[rokut]

Read all of your report with real interest as I've just moved from S4 to A35 - many similarities in differences/ feel from what I've read
Can you link which wingle/ dongle you've gone for? Is £40 the going rate? As that's what I've seen on all of my 5.7 seconds of research!

[DaveA]

Originally Posted by rokut

Read all of your report with real interest as I've just moved from S4 to A35 - many similarities in differences/ feel from what I've read

Yeah, I think the hatches are all generally well sorted and (for my uses) I see no real benefit/hardship over the FWD/RWD "debate".

Originally Posted by rokut

Can you link which wingle/ dongle you've gone for? Is £40 the going rate? As that's what I've seen on all of my 5.7 seconds of research!

Sounds about right... One of these:

https://consumer.huawei.com/en/mobile-broadband/e8372/

There are cheaper ones, but this is the latest (I think)...

I am assuming the Mercedes system is similar to the VW..??

[TodmordenLad]

Good write up, thanks Dave. I've always had a soft spot for the Golf GTi and the Mk7/7.5 is a great looking car, one of the best imo. I've test driven a couple in recent years and wasn't bowled over by the driving experience tbh, but maybe I need an extended one where I can give it some beans and try it on a mix of roads.
I appreciate your point about the power of the GTi being more than enough for most of the time and you're probably right. Right now, however, I'd miss the B58 engine / ZF box combo, which is pretty hard to beat imo

[DaveA]

Originally Posted by TodmordenLad

Good write up, thanks Dave. I've always had a soft spot for the Golf GTi and the Mk7/7.5 is a great looking car, one of the best imo. I've test driven a couple in recent years and wasn't bowled over by the driving experience tbh, but maybe I need an extended one where I can give it some beans and try it on a mix of roads.

I find it quite docile in eco/normal modes (handy for the supermarket and your day-to-day runs), yet it comes alive in sports settings when you press on along the sports of A and B roads I have around here (on the northern edge of N Yorks Moors National Park)... You can tip it late into a corner then use the engine to pull it through (different to RWD lines etc)...

One tip, set up the "individual" setting as the sport mode as, in doing so, you can disable the sound "enhancer" by picking "eco" for sound... Believe me, it's blessing to be able to do this...

Originally Posted by TodmordenLad

I appreciate your point about the power of the GTi being more than enough for most of the time and you're probably right. Right now, however, I'd miss the B58 engine / ZF box combo, which is pretty hard to beat imo

Of course... and that's such a personal thing, isn't it... only you can make the decision...

I find the DSG box generally as smooth as the BMW's ZF, but in sports, it's more noticeably down-changing with a "shunt" than the BM when in AUTO... I think this is how they programmed it to make it feel sporty... But you can swap to manual, like the BM...

No doubt, the ZF was a massive improvement fro BMW and is really good..

I'd say my 340 was better at the cruising type performance stuff and the VW was better at the chucking it about type performance stuff... The latter being my 10% having fun time...

The problem with the 340 for me was that 10% stuff never felt comfortable to me, wheras the Golf does... and for the remaining 90%, the benefits of the BMW were not worth the extra cost (to me, a personal thing, of course)...

I like that the VW stays below the higher tax bands (when compared to the modern alternatives from Audi, BM, Merc etc, it is cheaper to insure, and servicing/maintenance costs are going to be likely more than half of what the BMW was going to cost me to keep on...

[SkyJawa]

Originally Posted by DaveA

Yeah, I think the hatches are all generally well sorted and (for my uses) I see no real benefit/hardship over the FWD/RWD "debate".




Sounds about right... One of these:

https://consumer.huawei.com/en/mobile-broadband/e8372/

There are cheaper ones, but this is the latest (I think)...

I am assuming the Mercedes system is similar to the VW..??

Exactly the wingle I went for and is sitting in my office, just need the car! There’s loads of Tiguan users using that setup and rate it highly.

[gr4z]

Great review. I also have a soft spot for VW Golf GTIs as had 3 when I was younger. R model for me is too heavy. The GTI has always been a great car to chuck around.

With the costs of the 4 series next year likely to be too much for me, I am considering either an EV (Company Car) or a Golf GTI next, with almost the exact spec you have. Prices look good and with the new model around the corner I am looking forward to seeing what VW reveal.

