V
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- Thread starter JJ-R32
- Start date
- Status
Newcastle
Drag Racing Champion
- Location
- Knoxville, TN
Lovin on my new GTI
Hello All
I took ownership of my GTI last Saturday. I am the first owner of the GTI in East Tennessee according to my dealership. I got a White PKG 2 with 18" alloys. This is the first German car I have ever owned. I always bought Toyota trucks or Honda cars previously.
I absolutely love the fit and finish of this automobile. It is truly a machine to be reckoned with.:bow: It takes a little getting used to the engine sounding like a sewing machine vs. Japanese cars almost dead silent operation, but, I am in love with it. :headbang:
The leather seats are to die for. The quality of the leather, the fit of the seats, the very adjustable lumbar support and the high level of adjustment of the seat heaters all come together to make a seat so comfortable and supportive I wouldn't need to stop on trips for rest breaks; just gas and go.
The layout of the dash, along with the brushed aluminum accents remind me more of a cockpit than a dash. Coming from a honda, the purple guages and the red lighting still catches me out, but, I imagine that is to keep from going night blind looking at your guages.
The engine's torque, available at such a low RPM for a four-banger, is without a doubt the biggest selling point for me. In reality, in most driving situations, you would never NEED to go beyond 3500RPM while the Honda on the other hand feels like its screaming just to get through traffic. :thumbdown:
I purchased this car with the 6-speed manual, both because I like the feel of shifting, and because I didn't want a $30,000 car (after financing). My only dislike is that it feels a bit ambiguous about what gear you are getting into. By this I mean that the gate is a bit mushy, but I am getting used to it.
One problem I have, which will be fixed this Friday is that the remote hatch opening via the switch on the door or by the remote does not work, although it works by pressing the VW logo on the back, but I dont hold that against it as nearly all cars I have owned have had little things that needed attention from the factory.
I know the manual says to get the first oil change at 5000 miles, but I will be changing my oil at 500 miles, as IMHO 5k is a bit long to be letting those particles from breakin be roaming about in my engine. I will also get the oil changed probably at 1000 miles or 2500.
I have generally gotten over 200,000 miles out of previous cars, and I hope to get the same reliability out of this one, although most likely I will trade it in before that this time as not having a car payment actually hurt my credit score this time since I didn't have any other credit.
Many thanks to Harper VW for their help and especially my agent Bill Blair who could not have been kinder as I made numerous test drives to make up my mind. I don't know about other VW dealerships, but in the past purchasing Hondas, I was basically given the keys and told "here you go", whereas Bill took at least an hour after purchase to go over all the controls and the manual to make sure I understood everything and took time to chat with me even though people were pouring in to look at cars.
I apologize for the lengthy review, but hopefully my experience will help others who are considering the GTI or other VW products.
Hello All
I took ownership of my GTI last Saturday. I am the first owner of the GTI in East Tennessee according to my dealership. I got a White PKG 2 with 18" alloys. This is the first German car I have ever owned. I always bought Toyota trucks or Honda cars previously.
I absolutely love the fit and finish of this automobile. It is truly a machine to be reckoned with.:bow: It takes a little getting used to the engine sounding like a sewing machine vs. Japanese cars almost dead silent operation, but, I am in love with it. :headbang:
The leather seats are to die for. The quality of the leather, the fit of the seats, the very adjustable lumbar support and the high level of adjustment of the seat heaters all come together to make a seat so comfortable and supportive I wouldn't need to stop on trips for rest breaks; just gas and go.
The layout of the dash, along with the brushed aluminum accents remind me more of a cockpit than a dash. Coming from a honda, the purple guages and the red lighting still catches me out, but, I imagine that is to keep from going night blind looking at your guages.
The engine's torque, available at such a low RPM for a four-banger, is without a doubt the biggest selling point for me. In reality, in most driving situations, you would never NEED to go beyond 3500RPM while the Honda on the other hand feels like its screaming just to get through traffic. :thumbdown:
I purchased this car with the 6-speed manual, both because I like the feel of shifting, and because I didn't want a $30,000 car (after financing). My only dislike is that it feels a bit ambiguous about what gear you are getting into. By this I mean that the gate is a bit mushy, but I am getting used to it.
