Autocar - new Golf GTi road test

Turbonutter · Autocar - new Golf GTi road test

Always an important car.

Mk6 Golf Gti better in many ways than the old one but reportedly less fun to drive
0-100 in 16.3
Max of 149mph

Nice Guy Eddie

I'll look forward to seeing this when I get home. It'll be a shame if its less fun to drive then a Mk5 as my car is already a little too grown up.

So how can the new GTi be better then the old one if its less fun to drive. Surely this is the most important factor in any hot hatch.

Gurney

Dr. Hfuhruhurr

Telling line in the verdict: "we'd rather own the Mk 6, but rather drive the Mk 5". Hard to avoid the conclusion they've made the regular GTI a bit more refined and hence less involving in anticipation of the forthcoming GTI-R moving in the opposite direction. Whereas the Mk 5 GTI, as they point out, was a perfect compromise between refinement and involvement.

Martin

The Mark 5 GTI was the most grown up of the hot hatches and all the better for it in my opinion. Fun to drive, but comfortable, well made, good looking and easy to live with. That made it the best all round hot hatch (for me).

The 130i was the same, just the next step up, which is why the GTI was the other car on my shortlist.

It's a shame if some of the fun has gone, if that's just less fun on a single track mountain pass (a normal road in Autocar world), then I could live with that for a better quality interior and something that looks more GTI than the old car (excluding the special editions).

Guitar Zero

Why does it cost more than a Scirocco ?

Circa £2k when you consider the Scirocco has some adapative suspension gubbins as standard.

Martin

Eff One

Looks like it will be more than enough car for most people, all of the time, even if it does lack a little sparkle. Mine would be a Mk5 - or more likely a Scirocco - though, not least because of the styling. I always thought the Mk5 a very attractive design; the Mk6 is a big step backwards, bland and slabby.

The GTi alloys are nasty, unfortunately identical to the Mk5 as far as I can tell. The multispoke 17s on the GT-spec Golfs are far more attractive.

That 1271kg kerb weight is highly impressive but I doubt it's accurate - Autocar's test Scirocco weighed nearly 100kg more than the 1298kg claim, although it was fully loaded.

Guitar Zero

Has the Scirocco got the latest 208 bhp engine ?

Or will the price be re-adjusted when they put the new engine in ?

the other ct

Don't know but the Scirocco R20T has the older engine because it is easier (probably cheaper) to get 265 bhp out of it. Which, if true, begs the question how different are they and why bother. Especially if it is harder to get better performance from it.

It must be very 'green'!

Eff One

"him"

But wasn't the whole point of the Mk6 to cut production costs?

Or was it just to cut costs and make more profit, rather than to sell cheaper cars...

Dr. Hfuhruhurr

Nice Guy Eddie

I think the new Gti produces only 170carbons which is mighty impressive and only a touch more then most diesels so therefore I guess its harder to modify with more power.

Martin

Turbonutter

Eff One

Guitar Zero

When Autocar weighed the Passat CC - it came out at 1530kgs

So that's either a heavy ass Golf or a light ass Passat

Mark

I'd just take a Scirocco.

I don't like the look of the Mk 6 Golf - the glasshouse is too big - or the waistline too low, especially on the 5 door. The latest Audi A4 has the same problem in my eyes. They don't look substantial enough.

Frank Bullitt

VW have also been looking at the Morgan Aero 8 for styling cues - with the dipped lights on they look like apologetic 'Football Eyes'. Euch.

Holds no appeal over the Mk5, more expensive; ergo what's the point (other than fleecing the customer).

Dreary.

ALF

Personally, if I was going to buy a car new that was not subject to huge discount, I would be more likely to buy something that was a big step and had some newness value for some time, as that might help me get over being taken to the cleaners depreciation-wise.

The Mk5 GTi was a huge step up from the Mk4, which in many forms (120bhp "GTi" as owned by a friend of mine, for example) was a total joke as a driver's car. The Mk5 was unusually powerful and quick at the time it came out and made a big splash - it was a serious hot hatch from a company that looked like it might have given up and sold out with normal cars with a GTi badge tacked on the back (late model Escort, anyone?). But the Mk6, many years later, is just a slight enhancement of that with essentially the same looks, engine, etc. Which would put me right off being a new customer, personally.

