Topic: Day-by-Day Review: 2015 Volkswagen Golf GTI; Day 1

[dougjp]

I wish they offered more colour options (I'm having a hard time deciding on the colour) and perhaps different wheels (that's me), but I can live with what they have. Happy VW decided to keep the GTI plaid seats and as a matter of fact, cloth seats.

They're adding silver and dark blue for '16.

That would get me closer to a buying decision. Lack of colour choice nixed the GTi from my last two new car purchase lists. Now if there was only a no or low cost way to get rid of those wheels.

[Blueprint]

I wish they offered more colour options (I'm having a hard time deciding on the colour) and perhaps different wheels (that's me), but I can live with what they have. Happy VW decided to keep the GTI plaid seats and as a matter of fact, cloth seats.

They're adding silver and dark blue for '16.

That would get me closer to a buying decision. Lack of colour choice nixed the GTi from my last two new car purchase lists. Now if there was only a no or low cost way to get rid of those wheels.

There is. It's called kijiji, and it's free 

That's where I found a new set of unloved VW alloys for my Golf, and while browsing there I saw many 18" sets from CCs or Passats that you could swap for GTI wheels. New take-off MkVII GTI wheels will probably only last a few minutes online before they sell.

[mlin32]

I've probably said this before everywhere, but regarding the small exterior mirrors, the limitation in sight is caused mostly by North American, specifically American regulation dictating the drivers mirror has to be flat.

Practically all cars in Europe have divided, aspheric exterior mirrors that provide great visibility regardless of mirror size. I switched to these 10 years ago and haven't looked back. (Actually, I have trouble driving with normal flat mirrors in rental cars because I'm so used the aspheric ones).

So that's an easy solution, just buy the OEM European-spec part.

[Noto]

I definitely wouldn't. The interior differences are imperceptible to me and the CVT is much smoother around town than the DSG, which still has difficulties at low speed.

Well, buy something and drive out to Edmonton in a few weeks for a quick pint

James, it really seems like the GTI is as good as everyone makes it out to be.  My buddy bought his and absolutely loves it.  Come winter time, we'll see if the R is worth the extra cash (it likely is), but in the interim, if I lived somewhere with less snow I'd be fine with the GTI.

[OliverD]

I definitely wouldn't. The interior differences are imperceptible to me and the CVT is much smoother around town than the DSG, which still has difficulties at low speed.

Well, buy something and drive out to Edmonton in a few weeks for a quick pint

James, it really seems like the GTI is as good as everyone makes it out to be.  My buddy bought his and absolutely loves it.  Come winter time, we'll see if the R is worth the extra cash (it likely is), but in the interim, if I lived somewhere with less snow I'd be fine with the GTI.

The GTI is great in the snow provided you have decent tires. I drove out of my 250' driveway that was covered in a good 6" of snow with no issues. Also drove 3km down my unplowed road with 6" of snow on it with no problems.

[OliverD]

The comments on day three make me wish I had waited for the Performance Package.

But my wallet remains happy with the decision I made.

[Noto]

The GTI is great in the snow provided you have decent tires. I drove out of my 250' driveway that was covered in a good 6" of snow with no issues. Also drove 3km down my unplowed road with 6" of snow on it with no problems.

Remember, NOTO thinks he has to have AWD because he lives in Toronto.
Love,
Guy who's AWD shaming but owns two AWD cars. 

Y'arrr damn tootin' right! 

...except you realize my DD (clarification - daily driver is the car I drive daily...I make no comment regarding ownership) is a FWD with 5-year old Michelin X-Ice Xi2s (albeit with plenty of tread left).  I don't have any issues in the snow.  I'm quite comfortable with it, too.

...except I prefer AWD.  When I get out of the Forester with its Blizzaks and then into the Corolla, a part of me dies a little.  Totally resuscitated when I get back into the Forester.  See, Subarus save lives.

The comments on day three make me wish I had waited for the Performance Package.
But my wallet remains happy with the decision I made.

I think you made the right choice.  For daily driving, I can't see the PP as $2,295-more-useful.

[Jaeger]

I definitely wouldn't. The interior differences are imperceptible to me and the CVT is much smoother around town than the DSG, which still has difficulties at low speed.

Well, buy something and drive out to Edmonton in a few weeks for a quick pint

James, it really seems like the GTI is as good as everyone makes it out to be.  My buddy bought his and absolutely loves it.  Come winter time, we'll see if the R is worth the extra cash (it likely is), but in the interim, if I lived somewhere with less snow I'd be fine with the GTI.

The GTI is great in the snow provided you have decent tires. I drove out of my 250' driveway that was covered in a good 6" of snow with no issues. Also drove 3km down my unplowed road with 6" of snow on it with no problems.

Remember, NOTO thinks he has to have AWD because he lives in Toronto.

Love,

Guy who's AWD shaming but owns two AWD cars. 

Hilarious. 

[quadzilla]

From Day 3

Handling is impressive as well, with sticky summer tires mounted on this car, the GTI will never run out of grip.

Gee, what summer tires are these? I have PS A/S3 on mine and can still easily run out of grip in 2nd and part of 3rd gear on full boost. OR does the PP really make that much of a difference?

[Jaeger]

So I totally do not need a new car, but the itch is there.  I've been kind of wanting to drive something smaller, more nimble and more sporty than the string of Japanese / Korean midsize sedans I have owned, but the damnable truth of it is that is exactly the type of car that actually meets my needs best.