One problem I have, which will be fixed this Friday is that the remote hatch opening via the switch on the door or by the remote does not work, although it works by pressing the VW logo on the back, but I dont hold that against it as nearly all cars I have owned have had little things that needed attention from the factory.
I know the manual says to get the first oil change at 5000 miles, but I will be changing my oil at 500 miles, as IMHO 5k is a bit long to be letting those particles from breakin be roaming about in my engine. I will also get the oil changed probably at 1000 miles or 2500.
I have generally gotten over 200,000 miles out of previous cars, and I hope to get the same reliability out of this one, although most likely I will trade it in before that this time as not having a car payment actually hurt my credit score this time since I didn't have any other credit.
Many thanks to Harper VW for their help and especially my agent Bill Blair who could not have been kinder as I made numerous test drives to make up my mind. I don't know about other VW dealerships, but in the past purchasing Hondas, I was basically given the keys and told "here you go", whereas Bill took at least an hour after purchase to go over all the controls and the manual to make sure I understood everything and took time to chat with me even though people were pouring in to look at cars.
I apologize for the lengthy review, but hopefully my experience will help others who are considering the GTI or other VW products.
ConnerrySER04
East Coast transplant
- Location
- San Diego, CA
- Car(s)
- MKVGTI
Guess it's time to quit lurking
New member, avid Japanese vehicle owner, current SER-Spec-V pilot, possible VW MKV convert.
Greetings all.
.I test drove a New GTI MKv a few weeks ago….one hell of a nice car overall. I went to catch up with an old high school buddy, Julian, who happened to be the Finance manager at a VW dealership up in Ft Lauderdale. Figured I’d kill two birds, etc, etc… He was the first cat to introduce me to the wonderful world of mods, although we always had amusing garage conversations at 16 years old, about which rides were better the “new ( 1896) Civic SI, hatch, or the “new” Jetta GLi his old man had just bought him. Anyways, here we are, 16 years after I’d last hung out with him…and we’re back to the same conversation, while running our cars to the limit, talking smack. But I digress...
He set me up with a 6 spd (because the DSG can take a hike. I don’t care how high tech and fast it is, I’d rather eat glass and chase it with grain alcohol than have the car do the shifting. A man has to have some convictions.) , with the 18 inch w/t package and a sunroof. Being a semi-pro racer (SCCA, IM (?) and real close to becoming a CART driver until marriage intervened), and lifelong VW fanatic, Julian threw the thing around through a little back road “course” he’d set up and I must say, I was duly impressed. The car handled corners and turns that would have seen the Spec, and us, owned by the rear beam axle. MY perceptions, after I took over:
HANDLING: A bit more body roll than I might like, but grip for days on end. Especially when tossing it through some right/left/right transitions, (like, from the street, to the dealership access road) a stretch that should have been taken at oh…15 MPH, which Julian took at speeds closer to 40, something I, not being familiar with that car, chose not to attempt. On 15 mph, 45 degree turns on the VERY empty access road, which we both took at about 60, the car seemed to run on a set of rails that magically appeared from the ground. (A little side note: the ESP can be switched off completely via a console switch. I’m not sure if it kicks back in automatically, but we were able to act the damn fool with it off, and I felt no intrusion from it, as I did when we ran with it on. What IS interesting is the EDL feature: apparently, an Electronic Differential Lock that functions similarly to an LSD…though VW doesn’t push it in marketing. I believe it switches off with the ESP, but I’m not too sure. end of note.)
Braking is strong and swift. Verdict….I think the Spec powers out of corners better, due to the helical LSD, but the GTI owns in overall handling, steering feel, and driver confidence.
POWER: Well…it’s a 200 hp/207 lb/ft FSI turbocharged engine. That’s been suspected (and now being confirmed on VW forums members’ dyno results) as being underrated by as much as 25 bhp. It’s really, really quick. The extra 330 lbs it has over MKIV kinda prevented it from the major kick in the arse that I had expected, but it also delivers its power in a very linear, lag free fashion…it just builds and builds to ludicrous speeds…with a right lovely exhaust note. What’s CRAZY is the ability to start the car, sink the clutch…and take off without giving it ANY gas whatsoever…just let ‘er out, and off she rolls…you can start from a roll in 4th gear..roll on the throttle, and be up to speed with no bog or shudder….a testament to damn near full torque available at 1500 rpms.
