Mk7 Golf TSI & TDI - Observations and Questions

[spikeyboy22]

Shame about those useless tiny windows . . . pity you did not mention them in your lengthy report after your long drive in the TSI.

By the way, besides your autoblogaustralia, which other media outlets attended the GTI "specification consultation"? Was there also such a consultation for the other Mark VII Golf models? Do you expect to be consulted by VW again when they are trying to work out how to specify the Golf R?

Golf7 did I miss your report on the Golf7 online on your blog, nope not there

Where is it...

[Mountainman]

If only everyone knew how much money VW spends on R&D, Golfs would be the only cars on our roads. Why on earth would someone buy something else???

Maybe they need to spend a bit more on the D part of the R&D if VW's track record is any indication. Yeah, quality soft feel plastics with tasteful design and metallic look trim everywhere catches the eye but what about the twincharger destructions, high oil usage in most of their engines, water pump, turbo, coil packs & injector failures, and ongoing DSG failures & inconsistent operation? Maybe the Japs & Koreans know where to put their R&D funds to more effective use. I like my Golf but I'm sick of the high oil use and the component failures & short component life and the service charges. I've recently driven both petrol & diesel Hyundai i30's and I know where I'm heading next. And if Hyundai can provide annual $219 capped services & 5 years warranty why do VW think $400+ services and 3 years warranty is something to crow about?

[kaanage]

Wow thats a vast improvement for an I30 My wife poked her head into one Took a sniff of the horrible plastic and went and bought a POLO LOL

The new i30 is not a bad product at all, check out my review...

It sounds like it hasn't improved at all in terms of a driving experience from your review. We had one of the last of the previous generation as a hire car down in Tassie and I've never been so glad to hand the keys back for a hire car (a Sonata that I'd previously hired was bland but not offensive like the i30).

The lifeless steering is downright dangerous on the highway as it also has very little self centering so you are forced to continually make minor corrections.

And from Hillbilly's comment, the plastics are still pungent and act as a sedative when in the car for extended periods which makes the highway experience even worse.

Next time, our Golf will make the trip on the ferry.

If only everyone knew how much money VW spends on R&D, Golfs would be the only cars on our roads. Why on earth would someone buy something else???

Reliability? Servicing costs? And remember that the MkVII should have been the MkVI except that the MkV was such an over-engineered car that VW couldn't afford to keep building it so they had to simplify it and introduce an intermediate model

[kaanage]

I've recently driven both petrol & diesel Hyundai i30's and I know where I'm heading next.

For your safety, take one for an extended drive on the highway and through some hills. If my comments about the previous version (above post) still hold for the new one, the long term experience may not be pleasant (nor safe)

[Mountainman]

For your safety, take one for an extended drive on the highway and through some hills. If my comments about the previous version (above post) still hold for the new one, the long term experience may not be pleasant (nor safe)

I've also driven the previous one and there is no comparison with the new. Yeah, compared with my Golf it feels a bit "fidgety" in the ride but the rest is up there or better. I didn't feel much wrong with the steering other than being a bit light. I reckon the general appearance and quality of the interior are at least as good as my Golf but with more room and it seemed to ride even more quietly. If Hyundai keep improving their cars at this rate other manufacturers have something to fear. I have a friend with a Mk4 Golf and the improvement in this latest i30 over the previous one is much greater than the improvement of my Mk6 over my friend's Mk4. Yes, it's that good.

[Golf7]

Shame about those useless tiny windows . . . pity you did not mention them in your lengthy report after your long drive in the TSI.

By the way, besides your autoblogaustralia, which other media outlets attended the GTI "specification consultation"? Was there also such a consultation for the other Mark VII Golf models? Do you expect to be consulted by VW again when they are trying to work out how to specify the Golf R?

There were the usual suspects from Drive, Australia's Best Cars... Tried to stay away from them... Only chatted to the guys from Wheels, Motor, Top Gear Oz...

[Golf7]

I've also driven the previous one and there is no comparison with the new. Yeah, compared with my Golf it feels a bit "fidgety" in the ride but the rest is up there or better. I didn't feel much wrong with the steering other than being a bit light. I reckon the general appearance and quality of the interior are at least as good as my Golf but with more room and it seemed to ride even more quietly. If Hyundai keep improving their cars at this rate other manufacturers have something to fear. I have a friend with a Mk4 Golf and the improvement in this latest i30 over the previous one is much greater than the improvement of my Mk6 over my friend's Mk4. Yes, it's that good.

I second your opinion that the new one is a MASSIVE improvement... The car is 100 times better than the old one, can't compare the two... The new one is much closer to the Golf in terms of overall ability than the old i30...

[kaanage]

I guess I'm wary of journalist reports since they rely on good relationships with manufacturers in order to get press releases, car tests etc so they often gloss over glaring faults. I was actually looking forward to driving the previous i30 since all the journos rabbited on about how the Koreans had closed the gap and gave the car load of awards.

Anyway, back to the MkVII..

[Lupo]

There were the usual suspects from Drive, Australia's Best Cars... Tried to stay away from them... Only chatted to the guys from Wheels, Motor, Top Gear Oz...

Its a shame that you as one of their consultants didn't get to go to the overseas GTI launch. How comes?

