GTI or R?

[japes1275]

Test driven a few cars in the last week or so. First was an R estate which I liked and can appreciate what people have said about it liking to be revved, it’s a beast but also happy to be docile. Then I drove a couple of GTis, both manual, one a PP Mk7 and the other a 7.5 non PP. (I’m half thinking now about having a cheaper GTI as a 3rd car)
The earlier PP car was great, more than enough power to have some fun and as mentioned a lot nimbler feeling than the R and definitely my Alltrack. The second one was an altogether different experience. I now think I know what a TCR might feel like to drive! The dealer didn’t say anything about it but it had a Miltek exhaust and once I’d got out of the traffic and gave it its first boot full I realised it must have been mapped. It made the R feel slow! Gave me a huge grin but probably not what I’m after, especially as the lack of suspension mods and non PP brakes made it a bit of a point and squirt machine.

So one thing is now clear to me, even the 227 GTI will be fast enough to entertain and be special enough to replace or run alongside the Alltrack. So just got to find the right car. I’ve been offered a good deal on the R estate and the early PP car is tempting as a 3rd car as it is V cheap. Decisions, decisions!!

[japes1275]

After a few weeks of searching and the usual upping of budget I’ve finally ended up with a nice 2018 GTi Performance DSG in White Silver with pan roof and Brescias. Not the best day to collect a car but had a nice gentle 130 mile drive back in the rain to get used to it. I’m so glad I held out for a 7.5 as I’ve driven a couple of 6 speed DSG cars recently and prefer the 7 speed’s sport mode. It’s got a fair few miles on it but it’s super smooth and feels like it’s 3 years old not 6. Only negatives are lack of spare wheel (didn’t realise it was an option), some naff paddle extensions (will remove them tomorrow) and what sounds and looks to me to be a performance exhaust. I’ll have to have a look in the morning to see if I can see a make on it. I’ll probably put it back to standard as I don’t really want to have to change my insurance. Plus I work nights and it will wake the neighbours!

Excuse the crap photo, just driven through a big rain storm!

[Watts]

Congratulations, looks great!

[Rudedog]

Was the spare wheel an option?  I have one in mine with the jack etc. and mine is a basic mid-2019 car with only factory rear tints as an option.

[japes1275]

Well I’ve looked at at least half a dozen 7.5’s and they all had spares, this one though definitely looks like it’s never had one and it has a tyre inflation kit and goo. Maybe it was a case of it was an option to delete it instead of it being an option to buy one. It’s not a problem because I’ve got a space saver from my Alltrack so just need to buy a jack kit off eBay.

Just been crawling around under the car now it’s dried up and found that it has the standard back box but has had the middle box deleted. It’s a decent stainless pipe with Mikalor clamps so all good apart from the extra noise.

[Adam T7]

Nice car.
Mine’s a very late 2018 model designated as a MY2019, spare wheel was standard.

[SRGTD]

Well I’ve looked at at least half a dozen 7.5’s and they all had spares, this one though definitely looks like it’s never had one and it has a tyre inflation kit and goo. Maybe it was a case of it was an option to delete it instead of it being an option to buy one. It’s not a problem because I’ve got a space saver from my Alltrack so just need to buy a jack kit off eBay.

Just been crawling around under the car now it’s dried up and found that it has the standard back box but has had the middle box deleted. It’s a decent stainless pipe with Mikalor clamps so all good apart from the extra noise.

A spare wheel was standard on the mk7.5. There wasn’t an option to downgrade from a spare wheel to a tyre inflation kit + compressor.

New VW’s no longer have a spare wheel as standard though (a tyre inflation kit + compressor is the standard fitment on the mk8 Golf), so if the previous owner of your car bought a mk8 Golf, then they may well have kept the spare for their new car as it is the correct size for the mk8 Golf. They’d also save the £300 (current) cost of ordering a spare wheel with their new car .

[japes1275]

If it definitely came with one then I might have to have a word with the dealer I bought it from. I think it was first owned/used by the manager there and has always been serviced/sold on by them. Maybe it went to a disgruntled Mk8 owner who wasn’t happy his new car didn’t have a spare when collecting it!

It doesn’t even have the big plastic nut and screw to hold it in. The recess is carpeted but has a cut out in the shape of the polystyrene jack holder.

I’m a bit shocked at the price people are asking for the jack kits on eBay, I think one seller was asking £25 just for the polystyrene holder with nothing in it!

[SRGTD]

If it definitely came with one then I might have to have a word with the dealer I bought it from. I think it was first owned/used by the manager there and has always been serviced/sold on by them. Maybe it went to a disgruntled Mk8 owner who wasn’t happy his new car didn’t have a spare when collecting it!

It doesn’t even have the big plastic nut and screw to hold it in. The recess is carpeted but has a cut out in the shape of the polystyrene jack holder.

I’m a bit shocked at the price people are asking for the jack kits on eBay, I think one seller was asking £25 just for the polystyrene holder with nothing in it!

The mk7.5 Golf Price and Spec brochure dated May 2020 at the link below is probably the last one for the UK spec mk7.5 Golf before the launch of the mk8 Golf. Up to the end of the mk7.5 Golf’s life all cars in the model range got a spare wheel with the exception of the GTE and GTE Advance petrol / electric hybrid models and the all-electric mk7.5 e-Golf. I dare say in those models, parts of the hybrid / electric powertrain (the batteries maybe?) use the space normally occupied by the spare wheel, hence no spare wheel in those models.

So with your car being a GTI Performance, it should definitely have a space saver spare.

https://www.vwpress.co.uk/assets/documents/original/26461-GolfMkVII.pdf

[japes1275]

Brilliant, thanks for that SRGTD, I think I’ll push them to at least supplying me with a jack kit seeing as I’ve already got a wheel spare. Unfortunately I don’t think I will be able to find the original ad from the VW website as it was taken down when I pointed out the photos were from 2022! I’m pretty sure the ‘list of standard equipment’ in the VW spec sheet would have said space saver spare wheel. Not that I’ve got a problem with the dealer, they were very good.

I’ll probably push the fact that not only are the spare wheel and jack missing but also part of the exhaust system!