How Does Mark VI GTI Compare with Mark V

[Dubya]

Most would agree that the changes between Mark VI and V GTIs are nowhere near as significant as those between previous generations.

The main changes to the GTI in the Mark VI include:

XDL
Knee airbag
8% more power
Better radio head unit
Better fuel economy (~-0.4l/100km)
New twin exhaust
No door protector strips
No air vent on top of dash above radio unit
Additional options (notably ACC, rear view camera, park assist, 8-way power driver's seat)

(The list is more or less in order of how I would value each new feature personally.)

Otherwise, many of the changes seem to be change for changes sake, or at least stylistic rather than functional.

While the front of the Mark V GTI was markedly different from cooking versions of the Golf, the Mark VI is nowhere near as distinctive.

Gone is the deep grill and scooping bumper. The new bumper has a large number plate holder that may mean the small black Euro style NSW plate that looked so good on the front of the Mark V GTI will not fit as neatly - or can the plate holder be removed without leaving mounting holes exposed? If not, white Euro plates would probably be needed to properly fit the plate holder.

While I know new cars take time to get used to, I still think the Mark V is far better looking from the front.

The justification I've read for the new front, ie to invoke the first GTI, seems lame. Could it be that the distinctive grill of the Mark V GTI and GTs was encroaching too much on Audi's image? Or was it the lower production costs of a common bumper across the range that drove the change?

The new front perhaps is the single most (if not only) disappointing part of the new GTI.

The rear of the new Golf is definitely smarter, the painted lower bumper looking much better, as do the tail lights, I think. No question the new twin exhausts are an improvement too.

But other changes appear to be mainly for the sake of change, such as those to the sunroof control knob which has gone from being a neatly recessed knob to one that protrudes quite a bit. The mono instrument binnacle is replaced by one that houses two individual and more sporty binnacles for tacho and speedo within each dial of which is housed a temperature or fuel gauge. LED colour of the info display is now white instead of red. The steering wheel has changed (improved?). As has the location of the driver's power window controls slightly (but centre console mounting is always more practical, I think).

Apart from the list of functional/equipment changes above, can anyone suggest what other significant changes there are on the Mark VI and what else makes it a better package overall and worth moving to from a young Mark V?

The investment allowance available until the end of this year aside, I'm struggling to find a compelling reason to upgrade.

[Guy_H]

Body is waaaayyyyy stiffer, its the first thing you can feel just driving around the block - allows the feel of the suspension & steering to be much more "involving".

XDL technology is awesome.

Torque spread of the TSI motor is much nicer than the FSI motor.

Gearshift on the manual is lighter & more precise.

Apart from that (to drive) they are pretty similar.

[isaw]

Body is waaaayyyyy stiffer, its the first thing you can feel just driving around the block - allows the feel of the suspension & steering to be much more "involving".

THis was the first thing i notced when I had a TDI loaner for a few days from austral, I 'had' to take it up nebo and was honestly surprised at how good the chassis felt. But honeslty it was a pleasure getting back into the GTI

[rearrange]

I drove the MkVI GTI last week at a GTI Track Day event Volkswagen held at Eastern Creek Raceway. They also had a MkV on hand for comparison. My immediate thoughts are this:

1. If you spend your time belting along at full-pelt around a wet skid pan (or live somewhere where it rains a lot) the XDL feature is worth it. I couldn't say I noticed it on the race track, but certainly on the skid pan it was quite amazing the difference it made (and the MkV is certainly no shabby thing to start with).

2. Aesthetically I prefer the new look in that it has some slight relationship to the Golf styling cues up to the MkIV. I don't think the MkV or MkVI are as good to look at as the MkIV. But as it often said, beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

3. The MkIV interior has the same theme as MkV but feels and looks a lot better quality. It is also less black and gets more chrome work around vents etc. I prefer it.

And that is all that is coming to mind (and I concur with all comments made by others above). Personally if I had a newish MkV I wouldn't be in any hurry to change unless you can't think of anything else to do with your money than to support Volkswagen. I am certain you would get just as much fun and enjoyment from a MkV as you would from a MkIV ... unless you live on a skid pan and are obsessed about interior trim. I hope this helps. Cheers.

[Lima]

The investment allowance available until the end of this year aside, I'm struggling to find a compelling reason to upgrade.

Just because a new model is released doesn't mean you have to upgrade. I realise you're not saying that, but from your sig it looks like you car is probably under two years old. If that's the case, and you don't have money to burn, you'd have to ask yourself if it was worthwhile upgrading to any car, no matter how much better it is than your current drive.

Apart from that, I do think the Mk6 GTI is better than the Mk5 GTI in pretty much every aspect (even though very marginal in a lot of those aspects) and that if you did upgrade, personal finance considerations aside, I would be surprised if you regretted it.

[Lima]

...The new bumper has a large number plate holder that may mean the small black Euro style NSW plate that looked so good on the front of the Mark V GTI will not fit as neatly...

Sadly this aspect seems to be a pot luck affair from the factory, as far as I know, and there are heaps of Mk5 GTIs with a similar bumper mounting.

Luckily, our Mk5 GTI didn't get the mounting, but I have seen others, built both before and after ours, that did.

[parso_rex]

Re the XDL stuff is there really a noticable difference over the MkV off the line and on the track if your really pushing it. I'd be interested to see how it stack up against some of the aftermarket options.

[guliver_twist]

I prefer the make 6 to the mk5, because it looks like it evolved from the mk4 which I also think is the best looking golf.. Its amazing to see so many mk4s on the road even though they are now close to 10 years old, appearing so new and in such good condition (a testament to the quality)... I really hope the mk6 (and mk5) prove to be the same..
At the same time i do like the look of the mk5 as well (except for the unpainted turtle bum)..

[Maverick]

The justification I've read for the new front, ie to invoke the first GTI, seems lame. Could it be that the distinctive grill of the Mark V GTI and GTs was encroaching too much on Audi's image? Or was it the lower production costs of a common bumper across the range that drove the change?

The new front perhaps is the single most (if not only) disappointing part of the new GTI.

The front has nothing to do with the first GTI. When Martin Winterkorn (former Audi CEO) took over he wanted a different look for the front end that didn't look like the Audi grille.

[Splashalot]

Don't forget thr new engine runs chain drive, so no more costly cambelt changes.

Also, the change of recommended fuel from 98 to 95RON is a boon here in Tassie, as the local BP distributor reams us unmercifully on Ultimate (usually 20, sometimes 30 cents extra per litre over ULP).

I guess VW's aim when designing the Mk6 GTI appeared to be "when you're on a good thing, stick to it".