"Tristan" (casselts)
12/19/2018 at 22:11 • Filed to: None
4
14|
"Tristan" (casselts)
12/19/2018 at 22:11 • Filed to: None | 4
| 14 |
It’s been a few weeks and I’ve put about 1,500 miles on commuting, so how do I like it?
Comfort: 7/10
First, and most importantly: PLAID!
Head room and leg room are ridiculously ample, and ergonomics are nearly perfect. The steering wheel is delightful, my hand falls right down on the shifter, and the dead pedal is large and perfectly placed. The back seat is massive compared to a MK4, and fits kiddo seats quite well. The heated seats really relieve the tension after a long day at work, too.
Gripes: the seats aren’t great. The lumbar is borked. I briefly tried to diagnose the issue, but got nowhere. It needs to get fixed ASAP. Also, the thigh bolsters are too deep, too high, and too stiff. The seat bottom tilts back at a large angle, causing the thigh bolsters to put a lot of pressure on my legs. It’s pretty uncomfortable, but not unbearable. I may attempt to remedy this at some point in the future if it bugs me enough. Next, the telescoping steering column doesn’t televiewing telescope enough to match the travel of the seat. I have to move the seat closer than my legs wasn’t to be to allow my arms to reach the wheel.
Toys: 5/10
The stereo sound decent, if a bit muddy. The multifunction steering wheel navigates the info display fine. I haven’t tried the CD changer since it’s not 2005. There’s an AUX jack... That’s about it.
Gripes: there’s a button on the wheel for the Bluetooth phone control that does nothing because this car doesn’t have Bluetooth, but there’s no control for changing the source or radio station. Only volume, mute, and the vestigial phone button.
Looks: 7/10
It’s a color! I really, really hated the MK5 when it came out. I thought these wheels were absolutely hideous, too. It’s all grown on me tremendously. I look back at it when I’m walking away. It’s not boring at all, but not obnoxious like an STI. Also, PLAID SEATS!!!
Practicality: 8/10
I’m being as objective as possible, as this is taking over DD duties for my 3/4 ton Suburban- a vehicle that can do LITERALLY EVERYTHING. The back seat is bigly for a smallish car, the trunk is capacious, and it has cup holders. What more do you need?
Gripes: it’s low and I’m tall with the body of a 60 year old. Climbing in and out takes more effort than the Burb. That’s no fault of the car.
Performance: 8/10
The 2.0 TSI is a peach. Higher compression is possible thanks to direct injection, so it has good low end, and there’s nearly no turbo lag. It’s smooth, responsive, and it likes to rev. I don’t even hate that it’s DBW. I hate DBW. The gear ratios are nice and close, and rowing gears is a joy. Zipping through gaps to overtake left lane squatters is effortless, and acceleration in 6th gear at highway speeds is quite good and it’s not a Ford, so it doesn’t throw rods in high load, low RPM situations.
Gripes: it’s a VW, so I’m always a little scared something is going to splode. I need to investigate the timing chain tensioner, and it occasionally has a long crank, indicative of early stage failure of the high pressure fuel pump.
Driving dynamics: 7/10
It does well in the Twisties, and the stability control is quite good. There’s a bit of front end push at the limit, but overall grip is excellent and there’s very little body lean. The steering is tight, but feels a bit over powered and numb. The shift throws are long and easy, but a bit rubbery (I’ve owned a couple of NA Miatas... They ruined me). The clutch is nice and light and is easy on my knee in traffic.
Gripes: the front and rear ends slope a lot, so you can’t see the edges of the car and this decreases my confidence a bit. It just feels weird. The steering feel leaves a lot to be desired, and it can seem squirrelly at speed. The clutch throw is looong with a lot of dead travel before engagement, making it tough to get the engagement point down just right.
Sounds: 0/10. It makes none. The turbo is completely muted, and the exhaust is lifted from the Lincoln Town Car. So far, I did a resonator delete to give it a touch of sound without being loud. It g ave it a good tone for not much money. In the future, I’d like to add a cold air intake for choo choo noises because I’m 12.
I’m summation, it’s a good buy. Fuel economy is in the mid 20s with my very heavy right foot, and it’s fun to drive and I look forward to driving it . Also: PLAID SEATS. Am I glad a chose this over a V70R? Hell no, but that car would have murdered my wallet and my wife would never allow me to buy anything that’s not a Camry ever again.
Disclaimer: I’m on day three with a newborn, terribly sleep deprived, and I typed all of this up on an iPhone while baby sleeps on my chest. Hopefully this is at least semi-intelligible.
Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo
> Tristan
12/19/2018 at 23:20 |
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If you like it and like driving it, that’s all that matters.
Was gonna say mid-20s was surprising, but I guess compared to the Suburban it’s basically a Prius C.
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Tristan
> Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo
12/19/2018 at 23:24 |
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Precisely. I’ve tracked the Suburban on Fuelly since February. Including several sub-10 mpg tanks resulting from towing and an unladen trip to Las Vegas and back , I’ve averaged 12.5. I'm sure the GLI would do 30 if I didn't drive like a jackwagon.
MiniGTI - now with XJ6
> Tristan
12/20/2018 at 00:59 |
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Yes those wheels are a little polarizing but I’ve always like them, particularly the 18s with black insides on my MK6 GTI, seen here on snow tire swap day last year.
Future Heap Owner
> Tristan
12/20/2018 at 01:54 |
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I’m glad you like it! I must admit VWs are growing on me. They’re p retty fun, the clutches are uniformly excellent, I like how they’ve remained small with decently sized windows, and the interiors are surprisingly roomy. If only they weren’t so complicated under the hood. But I don’t actually know if their reputation as difficult to work on is really earned these days or, if like so much common knowledge on cars, it’s a few decades out of date. You like to turn a wrench, right? What’s your general plan for maintenance & repair?
I hope you get the lumbar fixed soon . Lower back pain was my main problem in the Golf R I rented a few weeks back , but then again I didn’t figure out how to activate the lumbar thingy until the very end. Also I almost always get that after a few hours straight in a car (t hough not in that Chrysler 300 I drove over the summer).
Finally, how’s the newborn doing? I was slightly confused when you faved a thing of mine at 3:00 AM PST the other day, until I remembered you just bought a baby home :)
facw
> Tristan
12/20/2018 at 02:15 |
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I haven’t tried the CD changer since it’s not 2005
My head unit never leaves the CD changer input, because it’s connected to a Bluetooth adapter rather than a CD changer.
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Tristan
> Future Heap Owner
12/20/2018 at 05:28 |
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I plan to do my own maintenance as required. As long as it doesn’t grenade before I’m done with school in June, I’ll take care of the preventative stuff in the summer. They’re definitely tricky to work on compared to the average old American car , but nothing I can’t handle. I’ve owned a couple of VWs, so it’s not my first rodeo.
Baby is doing great! I’ll be up at all sorts of odd hours for a while though. Like right now, for instance. She’s starting to get better at sleeping.
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Tristan
> MiniGTI - now with XJ6
12/20/2018 at 05:29 |
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I think they're pretty great- I don't know why I hated them when they were new... Maybe I just hate all new things.
arl
> Tristan
12/20/2018 at 06:57 |
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All the stars for typing this on a mobile phone. Excellent write up!
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arl
> Tristan
12/20/2018 at 07:02 |
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Th e seats in my 2017 GTI were the absolute best I’ve ever had in a car. Leather, power multi-adjustable, heated. Just perfect.
The seats in 2019 Jetta are of the devil’s making. Absolutely back-killing after a short drive . I have a stupid aftermarket lumbar back support thingy from Amazon on the driver’s seat so I can stand driving to work every day.
I have a feeling I may trade this in when the 2020 GLI comes out (if the GLI has the GTI seats).
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Tristan
> arl
12/20/2018 at 10:12 |
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My wife's RAV4 is like that. Pure torture. The MK7 GTI sure does have some fine chairs!
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Future Heap Owner
> Tristan
12/20/2018 at 11:32 |
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What’s the main reason they’re tricky to work on?
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Tristan
> Future Heap Owner
12/20/2018 at 12:49 |
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German (over) engineering. Why make a switch when you can make a module with several relays, position switches, potentiometers, and separate control modules? Why have a hex head bolt when you can have a triple square torque to yield bolt? Why have a timing chain when you can have 3?
Jordan and the Slowrunner, Boomer Intensifies
> arl
12/20/2018 at 16:25 |
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Plot twist, only available with a sunroof.
OmerCarrothers333
> Tristan
01/18/2019 at 01:07 |
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Sweet.
I’m not a mechanic by any means, but the oil changes on these VW fours are easy for me. I was used to doing them on V6s, V8s, and in-line sixes with the oil filter on the bottom of the block, but the VW 2.0 has the filter on the top, so I love it.
The seats in the MK6 GTI are awesome, try and find some of those.