Mk7 Vs Mk6

[tambourine]

How much better is the Mk7 GTD/GTI than the MK6 and if so what areas?

[monsta]

The Mk6 Golf had a tweaked version of the Mk5 platform, the Mk7 is entirely new - utilising the VAG 'MQB' platform.

Weight savings have been made in several areas including engines, suspension and electrical systems. This will both increase performance and efficiency.

The Mk7 Golf is bigger in several dimension, the key one being the length which is 150mm (15cm) longer.

The old GTI model developed 210 PS from its 2.0-litre turbocharged engine, the new car makes 10 PS more as standard. Performance pack option takes the total output to 230 PS, while both develop significantly more torque than the old car's 280 Nm, at 350 Nm apiece.

You also get nearly every single option that you used to have to pay for as standard (i.e. DAB, parking sensors, Xenons etc)

Read more here http://www.carwow.co.uk/blog/VW-Golf-GTI-425

[Berelli]

I had a MK6 and without doubt the MK7 is better. The interior is another step up and the overall feel is of a better engineered car. Had my MK7 now for two weeks and it is special. I cant think of one thing that I liked more about my MK6.

[wigit]

handling and steering feel and feedback is in a different league as is the DCC

the one i had on test out did my mk6 and thats on Bilstien B16s just for the confidence the car gives and that was without PP

[matchboy]

I had a mk 6 and the things I notice the most that are different are the steering and handling (it was still good on the mk 6) which is excellent, and the interior (the finish, the little touches with the lights etc).  Both are a massive step forward IMO.  Plus, stuff that you had to pay for on the mk 6 eg. parking sensors, xenon lights etc are standard this time around - the mk 7 is not only a better car in and out, but it's also incredibly good value for money compared to the mk 6 (when it was launched).

[Hawaii-Five-O]

The Mk 6 Golf was an interim model running fairly old tech and chassis from Mk5 era (as monsta said).

I remember reading somewhere (can't remember where now) that the Mk6 was hastily brought in to save money on the production line as the Mk5 was expensive to produce. Could be wrong though.

All that sorted now with the MQB platform shared right across the VAG Group (Audi, Seat, Skoda & VW).

I also remember reading somewhere (can't remember where now) that some guru from Porsche was heavily involved with refining the GTI/GTD chassis. Good to know - and backs up what wigit says.

[monkeyhanger]

MK6 main saving was a massive simlification of the multilink rear suspension which saved money and significant build time (about 10 hours, i'm sure I read somewhere?). It was very poor value next to MK5 - 20% more expensive and very little for the extra money. Scirocco was a far better buy IMO - slightly cheaper, far better looking, slightly better drive and far better standard equipment. MK7 outdoes the MK6 and Scirocco significantly on handling.

[tambourine]

Is it more involving/exciting to drive that a Mk6 or is it just a little bit too refined?

[wigit]

Is it more involving/exciting to drive that a Mk6 or is it just a little bit too refined?

The car has better handling characteristics, more refined yes but better for it and it's more engaging, car can just carry more speed through the bend

[PenguinGTI]

We recently had a test drive in a Mk7 GTI. Prior to this I ran a Mk6 GTI. Below are the spec's of the cars (as far as I know)

Mk6 GTI DSG (Tornado Red) 3dr with 17" Monza Alloys.

Mk7 GTI 6spd (Tornado Red) 5dr with 18" Alloys. (Non-performance pack)

Background

I purchased my Mk6 GTI brand new. For the first 25k or so miles it was run completely standard (bar a swap of tyres from Potenza to Pilot sport 3 - which was a great improvement). After this time it was remapped (gain of 40bhp and 70 torques).

All in, my GTI was eventually sold on having covered just over 70k miles. It was used every day, for every task, but also saw some track use. It really was as close as I've experienced to the perfect car.

Key points I enjoyed were:

+ The styling (I still think the Mk6 has been the best looking Golf to date)
+ The ride quality (didn't have ACC, but the GTI was soft enough when I wasn't in the mood)
+ Practicality
+ Performance (this is a bit unfair, as for most of it's life with me my GTI was remapped)
+ Refinement (at times I wanted a bit more exhaust noise, but on the whole I loved how refined the GTI was)
+ Gearbox (DSG was sensational)

Things I wasn't keen on:

- Power (the standard car left me dissatisfied, see below where I go into it in more detail)
- Brakes (weren't set up to my liking)
- The drive (it was good, but I've gone back to a MINI JCW since having my GTI)
- Refinement (at times I loved the refinement, but sometimes I wished the exhaust was louder)
- Squeaks and rattles (particularly from the pillars and rear cargo area)

Ok, so getting to the Mk7:

Initial impressions of the Mk7 were pretty good. It was Tornado Red (a plus point for me) and nice and clean. The LEDs really add to the cars presence, especially after a Mk6 with standard bulbs (59 plate). The GTI was a 5 door, which impacts living with the car but doesn't really feature in a test drive, so I won't mention it again.