Verdict….still a winner, although the added heft has a negative effect.
INTERIOR FIT/FINISH. Carrying on the VW tradition, the car means business. Driving business. Ain’t nothing extraneous, it’s all about a DRIVER ORIENTED ENVIRONMENT, which works for me. The tach is weird; instead of single digits, it’s numbered in tens, with makes it look…a lot like the speedo, which can be a little off-putting first time out. Also a LOT more hard plastic than I expected, some in places that made sense (grab handles) other where aesthetically I thought did not belong…( upper door panels, on the dash, where an errant knee may bump into it…the entire center console.) Also, not much in the way of storage space. I don’t carry much, but I’m not a card carrying member of the IPOD generation yet, and I do lug around quite a few CD cases, so I would have liked to see some depth to the center arm rest pocket. Yes, there are cup holders. Somewhere. I didn’t give enough of a damn to look. But truthfully, the interior is overall ridiculously upscale and well put together. One thing I found funny…the (standard) Recaro seats with the original GTI plaid seemed mouse-furry, while the headliner material was a similar fabric/pattern to the Spec’s back seats. Yeah…weird.
Exterior. IMHO, the perfect evolution of the hot hatch. I really like it, especially the corp. VW front end with the blacked out grille, and the non painted bumpers, which I think look great on the White and Red GTI’s…not so much on the Silver and United Grays, and of course, are utterly unnoticeable in Black. What WAS noticeable…the plethora of drivers who damn near twisted their heads off trying to get a look at the car in traffic…it was pretty crazy. Men and women…(LOTS of really hot women) were checking us out in this puppy (Reflex Silver, btw) which for a Spec driver is really unusual.:tongue: One dude at a light, in his brand new BMW 330I was staring at the GTI for so long, he almost missed his turn light. And did I mention the chick love? THAT was different…but it wasn’t all that bad :biggrin:
Over all…I thought it was a pretty wicked ride. MSRP as I had it was $23,990. I left with an unsolicited “just-in case” offer of….substantially less than that. Did I throw caution to the wind and roll out with it? No, I’m a bit more practical than that. Although VW has switched parts vendors to improve build quality and reduce its previous atrocious reliability record…it still has a long way to go to recoup the losses of older and potential new customers. But it’s still on my mind 3 weeks later…and I’ve been perusing the European forums, and US GLI/Jetta forums as well, and things seem to be running right….SO far. And I’d probably take a small loss on the Spec…which ultimately, I don’t really give a damn about, as I earn more than enough to NOT give a damn about it having any effect on my financial bottom line whatsoever. So I’m still rolling in the old 04 Spec V….but I’m still smiling about my GTI experience…and the more I think about it, the bigger the smile gets. And like Julian said as I left. …"don’t worry too much about it….your deal stands, and we’ve got plenty.” So I'm going to give it a couple of more runs, with the significant other this time, to see if maybe she'll fall for it as well, continue to monitor these forums ( a GREAT source of info, once one has sorted through all the extraneous stuff), to see about any major reliability and service issues, and see where that leave my mindset come June-ish.
And that, as they say...is that.
New member, avid Japanese vehicle owner, current SER-Spec-V pilot, possible VW MKV convert.
Greetings all.
.I test drove a New GTI MKv a few weeks ago….one hell of a nice car overall. I went to catch up with an old high school buddy, Julian, who happened to be the Finance manager at a VW dealership up in Ft Lauderdale. Figured I’d kill two birds, etc, etc… He was the first cat to introduce me to the wonderful world of mods, although we always had amusing garage conversations at 16 years old, about which rides were better the “new ( 1896) Civic SI, hatch, or the “new” Jetta GLi his old man had just bought him. Anyways, here we are, 16 years after I’d last hung out with him…and we’re back to the same conversation, while running our cars to the limit, talking smack. But I digress...
