Mk7 Golf GTI Discussion Thread

[thezoneR32]

I think its clever marketing on vw's behalf. You cant just walk out with all the options for close to base price like other brands (subaru, focus st etc). Being firmer on price is one of the reasons they hold their value so well. Have a look on carsales at the mk gti's, try and and find one with low km's, dsg, leather, sunroof, bi-xenons, acc and rns. They either dont exist or their at the top of the price range.

[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!

[Finance_Analyst]

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!

Totally agree. I don't like the new wheel - middle is too chunky and trying too hard to look more Audi-esque. Engine is sweet but as it is the same EA113 with ko3 (I believe) then it can't be vastly different to the mk6 as I discovered. Looks similar to the mk6, but I like certain bits in the 6 better like the front end with the double stripes and the detroit wheels look tougher than the Austin ones. The trademark DSG fart is also less rorty, which may suit some but a bit pussy cat for me (mine may be somewhat exaggerated with the K&N filter though).


If I didn't already have a gti I would be sold, but With a mk6 I will save and wait for the mk8. Be keen to see what the new R is like though.....

[AdamD]

Engine is sweet but as it is the same EA113 with ko3 (I believe) then it can't be vastly different to the mk6 as I discovered.

Both Mk6 and Mk7 use the EA888 (which was itself a derivative of the EA113 in the Mk5 GTI and Mk6 R). However, in the Mk7 the EA888 is now both direct and indirect injected, has variable valve timing on inlet and exhaust (and variable lift on the exhaust valves), and the head has had a substantial redesign (particularly with respect to cooling channels). The turbo housing is also different, and the wastegate is electronically controlled. The engine is 8kg lighter too.

I wouldn't sell these updates too short - they're substantial. A lot of this was required in order for the engine to produce the bigger numbers required of the R and S3 (both of which run the K04 to the GTI's K03, and also use a larger intercooler).

[Finance_Analyst]

Both Mk6 and Mk7 use the EA888 (which was itself a derivative of the EA113 in the Mk5 GTI and Mk6 R). However, in the Mk7 the EA888 is now both direct and indirect injected, has variable valve timing on inlet and exhaust (and variable lift on the exhaust valves), and the head has had a substantial redesign (particularly with respect to cooling channels). The turbo housing is also different, and the wastegate is electronically controlled. The engine is 8kg lighter too.

I wouldn't sell these updates too short - they're substantial. A lot of this was required in order for the engine to produce the bigger numbers required of the R and S3 (both of which run the K04 to the GTI's K03, and also use a larger intercooler).

My bad - always get confused with ea888 and 113 as I read articles which confuse them too

Agree that there are obviously updates - in this case to show incremental gains to justify upgrades/advancements but when the basic architecture of the engine is the same, driveability cannot be that different as I discovered.... (unless I completely missed something big on my 45 min test drive). Now a 2.5 turbo with 5 cylinders under the golf? That would be a different drive....

[AdamD]

Agree that there are obviously updates - in this case to show incremental gains to justify upgrades/advancements but when the basic architecture of the engine is the same, driveability cannot be that different as I discovered.

Torque's gone up from 280Nm to 350Nm with a fundamentally similar engine and a (presumably) equal amount of tuning headroom. That's 25% extra driveability right there in my book. To be fair I've not driven the Mk7 GTI yet, but the figures (especially when coupled with journo reports) speak volumes. You have an APR Stage 1, so you know how dramatically a simple software tune can impact on your car's performance and driveability characteristics with absolutely no mechanical changes.

I'm not really sure how much of a change in driveability you're expecting? The Mk6 was already one of the very best packages available in this regard - at any price.

(Of course the car still follows a formula that VW have been applying for years to great effect - so you wouldn't expect the car to feel dramatically different from any one iteration to the next - or even between multiple generations really.)

[Finance_Analyst]

Torque's gone up from 280Nm to 350Nm with a fundamentally similar engine and a (presumably) equal amount of tuning headroom. That's 25% extra driveability right there in my book. To be fair I've not driven the Mk7 GTI yet, but the figures (especially when coupled with journo reports) speak volumes. You have an APR Stage 1, so you know how dramatically a simple software tune can impact on your car's performance and driveability characteristics with absolutely no mechanical changes.

I'm not really sure how much of a change in driveability you're expecting? The Mk6 was already one of the very best packages available in this regard - at any price.

(Of course the car still follows a formula that VW have been applying for years to great effect - so you wouldn't expect the car to feel dramatically different from any one iteration to the next - or even between multiple generations really.)

Yeah I suppose my point was that based on what I observed I would not be making an upgrade based on how similar it was. Of course if this was my first GTI then the mk7 is awesome. Bring on the mk8 I say!