the one model you've not had!
I was tempted to put the mk5 ahead of the mk7 too. I loved mine, especially once mapped.
My mk4 GTI was mapped too and that transformed it, as did the Koni suspension I had on it but alas the latter's ride quality was what hastened me to strip it back to standard and sell it again.
Funny you should say you enjoyed the V6 4mo as I went to buy one of those but came home with a second hand GTI 1.8t instead! I found the 4mo a bit flat after the VR6 and the engine too muted in the cabin. I've always regretted not buying a mk4 R32 though, but had young kids at the time and no money!

It was your and Lee's (remlapeel) front suspension disasters that stopped me mapping my mk7 GTI and instead swayed me towards the R. The lighter weight of this model of Golf definitely comes at a cost of thinner metal.

Going back to the comments about the Sierra Cosworths power: I agree, they'd still feel very rapid today and would take considerably more driver skill and provide more fun than the modern VW and Ford 220 - 250 bhp hot hatches. Even the R with 300 bhp has much of its character subdued from the factory forcing you too look to the aftermarket to bring a bit of old skool fun back to driving.
Those that like a bit of driving fun that is, rather than worrying about keyless and radar cruise control... 

 


The 35 in gazmondo certainly makes you think golf mk6 , but the reality is when I signed up to this forum I only had one burning question to ask (which was why is the manual mk 7 golf GTI got the same 0-60 time as the dsg Version. 
so the first username I could think of was my PS3 username ,which is how old i was when the PS3 was launched.
If there was one  car I which I could have owned it would have been the mk4 r32 ( for the time it was out of my pay grade )

[Exonian]

Did you ever find out why the manual and DSG are on an even keel in mk7 guise?


It's interesting to note the Clubsport S is manual only (I'm sure I read that somewhere).