[DaveA]

(as readers of earlier threads in the main forum will know, the 340 has just gone and is replaced with a golf GTI)

Very pleased with the GTI so far, but having been so used to the BMW infotainment and the ways their features worked, it is proving to be a steep learning curve getting up to speed with the Golf's systems... They basically do the same things, but the way you turn things on/off and set them up is not intuitive to me yet...

Only done 160 odd miles so far so only just starting to get a feel for the way the car drives, handles etc... but initial impressions are favourable... The DSG box is smooth and unobtrusive which (coming from the ZF AT8 is what I was hoping for).. The engine seems to have plenty of "get up and go"... It goes where you point it quite enthusiastically...

Inside, the infotainment basically does everything the BMW did (that I used, anyway)... No hard drive, but there is a slot for an SD card that you can load up with music and leave in... Another SD card holds the maps for the nav and updating the maps is as simple as plugging the SD card into your computer and a bespoke application handles the rest (free updates for life, I believe)... I have the Dynaudio add-on, so nice sounds... The only real fiddly bit is VW's version of "connected drive" that requires (for "real time traffic" for instance) you to create a hotspot on your phone that the car connects to... The digital dash is a useful upgrade from my old BMW and I like being able to stick the nav map in front of you and use the main screen for audio...

CarPlay and the Android thingy are standard on my car (as is touchscreen)... So if you use Waze etc... (although not on mine, you can get gesture and voice controls as extras)

The adaptive lights I have on the car (as extra) appear to work basically the same way that the icon adaptive did on the BMW... The wash of light in front of the car seems better, however... a more even coverage and a very clear beam throw... but they do the beam splitting variable distribution tricks...

The adaptive cruise and traffic jam assist works the same as BMW...

Other than that, the car looks good (very crisp in plain white with shadow line type black trim and red GTI accents... I got the "Santiago" wheels and I think they suit the car better than the standard ones... plus a grey alcantara-type interior), goes good, and should prove to be just what I was looking for coming out of the 3-er and looking to spend less this time around (a similarly specified G20 330i M Sport - similar engines - was coming out nearly 40% more over four years)...

So, real question, is the BMW 330i M Sport 40% more/better than the GTI...?

Different cars, obviously... and it'll be interesting to see how BMW price up and position the new 1-er, which will be FWD and more direct golf rival than ever before... But the 330 was not, to me, worth spending 40% more on... It's more car, yes, I would say, slightly roomier, bigger load space, nicer interior... but it's not 40% more/better...

The only features of the BMW I will miss is the surround view, and maybe the heated steering wheel...

[Wills2]

Pictures please, I'm too tired to read

[mikeoz]

Nice write up.
I agree with you on the wheels i had them on my GTI few years back and they are much better than Std.

[Oceanic]

I had a new Golf GTi on hire for 3 months in between cars and I can honestly say it was more fun to drive on my commute to work than either my 440i or my current S5, just so much more agile and hilarious in the twisties. Manual gearbox is a peach too.

[DaveA]

Originally Posted by Wills2

Pictures please, I'm too tired to read

.. and I am too old to work out how to get pictures to show here...

Ooh, hang on... what's this...

[Steve_M_Sport]

Originally Posted by DaveA

.. and I am too old to work out how to get pictures to show here...

Ooh, hang on... what's this...

I agree that looks great in white with the red accents

[dopper99]

Good post, but you’ve not mentioned much about the handling and lightness of the car?
That should be apparent immediately against a 340i I’d have thought.

I noticed quite a difference in my Golf R against anything I’ve owned in the last 10 years (mainly 3 series). And mines heavier than a GTI.

[DaveA]

Originally Posted by Steve_M_Sport

I agree that looks great in white with the red accents

Thanks... The red accents look odd on some of the other colours but with the black and the white, they work so much better aesthetically...

[DaveA]

Originally Posted by Oceanic

I had a new Golf GTi on hire for 3 months in between cars and I can honestly say it was more fun to drive on my commute to work than either my 440i or my current S5, just so much more agile and hilarious in the twisties. Manual gearbox is a peach too.

I thought the ride was bit OTT at first... then checked tyre pressures and found that the dealer had them set at close to 50psi for delivery..!!!

They are now set at the recommended 41 and we will see how that goes... It's on Pirelli P Zeros... should not have same issues as the BMW's RFT's...

[DaveA]

Originally Posted by dopper99

Good post, but you’ve not mentioned much about the handling and lightness of the car?
That should be apparent immediately against a 340i I’d have thought.

I noticed quite a difference in my Golf R against anything I’ve owned in the last 10 years (mainly 3 series). And mines heavier than a GTI.

I was waiting until I'd had a bit more time in the car before really commenting on that... I have not pushed it yet, still running it in... Also, the dealer had set the tyre pressures way too high, so that will have affected my initial impressions of the ride...

