by "Wrong Wheel Drive (41%)" (rduncan5678)
Published 09/19/2017 at 10:28
by "Wrong Wheel Drive (41%)" (rduncan5678)
Published 09/19/2017 at 10:28
No Tags
STARS: 2
This weekend I had a 2015 VW GTI as a Turo rental for my move into a new apartment. It was an excellent vehicle and other than the ‘12 MCS I drove, this was my first experience with a hot hatch. Well it definitely fit the bill of being fun and practical. First, I was able to fit all of my wordly possesions that I could fit into 5 suitcases with 50 pounds each in addition to a few other bags. Then, some home depot and other stores to pick up building materials for new shelves and bed frame stuff. And after doing all of that, some spirited driving through the Santa Monica mountains and down to Malibu.
The only complaint I had with this car was just that it was too quiet. The exhuast and turbo noises were definitely there but even with the windows down and full throttle, it was barely a whisper. Certainly quieter than my Miata with the stock exhaust and damn near silent compared to the aftermarket stuff. Also, torque steer. While I imagine it being more pronounced in other high power FWD cars, it was definitely there on heavy throttle in first gear.
But in general, I was enjoying cruising around in traffic operating the super easy clutch, sitting in the super comfy seats, and blasting down the 101 every time traffic cleared up. However, once I took this car into the mountains, I was reminded how this is also a wonderful chassis built for the fun stuff. This is what sold me on the car and made it a true contender for my next vehicle. I think with an exhaust, some summer tires, and maybe a mild tune, I would be set with one of these.
I’d want to get an older one, probably a mk6. But I am extremely worried about a maintenance nightmare. This car had no issues but it is basically a new car. I could see myself enjoying one either way though. The seats truly were some of the best I’ve sat in, balancing proper bolstering support as well as sublime comfort. And I felt the same way about the steering and suspension sporty/comfort balance.
So how does it compare to other cars I am interested in? It was a bit more comfortable and practical than the Mini Cooper but it also didnt handle as well and was slower in a straight line. I think the MCS gets my vote for favorite hot hatch so far, but just barely. Still to try will be the WRX, MS3, and FOST.
I think I am definitely sold on some sort of hot hatch though for my next car to go along with the Miata. It was just so practical for all of my moving needs but also was fun in completely different ways. Yeah it was fail wheel drive which I noticed through understeer in the canyons and torque steer on local streets, but thats why it is different fun.
"ToyotaFamily" (robbav35)
09/19/2017 at 10:37, STARS: 2
Is that Mini tuned? Because stock, the GTI should honestly have a decent gap on it in a straight line. Maybe it just gives the impression it’s going faster because it’s a different driving experience.
"rillweid - Now with more TRD and less TDI" (rillweid)
09/19/2017 at 10:52, STARS: 0
We have a MK6 and MK7 TDI in our family. IMO build quality etc is much better on mk6.
"Wrong Wheel Drive (41%)" (rduncan5678)
09/19/2017 at 10:55, STARS: 1
Oh, I should have stated “subjectively felt” faster rather just outright faster. It was like 2 years ago when I drove the Mini cooper so my memory might not be exact. But I just remember it feeling explosively fast rather than the kind of power surge the GTI does. It may just be the way they are geared and the weight difference. Like I said, it was only just barely “better” to me. Both were obviously leagues faster than my Miata so my perspective of fast is skewed haha.
"Wrong Wheel Drive (41%)" (rduncan5678)
09/19/2017 at 11:01, STARS: 0
Huh, really? I have only been in a mk5 and a mk7, that particular mk5 had uhh something to be desired about fit/finish. Im not surprised though the newer car isnt built so well. I would think the newer one might also be more complex and have more things to fail but idk how different the two are anyways.
"BobintheMtns" (bobinthemtns)
09/19/2017 at 11:19, STARS: 1
Mkv and mkvi gti’s were built in Wolfsburg Germany, and as such are pretty much bomber...
My mkv has 150k miles on it, but you’d never know looking at it or driving it....
"arl" (arl1968)
09/19/2017 at 11:48, STARS: 2
I’m already in a love-hate relationship with my MK7 GTI with 11K milkes on it. It’s a 17 Autobahn (highest trim level) and it’s a manual.
Here’s the bad:
1. First week I of ownership it developed a popping sound from the headliner. It was fixed under warranty. They sent it to the body shop for 2 weeks to have the interior pulled out and structural foam installed (service bulletin).
2. Adaptive radar went out of alignment. Had to wait for the “certified” tech to come back from vacation to fix it. It controls the cruise control and there’s no way to bypass the radar and use regular cruise control. It was out for a 1200 mile trip since I was going on vacation the day after it went out of alignment and there was no tech around to fix it - good times! Also, it took them 4 hours to align it when it finally went into the shop. Fixed under warranty.
3. Passenger grab handle and sun visor both broke. Fixed under warranty.
4. Horrible squeaking from the sunroof when closed, started at 9K miles. Mostly fixed under warranty, although it still does it from time to time.
5. Nav is laughably bad. Really. Like. Bad.
Indifferent. The are mostly mod related things.
1. The aftermarket hasn’t fully figured out the front spring mounts. The front strut bearings don’t like lower springs installed. I put on springs by a reputable shop with heavy duty strut bearings and the thing clunked and squeaked like crazy. The shop uninstalled, reinstalled, and finally gave up on fixing the noise. I went back to stock on the strut mounts and installed less aggressive springs from VW and now it only squeaks onc or twice when it’s cold going over speedbumps. I should have just left it all stock. Not really VW’s fault here. Typical woes of the modder.
