MK6 -v- MK7 : Golf GTI

[WhiteJames]

Cruising on the freeway at a steady 115kph indicated on the speedo in 6th gear (actual speed being more like 110kph) in the previous MK6 Golf GTI had the revs sitting between 2750-2800 rpm based on my vague memory. The new Golf 7 GTI with Manual Transmission has the revs sitting at 2500rpm at the same speed in top gear. Good for added fuel economy.

The Golf 7 GTI in 6th gear with cruise control activated for a short time on gentle to slightly moderate incline hills has no drama pulling forward. Slight throttle application increases in the Golf 7 GTI are not as responsive as initial application in the older MK6 GTI, part due to higher gearing, part due to the port injection of the Golf 7 GTI in the midrange. No need to be concerned about the Golf 7 GTI’s pulling capacity in top gear. The immense low-end torque does feel a bit more diesel like when chugging away on the highway, not a bad thing in my opinion for long interstate trips as diesel motors make for better & more relaxed cruisers.

Running in the new Golf 7 GTI through the hills & valleys inland of the South Coast of Sydney-Wollongong area, I’ve managed to glean that part of the reason that the Golf 7 GTI is so much easier to drive is that the power delivery & turbo spooling time to max boost is much more linear than the previous MK6 GTI. The MK6 GTI turbo spools up really quickly re: boost pressure & power delivery & then running out of puff sooner. This always made the MK6 GTI difficult to modulate on the throttle on initial bursts out or corners, creating a feeling that the MK6 GTI always wanted to get away from you, in addition to a less composed chassis composure & less direct steering. The MK6 GTI was a lot harder work than the new Golf 7 GTI traversing the same route.

It seems like the Golf 7 GTI power delivery is deliberately tuned to be much more linear to cope with all that extra 70Nm of torque. The low-end torque makes the Golf 7 GTI a seriously effective instrument when overtaking on B-grade tourist roadways. I always thought the MK6 GTI was good in this regard with the instant & fast spooling turbine thrust. The Golf 7 GTI makes it so much easier, with less effort and takes the in-gear pace increase to another level. Passing two to three vehicles at one time knocking down from 6th to 4th is an absolute breeze on part throttle.

In terms of thermal dynamics, on Friday late morning on a sunny day with higher temperate, I saw up to 114 degrees max oil temp when climbing Macquarie’s Pass, stuck behind some traffic, about the same as I’ve seen on the MK6 GTI on a similar day in the same conditions. The lowest oil temp I’ve seen on the Golf 7 GTI is 103 degrees, as opposed to seeing about 93 degrees on the MK6 GTI this time of year.

Even though the Golf 7 GTI is generally running hotter (107-109 degrees) than the MK6 GTI, I think the improved thermal dynamics of the Golf 7 GTI in terms of the variance between the min & max oil temps is a good thing for the harder core types that wish to follow the enhanced power route while still maintaining greater level of reliability. Standard power supply is more than enough for me.

During this run in phase on the Golf 7 GTI, I continually disengage the stop/start system & will continue to do so until about 1500km mileage. It’s a bit annoying to have to constantly switch it off every time you start the motor for the time being.

One disappointment of the Golf 7 GTI is that the centre dash infotainment streams music directly from my iPhone via Bluetooth. This drains my phone on longer drives. I’ve had to purchase a USB to 30 point jacket cable + cigarette style power charger and cord with USB adaptor to re-charge my iPhone while on the move. The in-car charger is situated on the centre console, which makes all the exposed cables look a bit unsightly. The MK6 GTI MDI cable housed within the centre armrest compartment was a neater way of charging the mobile phone.

In respect to the XDS pseudo electronic diff. I found that XDS is more likely to interfere if your corner entry speed is too fast & narrow or your sloppy with your driving lines. Keep the lines nice and smooth with smooth throttle application and the Golf 7 GTI is deceptively potent out in the real world without too much XDS interference. I’ve also come to the realization that being an owner of two previous GTI’s with DSG auto-gearboxes has made my driving sloppy. I have to remind myself to do all my braking and downward gear changes in a straight line with the manual transmission before the entering into corners. The DSG has made it all so easy over the past 8 years with throttle blips and all.

Weight and handling is an area that I put a lot of weight on when shopping for a vehicle. I was sold on the Golf 7 GTI within the first few km’s as Volkswagen have come closer to the holy grail of suspension & chassis engineering: improving both ride refinement/comfort & handling agility. A very difficult thing to do. There was no dithering or overanalysing over the decision to upgrade. This is one way of looking at things.

