Time to say farewell - I'll miss it.

[Steveo]

After three years with my MkVI GTI I am moving on to another brand (86). It was a tough call because the new MkVII GTI looks and drives great.

I will miss many things about the GTI. I love the burble sound as I change up or down on the DSG. That grunt when you push your right foot down is fantastic.... that torque kicks in from such a low rev range - and I have had a Commodore SS in the past. This just beats it for fun. I have also kept finding little things about the car that might be in the manual, but that is not the easiest document to read.

For those who worry about VW reliability, I am just about to notch up 70,000km and the car has not missed a beat.

I would say it is a better around town car than a highway car - about half my time/distance has been on the highway and I just could not get a comfortable seating position for long distance, mainly because the squab has too much rake for me. If I had my time over I would have gone for the leather/electric seats and that would have fixed the problem. Zipping around the backstreets really shows up how driveable it is.

What else would I change if I was given the design pencil? Not much...maybe a taller gear for the highway. It has the torque to handle it. Bluetooth and parking sensors as standard would have been nice - but that is fixed on the MkVII.

Most surprising standard thing that I would not have selected as an option? The auto-dimming rear-view mirror. Seemed crazy to me, but with the number of SUVs that loom in your rear windscreen, or the number of people with poorly aimed headlights, this was surprisingly useful. (Some of the HIDs annoy me in that area). The standard tyres left a lot to be desired, but new Michelins fixed the roar that came with the originals.

It also holds much more than you think in the boot... and the fold down seats mean you can carry a lot.

I have enjoyed our time together and I am sure I will miss that torque and power in my new ride... and might even regret my decision on that alone.... especially when I need to get ahead at the lights without too much fuss.

I might be back.

[dsuhiti]

Why an 86?

[minke]

you won't be disappointed. It's a better drive (if you are actually driving it rather than commuting) I didn't part take due to family (young) but it's on the garage list for later in life.

I did 1000km loop in both the 86 and GTi and the 86 was far more rewarding but the GTi is such an awesome overall package (86 can't do roof racks as an example)

[Steveo]

I drove both the MkVII GTI and an 86 and while they are both good drives, the 86 was just a bit more fun. I had a bigger smile on my face after the 86, while the new GTI was very much like the car I just spent three years driving.

The 86 goes around corners like it is on rails and I found it comfortable to sit in. It's a bit stiffer and uncomfortable on rough roads... but just fun.

I also like the look of the 86 - just wish it had a turbo.

It was a close call and I flip-flopped for days before I settled on the 86.

[minke]

I also like the look of the 86 - just wish it had a turbo.

I disagree. I think there is where many mis understand the car. It's not a numbers car. It's not a 'power' car. It's why the team didn't set a 'ring' laptime as it's not about that.

the 86 is purely a driving car and it rewards talent and the lack of power doesn't allow poor entry speeds to be masked by power.

Also you'd lose the throttle response which soon will be a thing of the past. MBenz retiring the 6.2 v8 atmo use in the SLS/C63 etc etc etc.. Audi has committed to keeping the v10plus alive into the next iteration of vehicles but it's days have to be numbered too. The current 911 991 GT3's atmo future is shaky too..

A top notch atmo engine with supurb throttle response will be missed by me long before missing a manual.