I ran my GT Sport 170 ps golf for 2 years and 80k miles, I had one dpf issue at 27k miles which was a pressure sensor and beyond that not a single problem.
I have a very heavy right foot, albeit most journeys I did were 50 miles or more I never had less than 50mpg average on the trip computer.
Driving the 170 really shows its performance advantage over the 140 at motorway speeds, acceleration is a fair bit stronger and would always show a 140 a clean pair of heels when required
Only reason I sold it instead of handing down to my wife was that I wasn't confident of anyone being able to remove the dpf and map accordingly to avoid issues with her short journeys. It would seem 12 months on things have moved quite fast and a number of different companies offer this conversion without any major issues.
Now drive a Leon FR with the new CR 170 ps engine and it's enjoyable to drive but doesn't feel quite as punchy as the old pd engine, much more linear power rather than having the low down torque spike.
I do miss my old MK5
