Top five

[CraigW]

Right I'll be the first to admit that in recent weeks I've done my fair share of moaning regarding various niggles I've had with my car. It's taken a slight shine off my overall experience as a first time GTI owner however it's time for some positivity. I can safely say without a doubt that the positives far outweigh the negatives. 

So on that note for those of us that are lucky enough to be in possession of their new car, what are your top five favourite features in order of most pleasing. Here are mine

1) Keyless Entry - straight in at number 1. I just love this option. It's probably a bit of a gimmick but it works so well and just very  . Plus I love hitting that engine start button

2) Lighting - From the bi Xenons to the red ambient lighting in the cabin it's all just perfect. My personal favourite is probably the front cornering lights when you see them come on a night

3) Electronic Brake/Hill hold assist - I truly love this on my car. On a manual gearbox it just seems to work effortlessly. It's amazing how quickly you become used to not having a manual handbrake

4) Performance - it's not such a big step up for me coming from a 200bhp car but you can still feel that grunt it has due to the increased torque. The power is just linear and the car just glides past others with ease.

5) Looks - because of its rarity at this moment it's a real head turner and it's great to see some people's reactions when they see it, especially those that are clued up on their cars.

Overall then I have absolutely no regrets choosing a GTI and despite my minor issues I can't wait everyday to get in the car and just drive it.

So come on let's have your top five. GTD boys please join in 

[dirvy]

Agree keyless is brill

Love cornering lights too

Electric hand brake and automatic hold

Ability to choose sports settings

Adaptive cruise on motorways


These are all such simple things that make driving effortless.. My other half just got 185 bhp audi a1. Flappy paddles and all. But having to release a normal hand brake and put a key in ignition makes it seem old fashioned. (I do however like the lights round the Bose speakers)

[Misterp]

Craig, my mpg is annoying me on my gtd and I'm giving serious thought to changing up to a gti. However the give things I should say I absolutely love about the car are as follows:

1. Keyless such a cool 'gimmick' and it's just the bees knees makes me feel so cool. He he. Get in foot on brake and hit the start button. Everyday just puts a smile on my face.
2. Lights - xenons rear led internal lights the whole lot just really make the car outside and cabin look amazing.  really sets it all off brings the package home for me.
3. Leathers - I'm a sucker for leather interiors. I know some people don't understand or dislike them but I love them. So comfortable and when heated my o my your ass heats up in the winter.
4. Sport mode. The grunt that you get from the engine when you floor it and it can move for an 'oil burner'.
5. The rims on the gtd (18s) really give me that whole black look and makes it look rather understated but mean at the same time. 

Do I regret it no, but a little part of me (for economy reasons only) as I have been lied to with over quoted urban mpg thinks I shoulda gone for a gti but i LOVE IT especially my first drive that I had on the country roads.

[Mr Savage]

MisterP, it's the same with all cars. The GTI was quoted to attain 47 MPG combined and we're getting 30 on a good run! So I wouldn't regret choosing the GTD as I seem to be filling the car up every day :/ Drinks like crazy.

1) Sound and Performance - From the pop on the upshift to the roar as it glides through the revs, the car sounds incredible for a 2.0 litre and the performance is very good, doesn't seem to have any soft spots and pulls healthily right through the rev range. The car is quick when you're toeing it.

2) Interior - Massive step up from the MK6 here, the cabin is so much higher quality than previous Golfs. From the Jacaro cloth bucket seats to the ambient red lights. It looks like a cockpit inside the car at night. Really nice place to be.

3) Discover Nav - Despite not being able to add your own POI's on this one (which I think is a bit crap) it is a very good unit with so so many options to play with. A massive leap from the RNS unit, great Sat Nav, excellent controls and features from being able to change your light settings/brightness to browsing through your phonebook. Great bit of kit.

4) Panoramic Sunroof - Yes it's winter and i've not really used it but as my car is Tornado Red it really finishes the car off beautifully and adds so much extra light into the cabin.

5) The Austin Wheels - The GTI overall is in my opinion a very fantastic, tight looking car and the austin wheels are in my opinion the best standard wheels VW have ever done for the Golf, I can't stop myself staring at them and so many other people comment on how great they look especially with the big PP brakes!

[Sootchucker]

OK here's mine.

