I've just been back through the posts around the launch time of the Mk7 GTI/GTD.
Lots of similar comments to right now.
Oh it goes back further than that. I remember having a 25th Anniversary MK4 when the MK5 came out - it was roundly panned on forums by owners spouting similar bile.
I bought a MK5. It was far and away a better car than the MK4 it replaced, and soon everyone else did likewise. Then they all moved on to getting stomach ulcers over the MK6....
From what I can see most GTI owners are quite resistant to change.
Obviously the internet wasn’t around in the early ‘80s but owners clubs were, plus people wrote into magazines, and I can remember some of the comments as VW released each generation going right back to the mk1 into the mk2.
I bought my first GTI, albeit a Scirocco, back in 1987 which was a six year old example and I was just turned 19, already a member of the GTI Driver’s Club and then Club GTI.
I was still at school when mk1 became mk2 and back then VW weren’t a big player compared to Ford, Austin, Vauxhall etc. but the GTI was already becoming a cult car.
There was a lot of initial resistance to the mk2 GTI from mk1 owners and some never made the swap, keeping their mk1’s for many years, but things were slower moving back then and acceptance could take years and years. The mk2 eventually became hugely popular in its own right thanks mostly to the Yuppie status symbol image it developed along with the BMW325i and the 911’s of the day.
The biggest buyers revolt as such was when the mk2 became the mk3 GTI. The Yuppies all turned back into normal people, hot hatches went out of fashion due to the amount being stolen or crashed and everyone wanted a Chelsea Tractor 4x4 (forerunners of the modern SUV).
Like the mk8, the mk3 was built to a lower standard, looked slightly ahead of its time and the GTI had no real world performance gains (in fact it was slower in real world driving). Sales bombed.
With some funky new colours and slightly improved wheel designs and the addition of Simos injection the late mk3 GTI’s had a bit of a resurgence but most of us either dug deep into our pockets to afford a VR6 or got a far better GTI wearing a SEAT badge. Or both.
The mk4 Golf was reasonably warmly accepted after the plasticky mk3, the GTI became more of a trim level though until later into its life when VW woke up to the fact hot hatches were increasing in popularity and SEAT were taking all their sales. Enter the R32 and the 180PS GTIs to bring some attention back.
The mk5 was a controversial departure for VW with loads of criticism of the blobby styling.
What attracted people was the improved driving dynamics compared to the mk4 with VW adopting the Ford Focus style rear suspension, a car that kicked the mk4 into touch as far as basic handling was concerned.
VW elected to bring the GTI back with a bang in mk5 guise having learnt from the mk1 Leon Cupra what people wanted. The mk5 GTI became a runaway success as it had the ingredients just right and the slightly unpopular mk5 rear end (understatement) has its focus taken away by truly innovative styling on the front and sides plus the interior embellishments (the dials, seats and steering wheel are still superb and barely dated even today).
I think the mk6 GTI was reasonably well received, certainly on this forum. It looked quite futuristic considering it was based on a mk5 shell. Hot hatches were going a bit out of fashion by then so it wasn’t a huge seller, the GTD was becoming popular though. The R was overpriced and only had 4 cylinders so went through the same crisis BMW is having with M140i owners accepting the new 135i, but like the new baby BMW it brought interest in from elsewhere. Most people bought a 6R purely on its looks and ease of engine tuning.
The mk7 GTI drew a lot of positive interest but the GTD took the lions share of sales! It was a pretty design. The only real complaints were the crash friendly bonnet hump in profile and the crease in the hatch. Oh, and the way the wheels sat too far into the arches.
The mk7 GT models weren’t quite as pretty as the mk6 GT when looking further into the range but the new car caught on quickly with strong sales. The 7R was criticised the most as it lost the aggressive good looks of the 6R completely. Thankfully the engine and chassis were in another league and it’s now a cult classic in its own right.
All through those generation changes, with the exception of the mk3 maybe, I can’t remember such universal criticism as the mk8 has received for its looks alone. Hopefully it is just ahead of its time.
I’m looking forward to seeing the 8R in the coming months but I struggle to see why anyone would buy a base mk8 ahead of an ID.3 unless the latter is far more expensive to own as a package.
