I'm Driving A 'Mk7.5' VW Golf GTI For Six Months - What Do You Want To Know?
A few weeks ago, we said a heartfelt goodbye to ‘our’ beloved VW Golf GTI Clubsport long-term test car. We had a great few months with it, but with the Clubsport having long since sold out, we needed to swap to something a little more relevant. Enter stage left, this ‘Mk7.5’ VW Golf GTI.
We’ve effectively gone from one end of the GTI spectrum from the other, switching out the hardcore Clubsport for a ‘base’, non-Performance Pack GTI. The power drop isn’t quite as dramatic as it might have been however, with these facelifted GTIs now putting out a useful 227bhp.
It’s a five-door DSG example, yours for £29,135 (RRP). Factor in on-the-road costs and various options including (but not limited to) the £990 19-inch ‘Santiago’ alloy wheels, a £550 audio upgrade and the £595 ‘Park Assist system’, and the price jumps to £33,780.
Over the next few months, we’ll be drilling down to the nitty gritty of GTI ‘ownership’, taking it on road trips, and pitching it into battle with key competitors. But as always, we want you to get involved.
Got a question? Want us to do something specific with it? Wish us to give the boot the certified “will an Alex Kersten fit” test? Stick it in the comments and we’ll see what we can do.
Growing up on a diet of World Rally Championship highlights and lengthy Gran Turismo 2 sessions, a life in cars was as good as inevitable for Matt.
Comments
Weird question maybe. Can you feel that you’re actually going fast or is it like being in an airplane?
Yes of course - Can I have it?
Is it comfy?
It’s reasonably comfy but the 19-inch wheels don’t do wonders for the ride. I’d have the 18s…
In a real world test how does it hold it’s own in terms of comfort, mpg and quality vs some of it’s rivals like the Audi S3 and Focus RS. Also how user friendly and how much use you’d make out of the tech in the car?
What are the “actual” emissions ratings
If it has one of those wierd voice things, try using it in Irish accent
Lol which one there’s about 50 types of irish accent
I think you guys should wait for a new Focus ST. Just to get some rivaly between your 6 month cars
Can you guys make a page devoted to the current fleet of test cars? There are a lot of them, and it would make it easier to keep track of them
Was thinking of getting one of these or the mk 5 golf gti. What are the downsides to the gti and a better question which would be better to own the new gti or the mk5 gti from 2005?
well mk7 is new, generally lower miles, more tech in it, can get the spec you want, around £18000 for outright purchase for gti PP or £20000 for a Golf R, can still get a 4 year warranty, your insurance is cheaper because of the city crash sensor. No real downsides other than problems can be harder to diagnose yourself and not as much help online, and they aren’t as friendly to work on.
For a fairer comparison I’ll use the mk5 GTI Edition 30, same performance spec as the mk7 GTI PP, every guide you’ll need is online, all problems are diagnosed with solutions, the engines are bulletproof, parts are plentiful and cheap and they’re very easy to work on, pretty much as the bottom of their depreciation. Downsides running out of it’s last 12 year warranty in about 2 years time, front arches rust but its an easy fix, cam followers need change frequently, not 2017 ready for most people so require bit of work for some people, paintwork won’t be as fresh, general driver imposed wear.
Personally I went for a mk5 over a mk7, preferred the more mechanical feel and the rounded looks. Both are as good as each other.
Is it white?