Anyway, this thread prompted me to go take a test drive of the GTI to start my long weekend to see if it would prove to be a break-the-mold candidate.  It is a pretty damned sweet ride.  I drove the fully loaded manual version with performance and tech packages.  Just about without real flaws.  I still wish it offered a bit more visual excitement (this car is utterly tepid in the darker shades, but better in red or white) but no complaints about driving dynamics.  Grips like heck in corners, pulls strong like a torquey turbo motor should and absolutely does NOT beat you up over crap pavement, which is about the only kind there is in my world.  It as all the power I need (and clearly more than VW will admit to) and is seriously fun to drive without displaying an overly agitated type-A personality.

Downside:  it's basically a 4-seater.  There is a seatbelt for the middle rear position, but as I have no legless passengers on my carpool roster, the ginormous hump in the middle of the floor could prove a deal-breaking proposition.  Lots more actual space for 3 rear passengers in my wife's Fit than in this thing. Fack.      But that is literally all I could find to fault in terms of the vehicle actually meeting my needs.

Biggest surprise: the sweet engine note.  Never heard a 4-pot turbo that sounded as good.  I drove the Passat CC 2.0T when I was shopping for my Sonata and it did not sound anything like this.

Second biggest surprise: interior quality.  Good, but not anywhere close to supporting all the endless hype of the superior interior quality of VW products.  Dash was nice, but the plastic surrounding the center stack was very hard, felt very flimsy, and looked very cheap.

Then I drove the Genesis Sedan again, and damn if that thing isn't going to be hard to push from the pole position in the replacement race.

[Northernridge]

^Good summary. I laugh because I also keep coming back to sedans after insisting that "This time I'll get something sporty"

FWIW, the Berlin taxi has a middle rear seat that is pretty much useless because of the driveshaft hump. The middle passenger has to man-spread and then play footsies with both of the outboard passengers.

[quadzilla]

Downside:  it's basically a 4-seater.  There is a seatbelt for the middle rear position, but as I have no legless passengers on my carpool roster, the ginormous hump in the middle of the floor could prove a deal-breaking proposition.  Lots more actual space for 3 rear passengers in my wife's Fit than in this thing. Fack.      But that is literally all I could find to fault in terms of the vehicle actually meeting my needs.

You just need to have a few beers first as I put six people in mine one night. Two in front and four in back. 

[Jaeger]

Downside:  it's basically a 4-seater.  There is a seatbelt for the middle rear position, but as I have no legless passengers on my carpool roster, the ginormous hump in the middle of the floor could prove a deal-breaking proposition.  Lots more actual space for 3 rear passengers in my wife's Fit than in this thing. Fack.      But that is literally all I could find to fault in terms of the vehicle actually meeting my needs.

You just need to have a few beers first as I put six people in mine one night. Two in front and four in back. 

Pics! 

[Patrick_D1]

Then I drove the Genesis Sedan again, and damn if that thing isn't going to be hard to push from the pole position in the replacement race.

You know who to call (or PM) when that day comes 

[Jaeger]

Then I drove the Genesis Sedan again, and damn if that thing isn't going to be hard to push from the pole position in the replacement race.

You know who to call (or PM) when that day comes 

Youbetcha!

[lebowski]

That current Hyundai Genesis is a real looker and an incredible value. For a daily, i'd certainly be tempted!

[sacrat]

^Good summary. I laugh because I also keep coming back to sedans after insisting that "This time I'll get something sporty"

FWIW, the Berlin taxi has a middle rear seat that is pretty much useless because of the driveshaft hump. The middle passenger has to man-spread and then play footsies with both of the outboard passengers.

Sounds familiar. I just replaced my 2009 Sonata GLS with....a 2014 Sonata GLS! This was an Avis rental return that came in at practically 50% of the new price ($16,000) once fee gouging on new is accounted for. It still handles like a wet noodle, but fits my admittedly considerable frame in a way no Corolla ever can.Thus, like you and Jaeger , I bought what worked and profited from the depreciation this time.

As for the GTI, I also love the plaid seats in a world of conformity, but $37K for cloth seats just goes completely against my frugal (Okay,CHEAP!!) nature...   

[OliverD]

As for the GTI, I also love the plaid seats in a world of conformity, but $37K for cloth seats just goes completely against my frugal (Okay,CHEAP!!) nature...

How do you feel about vinyl in a $60k car? 

I appreciate that VW gives us a choice between cloth and leather.

[Danno001]

Sounds familiar. I just replaced my 2009 Sonata GLS with....a 2014 Sonata GLS! This was an Avis rental return that came in at practically 50% of the new price ($16,000) once fee gouging on new is accounted for. It still handles like a wet noodle, but fits my admittedly considerable frame in a way no Corolla ever can. Thus, like you and Jaeger , I bought what worked and profited from the depreciation this time.

Paid $25,700 (On The Road) in Ontario for a new 2013 Sonata.
Yes, an example of one, but either you paid 62% of a new 2013 Sonata if your $16,000 included all taxes and fees, or 70% of a new Sonata when HST is added to the $16,000.

[Jaeger]

That's some really impressive fuel economy for the GTI. Not really much of the down side to this choice at all. If there's a better combination of enthusiast fun and practicality, I'm all ears.