He set me up with a 6 spd (because the DSG can take a hike. I don’t care how high tech and fast it is, I’d rather eat glass and chase it with grain alcohol than have the car do the shifting. A man has to have some convictions.) , with the 18 inch w/t package and a sunroof. Being a semi-pro racer (SCCA, IM (?) and real close to becoming a CART driver until marriage intervened), and lifelong VW fanatic, Julian threw the thing around through a little back road “course” he’d set up and I must say, I was duly impressed. The car handled corners and turns that would have seen the Spec, and us, owned by the rear beam axle. MY perceptions, after I took over:
HANDLING: A bit more body roll than I might like, but grip for days on end. Especially when tossing it through some right/left/right transitions, (like, from the street, to the dealership access road) a stretch that should have been taken at oh…15 MPH, which Julian took at speeds closer to 40, something I, not being familiar with that car, chose not to attempt. On 15 mph, 45 degree turns on the VERY empty access road, which we both took at about 60, the car seemed to run on a set of rails that magically appeared from the ground. (A little side note: the ESP can be switched off completely via a console switch. I’m not sure if it kicks back in automatically, but we were able to act the damn fool with it off, and I felt no intrusion from it, as I did when we ran with it on. What IS interesting is the EDL feature: apparently, an Electronic Differential Lock that functions similarly to an LSD…though VW doesn’t push it in marketing. I believe it switches off with the ESP, but I’m not too sure. end of note.)
Braking is strong and swift. Verdict….I think the Spec powers out of corners better, due to the helical LSD, but the GTI owns in overall handling, steering feel, and driver confidence.
POWER: Well…it’s a 200 hp/207 lb/ft FSI turbocharged engine. That’s been suspected (and now being confirmed on VW forums members’ dyno results) as being underrated by as much as 25 bhp. It’s really, really quick. The extra 330 lbs it has over MKIV kinda prevented it from the major kick in the arse that I had expected, but it also delivers its power in a very linear, lag free fashion…it just builds and builds to ludicrous speeds…with a right lovely exhaust note. What’s CRAZY is the ability to start the car, sink the clutch…and take off without giving it ANY gas whatsoever…just let ‘er out, and off she rolls…you can start from a roll in 4th gear..roll on the throttle, and be up to speed with no bog or shudder….a testament to damn near full torque available at 1500 rpms.
Verdict….still a winner, although the added heft has a negative effect.
INTERIOR FIT/FINISH. Carrying on the VW tradition, the car means business. Driving business. Ain’t nothing extraneous, it’s all about a DRIVER ORIENTED ENVIRONMENT, which works for me. The tach is weird; instead of single digits, it’s numbered in tens, with makes it look…a lot like the speedo, which can be a little off-putting first time out. Also a LOT more hard plastic than I expected, some in places that made sense (grab handles) other where aesthetically I thought did not belong…( upper door panels, on the dash, where an errant knee may bump into it…the entire center console.) Also, not much in the way of storage space. I don’t carry much, but I’m not a card carrying member of the IPOD generation yet, and I do lug around quite a few CD cases, so I would have liked to see some depth to the center arm rest pocket. Yes, there are cup holders. Somewhere. I didn’t give enough of a damn to look. But truthfully, the interior is overall ridiculously upscale and well put together. One thing I found funny…the (standard) Recaro seats with the original GTI plaid seemed mouse-furry, while the headliner material was a similar fabric/pattern to the Spec’s back seats. Yeah…weird.
