« Reply #6 on: 20 February 2015, 21:44 »
How much better is a PP GTI than a normal GTI?
Aside from the bigger brakes the two cars feel almost identical.
If you're going to modify your car at a later date then the PP would be very handy I guess.
To cut a long story short, my PP GTI is the first mk7 I'd driven. I have a VERY long history with Golf GTI's and their close cousins and just *had* to have a PP GTI, and after I drove it I thought it was by far the best front wheel drive hatch I'd ever driven (I've owned about 25 cars in my time).
Then a friend of mine got a standard white 5 door GTI as a company car and I immediately noticed it handled just the same!
My PP GTI will happily spin the wheels on less than perfect roads through the first three gears if I'm clumsy - not something I practice but found out by accident one day whilst pulling out of a junction in heavy traffic.
Then said friend had the loan of a few GTD's through his work too and so naturally I drove them. Lo and behold they handle exactly like a GTI, PP or no PP.
I'm sure with a better driver than me on less than perfect roads the VAQ diff will come into its own when pushing on, but it was very much a placebo with me until I'd driven a standard GTI then a couple GTDs.

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‘25 8.5R, ‘23 8R, ‘20 8CS, ‘19 135iX, ‘19 TCR, ‘17 Ed40, ‘17 GTD, ‘15 7R, ‘13 GTI PP, ‘11 GTI, ‘09 GTI, ‘98 Ibiza Cupra, ‘05 GTI, ‘06 Polo GTI, ‘04 GT TDI, ‘05 Fabia vRS, ‘02 GTI T, ‘03 Ibiza TDI 130, ‘01 Leon 180, ‘89 mk2 16v, ‘99 Ibiza TDI, ‘96 VR6, ‘98 Ibiza TDI, ‘92 VR6, ‘88 mk2 8v, ‘92 Polo G40, ‘91 mk2 8v, ‘89 mk2 8v, 205 GTI 1.9, ‘83 mk1 GTI, ‘80 Scirocco GTI, plus some others I’ve forgotten