CTC Review: VW GTI 5-Door

[CD_Editor]

Picture Gallery:  2007 VW GTI 5-Door

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It is not often I get to jump out of one vehicle and into another that is nearly identically-priced and classed.  Having just stepped out of the go-kart-like Mini Cooper S, I was not sure what to expect from the GTI.  Would it be as fun and sporting?  Would it live up to its history as one of the best hot hatches?  Let’s find out.  More...

[G0dspd]

Very nice car!  A candy white 5-door would be my #1 choice but with less options.  Anybody knows if this VW inherited the family "quirks".

"I was a little underwhelmed with the power, though. I was expecting a little more oomph from the proverbial “hot hatch” the GTI has been known to be."

Side effect of driving a Mini Cooper S for a week? 

[Traum]

Although the GTI gives you the sense you are in a vehicle built for the long haul, my tester had an unusual amount of rattles, which didn’t give me the best of feelings. Despite this the GTI still felt solid on the inside.

More often than not, this is a sad but true frequent occurrence for VW. You'd think that VW would make sure their press car is free of rattles though... 

I was a little underwhelmed with the power, though. I was expecting a little more oomph from the proverbial “hot hatch” the GTI has been known to be. It’s fast enough to get you into trouble: turn of the ESP and watch out for the torque steer, as it is strong enough to rip the wheel from your hands. But it is not scary-fast by any means.

I know what James is saying here, but would argue that the car is definitely plenty fast. For some reason, the GTI just doesn't feel all that fast when you mash the go pedal. But when you look at the speedometer, you'll probably shout your choice expletive out aloud because you realize how fast the car is going. I've never quite figured out why this happens. The 2.0T engine has no shortage of torque, but you don't feel it as much as the old 1.8T. Rattles aside, the cabin is very well sealed against wind and road noise. I would think that the serenity of the cabin has something to do with not feeling the speed of the car. But that alone cannot be it.

The six-speed manual transmission is slick as well, although first gear always seemed to be a mystery to me. Getting to reverse gear means pushing the shifter straight down, and then all the way to the left and forward, and first gear is – well, where first gear always is. It seemed to me every time I would shift out of reverse I would hit third gear unless I was extremely careful and double checked. First and third are very close together, which is great for quick shifting but not so great when backing out of the driveway.

To any veteran VW owner, the VW gating is not just second nature -- it is plain intuitive. Guess which gears you shift between the most when parking a car? It is simple yet ingenious that reverse and 1st gear are placed right next to each other. Why do I have to shift all the way from the left to the far right when I need to do this back and forth a couple of times? With VW's arrangement, the moment I pull out of reverse, I can pull the gear stick back again and shift into first. It's lightning fast, and very convenient. It's difficult to describe in words, but its simplicity, ingenuity, and efficiency is something that always makes me wonder why other manufacturers are not doing this. With both the MkIV and MkV cars, I've never had problems distinguishing between reverse, 1st, and 3rd.

-Rick

[tpl]

Quote
I was a little underwhelmed with the power, though. I was expecting a little more oomph from the proverbial “hot hatch” the GTI has been known to be. It’s fast enough to get you into trouble: turn of the ESP and watch out for the torque steer, as it is strong enough to rip the wheel from your hands. But it is not scary-fast by any means.


The good folks at apr could help with the power   

[Blueprint]

James, this is the second car whose seats gave you a pain of some sort (the other being the Tribeca).  Personal question : how tall are you ?  Auto scribes often mention how their X foot frame fits in a car if some ergonomic aspect is in doubt.

While my previous-gen Passat had its share of gremlins, it did offer the best seats I ever owned in a car.  I find funny that reporters question the wisdom of offering electric seat recliners in otherwise manual seats.  It's VW's response to American critics of its seat-angle wheel-knob, and nobody got it 

[woj]

I have had mine since Feb 06 and now with over 44K miles on it, I find that it meets most of my needs. It is fast (GIAC chipped), handles adequately and is comfortable. Gas mileage has been in the 30-31 range, as I do a lot of highway miles. My gripes are with the inadequate sound system (it's unusable at speed) and the average brakes. The sport seats are perfect for me (5'11", average build).
I had replaced the US OEM springs with the VW German OEM springs and found that i never bottoms out or is unduly harsh. I am running 18" BBS wheels on it and despite living on cratered rural roads, no dings, no dents and I do feel that I have adequate ride quality (225/40-18 BTW, not 235 as noted in the article).
My only wish is that VW would offer a stripped down and lighter version with a LSD and more power from the factory.