2. I was going to tune it, but every VW forum basically says the stock clutch is weak. You WILL be replacing the clutch with a performance clutch if you mod. So I decided not to tune. I just couldn’t see spending that sort of money on a clutch after the suspension fiasco. Again, this is a mod thing, not a VW thing.
The Good.
1. Comfortable but sporty (and heated!) seats. Favorite seats in a car in a long time.
2. Shifts great. I added a BFI knob and short shift kit, but honestly, it was very good stock.
3. Lots of room. Dat hatch.
4. Fender stereo is good. It haz all the tunes.
5. Quick. Hard to quantify, but it’s not fast. I guess I think of “fast” cars as cars with torque. The GTI doesn’t have a lot of torque. But it’s quick with the turbo. Make sure you’re in the right gear when you press the fun pedal, or else not much happens.
Summary of the review no one asked for?
I would buy it again....at a lower trim level.
I would buy the entry level “S” model with the DSG (sacrilege, I know,) and not have the creaky sunroof, not have the ridiculous radar controlled remote control, not have the crap Nav, - but still have the comfy heated (albeit cloth,) seats, and I would be able to throw a tune on it and upgrade the stereo and be happy. For thousands less. And I would not touch the springs; summer tires, yes - springs, no.
"beautimouse" (beautimouse)
09/19/2017 at 12:00, STARS: 0
My recently (Jan of this year) purchased MK7 Wolfsburg Edition, built in Mexico, is my first VW, and the most enjoyable to drive car I have had in quite a while. I wanted a GTI, but I’m glad I didn’t test drive one. No way I could have resisted, and my wallet is happier with the lower payments.
I’m blown away at the number of things you can buy and do to these cars. I bought some Austins, just need to get tires to put them on, replaced the stock side view mirror turn signals with Mercury Cougar style sequential LEDs, thinking about getting a set of self folding side views and GTI style headlights with the LED “U” shaped DRL’s. The programming you can do via VAGCOM or OBDeleven/Android device...
LOL. I guess I should have just bought the GTI instead of building one around a 1.8 TSI. Nah, I’m having a great time doing stuff to the car.
I have to admit though, the trim pieces come off so easily, mostly tab A, slot B, I can’t imagine them lasting a long time, or the plastic starting to get brittle, and rattle. I’m sure they figure, or want, you purchasing another by the time that happens anyway
"bobbe17" (rob-runte)
09/19/2017 at 12:24, STARS: 1
My wife has a 2016 S with DSG, and as I was reading your review I was thinking, “hmm glad we don’t have that, don’t have that, don’t have that.” Only at 15k (6k has been us) and haven’t had any complaints about creaks, rattles, or breaks on anything.
If it was my car, it’d have new sticky tires on it, but since it’s my wife’s and she doesn’t drive it hard, I can’t justify upgrading before the current ones are done. That means I just have to sneak in some tire squealing when I drive it to accelerate the wear a bit.
"arl" (arl1968)
09/19/2017 at 12:40, STARS: 0
Good for you guys for getting the S. You really do get almost all the GTI greatness in the S without all the uplift crap than can break.
Squeal them tires!
"Wrong Wheel Drive (41%)" (rduncan5678)
09/19/2017 at 12:44, STARS: 1
I definitely liked the comfy leather and fender speakers in the one I drove. Probably my favorite part. But yeah I totally agree on the quickness. I didn’t realize the torque was the thing there. I definitely noticed how it would bog in the wrong gear, but I drive a Miata so shifting frequenyly is normal to me.
That shifter though was definitely different to me. It was super easy to use at least and accurate. But I’m so used to mine being notchy and much heavier.
"Chuck 2(O=[][]=O)2" (pompei426)
09/19/2017 at 14:54, STARS: 0
I’m planning on buying a new ‘S’ in the next week or 2. As much as I like the Sport package and some aspects of the other top-tier models, I want to keep it simple. I think the base is a great package for the money. It might not be the greatest at Autox or a track day, but I think good, sticky rubber will pay dividends. At the end of the day, I’m looking for a fun, practical DD. Personally, I like not having a sunroof and the plaid seats are a must.
"arl" (arl1968)
09/19/2017 at 16:00, STARS: 0
Excellent choice! Wish I had gone that route. DSG or stick?
"Chuck 2(O=[][]=O)2" (pompei426)
09/20/2017 at 10:37, STARS: 0
Stick, but I don’t think I’m pulling the trigger anymore. My e46 developed a weird noise that sounded like an exhaust leak or sticky lifter. Checked the coils last night and it ended up being a loose spark plug. So, for now, I’ll enjoy not having a car payment and dirt cheap insurance. If it decides to kick the bucket, I’ll probably go new GTI. I am interested to see what will be added on the 2018 update.
"Michael Cohen" (hofmeisterkinky)
09/20/2017 at 12:27, STARS: 0
Jalopnik suggested this review. In retrospect if I had my Mini experience to do again, I might have done an R56 JCW. I don’t like the exterior as much as the R53 which I think is a masterpiece but the interior is miles better and the JCWs have some really nice touches. Some even have nice Recaro seats. I have a love/hate with the R56 engines. They have a little bit of turbo lag which isn’t so bad. The thing is they are really torquey and then die at the top. Its pretty much the opposite of my S2000. There’s no joy in revving it out. It reminded me of my 135i that way though the BMW was much faster.
"Wrong Wheel Drive (41%)" (rduncan5678)
09/20/2017 at 13:34, STARS: 1
I think i liked how it was the opposite of my Miata. That bottom end grunt just made the car feel so different. But I mean the chassis was the real selling point. It had the same sort of turn in and grip that I was used to, even though it had terrible run flats on it. So with proper tires I have to imagine it would be excellent.