Mk7 Golf GTI Discussion Thread

[Brendan_A]

So far so good mate, after all the trouble shooting and replacing all other suspension connecting parts, they've replaced the lower control arm (Huge thanks for the advice!!!) and after a day and a half of driving it looks resolved! Quiet suspension is mine! fingers crossed! Thanks again for the advice.

Interesting comparison to the GTI PP they lent me, had it for 2 days and biggest difference apart from the diff for traction was the lower road noise from the Pirelli P-Zero's, they are much quieter than the Bridgestone's on my car, (pirelli's had 6500kms vs my Bridgestones have 15600kms) and my Bridgestones have plenty of tread left.
Think come tire time, I'll look at my options. Namely GoodYear and Dunlop cause I can get them through my family's GoodYear Autocare - family rates
Cheers

No worries mate, sounds like your car is all good now! Enjoy the quietness

Yeah ours has the continental sport contact2 tyre and they are pretty noisy at 12k Kms and already half worn. I'll get michelin PS3 when it needs it.

[MrGadget]

As a current owner of a MK5 DSG GTI looking to upgrade, I went for a test drive of the GTI PP yesterday and to be honest I wasn't blown away like I thought I would be.

I love the exterior (head and tail lights on the PP really make the car IMO), even the Santiago wheels are fine to me despite many here not loving them. The interior is pretty nice, understated typically German and even the steering wheel is better than I expected.

However, that sat nav screen is bad. I had heard about the low res screen and thought people were over reacting but it is true and IMO it really puts the overall interior down. My other car is a Skoda Octavia RS wagon with the Columbus system and it is so much nicer to look at, such a shame. Also I found the speed markings harder to read which could lead to more speeding fines. The car I drove had leather but I looked at the standard Alcantara/Clark trim and thought it looked quite nice actually.

Now for the drive, I didn't drive it like I stole it but gave it a bit of a go and it feels very different to me than the MKV. In the MKV I can feel it more as I accelerate compared to the MK7, perhaps it's because the MK7 it's alot smoother/linear? I didn't get that rush as I put my foot down like I normally do. The steering was very good and certainly felt capable but I didn't really explore it's limits at all. Also not sure I liked the soundaktor either.

So, I wasn't entirely sold on the car, I think I need to drive it again. Perhaps the engine is still tight?
Anyone else feel the same?

[Splashalot]

Funny you say that, but that ^ is exactly my opinion after driving a couple of Mk7 GTIs. I thought it was just me....

Before Mk7 owners arc-up, I'm not saying the Mk5 is a better car, just that the Mk7 didn't seem as much of an improvement as I expected. The only area I thought a noticeable improvement in the Mk7 is the ride - the Mk5 jiggle is gone. But otherwise it is small incremental improvements, in my opinion.

Edit: I completely forgot the main improvement and the major driver for me considering the Mk7 GTI: the change from direct injection to a combination of direct & port injection. Hopefully a cure for the carbon deposit issue.

[MrGadget]

Problem for me is there are no other cars I can think of to change to. Audi A3 1.8 front drivr sedan with S-line?

[wasabiz]

Problem for me is there are no other cars I can think of to change to. Audi A3 1.8 front drivr sedan with S-line?

You could check out Skoda octavia VRS

[MrGadget]

You could check out Skoda octavia VRS

My other car is a MK2 RS wagon, I have considered getting the MK3 RS Lift back but not keen on the loooong wait times.

[daveee]

Problem for me is there are no other cars I can think of to change to. Audi A3 1.8 front drivr sedan with S-line?

Have you crossed out the Golf R if it is seat of the pants speed you are looking for? I think apart from the Sat Nav you will find the MK7 should be considerably faster in most situations even if it does so its business with less effort. I think I read somewhere the GTI PP does a quicker ring lap than the MKV R32 if that's any indicator.

[wasabiz]

My other car is a MK2 RS wagon, I have considered getting the MK3 RS Lift back but not keen on the loooong wait times.

I didn't know there was a wait time on those cars. How long wait?

[MrGadget]

I didn't know there was a wait time on those cars. How long wait?

I've read about 7 months

[MrGadget]

Have you crossed out the Golf R if it is seat of the pants speed you are looking for? I think apart from the Sat Nav you will find the MK7 should be considerably faster in most situations even if it does so its business with less effort. I think I read somewhere the GTI PP does a quicker ring lap than the MKV R32 if that's any indicator.

The R is out of my budget ( the GTI PP is already stretching it).

I'll have to take the PP out for another drive before deciding. All the positive reviews can't be wrong.