Mk5, is it much of an improvement??

[alex160]

Hi all, recently sold my mk4 gt tdi after getting fed up of its reliability and awful handling, looking at a replacement in September, have a budget of around 8k, it's between a mk5 golf gti, or a focus st3. Is the mk5 golf gti improved much, as to be honest the mk4 had a lot of faults and didn't really feal very sporty.

What are the issues on the mk5 to look out for?? Do they handle good standard as I don't want to be messing around with coilovers etc. thanks

[barrym381]

i have had both the mk5 gti an the focus st  if i was buyin another the st would be in the drive before the mk5 gti 

[alex160]

Ah right ok, what do you prefer with the st? I haven't driven a mk5 gti yet, but have driven a 59 plate st and was very impressed with it.

[barrym381]

Ah right ok, what do you prefer with the st? I haven't driven a mk5 gti yet, but have driven a 59 plate st and was very impressed with it.

the st just felt better on the road,an when pushed it held the corners alot better than the mk5 an the noise from that 5 pot volvo lump is    but take a decent mk5 gti a test drive see how you like it as every1 has different taste 

[AlanD]

I had a MK4 before the MK5 and they are worlds apart. They handle just fine in standard form (unlike the MK4) so as you mentioned, you wont need to mess about with coilovers.

They are great cars, I've had mine for 5 years now and still love it (never though Id say that about a car). I've never driven an ST so cant comment on them. Its worth noting they (the ST0 are not very good on economy (if your into that sort of thing).

As the previous poster said, the only real way to get a feel for them is to take them both on a test drive. I suspect most people on here with be biased towards the MK5, as I am.

[Poached]

Hi all, recently sold my mk4 gt tdi after getting fed up of its reliability and awful handling, looking at a replacement in September, have a budget of around 8k, it's between a mk5 golf gti, or a focus st3. Is the mk5 golf gti improved much, as to be honest the mk4 had a lot of faults and didn't really feal very sporty.

What are the issues on the mk5 to look out for?? Do they handle good standard as I don't want to be messing around with coilovers etc. thanks

Yes the GT TDI 130/150 are known for problems...

The Focus isn't the most economical so it depends on your mileage but you wont be seeing TDI MPG in the GTI either, typically 28-32 MPG depending on journey type.

Also are you interested in DSG? This rules the ST out of course. If you've always had manuals may be time to try out DSG.

Go for as late a model you can afford.

[Saint Steve]

The ST felt very unstable in high speed corners when I drove the MK 2 before buying the GTI.It rolled over on its side walls of the tyre.. Hidious

Now having my 3rd Mk5 GTi in the ed30, it's the best one by far. I'd only consider the New focus with its 2.0 litre unit in it. the five pot although sounds nice, is very thirsty, and reliability is wowful. Issues with cylinder liners in the Volvo engines especially if your planning to remap would be a big concern.

ed30 or Pirelli are the best 2 GTI's to go for. Budget min of 9k will get you in a lower spec ,high mileage car.

DSG is also fantastic, but you need to drive both gear trains to see which u prefer.

[alex160]

Ah ok, I will start test driving some mk5 Gtis, what is the dsg? Don't try suffer expensive gearbox issues?e and the mrs have a accord sport at the moment which is a auto but has a clever manual system which is good fun and gives very good take off and quick smooth gear changes, but I do like the good old manual boxes. Any major common problems on the 2.0t fsi engines? Would be looking to get it remapped. Thanks

[AlanD]

DSG is a dual clutch gear gearbox, I don't know what they put in the Accord but Id bet decent money it isnt a dual clutch system. Take a quick butchers on Google if you want to know the techy side of it.

Something as big as how a car changes gear is a very personal thing. Some people swear by the DSG but I didnt take to it, much prefer a manual gear change, its all down to what you like (try and test drive the DSG though to get a feel and an idea)

There have been some issues with the DSG box which have ended up being pretty costly. I cant for the life of me remember if VW replaced it, I think they gave a token gesture towards the cost, maybe someone else will be able to help. The fault in questions was with the mechatronic unit. Might be worth Googling that to get a better idea of the problems. However Im pretty sure if the car was going to have had the problem, it would have had it by now so chances are its either had it replaced and sorted or will be fine (please dont ever quote me on that).

There are quite a few common problems (as with any car). Early models had issues with DV valves splitting (this was sorted in later models). Mine had issues with the coolant system which a few of the other lads have problems with, but wasnt shockingly expensive (I was lucky and had mine sorted by my VW warranty). There have also been quite a few steering rack issues (take a look at this tread regarding that - http://www.golfgtiforum.co.uk/index.php?topic=32092.0)

Just make sure you do all your usual checks on service internals, cam belt / water pump changes etc.

[Wayne]

I would stick with a manual, DSG's seem to have issues and can be very expensive to fix.