1. General refinement and quality / ergonomics of the interior
2. Lighting - from the Xenon headlights, LED tail lights to the interior ambient lighting - fantastic.
3. Dynaudio and Discover Nav Pro combo - simply superb - enough said.
4. Keyless - far from a gimmick, it actually does exactly what it says on the lid, and keeps my keys in my coat pocket and not jangling around an ignition barrel.
5. Power and smoothness of engine / DSG transmission. Good dollop of grunt and has a dual character. A hugely fun cross country fast hatch, or a sedate and refined motorway mile eater.

Seriously, I don't regret buying the car for one minute. Sure it's not as economical as the figures would have you believe, but a longer terms of 46.9 over 2000 miles (considering most of that is commuting), isn't too bad in my eyes. there are others points as well (but Craig limited us to 5  ), and I would include, rear view camera, alloys (beautiful), ride, DCC, ACC, seats, park assist, main beam assist etc.

[dippy_x]

I've clocked about 1100 miles so far and apart from the odd minor niggles the GTD has held up to expectations very well. My top 5 would be:

1 - Adaptive Cruise Control
This feature has never been on my radar (haha) at any point prior to picking up and driving my GTD.  If it was something that had to be specced it is something that I would definitely have overlooked.  Amazingly useful on any motorway trip.  Just need to learn to trust the car a bit more 

2 - Keyless entry
Very hi-tech and futuristic feel to the car.  A big differentiator between past motors and gives the car a real premium / quality feel.

3 - GTD Alloys
This seems to be the starting point at which any conversation about my new GTD begins.  For the 'standard' set of wheel they really do look the biz.

4 - Rear LED light cluster / Xenons / Lighting
At night the GTD really comes alive, inside and out.  The only plus point of picking up the GTD in winter vs spring/summer.

5 - General awesomeness
There seems to be so much going on with the car.  Start her up, do you watch the needle sweep? or watch the Xenons dance?  A dilemma I face every time.

[monkeyhanger]

Top 5…Well mine is completely standard, so no options to wow me (it was the price that wowed me with most of them, and not in a good way!)

1.   Xenon/LED lighting. The car looks amazing inside and out in the dark. Halogen lighting on previous VWs are like a pair of candles in comparison.
 
2.   Standard suspension composure and ride comfort is amazing. Despite my last 2 cars having ACC/DCC, I didn’t feel the need to add it this time.

3.   The huge range of information and settings adjustability within the menus. It can be complicated to go through all of it, but everything you’d want to adjust on the move is intuitive.

4.   The Jacara cloth. Good to have a change from the staid/plain cloths of VWs past, although that cloth could have been wrapped around better looking seats, losing the MK6 GTI/GTD style of seats was a cost cut too far for me.

5.   The wheels – those Nogaros look amazing. I will be gutted if/when I actually scrape one of those. Best looking standard wheels I have ever seen on a VW, especially liking the black shadow effect.

All the other good stuff like needle sweep, touch screen radio etc I have previously had on other VWs.

[GTI_Redpath]

Previously having cars with 80bhp or less this was a big step up for me so pretty much everything in this car is amazing to me. I will try to narrow it all down haha

1) Adaptive cruise control - It is unbelievable how amazing this system is. every easy to use and very ituitive. even with a manual. if you slow down to a rate that you need to change gear, you can just change a gear with just the clutch and gear stick and the cruise control comes back in when your done, i find this super convenient!

2) Dynaudio - well worth the money! the clarity is fantastic and the sub adds so much to the overall sound

3) Auto Hand brake -  after a small amount of time, you get used to this feature and it is fantasic, makes the car even easier to use. makes you feel like using a hand brake was a massive hardship in my cars of past

4) Lights - best lighting I have ever seen in a car, subtle yet brilliant, interior looks amazing at night and headlight make car stand out from the crowd

5) Seats - unbelievably comfortable! like sitting in an armchair with bolsters. the dogs b***ocks in tartan as well!

[Darlo]

1) My fav thing is the way it sounds when you give it the beans for 2.5k revs onwards in sport mode- the performance also seems more than the 220bhp suggests

2) Electric/Auto handbrake - brilliant bit of kit.

3) Xenons & lighting - love the look of the LED's inside when you come to the car in the dark. Xenons are great and look ace.

4) The seats are very very comfy and love the tartan look!

5) ipod/phone integration and impressed with the standard stereo sound.

I really am loving the car now its all fixed which did take the shine off it initially but made up with it now.

[e.l.s]

Agree with all of the above, I love this car so much and don't think I could choose a top 5 favourite things. I have one regret though, we didn't get keyless - we had it on the focus that we traded in and I really miss it. It was great getting to the car park after work and not having to fish the keys out of my handbag....