Yes, of course, the car seems far more nimble and direct around the bends and, basically, if you adopt a traditional FWD driving style, the car just follows the nose (as long as you don't overcook the entry speed), so compared to how I described the 3-er in recently posts, it seems far more connected...

The ride was seeming harsh at times, but I suspect the tyre pressures were mainly to blame (now corrected).

The lightness is less apparent at the mo' in a straight line (a lighter car with 245hp vrs a heavier car with 325hp) as I have not been pushing it... but initial impressions are that it will not feel significantly slower than the 3-er on the slip roads etc...

The DSG box is nice... I have not had it in sports mode yet for a play, but will report back when I do...

[dopper99]

Yes the DSG I think is very good and I’ve never had any problems with it so far. Changes quick too of course being dual clutch.

With regards the sat nav .... the general consensus on the VW forums is most people with Car Play seem to use either Google Maps or Waze. And you get the added benefit of speed camera alerts. I think the stock VW sat nav can be a little hit and miss, so what I’ve read. I only really use Car Play.
The downside with those two is you can’t get the map on the active dash. Only the built-in one can go on the active dash.

[mikeoz]

I found the GTI PP i had was the best handling FWD car i have ever owned. The Diff is amazing and you can really feel it working and pulling the front end around to sling shot you though a corner...excellent Diff A form of Germanic Witch Craft

[DaveA]

Originally Posted by dopper99

Yes the DSG I think is very good and I’ve never had any problems with it so far. Changes quick too of course being dual clutch.

Yes, just seems swap gears with no fuss, in manual or auto modes...

Originally Posted by dopper99

With regards the sat nav .... the general consensus on the VW forums is most people with Car Play seem to use either Google Maps or Waze. And you get the added benefit of speed camera alerts. I think the stock VW sat nav can be a little hit and miss, so what I’ve read. I only really use Car Play.
The downside with those two is you can’t get the map on the active dash. Only the built-in one can go on the active dash.

I downloaded Waze so I can see the difference...

The VW maps are TomTom, which should be OK as far as reliability and being up to date (they do two updates per year, apparently)... but, as far as I can tell, the system relies upon TMC for traffic allowances (which we all know is well behind the times) unless you connect CarNet through your phone and then it will pull down a RTTI-type services to enhance the traffic routing (on your data)... I have set that up, so I will be interested to see how it compares.. and then it depends upon what engine they used in the system to drive the navigation decisions...

So I shall do a compare/contrast on my next longer journey...

What VW forums are worth reading, BTW..?

[JustChris]

Splendid it's a great all round packages IMO. Reviews are all extremely positive, these days I'm not sure what a 5 star car rating is, seems to be reserved for GT3s but this is a 5 star.

[Broncho]

Love the GTI in fact I love the MK7 golf full stop, it’s my choice of hire car every time when I’m in Spain, I genuinely can’t fault them.

If I got a GTI it’d also be the same colour and spec as the OP’s except I’d go manual as I don’t like DSG.

Very nice

[Wills2]

Very nice, you can't beat a GTi.

What more do you need, looks great, well specced, fast etc...etc...

[doncarlyon]

That is very nice!

[isleaiw1]

Another vote of approval here, lovely car,

Red accents look good with Tornado red car - the only colour I have had a Golf in so far!

[Rbrown]

Very nice. Loved my GTI.

[Scoobyd]

Will look forward to hearing more of your thoughts as you get more miles under its belt!

What's the ride comfort like compared to the 340i?

From all you ever see and hear about the Golf GTi, especially the Mk 7.5, it's a brilliant all rounder. Especially for the money when the right deals are about.

Enjoy!

[dopper99]

Originally Posted by DaveA

Yes, just seems swap gears with no fuss, in manual or auto modes...



I downloaded Waze so I can see the difference...

The VW maps are TomTom, which should be OK as far as reliability and being up to date (they do two updates per year, apparently)... but, as far as I can tell, the system relies upon TMC for traffic allowances (which we all know is well behind the times) unless you connect CarNet through your phone and then it will pull down a RTTI-type services to enhance the traffic routing (on your data)... I have set that up, so I will be interested to see how it compares.. and then it depends upon what engine they used in the system to drive the navigation decisions...

So I shall do a compare/contrast on my next longer journey...

What VW forums are worth reading, BTW..?

I go on https://www.vwroc.com/forums/ although it is primarily a Golf R forum you’ll find lots of general useful Golf stuff on there. Some knowledgeable folk so ask away if you need to know anything. And you may even bump into Brigand, albeit reincarnated under a different name.

[DaveA]

Thanks for all the great, kind comments, folk... I'll pop in again tomorrow and pick up on specific points raised (ride compared to 340, for instance)... But just wanted to let you know I appreciate all the feedback and support...