Golf GTI: the good, the bad, the weird...and appreciation thread

[hooba]

How come mine doesn't dip (talking about the passenger side view mirror when in reverse)? How do you activate it?

You need to set it, the How To is in the manual. Something like "turn on car - select reverse - adjust passenger side mirror to where you want it to dip to - happy days"...

[HY001]

You need to set it, the How To is in the manual. Something like "turn on car - select reverse - adjust passenger side mirror to where you want it to dip to - happy days"...

hmmm my GTI doesnt have the 'folding' mirror option.... ripped off! looking at the manual (page 116) i'm missing that icon

[hooba]

hmmm my GTI doesnt have the 'folding' mirror option.... ripped off! looking at the manual (page 116) i'm missing that icon

You needed to have ordered Park Assist in order to get that little goodie.

[Corey_R]

hmmm my GTI doesnt have the 'folding' mirror option.... ripped off! looking at the manual (page 116) i'm missing that icon

To clarify... the guys are talking about "dipping" mirror (glass), not folding mirrors (where the entire mirror housing turns in towards the doors to reduce the car width). Folding mirrors is not available on the Golf in Australia.

[MkVIGTI]

To enable to 'dipping' function, you will also need to leave the mirror adjustment knob to the 'L' side

[Tux]

The Good:

1. It's 'presence'. I open the garage door and enjoy just looking at it. It's a good start to a drive!
2. The interior is quality.
3. The steering wheel is cool.
4. The MFD and how it integrates with everything.
5. The cruise control can be adjusted to a set number, ie. 59
6. The DSG is so much fun I can't believe it. So many ways to change gears and it's genuinely good fun...especially the 'blip'.
7. The brakes are more than adequate.
8. The auto dimming mirror.
9. The RVC is great at night especially.
10. The left mirror dipping is great.
11. The Optical parking sensors are great for inner city parking.
12. Park assist for 'novelty' value... Actually can be quick when used correctly
13. The big display of the RNS510
14. The Skoda bluetooth is great how it integrates..shame it isn't standard.
15. The VW emblem used for the RVC and boot release is so cool.

The Not So Good:

1. Big mirrors for small rear view
2. MDI can be hit and miss.
3. No door scuff protectors standard.
4. A $200 TomTom is a much better sat nav than the RNS510...(I know, I know, the RNS is much more than 'just' a sat nav)


The weird:
1. The rain sensing wipers are mental.
2. Park assist can put your wheels against the gutter. (I think that has to do with how close the vehicle you park behind is to the gutter)

[AdamD]

I'm reordering my responses, to take advantage of the Recency principle!

The Bad

• Poorly designed sunroof switch (physically large, not illuminated, doesn't always reflect the physical position of the roof, need to count the number of notches to close)
• Difficult to locate some switchgear, especially at night (overhead lighting for instance)
• Cruise control cancel button (when not using the brake) - too easy to turn the cruise off altogether
• Confusing options and behaviour of the MFD (many options are not clearly named, and their selection can cause unexpected side effects)
• Owner's manual can be hard going, but worse, many features are either undocumented or are documented incorrectly (yep, the MFD again), and it helps to be an engineer to fully understand them!

The Weird (and not so good)

• The design of the rear of the Golf predisposes it to becoming filthy very quickly in rain
• The MDI's propensity to skip the first second or two of some tracks
• RNS-510 touchscreen sensitivity a bit hit-and-miss, hard to use while driving
• 17" rims do the looks no favours (I'll have to fix that one...)

The Good (and great)

• Incredibly versatile and competent all-rounder - a fast performance car, convincing luxury car, useful gear-lugger. This is the best car I've owned without question, and one of the very best to drive too
• Sleeper factor - looks subtle, surprises many!
• Outstanding DSG transmission is so good it reads my mind when deciding on shifts, makes the car sound fantastic, downchanges like an absolute pro, and is even quicker than a manual. It took something this good to coax me out of a manual, and I don't regret that choice one little bit
• Beautifully-finished interior looks and feels far better than it has any right to in this market - it feels special
• So many surprise features that have been masterfully thought out and well executed, that make the ownership experience that much better (clever return on wipers, MFD data and integration with head unit, cruise control speed display, shopping hooks in boot, the bottle opener, the list goes on and on)

[Lima]

[*]The footrest to the right of the accelerator pedal -- handy, but often my foot gets caught on it. Has made for some interesting hill starts.

My Mk4 GTI had this, the Mk5 too and the S3 as well.

When I got my Mk4 it used to bug me like it does you. But after a while I learned to like it. So much so that any car without this now feels wrong.

[Ryan_R]

I've only got the 118 TSI - but share many of the good/bad points that you've posted above. I also couldn't find the left mirror drop function in the MDF Settings - surely it isn't just on the GTI?

[Lima]

I've only got the 118 TSI - but share many of the good/bad points that you've posted above. I also couldn't find the left mirror drop function in the MDF Settings - surely it isn't just on the GTI?

IIRC it's only available if you have rear parking sensors???