Once in, it was familiar territory again as the Mk7 carries over some style from the Mk6, and brings an equal measure of updating.  I'm not as keen on the Beetle stalks, much preferred the items on the Mk6, and for me the steering is far too large in diameter and too thin in hand. The flat bottomed, contoured wheel on the Mk6 was much, much better for me.

On the move, the Mk7 feels (if I'm being brutally honest) not that much different to a Mk6. That having been said, my Mk6 was on 17" wheels whereas the Mk7 rides on 18" wheels, so the Mk7 clearly has a better configuration to keep the ride equally composed on larger wheels.

At lower speeds, the MK7 drives with slightly better agility than the Mk6. This is aided in part by the steering (which is more responsive) and partly by the lighter curb-weight, but again it's not a huge, easily perceptible difference.

Once up to speed the improvements become more noticeable. We managed to find a brand new, completely unused business estate with loads of roundabouts. We were not shy  . The first thing that hit me was the steering. It is lightyears ahead of the Mk6 system. The Mk7 is obviously pushing agility over it's predecessor as a selling point, and this combined with the more responsive steering really bring the car alive in the twisty sections. The car remains composed and feels far more comfortable being thrown around than the Mk6 ever did. While I wasn't as impressed in other areas, the steering is the one improvement that would encourage me out of a Mk6 into a Mk7.

Ok, so after a good throw around it was time to head home on the motorway. This is where the MK7 began to fall down.

First up is the engine. Now, I know this is going to come across as blasphemy to some, because the 2.0T in the GTI is a well proven lump, but in the Mk6 and even more in the Mk7, I have to say that it's becoming a disappointing engine. It builds torque very nicely at low revs - there is some lag, but it's such a minimal amount that it's really not worth complaining about. But once the engine has woken up, it's as if it's chained to it's bed. The build up of torque just seems to stop. And once the revs increase, the engine begins to feel a bit restrained. My issue is not that the engine can't deliver throughout the rev range, but rather that it won't. VW have clearly attained a level of performance that they are happy with, but the result is that it feels like the engine is holding back after a certain point. It's the same issue I had with my Mk6, and as a result I remapped it. Once remapped, the engine felt far more natural. It's just a shame that it still feels as if VW is suppressing the GTI. (And just to clarify, I'm not wanting the GTI to necessarily have more power, I just want the power delivery to feel exciting again!)

Secondly, why have VW decided to fit a sound enhancer? Throughout the entire test drive, but most noticeable on the motorway, our time with the GTI was genuinely ruined by the artificially enhanced induction noise. Under any form of throttle, the engine note is transmitted to the cabin. I'm not sure exactly how it works, but I do know that off-throttle, the engine returns to be silky smooth and relatively silent. Touch the throttle again and it's like someone's sat on the TV remote. For me it ruined the car. It's transformed the GTI from a refined, quietly capable hot hatch into something embarrassing. If you look at my opinion of the Mk6, then you'll see at time I quite fancied a bit more noise. But I firmly believe that any noise a car makes should be genuine - not electronically amplified. My grievance would be significantly lessened could the system be turned off, but apparently it's not possible.

It's a shame, because in many ways the Mk7 takes the already appealing recipe of the Mk5/Mk6 GTI and adds proper steering and a very agile chassis. The Mk7 as a result feels like a genuine hot hatch - it's capable, quick and most importantly fun again to chuck around.

But at the same time as VW giveth, VW has also taken away, and fitted this now "genuine" GTI with something less than genuine - an artificial sound enhancer. Sorry to say it VW, but you've just turned the GTI into a Focus ST.

Conclusion

All in, I'd come down in favour of the Mk7. Compared to the Mk6 it definitely feels more like a GTI. The chassis is still as capable (perhaps more so) and a good deal more agile (read accessible). The engine is just as strong (but retains the nagging feeling that it's holding back something) and the overall quality of the car maintains VW's now proven high-standard.

The one thing that ruins the package is the sound enhancer. Take it out, or find a way to turn it off, and the Mk7 will be thoroughly more appealing than the Mk6.