Did you not get the adaptive suspension or the enhanced ICE system?

[doncarlyon]

Originally Posted by DaveA

Sorry, I missed this post... Not that I have taken, but the pictures on the VW configurator are pretty accurate, I would say...

CLICK HERE FOR LINK TO MY SPEC AND GALLERY ON VW WEBSITE

That interior is nice, much better than the tartan kilt.

[DaveA]

Originally Posted by SkyJawa

Exactly the wingle I went for and is sitting in my office, just need the car! There’s loads of Tiguan users using that setup and rate it highly.

I have a Three sim now, wingle due to be delivered in coming days... Looks like it's going to be best set up in the house/office, first, with the wingle connected to a USB charger and a laptop etc connected to the wingle's network, for the registration etc with Three...

Which forum did you find useful, by the way... I am struggling to find a good VW forum.. The "R" one is OK, but not as expansive as (say) these forums... I have learned more useful stuff from VW owners in F30 post than in the VW forums... hahaha...

[DaveA]

Originally Posted by gr4z

Great review. I also have a soft spot for VW Golf GTIs as had 3 when I was younger. R model for me is too heavy. The GTI has always been a great car to chuck around.

With the costs of the 4 series next year likely to be too much for me, I am considering either an EV (Company Car) or a Golf GTI next, with almost the exact spec you have. Prices look good and with the new model around the corner I am looking forward to seeing what VW reveal.

Did you not get the adaptive suspension or the enhanced ICE system?

I did not get adaptive or the enhanced ICE (albeit I did get the better sound system with the standard ICE)... This was a stock car and you will find very few stock cars come with the bigger ticket extras... Most (when I looked) were cloth seats and fairly standard wheels... Mine having the roof, lane assist plus, extra audio, alcantara and big wheels was a bit of an oddity in the stock...

TBH, the standard ICE does (I think) basically all the same stuff with a slightly smaller screen, which does not seem small to me... With the digital dash, of course, you can put the maps etc up there, not on the screen, so everything else seems fine without the larger screen... You can add voice control to the standard ICE... and although you do not get touchless gesture control, it is touchscreen and you can swipe etc etc... it will hide the bottom menus and display as your hand gets close, so there is a proximity sensor...

Adaptive might be good as the standard set up is firm (but not not harsh)... But with stock cars, you have to compromise... For a factory order, I might do that... But it is 12/14 weeks and, to be honest, I took the one on offer as it was close enough...

I am interested, also, to see what improvements/adaptations they go for with Mk8... My guess is that the CarNet will swap to a fully integrated service using the car's inbuilt sim (as with BMW)... Also, some of the extras that are being included as standard in the last few months of Mk7.5 might move back to being extras (keyless, rear camera, etc)...

[isleaiw1]

Originally Posted by doncarlyon

That interior is nice, much better than the tartan kilt.

How dare you! A GTi has to have a tartan interior.

Like a BMW has to have discrete kidney grills.....

[isleaiw1]

Originally Posted by DaveA

I have a Three sim now, wingle due to be delivered in coming days... Looks like it's going to be best set up in the house/office, first, with the wingle connected to a USB charger and a laptop etc connected to the wingle's network, for the registration etc with Three...

Which forum did you find useful, by the way... I am struggling to find a good VW forum.. The "R" one is OK, but not as expansive as (say) these forums... I have learned more useful stuff from VW owners in F30 post than in the VW forums... hahaha...

https://www.golfgtiforum.co.uk/index.php?board=117.0

try this one.... havent been on for a while but it was OK when I had my Golf back in 2015...

[DaveA]

Originally Posted by doncarlyon

That interior is nice, much better than the tartan kilt.

The interior is very smart in the flesh... Have a look through the VW approved used ads and look at the few with that interior as you can see the various pics the dealers upload...

Personally, I prefer it to the leather, also...

In the past, you could not get bum warmers on the alcantara seats, but you do, now... and that used to be the main reason to go for leather..

The check cloth, of course, is a throw back to old GTI interiors...

[DaveA]

Originally Posted by isleaiw1

How dare you! A GTi has to have a tartan interior.