You can say the same for the 350Z/370Z and many other cars. There must be more satisfaction to being an early owner of a ground-breaking car and if buying a new car I would try and do this...

PG

I've not reads the review yet, but to go against the crowd perhaps, I like the Mk 6 Golf. I think that in all but GTi guise, the nose of the Mk5 never really worked. It looks better now and the rest is much of the same.

But the pricing still looks rather comedic, or maybe that's just me being left by the Euro / £ changes and the fact that I'm still at a £20k mental barrier for Golf sized cars at the very top of the FG range. Wheras VW think that's £27k thank you very much.

I've seen a few Scriocco's on the road and I don't like them. They look too heavy arsed.

Pkh72

Guitar Zero

The Audi S3 is now far better value if you want a posh hatch with beans.

Apart from the extra beef (50 odd ponies), 4 wheel drive and a nicer interior, the S3 comes as standard with most of the extras that push the Golf past £27k.

Eff One

Gurney

Read the test this morning and whilst it does appeal I would still rather have the S3, or better still a Scirocco. Lop a couple of grand off and I might think differently.

Nice Guy Eddie

I'm no fan of the Scirocco as I can't really get on with the rather weak styling. The Scirocco R should answer many of the critisisms I have of it and if its sold for less then 25k it will be a bit of a bargain compared to the GTI. Trouble is what I'd really want is a Golf GTi R but I struggle to see how they will sell it for less then an S3 for what will be a very similar car. I guess VW will make it a much better steer and should therefore be able to justify the similar pricing.

Eff One

I actually really like the S3. It's a tad porky at 1455kg but given that it's 4WD I can forgive it that - and Autocar at least were very complementary about its handling.

A Broadspeed-esque discount would net you a new one for under £25k plus options - and there aren't too many of those.

Nice Guy Eddie

Guitar Zero

S3 is the one to chose if you must have a posher

Otherwise - you can get a mountuned ST2 for £20k (drive the deal) and in terms of character, aggression and thuggish grunt - it slaps it's fat meat in the faces of the Golf and the Audi.

Yes, it looks a bit like a training shoe, but if you go for a discreet colour and charcoal trim - it's smart enough whilst still looking mean as fuck

Nice Guy Eddie

You see I'd never take the ST over the Gti because I'm too much of a snob but I'd always take a Golf over an A3 as I don't like the fact the Audis a posh Golf. Although if Skoda were to launch a decent Octavia then thats were I'd really like to stick my money.

Andy C

Did you get a drive in a Mountune ST over the weekend GZ?

Guitar Zero

No - the morning's floor tile removal took all day - so didn't get the chance

I did find out from Mountune that Archer's of Ashby have a demo versions of both the Focus and Fiesta

So I will arrange to have a go in one soon

PG

I've read the road test now and looked at drivethedeal. I might take it partly back re the pricing. Apart from Xenon's (which do seem a rip off) I could live without all the other axtra FG Autocar had. The cloth seats look good, the standard wheels are OK. But add on DSG and make it a 5 door and it still seems too much, but not as silly as before.

Matt

I'm rather taken with that Mountune Fiesta that's been doing the rounds, especially as I was behind a white 3-door recently and it looked great.

scamper

From my ownership, the quality and build of the interior was a real let down, without even comparing it to an A3, as was the dealership service and cost. I hope the mark 6 GTi imrpoves on this.

Apart from that a 5 dr Mark 5 on 18's was just about as said, all the car you'd ever need, but the `engineered feel' was not always there compared to a mark 4.

It would be interesting to see how the mag defines it as not as much fun. If I recall, its lighter than the out going model for starters, but perhaps now just a bit too clinical perhaps with the other improvements. The power output can always be easily enhanced.

Frank Bullitt

Used Mk5 looks like good value now as they are under £10K.

Gooner

Am I the only one who feels the new GTI has kinda sneaked onto sale? There were various articles across all the mags a few months back and then nothing. Then all of a sudden there's a full road test! I can understand why it's more refined and possible going back towards the mk4 GTI slightly. The mk5 GTI was it's own model with the R32 being aimed at a different market. This time the R version will be much closer in concept with a 2ltr turbo and likely no 4wd.