Originally Posted by
lavs
I test drove the mk7 gti today for the 1st time. It's left me with mixed emotions. Aesthetically, I was quite disappointed. I was expecting the car to look quite impressive in the flesh, but it wasn't. It doesn't look much different to the standard golf from the outside: quite bland & conservative, even for a VW. I think the mk6 gti looks better. The interior is nothing special. Sure, it's a notch up from the usual Japanese brands in the same segment, but the fake carbon fibre plastics was pretty cheap looking.
In terms of driving, I was a bit more impressed. Negligible turbo lag, the engine is very responsive. But the engine is a bit whiny in sound. I prefer the sound of the mk6 gti or the R. The ride is definitely more compliant than the mk 6 gti. It's still a very agile car. But at times the car felt a bit too light - not as well planted as an R or a quattro. I loved the chassis control settings - particularly individual setting where you can literally alter the engine, steering & suspension settings. That was very impressive.
There's not a lot of stock available to dealers so I don't think there's a lot of room for negotiation at the moment.
Anyways, that's my 2c!