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MKV to MKVI GTI first week thoughts
There are probably plenty of other posts on this but I thought I would share my first week after changing from a MKV manual gti to a MKVI DSG. It ended up being a bit of a sudden decision to change to the latest model but the writing had been on the wall for a while.
The MKV was 3 years old and over the last few months I had found myself spending more time seeing what the best litres per hundred I could achieve rather than the best 0-100. I was also looking at the new Polo GTI and vaguely considering downsizing. The interior of the MKV was also starting to feel a bit low rent (especially after sitting in the MKVI) and I had always suffered from the airbox rattles on rough roads.
It was time to make the change and I had no hesitation in choosing the MKVI GTI. I made a conscious decision to go DSG this time. To stick with a manual seemed too little point of difference and I liked the idea of learning to work with something new. I kept the spec fairly basic with only DSG, Detroits and metallic (silver) paint optioned.
So what were the obvious differences? First off the interior and particularly the dash are definitely a step up. It feels better put together. It's a quieter place to be (on smooth roads) and it does feel a little taughter. Even with the 18s the ride quality is still good although they do create a fair bit of tire roar on corse roads. I also like the engine noise when you first turn the key.
So what about the DSG. I first test drove a DSG gti a few years ago and hated it. The test drive in the MKVI though changed my mind. I don't know if the software is better but i felt much more in tune with it this time. For the first couple of days I stayed mostly in D or S and focused on seeing what the car would do in different situations. D is fine for commute or lazy mode but I did find it occasionally changed down very aggressively with minimum throttle input. I also noted that it could get a bit lost on roundabouts. S was a bit manic (unless charging through your favourite hairpins) and was only reined in with very light throttle inputs which seemed a bit counter intuitive. This meant getting use to the paddles and using manual mode for spirited driving. A few more days and they are starting to become second nature. I control the revs and the change points and the rev matching on the change downs sounds great.
Other thoughts - I can hear the dreaded TSI rattle now and then. It’s only feint and isn’t bothering me at the moment. I do miss the rawness of the MKV a bit but prefer the overall refinement of the MKVI.
So in conclusion, one week in and I am very happy with my new MKVI DSG. Saying that I would have liked to keep my MKV manual as well and then I would definitely have the best of both worlds.
There are probably plenty of other posts on this but I thought I would share my first week after changing from a MKV manual gti to a MKVI DSG. It ended up being a bit of a sudden decision to change to the latest model but the writing had been on the wall for a while.
The MKV was 3 years old and over the last few months I had found myself spending more time seeing what the best litres per hundred I could achieve rather than the best 0-100. I was also looking at the new Polo GTI and vaguely considering downsizing. The interior of the MKV was also starting to feel a bit low rent (especially after sitting in the MKVI) and I had always suffered from the airbox rattles on rough roads.
It was time to make the change and I had no hesitation in choosing the MKVI GTI. I made a conscious decision to go DSG this time. To stick with a manual seemed too little point of difference and I liked the idea of learning to work with something new. I kept the spec fairly basic with only DSG, Detroits and metallic (silver) paint optioned.
So what were the obvious differences? First off the interior and particularly the dash are definitely a step up. It feels better put together. It's a quieter place to be (on smooth roads) and it does feel a little taughter. Even with the 18s the ride quality is still good although they do create a fair bit of tire roar on corse roads. I also like the engine noise when you first turn the key.
So what about the DSG. I first test drove a DSG gti a few years ago and hated it. The test drive in the MKVI though changed my mind. I don't know if the software is better but i felt much more in tune with it this time. For the first couple of days I stayed mostly in D or S and focused on seeing what the car would do in different situations. D is fine for commute or lazy mode but I did find it occasionally changed down very aggressively with minimum throttle input. I also noted that it could get a bit lost on roundabouts. S was a bit manic (unless charging through your favourite hairpins) and was only reined in with very light throttle inputs which seemed a bit counter intuitive. This meant getting use to the paddles and using manual mode for spirited driving. A few more days and they are starting to become second nature. I control the revs and the change points and the rev matching on the change downs sounds great.
Other thoughts - I can hear the dreaded TSI rattle now and then. It’s only feint and isn’t bothering me at the moment. I do miss the rawness of the MKV a bit but prefer the overall refinement of the MKVI.
So in conclusion, one week in and I am very happy with my new MKVI DSG. Saying that I would have liked to keep my MKV manual as well and then I would definitely have the best of both worlds.
) and live in a good area on the north shore.
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