Golf 6 GTI interior quality

[gtiobsession]

Im really keen on the MK6 GTI I live in SA and here we are'nt as lucky as you guys when it comes to changing cars every few months :sad:it costs an arm,a leg and a few other organs here so its a major financing decision.So what I want help with is does the MK6 GTI interior feel as luxurios as most reviews say it is compared to say an Audi A4?also want to know about the ride quality?My folks currently have a 2006 320i and the ride in it is amazing you dont feel a thing.Reason im asking is that here dealers only order the GTI when you want one so test drives on cars like the GTI and Scirocco are almost non-existent.

[R32UK]

i think it better than my brothers 2007 A4 Sline. and alot better than my mates mercedes 220cdi.. which is very vectra-ish btw

[DWGTI]

I test drove the 2009 audi s3,very nearly bought it if I wasnt convinced to try the Mk6 GTI.  In my opion the mk6 is better than the S3 as it looks darker and feels better put together. Flat bottomed steering wheel and black roof lining look great.  By far the best interior Ive seen in any car between £20k and £35k. That includes the new BMW 135i.

[FroGTI]

The MkVI was designed to be cheaper for VW to build than the MkV, but they have done a very good job of the interior. Quality is high, at least on the bits you can see and touch. It's not quite as good as my 2006 BMW 3 Series, but it's leagues ahead of its competitors. 9/10, I'd say

[Paling]

You should not have a problem test driving one in any of the bigger towns or cities.  I walk into the first VW dealer in Cape Town and they did not have a problem with me jumping into one.  I was extremely happy with everything and bought one in the UK.

[gtiobsession]

Customer service by dealers here suck big time,you would think with the current ecomomic downturn they would be much more helpful,theres a guy near by who has a candy white GTI(heart sinks everytime i see it) going to try to pull him over to have a look and maybe squeeze a test drive you guys in the UK are so lucky thanks for all the responses,Theres just one more thing I want to know,what is everything that the RC510 touchscreen radio displays other than its radio functionalities?

[Golf R]

The MkVI was designed to be cheaper for VW to build than the MkV, but they have done a very good job of the interior. Quality is high, at least on the bits you can see and touch. It's not quite as good as my 2006 BMW 3 Series, but it's leagues ahead of its competitors. 9/10, I'd say

And my 1997 BMW has nicer leather and carpets than those two cars put together.
Penny pinching rules these days, shame.

[R32UK]

I have heard about these cost cutting measures, and anyone going from a mk5 to mk6 would be hard pushed to spot them. Personally I think they have reduced costs by making the manufacturing process simpler.. i.e less small options, and a more equiped basic spec whilst increasing the price accordingly. There certainly hasnt been any cheaper bits i have found


except the removal of the auto petrol cap switch... oh and the cargo net, oh yeah and is the glove box still cooled???

[FroGTI]

There certainly hasnt been any cheaper bits i have found, except the removal of the auto petrol cap switch... oh and the cargo net, oh yeah and is the glove box still cooled???

I think the new petrol cap system is better: I had the switch in my Eos and nearly always forgot to pull it before getting out at the pump. They could have gone that extra step, however, and made a fully integrated flap and cap like on our Renault Espace.

As for the cargo net and a/c glove box, they're still there, at least on mine.

[Exonian]

I prefer the new petrol flap too. Maybe not as technically swish as the mk5 flap but more convenient. As R32UK was probably filling up a lot more often than us GTI boys in his mk5 he was probably a lot more familiar with the system!    I think the 'problem' with the mk5 flap is only noticed if you drive more than one car regularly, the other vehicle having a different arrangement causes one to forget to fiddle with the driver's door before getting out.

Signs of cheapness on the 'new Golf'? The obvious thing I've noticed so far is that the doors have gone back to the traditional welded construction rather than the bolted  skin of the mk5. The mk5 skin was much easier to replace or repair if it had a knock (I've already got a slight dink in one door on mine thanks to come **** in a motorway service station), and also much easier to fix any electrical problems as the whole door skin could easily be removed and replaced. On the 'new Golf' any repairs means ripping the interior door trim off (which means many potential rattles).
Other than that I saw somewhere on one of the links regarding fitting a rear view camera that all of the wiring is one colour on the loom of the mk6 which will become a bit of a headache for DIY junkies and some dealer techies.
It's not a new thing either as I remember when getting my shiny new (okay, it was very second hand) big bumper GTI many, many years ago and noting that the carpets and bits of interior trim were cheaper than on the previous version. As for the mk3, that was just a cost cut from start to finish 


Long term I guess us mk6'ers will just have to see how it goes in the reliability stakes to see if there have been many more hidden cost cuts. My mk5 was one of the very early ones and the cost cutting was very evident on the newer ones in comparison, so we can expect more of the same I guess.