On the other hand, Ray being an accountant looks at things from a different perspective. That perspective being in terms of debits/credits and assets/liabilities. Extra features being credits & assets at a certain price point. - features such optional sunroof, bigger wheels, leather, Bi-Xenons, SatNav, DSG, AWD etc. It’s a more clinical approach to purchasing a car that landed him a demo almost superseded MK6 Golf R model. I’d prefer to add another category of accounting … call it 'goodwill' if you like. That goodwill being driver enjoyment, handling & refinement/comfort and feel good factor … in other words, things that are often difficult to quantify using raw analytical data or price-points to justify that data. Things that make the Golf 7 GTI so much better than the previous MK6 Golf.

Resale value of all MK6 Golf GTI’s and MK6 Golf R’s have taken a bath. At the time I purchased my new Golf 7 GTI, two dealers I enquired with had an excess of stock of brand new MK6 Golf GTI’s on hand. One dealer had six in their holding yard, the other had ten brand new MK6 Golf GTI’s on hand: all with leather, 18” wheels, DSG and metallic paint for immediate delivery. I imagine that these brand new examples would be selling for about 40K drive-away with full 3 year warranty, which makes it difficult to ask for anything above 30K for a well-optioned second hand MK6 GTI or second-hand low spec MK6 Golf R.

Attached are a couple of links: one link for NRMA best sports hatch under 50K, being the new Golf 7 GTI. No surprises there. The other being drive.com Focus ST –v- Golf 7 GTI where it is stated that the Golf 7 GTI is about 100kgs lighter than the Focus ST, which makes the Golf 7 GTI feel much lighter on its feet in terms of agility, the very reason I went for the lightest version of the Golf 7 GTI.

Australia's Best Cars winners | NRMA Motoring & Services

Ford Focus ST v Volkswagen Golf GTI head to head

WJ

[Cantgiveyouthat]

Hi again WJ.

There are a couple of paragraphs in there regarding thermal dynamics. What exactly are you saying? The car runs hotter and this is a good thing. Why? My basic science class makes me curious about this claim.

Cheers

[WhiteJames]

Helps reduce friction losses. This is aided by a more efficient cooling system.

There's a bit of info on the cooling system here:

Volkswagen Golf 7 GTI Press Materials - VWVortex

Speaking of friction: Now that I have clocked well over 1100km for the run-in phase around the hills & valleys of the tourist routes, a few more pics of my White GTI. It's dirtied up a bit with all the rain in Sydney recently, but all good. Motor has loosen up a bit, so I may look at touching 4500rpm max revs on occasion.

http://golfmkv.com/forums/showthread...100863&page=24

WJ

[emufriedchicken]

At a dealer putting in my order for a new Mk7 the other day and 3 things that stood out the most for me that is maybe a slight backwards step in Mk7 to my Mk6 is.

The boot is smaller. The floor is not as deep as my Mk6.

The seats don't look as good or sporty as the Mk6 ( but this is just a personal thing)

The battery cover in the Mk7 is a woeful bit of flappy cardboard. Mk6 has a nice ABS plastic cover. It probably has something to do with saving weight and costs????

Hopefully pick my new one up on Monday...!

[Brendan_A]

At a dealer putting in my order for a new Mk7 the other day and 3 things that stood out the most for me that is maybe a slight backwards step in Mk7 to my Mk6 is.

The boot is smaller. The floor is not as deep as my Mk6.

The seats don't look as good or sporty as the Mk6 ( but this is just a personal thing)

The battery cover in the Mk7 is a woeful bit of flappy cardboard. Mk6 has a nice ABS plastic cover. It probably has something to do with saving weight and costs????

Hopefully pick my new one up on Monday...!

How is the boot smaller?

Mk7 has 380 liters where mk6 had 350. And you can adjust the height of the floor in the boot.

[mfl]

The seats don't look as good or sporty as the Mk6 ( but this is just a personal thing)

I agree the change in headrest design, makes the seats look more common.

[emufriedchicken]

When we parked my Mk6 next to a Mk7 and opened the boots to compare the Mk7 is definitely smaller...I think VW are pulling our chains with the bigger boot crap. I cant see how you can drop the floor down of the boot with the rear parcel shelf sitting underneath it. Well that's what the dealer showed me anyway.

And yes its definitely the headrest design that makes the new seats look poverty pack!!!

[Brendan_A]

Well the measurements say the mk7 is bigger.

If you don't like it that much, why are you buying one??

[emufriedchicken]

The measurements are wrong...especially when you have them parked side by side less than a meter apart and have 4 other people ( including the dealer principal) observing the same issue as you.

I didn't say I didn't like it, I just pointed out 3 areas the Mk6 is better than the Mk7 that really should have carried over for a newer model. There are more things on a Mk7 that I prefer than the mk6.

[Brendan_A]

So you have ran a tape measure over the two?

I'm going to measure them next time I'm down at my dealer