Exterior. IMHO, the perfect evolution of the hot hatch. I really like it, especially the corp. VW front end with the blacked out grille, and the non painted bumpers, which I think look great on the White and Red GTI’s…not so much on the Silver and United Grays, and of course, are utterly unnoticeable in Black. What WAS noticeable…the plethora of drivers who damn near twisted their heads off trying to get a look at the car in traffic…it was pretty crazy. Men and women…(LOTS of really hot women) were checking us out in this puppy (Reflex Silver, btw) which for a Spec driver is really unusual.:tongue: One dude at a light, in his brand new BMW 330I was staring at the GTI for so long, he almost missed his turn light. And did I mention the chick love? THAT was different…but it wasn’t all that bad :biggrin:
Over all…I thought it was a pretty wicked ride. MSRP as I had it was $23,990. I left with an unsolicited “just-in case” offer of….substantially less than that. Did I throw caution to the wind and roll out with it? No, I’m a bit more practical than that. Although VW has switched parts vendors to improve build quality and reduce its previous atrocious reliability record…it still has a long way to go to recoup the losses of older and potential new customers. But it’s still on my mind 3 weeks later…and I’ve been perusing the European forums, and US GLI/Jetta forums as well, and things seem to be running right….SO far. And I’d probably take a small loss on the Spec…which ultimately, I don’t really give a damn about, as I earn more than enough to NOT give a damn about it having any effect on my financial bottom line whatsoever. So I’m still rolling in the old 04 Spec V….but I’m still smiling about my GTI experience…and the more I think about it, the bigger the smile gets. And like Julian said as I left. …"don’t worry too much about it….your deal stands, and we’ve got plenty.” So I'm going to give it a couple of more runs, with the significant other this time, to see if maybe she'll fall for it as well, continue to monitor these forums ( a GREAT source of info, once one has sorted through all the extraneous stuff), to see about any major reliability and service issues, and see where that leave my mindset come June-ish.
And that, as they say...is that.
Howdy! I don't own one (yet!) and have never owned a VW. I did however make the mistake of test driving the MkV GTI the other day at lunch. I then got back in my 97 Neon sport sedan feeling quite underequipped. It is kind of my beater until I decide what to get as my wife just went back to work after being a full time stay at home mother for the last 2.5 years. I initially planned on getting a Civic Si sedan this fall until I test drove this unbelievable GTI. I have wanted one off and on since before we were married (1994). I'm kind of glad she has emphatically said "no" as I may stand a chance on this one.
herrstreet
Touring Car Newbie
- Location
- Pittsburgh, Pa
I'm a 2 time and soon to be 3 time VW owner.
I've had a VR6 Jetta and a 24 valve Mk4 GTI. Right now I drive a Pontiac GTO but I'm sold on the new GTI with dsg. The fiance says any color as long as it's united gray with heated seats...
The dark blue is also really sharp, particularly with the red grill. I think our American version looks awkward with the 17's though, with the SUV suspension. I wonder what the actual story with that is.
This is a really nice website.
I've had a VR6 Jetta and a 24 valve Mk4 GTI. Right now I drive a Pontiac GTO but I'm sold on the new GTI with dsg. The fiance says any color as long as it's united gray with heated seats...
The dark blue is also really sharp, particularly with the red grill. I think our American version looks awkward with the 17's though, with the SUV suspension. I wonder what the actual story with that is.
This is a really nice website.
plac
GTI Master
- Location
- SF Bay Area, CA
I like this site in my top 3, out of all 10 or so VW forums i visit. The positive is not too many sub-forums. Keep it nice and simple. Vortex is way too messy.
natonicGTI06
Go Kart Champion
- Location
- Edinburgh,IN
hi everyone name is nathan also waiting for me GTI to come to the dealers getting black magic. Going to be my first turbo car so i will have a lot of questions for you about it so hope you can help .
bennylenny88
bora bora dude
- Location
- Wigan, UK
- Car(s)
- Golf mk5 GTTDI 2.0
hey all... why do you all have gtis.. ive got a crappy 1.4 s... 
Rasec
Passed Driver's Ed
- Location
- A coruña Spain
hi everyone, from another GTI fan!
Hello all. I am a MECP certified tech so if you have any audio questions I can help. Also, as soon as I can I will post up wire info for alarm and remote start aplications. My wife wasn't too sure about the car but she wanted me to get rid of my civic. After driving the car her response was "who is gonna get a ticket first and I get to drive it too."
I am absolutely new to the VW world. I was once a Honda type into the whole
VTEC thing. Then I moved to BMW, where I own an E36 M3 coupe, and I still do
own it. But I have to say, I am so intrigued by the MkV GTI I am considering getting it
soon. I just wanted to say hey and wish me luck in getting it.
Anyone have it as a daily beater right now?
VTEC thing. Then I moved to BMW, where I own an E36 M3 coupe, and I still do
own it. But I have to say, I am so intrigued by the MkV GTI I am considering getting it
soon. I just wanted to say hey and wish me luck in getting it.
Anyone have it as a daily beater right now?
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