Mk6GTI - 18"?? ACC??

[windmagnet]

Hi everyone,

I have been doing a fair bit of research on the Mk6 GTI. From the briefly published/unpublished spec sheet it looks like the Adaptive Chassis Control will not be offered as standard. I did see an article suggesting VW Aust were considering including ACC as standard and a dealer thought that this might justify the anticipated higher price of the MkVI GTI despite more favourable exchange rates.

It also looks like the 18" wheels which feature in most of the overseas promotional photos will be on offer as a factory option in Australia (as per NZ). The wheel is called a "Detroit" in the Oz spec sheet. I found what appears to be the same 'Detroit" wheel supplied as standard on the MkV GTI on the Volkswagen Asia website. It looks the same as the 18" wheel called a Monza Shadow in the UK brochure. Pricing of the 18" is unknown although the NZ website indicates NZ$2,000.

I have driven a Pirelli with the 18" wheels and the ride was pretty firm compared to a mkV GTI. The dealer tells me the suspension is otherwise the same. The dealer thinks I should stick with the 17" wheels. I have read that if you take up the ACC option, then you can take a lot of the harshness out of the ride on the 18" wheels by switching to the comfort setting.

Sounds possible to get the best of all worlds with the ACC and the 18" wheels but it is a sizeable extra investment which I would have to make on spec if I pre-order. Driving a Mk VI Golf (non GTI) with ACC won't tell the story either because apparently the ACC fitted to the GTI is set differently (plus my dealer does not run 18" wheels on the demo with ACC).

Any Mk VI owners with ACC? How have you found it?

Has anyone found a good review or info on this or do any of you owners have an opinion about life in a Golf with the 18" wheels?

My mileage will all be on bitumen ranging from short city commutes to drives between capital cities.

[Lima]

Your best bet on ACC info is to check out reviews from UK/European mags - Car, Autocar, Evo etc...

Get the 18s, the 17s looked shizen in 2005 and they're not getting any better, they actually look worse on the harder edges of the Mk6 too.

[philthy]

Get the 18s, the 17s looked shizen in 2005 and they're not getting any better, they actually look worse on the harder edges of the Mk6 too.

+1. I didn't mind them on the mkV but they look very ordinary on the VI. Should have been relegated to the museum.

[anarchycamp]

yep x 2 on those comments about the standard 17s, they are way too dated on its pretty messed up on VWs behalf for releasing a new (well sorta) model with the same wheels as the previous. I noticed a bit of difference when switching to 18s but nothing too worry about unless you take it off road all the time! Im sure ACC will help a little as well.

I reckon anyone who gets a Mk6 GTI, first option should be the 18s!! please!!!

13s = Mk1
14s = Mk2
15s = Mk3
16s = Mk4
17s = Mk5
....

you do the math :p

[Lima]

Can't wait for the MkX, haha.

[anarchycamp]

Can't wait for the MkX, haha.

haha yeah my logic is only correct to a point

[G-rig]

I'd go the 18" Detroits, as a lot of people with mk5's are after them and they are a nice OEM upgrade.. always hard to stomach at time of purchase paying a lot for the upgrade though vs going after market.

+1. I didn't mind them on the mkV but they look very ordinary on the VI. Should have been relegated to the museum.

17" are a bit small these days, but the mk6 is really only a facelift model and i like the fact they have similar wheels (they aren't the same exactly) also may help hold the value of the mk5 if they aren't totally different looking cars.

[windmagnet]

I have not been able to find any kind of detailed review of the ACC yet. Most reviews give it little more than a passing mention. Sounds like comfort would noticeably soften the ride on rougher roads and that in normal it will actually modify its settings to sport if the system senses you are pushing hard. Sport may improve steering feel (some reviews suggest that steering is not too communicative)

On the UK GTI forum, there is the full range of opinions on ACC - must have to don't waste your money.

On the 18s, almost everyone is in favour - minority claims the factory supplied18s have a durability issue related to finish (something to do with laquer wearing off and subseqent oxidation). 17s are generally accepted to give a more comfortable ride. Apparently EVO did a tyre test using the MkV GTI which found that the 17s were actualy faster around a track than the 18s.

Latest plan is to preorder with 18s and ACC. If not available with 18s, take the standard 17s and upgrade later if I feel the need (Scirroco style wheels would be nice). There are some nice looking alternative wheels on UK cars.

Proposed order:

5 door
Candy white
DSG
AAC
18s
Leather
Sat Nav

May also get dark tinted side and rear windows if pricing is OK.

Xenon lights look good but cost will be way overboard, based on pricing in other places (NZ$2,200 )

NZ get Park Pilot front and rear as standard. From the Oz spec, it looks like a rear parking sensor is an accessory.

