Golf GTD, what are they like to own?

[Daz Auto]

20000 miles in one year at 600approx miles to a tank = £2500 in fuel = GTD
20000 miles in one year at 300approx miles to a tank = £5000 in fuel = GTI (After a 4 year saving in fuel I could buy a used mk6 GTI if I wanted one).

Most people I know with a GTD average about 45mpg, I average about 35mpg in my GTI.

In a GTD 20000 miles @ 45mpg @ £1.40/litre = £2828.62
In a GTI  20000 miles @ 35mpg @ £1.36/litre = £3056.91

So the GTI costs an extra £678.29 per year in fuel, not sure where the £2500 comes from.

... i have looked at your figures and cannot figure out how you calculated them 20000/35 = 571.4 gallons = 2600lt*1.36 = £3,536 for your golf

  Most of the posts on this forum suggest that a GTI only gets above 30mpg if you drive it like your granny. And most GTD drivers seem to be getting above 50mpg unless they drive like mad men. My GTD is averaging 52mpg.

Even if we just look at your figure and my figure...

My GTD 20000 miles @ 52mpg @ £1.40/litre = £2,453
Your GTI  20000 miles @ 35mpg @ £1.36/litre = £3,536

I love my GTD it has lots of smiles per gallon 

[mike.]

... i have looked at your figures and cannot figure out how you calculated them 20000/35 = 571.4 gallons = 2600lt*1.36 = £3,536 for your golf

Just transposed the figures, should have read £3506.91, the difference was correct though. 

If you drive the GTI like a granny you can easily get mid 40's.. that's if you haven't fallen asleep first..

[Mr_F]

And who has the time in this life to drive like a Granny, oh yes, Granny!

[tonker3]

Trying to avoid the petrol versus diesel debate, I will give you some genuine feedback about owning a GTD.

I swapped my Ed30 for a GTD. That was a mistake, which I remedied 6 months later when I got rid of it.

Pros-excellent interior (ie standard Mk6), comfortable and a genuine 50mpg (combined).
 
Cons-poor handling after a GTI, very nose heavy with pronounced understeer eg on roundabouts. No getting away from it, despite 170bhp it is slow (boring) after a GTI. You need to get the 18'' Vancouvers to make it look decent as the standard 17'''s look crap IMHO.
Mine was Carbon Grey and the paint literally fell off the bonnet at the slightest touch. Stone chipping the worst on any car I have owned (though not the GTDs fault as such, but VW paint in general?).

The GTD is typical of 'some' VW products, a triumph of marketing over substance (meaning it's too expensive). Just looking at second hand examples on the VW site the prices are ridiculous. It makes more sense in my opinion to buy the GT TDI and if you want extra performance get it mapped. There are plenty of specced GT TDIs including some with Vancouvers that are cheaper than a poverty spec GTD.

I appreciate that some people have modded their GTDs into great machines, but as standard and after a GTI mine soon left me flat.

Obviously as an 'infrequent' (ok, hardly ever) poster on here I am prepared to be flamed (!!), but having gone through the GTD 'process', I feel well placed to advise others.

So, what did you replace the GTD with, out of interest?

I replaced the GTD with a Ford Focus!

[Ess_Three]

If you drive the GTI like a granny you can easily get mid 40's.. that's if you haven't fallen asleep first..

How?

I get about 30 MPG average...and driving like a Granny, barely keeping up with traffic gives 35 MPG.
...the same driving in a Mk5 GT 170/Mk6 GTD gives 50+ MPG.

Real world, 'normal' driving I get 30-31 MPH...Mk5 GT 170/Mk6 GTDs seem to be getting 45-48 MPG on the same runs.

If I gun it, I can happily see early 20s MPG...the same TDIs will be giving mid to early 30s MPG doing the same run...and there is so little between the two on a back road, performance wise.

[mike.]

Just normal driving a/b roads to work 50-60MPH, I have seen 47mpg.
I guess I'm just bored as there is nothing else to do but follow the flow. 

I can also get low 20's after a more sprited run home on a Friday afternoon 

Someone posted recently, with pictures,  that they have got over 40 in an R, although I think they were really bored 

[Mr_F]

40+ in an R,

Same with all of them, why buy any performance like golf and drive it like a Granny, you might as well buy a ford focus (ST and RS excluded).

[GolfTi]

Am I the only one who thinks that vwkev is the only one on here who has a vendetta against the Gtd. Everyone else can see it qualities

Defend your car all you like but take off the blinkers ffs, its a f**kin Diesel and its a wannabe GTI.

I'm not telling any lies, its the truth and sometimes for an owner it hurts. Suck it up.

Ouch!