[wing]

Actually my tester had 235's on it, perhaps they were not the standard issue tires.

[carcrazy]

James, this is the second car whose seats gave you a pain of some sort (the other being the Tribeca). 

Don't forget the Outlander. It makes it 3 in the past few weeks.

[wing]

GTI I had over a month ago, never had a problem with VW seats before they are usually extremely comfortable but I couldn't get the ones in the GTI right for some reason.  The outlander may have been a little annoying but the Tribeca was insanely bad.

I'm 5'9" by the way.

[carcrazed]

The GTI looks its best in Candy white, I'm looking forward for more review tomorrow!

[wing]

There is no more   This was a test  drive I did a month or so ago when I had more cars than I could possibly post day-by-day reviews about.  So I held onto the review until this week when I have no test vehicle.

[dasiuyan]

There is no more   This was a test  drive I did a month or so ago when I had more cars than I could possibly post day-by-day reviews about.  So I held onto the review until this week when I have no test vehicle.

having heard so many good review on GTI's handling and performance, i was really looking forward for a day-to-day review which may include more comfort (cup holder? perhaps it would be too busy to have coffee by then ) and storage(trunk/glove box) discussion. I would like to know more if GTI is a really good little rocket which could be live up for daily commute too...

[carcrazy]

There is no more   This was a test  drive I did a month or so ago when I had more cars than I could possibly post day-by-day reviews about. 

I could offer my service to help you out next time when you have this "unpleasant" situation. 

[carcrazy]

The GTI is sweet IMO especially with the 18" wheels, although VW did very little to differentiate its rear from Rabbit. Did you have a chance to drive one with the DSG or any VW with DSG for that matter? I think the DSG would make it an even better commuter AND driver's car.
Too bad I’m in the market only for a 1:43 die cast model (red with the 18” wheels) for my dream garage.

[wing]

Do a search on the blogs for the GLI I had with DSG

[Traum]

I have had mine since Feb 06 and now with over 44K miles on it, I find that it meets most of my needs. It is fast (GIAC chipped), handles adequately and is comfortable. Gas mileage has been in the 30-31 range, as I do a lot of highway miles. My gripes are with the inadequate sound system (it's unusable at speed) and the average brakes. The sport seats are perfect for me (5'11", average build).
I had replaced the US OEM springs with the VW German OEM springs and found that i never bottoms out or is unduly harsh. I am running 18" BBS wheels on it and despite living on cratered rural roads, no dings, no dents and I do feel that I have adequate ride quality (225/40-18 BTW, not 235 as noted in the article).
My only wish is that VW would offer a stripped down and lighter version with a LSD and more power from the factory.

Considering that your GTI is chipped and lowered, there is nothing our good friends at Quaife or Peloquin couldn't do to fix your no-LSD problem!

-Rick

[woj]

I suppose that bigger brakes and a LSD would round off the package, but it still is quite porky in term of weight. Mine has the us Package 2, which adds the leather sport seats, sunroof, etc...e.g. extra weight.
A stripped down cup racer would be nicer. I think that I will just wait for the impossible, an Audi S3!

[mmret]

There is no more   This was a test  drive I did a month or so ago when I had more cars than I could possibly post day-by-day reviews about.  So I held onto the review until this week when I have no test vehicle.

Holding out on us! 

[scottmcphee]

Just curious, when you report actual fuel efficiency are you trusting the trip computer?  Or do you measure litres at the pump, and do the math reading the odo?  And do you trust its calibration - or do you do a road check between known markers? 

I seem to recall Honda getting spanked recently for being nearly 10% off, consistently, in favour of finishing the warranty sooner - a plus for the Service department.  And a plus for the Sales department if you are leasing.  Which also has the neat side effect of reporting higher than actual efficiency on the on-board trip computer - a plus for Marketing department.

What's your practice?

[woj]

re: scott
FYI, my speedometer is 8-9% off based upon mileage markers and my GPS unit. In speaking with folks on VWVortex, it appears to be a common issue with the 06 GTI's.