Don't expect to get any discount on RRP, dealer delivery etc. This will be the first time ever I have paid anywhere near full price for a car. Will be lucky to get some rubber mats thrown in for free. It all add ups to big $$'s. Thank god for the ATO business tax break.

Anyone got any bright ideas on anything else I can realistically ask the dealer to chuck in when I have zero bargaining power?

[Lima]

IMO xenons are the bomb. If you've never had them before I can understand you might think they are pricey. But, IMO, they well worth the money.

I really wanted to get them on our GTI, but as we got one of the first 3drs in the country we had to tick as many of our preferred options boxes from the cars available in the country at that time - we got the colour, the sunroof and the leather seats, but no bling lights. On my old MINI and the S3, though, the xenons are fantastic.

Anyone got any bright ideas on anything else I can realistically ask the dealer to chuck in when I have zero bargaining power?

Actually, I reckon you should be able to negotiate a bit of deal, simply because you're loading up with some of the more exxy options (esp the Nav). Good luck!

[anarchycamp]

IMO xenons are the bomb. If you've never had them before I can understand you might think they are pricey. But, IMO, they well worth the money.

I really wanted to get them on our GTI, but as we got one of the first 3drs in the country we had to tick as many of our preferred options boxes from the cars available in the country at that time - we got the colour, the sunroof and the leather seats, but no bling lights. On my old MINI and the S3, though, the xenons are fantastic.

That was my only regret with my MkV, that I didnt get Xenons. I had the same issue as Liam in the fact that I got one off the first boat and options were hard to come by.

[Lukey13]

Acc

In regards to the questions about ACC, I too have found little detailed information about it except for the brief comments in most reviews.

From what I understand, it seems to be best to just leave it in normal mode and allow the computer to work out when to shift into sports mode and comfort modes.

I am still unclear on whether the ACC option merely allows you to change these settings and whether without ACC the car is in "normal" mode but can shift between sports and comfort automatically still. I am assuming that the "Adaptive" part of the acronym suggests that without ACC there is only one setting which does not adapt depending on driving circumstances.

An adaptive chassis is quite desirable to make the car more comfy, especially on 18" wheels, whereas the ability to switch manually between modes does not interest me much when the normal mode does that for you.

Another factor you might want to consider in your decision between 17" or 18" wheels is the cost of tyres. Perhaps get a quote on a good tyre (say Michelin Pilot Preceda 2) and compare the two. I've always thought that 18" wheels tend to be a pretty big step up from 17" in terms of harshness and have liked the compromise between comfort and handling of 17"s, however I'd be open to getting the pretty 18"s on a GTI more for looks.

I'd try to wrangle some form of discount on a heavily specified GTI (can you access the Corporate discount?) otherwise you'll end up paying mid $50k's plus.

[gregozedobe]

Just thought I'd mention that a few tyre tests seem to indicate that 17s are significantly quicker around a track than 18s (on Mk V GTIs anyway). So if you are after better handling maybe you should save your money to pay for those expensive options (eg Bi-Xenons )

[MadWorm]

Corporate discount

Lukey13, I went to my local dealer looking for info on the Mark 6 last week and the salesman asked who I worked for, when I told him the organisation name he said I was eligible for the corporate discount. Problem is they don't offer it across the board, the Mark 6 GTI will not be eligible for corporate discount when it is released. Undeterred we worked some numbers based on Mark 5 prices as a guide, and the discount was about $3500 on a heavily specced 3 door. They also reduce dealer delivery to about $700 from memory. He did offer me a great deal on a Mark 5.

Apparently it took 12 months before corporate discount was allowed on the Tiguan, this decision is made by VW Australia, not the dealers. I was told the decision relates to demand for the particular model, and to expect a wait of 6 to 12 months before corporate discount would be allowed on the Mark 6 GTI. Hmm, can I wait that long?

[G-rig]

Just thought I'd mention that a few tyre tests seem to indicate that 17s are significantly quicker around a track than 18s (on Mk V GTIs anyway). So if you are after better handling maybe you should save your money to pay for those expensive options (eg Bi-Xenons )

18" look better and fine for the roads.. I'd agree, if he's tracking it he should just get another lightweight set of 17" mostly because rubber is cheaper..

Bi-Xenons aren't really easy or cheap to fit later so i'd get those..

[Corey_R]

I'll throw another vote for the Bi-Xenons. I had them on my MKV GTI and they were simply amazing. I'll never purchase another car without them where it is an option.

As for 18's and ACC... This is as subjective as what's the best sounding heavy metal album It doesn't matter what anyone here says, what matters is what feels best to your hands on the wheel and your ass on the seat. Find a dealer who has a demo with those options and go test it.