Sadly, I felt the need to go against the flow, here...

Originally Posted by isleaiw1

Like a BMW has to have discrete kidney grills.....

My E30 M3 (back in the day) was black with a grey check cloth interior... It was really nice combination but a nightmare to keep clean... That had discrete kidney grilles also... win/win...

[gr4z]

Originally Posted by DaveA

I did not get adaptive or the enhanced ICE (albeit I did get the better sound system with the standard ICE)... This was a stock car and you will find very few stock cars come with the bigger ticket extras... Most (when I looked) were cloth seats and fairly standard wheels... Mine having the roof, lane assist plus, extra audio, alcantara and big wheels was a bit of an oddity in the stock...

TBH, the standard ICE does (I think) basically all the same stuff with a slightly smaller screen, which does not seem small to me... With the digital dash, of course, you can put the maps etc up there, not on the screen, so everything else seems fine without the larger screen... You can add voice control to the standard ICE... and although you do not get touchless gesture control, it is touchscreen and you can swipe etc etc... it will hide the bottom menus and display as your hand gets close, so there is a proximity sensor...

Adaptive might be good as the standard set up is firm (but not not harsh)... But with stock cars, you have to compromise... For a factory order, I might do that... But it is 12/14 weeks and, to be honest, I took the one on offer as it was close enough...

I am interested, also, to see what improvements/adaptations they go for with Mk8... My guess is that the CarNet will swap to a fully integrated service using the car's inbuilt sim (as with BMW)... Also, some of the extras that are being included as standard in the last few months of Mk7.5 might move back to being extras (keyless, rear camera, etc)...

Spotted this today
https://www.msn.com/en-gb/cars/news/...cid=anaheimntp

A fully online GTI is coming...

Do you still get Apple Carplay with the standard ICE? It's not very clear on the VW site.

[isleaiw1]

Originally Posted by DaveA

Sadly, I felt the need to go against the flow, here...



My E30 M3 (back in the day) was black with a grey check cloth interior... It was really nice combination but a nightmare to keep clean... That had discrete kidney grilles also... win/win...

My E30 318iS had something similar - gorgeous looking car, not quite as gorgeous as yours with the blister wheelarches but at least the steering wheel was on the right side...

The tartan is a marmite thing but I loved it and would have it again. I did also have check seats in a 1985 Nova 1.3 SR!!

[DaveA]

Originally Posted by gr4z

Spotted this today
https://www.msn.com/en-gb/cars/news/...cid=anaheimntp

A fully online GTI is coming...

Yes, that would be totally logical as the latest ones (mine included) have a sim card for the SOS emergency call function and for things like uploading the vehicle status/location (you don't need your own data for that aspect, even now, you only need your own data for online services such as real time traffic - tomtom, I believe - and stuff like weather etc)...

Going to a system where all the connectivity flows through the in-built sim (a la BMW) is logical...

Originally Posted by gr4z

Do you still get Apple Carplay with the standard ICE? It's not very clear on the VW site.

Yes, I got Apple Carplay with mine... I think it comes as part of the CarNet package, rather than the ICE, so that's maybe where the discrepancy is on the listings...?

According to the price list I have from April, CarNet is standard on all new Golfs except the base "S" model (where it is a £175 option)...

It also comes the Android equivalent and something called "MirrorLink" for other systems...

[DaveA]

Originally Posted by isleaiw1

My E30 318iS had something similar - gorgeous looking car, not quite as gorgeous as yours with the blister wheelarches but at least the steering wheel was on the right side...

It would be the same seats, as the "standard" M3's came with seats that were also used on other models...

M3's are silly/stupid money now... Truly not worth the prices being asked for them... But they are iconic now, unfortunately (for people who would buy at sensible values) and bought by folk who don't mind spending the extra...

But they really are not worth the money being asked...

Modern classics are better value to iconic cars... I would quite like to find an unmolested E30 318iS also... with the 16v 4 pot engine... Henna Red... Grey or Black interior... With the two door shell it's a cracking little car...

Originally Posted by isleaiw1

The tartan is a marmite thing but I loved it and would have it again. I did also have check seats in a 1985 Nova 1.3 SR!!

