josephvman
New member
I took delivery of the first 2022 GTI, Autobahn model, my local dealer received last night, and traded my 2017 GTI. I've put fewer than 20 miles on the new car, but here are a few things that I'm already missing or I don't like about the new car:
1. Interior storage! The MK8 doesn't have the slide out storage under the driver seat, which was a very useful to me. There is no way to conceal the center front console area with the USB ports. In my MK7 I left my Airpods plugged in there, where they would always be charged and hidden.
2. Materials. Lots of hard plastic on the MK8, and it's everywhere! Materials are definitely a cut below and there's a level of cheapness that the MK7 didn't have. Window switches no longer feel like Audi/Porsche quality. Doors don't close with the same level of solidity.
3. Seats! The seats simply aren't as comfortable to me. I liked the long bottom cushion on the MK7 GTI seats, as I'm long from hip to knee. The leather was not a strong suit on the MK7, but the MK8 is decidedly cheaper-feeling and I can't see it wearing welI. Ventilated seats are nice though (I'm in Houston), and the only reason I chose leather over cloth.
4. Knobs! The touchscreen and touch controls on the steering wheel aren't horrible, and nowhere near as laggy as some of the reviews have indicated, but there are still some things that should be knobs. I mean, a single volume knob somewhere on the console that you could push to mute would be extremely useful.
5. The H/K stereo isn't bad, but the Fender system in the MK7 was really a fantastic factory stereo system. A bit of a letdown.
Performance seems about the same, and my stock MK7 might have been a bit snappier because it was broken in. The manual gearbox is a bit notchier, and maybe that will get better over time. It doesn't "suck" the lever into the next gear nearly the same way as the MK7 did.
The interior/exterior lighting is really good on the new car. I like the wheels on my Autobahn, and the styling just has bit more edge to it. My car is the launch yellow, which is actually much more green, and it has a lot of pop. My last one was white and I didn't want to feel like I was getting into the same car, and none of the other colors grabbed me.
This might be short-term ownership if the R interior feels significantly better and I decide to trade up. An Audi S3 is also on the table if these admittedly nitpicking issues prove to be an irritation.
If you're considering going from a MK7 to a MK8, I'd try to spend a bit of time with the new car before you jump in. I was just ready for something new, and I can't say that it was a mistake, but first impressions mean a lot.
FYI, this morning the stereo didn't work and I had to reboot the car a couple of times before I got audio.
1. Interior storage! The MK8 doesn't have the slide out storage under the driver seat, which was a very useful to me. There is no way to conceal the center front console area with the USB ports. In my MK7 I left my Airpods plugged in there, where they would always be charged and hidden.
2. Materials. Lots of hard plastic on the MK8, and it's everywhere! Materials are definitely a cut below and there's a level of cheapness that the MK7 didn't have. Window switches no longer feel like Audi/Porsche quality. Doors don't close with the same level of solidity.
3. Seats! The seats simply aren't as comfortable to me. I liked the long bottom cushion on the MK7 GTI seats, as I'm long from hip to knee. The leather was not a strong suit on the MK7, but the MK8 is decidedly cheaper-feeling and I can't see it wearing welI. Ventilated seats are nice though (I'm in Houston), and the only reason I chose leather over cloth.
4. Knobs! The touchscreen and touch controls on the steering wheel aren't horrible, and nowhere near as laggy as some of the reviews have indicated, but there are still some things that should be knobs. I mean, a single volume knob somewhere on the console that you could push to mute would be extremely useful.
5. The H/K stereo isn't bad, but the Fender system in the MK7 was really a fantastic factory stereo system. A bit of a letdown.
Performance seems about the same, and my stock MK7 might have been a bit snappier because it was broken in. The manual gearbox is a bit notchier, and maybe that will get better over time. It doesn't "suck" the lever into the next gear nearly the same way as the MK7 did.
The interior/exterior lighting is really good on the new car. I like the wheels on my Autobahn, and the styling just has bit more edge to it. My car is the launch yellow, which is actually much more green, and it has a lot of pop. My last one was white and I didn't want to feel like I was getting into the same car, and none of the other colors grabbed me.
This might be short-term ownership if the R interior feels significantly better and I decide to trade up. An Audi S3 is also on the table if these admittedly nitpicking issues prove to be an irritation.
If you're considering going from a MK7 to a MK8, I'd try to spend a bit of time with the new car before you jump in. I was just ready for something new, and I can't say that it was a mistake, but first impressions mean a lot.
FYI, this morning the stereo didn't work and I had to reboot the car a couple of times before I got audio.
