It's been just over 1000km's since we picked up our MK5 TDI 2.0 and thought I would write up just some initial thoughts so far.
Overall, Im very happy. The car feels very solid, all the bit and pieces seem put together nicely. There's lots of power available, and the engine is relatively smooth. All the little nice touches are impressive, like the red lighting at night that beams down on your hand, the VW logo on the hatch doubling as the release, auto on lights and wipers are fun, and I like how every button is backlit. Driving on the freeways is great, there's no dead spot and the steering is nice and firm. It's also very quiet, just a little bit of noise from around the mirrors and tyres. Working out the climatronic system has been a little frustrating, but once you get the hang of it, and understand why the fan speed is increasing all by itself, it's easy to operate.
I do have a couple of issues, and would be interested to see what other people have to say. Firstly, I've noticed 3 different rattles. There's one coming from the front passenger door, like a loose nut rolling around. Second, there's a rattle coming from the centre console, somewhere near the top over rough patches of road. Lastly, there's one coming from the A pillar on the drivers side maybe the tweeter or up higher near the curtain airbag, I'm not sure. That one is only when I accelerate. So what can I do about these rattles? I'm not going to wait for it's first service at 15,000 to address them, so is it normal for a person to bring their car in before this? And what is involved in fixing a rattle? The idea of my dash being pulled out doesn't sound great, and I can see it causing more rattles.
The DSG transmission is pretty good, although I've noticed it clunk a few times, however I've been told this is normal? It's not something I noticed on the test car, but maybe I wasn't paying attention.
Other than those small niggles, I'm very pleased and really enjoy driving the car. I'm really happy I went with diesel, don't know why more car companies don't offer it in their small cars.
Overall, Im very happy. The car feels very solid, all the bit and pieces seem put together nicely. There's lots of power available, and the engine is relatively smooth. All the little nice touches are impressive, like the red lighting at night that beams down on your hand, the VW logo on the hatch doubling as the release, auto on lights and wipers are fun, and I like how every button is backlit. Driving on the freeways is great, there's no dead spot and the steering is nice and firm. It's also very quiet, just a little bit of noise from around the mirrors and tyres. Working out the climatronic system has been a little frustrating, but once you get the hang of it, and understand why the fan speed is increasing all by itself, it's easy to operate.
I do have a couple of issues, and would be interested to see what other people have to say. Firstly, I've noticed 3 different rattles. There's one coming from the front passenger door, like a loose nut rolling around. Second, there's a rattle coming from the centre console, somewhere near the top over rough patches of road. Lastly, there's one coming from the A pillar on the drivers side maybe the tweeter or up higher near the curtain airbag, I'm not sure. That one is only when I accelerate. So what can I do about these rattles? I'm not going to wait for it's first service at 15,000 to address them, so is it normal for a person to bring their car in before this? And what is involved in fixing a rattle? The idea of my dash being pulled out doesn't sound great, and I can see it causing more rattles.
The DSG transmission is pretty good, although I've noticed it clunk a few times, however I've been told this is normal? It's not something I noticed on the test car, but maybe I wasn't paying attention.
Other than those small niggles, I'm very pleased and really enjoy driving the car. I'm really happy I went with diesel, don't know why more car companies don't offer it in their small cars.
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