I wasn't against the pattern, more I wanted the micro fibre interior... One of my last cars (in the list in my sig) had them and I liked the feel.... Would like to find a GTI wheel in alcatrara, also... Maybe you have to have them covered by a specialist..???

[DaveA]

Originally Posted by SkyJawa

Exactly the wingle I went for and is sitting in my office, just need the car! There’s loads of Tiguan users using that setup and rate it highly.

When are you expecting the Tiguan, and what trim level did you go for...??

I must admit, I keep looking at them and thinking they are a smashing alternative to the Audi/BM SUv's etc etc... More understated in many ways... and I mean that in a very good and positive way... Much like I am finding my Golf (even in GTI guise)...

[SkyJawa]

I generally go on the Mk2 Tiguan forum and that's about it, bit tumbleweedy though!

We went for the 2.0TSi SEL with the 230bhp engine so get DCC standard. RLine had too much kit we didn't need for a fair bit more cash and the missus (or I) don't like the colours its available in. Also you can't spec a heated steering wheel on the RLine which is a deal breaker! Also because its not the RLine it won't be as shouty!


We got the 5b Shipping notification on Tuesday so it should be in the country within a week I'd have thought, hope it gets to the dealer quickly as its 25 mins from the port!


We had to reg it before sept due to new regulations so asap the better since that's the case, but VW gave us another 500 quid off as a result.

[F20MAW73]

Originally Posted by SkyJawa

I generally go on the Mk2 Tiguan forum and that's about it, bit tumbleweedy though!

We went for the 2.0TSi SEL with the 230bhp engine so get DCC standard. RLine had too much kit we didn't need for a fair bit more cash and the missus (or I) don't like the colours its available in. Also you can't spec a heated steering wheel on the RLine which is a deal breaker! Also because its not the RLine it won't be as shouty!


We got the 5b Shipping notification on Tuesday so it should be in the country within a week I'd have thought, hope it gets to the dealer quickly as its 25 mins from the port!


We had to reg it before sept due to new regulations so asap the better since that's the case, but VW gave us another 500 quid off as a result.

My Mrs is getting her Tiguan delivered this Saturday.

We went for the 1.5 Tsi EVO 150 R Line Tech 5dr DSG

It will be a bit of a step up in size of car from the her Audi A1! The ever growing 8 month old labrador has forced the move.

Tempted myself to go an all out VW family and get a GTi. Thanks for the great reviews.

[DaveA]

Originally Posted by SkyJawa

I generally go on the Mk2 Tiguan forum and that's about it, bit tumbleweedy though!

We went for the 2.0TSi SEL with the 230bhp engine so get DCC standard. RLine had too much kit we didn't need for a fair bit more cash and the missus (or I) don't like the colours its available in. Also you can't spec a heated steering wheel on the RLine which is a deal breaker! Also because its not the RLine it won't be as shouty!


We got the 5b Shipping notification on Tuesday so it should be in the country within a week I'd have thought, hope it gets to the dealer quickly as its 25 mins from the port!


We had to reg it before sept due to new regulations so asap the better since that's the case, but VW gave us another 500 quid off as a result.

Sounds great, and I agree about the SE being less "shouty"... Just looking on the configurator now and it seems pretty good value for the equipment levels as standard... although a lot of what you have to pay for on the Tiguan is already fitted to the GTI... I suspect, though, that some of this is that the GTI is an outrun model now...

My guess is that you'll have it in the next few weeks... Very much doubt it'll be later than the end of this month... Looking at the VIN decoder for my GTI it was built a month before the dealer did the PDI that it has to do when it gets it...

Heated steering wheel... I forgot about that... Yes, I shall miss that from the BMW (can't have it on the GTI)

[DaveA]

Originally Posted by F20MAW73

My Mrs is getting her Tiguan delivered this Saturday.

We went for the 1.5 Tsi EVO 150 R Line Tech 5dr DSG

It will be a bit of a step up in size of car from the her Audi A1! The ever growing 8 month old labrador has forced the move.

Tempted myself to go an all out VW family and get a GTi. Thanks for the great reviews.

Always like the look of the Tiguans when I see them on the roads... I like how they are pretty much under the radar when compared to the SUV's from some other manufacturers... and great value...