[Dutch77]

There were the usual suspects from Drive, Australia's Best Cars... Tried to stay away from them... Only chatted to the guys from Wheels, Motor, Top Gear Oz...

I hope the Motor guys didn't read up on VWW.. "And Motor magazine is the biggest load of rubbish I've ever read by accident..."

[Golf7]

Its a shame that you as one of their consultants didn't get to go to the overseas GTI launch. How comes?

Not popular enough just yet... Need to have a bigger audience and keep reviewing more cars on my blog...

[Golf7]

I hope the Motor guys didn't read up on VWW.. "And Motor magazine is the biggest load of rubbish I've ever read by accident..."

I think Wheels is the only semi-decent motoring magazine here in Oz personally, the others are just plain rubbish, don't even get me started on Drive and Australia's Best Cars. Their so called reviews are re-gurgitated spec sheets, in one Mk.7 Golf review they left no less than 93 words to actually review the car, and the last sentence was : "The diesel feels like a diesel." I know, it's terribly informative, descriptive and a great way to end an article.

[Arnold]

I think Wheels is the only semi-decent motoring magazine here in Oz personally, the others are just plain rubbish, don't even get me started on Drive and Australia's Best Cars. Their so called reviews are re-gurgitated spec sheets, in one Mk.7 Golf review they left no less than 93 words to actually review the car, and the last sentence was : "The diesel feels like a diesel." I know, it's terribly informative, descriptive and a great way to end an article.

Wheels is a good magazine although its heyday was when Robbo was editor and Romsey Qunits a regular contributor. Who can forget the, excuse the pun, quintessential tales such as "Long Day's Journey to Johtown" with its enchanting recollections of radarolves avoided in a Jaguar XJS that, on a trip from Sydney to Brisbane, appreciated 20% overnight after the Fraser Government precipitously devalued the Aussie dollar 17.5% (no, the Aussie dollar did not always have a floating exchange rate!).

Anyway, I am sure Golf7 will take his place in the pantheon of legendary motoring journalists too if only he would lighten up a little, bring a modicum of balance to his (Golf) commentary and report news, such as his alleged sneak preview of a LHD Mark VII GTI, contemporaneously and include details such as when and where the preview happened and share some amusing anecdotes about being a relative newbie in the company of Australia's more seasoned motoring journos.

I'm sure G7 will rise to the occasion and start by filling in the many questions arising from his allusions to the GTI preview that apart from the Why and What have lacked any details about How (he was invited) and Where and When (it happened).

Hopefully G7 will do as all good journalists aspire to do and shed light where there is otherwise darkness.

[Golf7]

Wheels is a good magazine although its heyday was when Robbo was editor and Romsey Qunits a regular contributor. Who can forget the, excuse the pun, quintessential tales such as "Long Day's Journey to Johtown" with its enchanting recollections of radarolves avoided in a Jaguar XJS that, on a trip from Sydney to Brisbane, appreciated 20% overnight after the Fraser Government precipitously devalued the Aussie dollar 17.5% (no, the Aussie dollar did not always have a floating exchange rate!).

Anyway, I am sure Golf7 will take his place in the pantheon of legendary motoring journalists too if only he would lighten up a little, bring a modicum of balance to his (Golf) commentary and report news, such as his alleged sneak preview of a LHD Mark VII GTI, contemporaneously and include details such as when and where the preview happened and share some amusing anecdotes about being a relative newbie in the company of Australia's more seasoned motoring journos.

I'm sure G7 will rise to the occasion and start by filling in the many questions arising from his allusions to the GTI preview that apart from the Why and What have lacked any details about How (he was invited) and Where and When (it happened).

Hopefully G7 will do as all good journalists aspire to do and shed light where there is otherwise darkness.

Love your writing Arnold, I've listened to what you've said and taken it to heart. The GTI preview was not really a remarkable event, we only just got to sit in it for a couple of minutes, not really enough time for a thorough poke and prod to be honest. We spent more time listening to their advertising jargon, their 60th Anniversary in Australia lectures, whilst stuffing our faces with strudels... The two GTIs that they had were with 18 inch alloys, fully cloth seats, had the 8 inch navigation, xenons and were both 5 door models. They hinted that prices would be, quoting directly "significantly cheaper". Expect under 40k... The car looks lovely in the metal, the interior faux-carbon fibre trim isn't bad, not too classy and a bit too reflective for my liking. The event happened about 3 weeks back I think at their head office. They do invite you. Oh and no-one knew who the hell I was, just a complete novice, some teenager, who was studying law and writing about cars??? The looks they give you when you're not in that exclusive club!!!

Guys, it has been my absolute pleasure updating you with all the information I have about the new Golf, and I certainly will do everything I can in the future to make sure that everyone knows as much as possible about the GTI and the upcoming AaaaaaaaaaRrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr.

[Lupo]

Not popular enough just yet... Need to have a bigger audience and keep reviewing more cars on my blog...

Hmm... if you as you say yourself are not popular enough just yet and don't have a big audience - why did they invite you? Are you a buddy of someone in their press department? If you really attended a consultant session, you must know someone.

And nobody else so far reported about this consultant event and you named plenty of mags & papers who attended as well. Does that mean you all got sworn to secrecy and you are the only one who even mentioned the event yet?