Are you happy with Golf Plus?

[augvw]

Hello,

I'm doing a type of questionnaire to the owners on our Golf Plus.

Let me give an example:

Golf Plus 1.9 Tdi 2007
1 to 10

Comfort: 8
Soundproofing: 7
Driving: 8
Dynamic: 7
Quality: 8
Consumption: 8
Price: 5

And some notes like: what should improve

Regards

[CJJE]

I'm surprised by the lack of replies to this thread... perhaps the format is too open-ended for people??

I picked up my Golf Plus SE 1.6TDI DSG (MY2012) on the 12th of December 2011, and have done just over 1000 miles so far. I am comparing it with my old Skoda Octavia L&K 2.0TDI (MY2006).

Comfort: 9 - Probably a better ride with less thumps over irregular roads. We wanted the upright seating position and rate this a plus.
Soundproofing: 9 - Quieter than my Octavia, with occasional wind roar from the roof rails in a crosswind. Engine very subdued.
Driving: 10 - Meets all our needs.
Dynamic: 8 - Obviously slower than my old 140bhp Octavia, but very responsive with its DSG box despite the lack of miles on the engine.
Quality: 8 - No leather interior compared with the Octavia (too expensive!), no Xenon option, but can add DAB radio (unlike Skodas) and has the expected VW build quality.
Consumption: 9 - Approaching 50 mpg on long runs already, and previous experience shows that fuel consumption for VW diesels continues to improve over the years. (My Octavia was showing 44 mpg in its first 1000 miles, but had improved to 55 mpg after 5 years and 65,000 miles.)
Price: 7 - I bought it with a good discount and interest-free finance, and depreciation is expected to be better that my Octavia's over 6 years.


I would like to see a better equipped Match trim offered (as with the Polo and Golf in UK, and Golf Plus in Europe). And why are we not offered Xenon lights when you can add the in LHD Irish Golf Pluses? The DAB RCD510 radio I specified has performed extremely well, although I miss the Jazz/Speech/Pop/Classical tone options I had on my Octavia's Symphony radio. Some brighter colours would make it more attractive too - at the moment they are all very dull.

Chris

[kenny.c]

Hello, we brought our 55 plate Golf Plus 2.0 Gt-tdi back in 2006.

Comfort: 8 good supportive comfy seats, still feel fresh after a long journey.

Soundproofing: 6.5 road noise is a little louder than expected .

Driving: 8 Great handling, goes wherever I point it and handles bumpy roads fine.

Dynamic: 8 Very responsive with bags of mid range torque.

Quality: 7.5 The fit and finish of the car is generally pretty good and the quality of the interior plastics is fine.

Consumption: 6.5 I get about 490 a tank with mostly motorway driving which is average imo.

Price: 7 We got this car from the Vw dealership with 7k on the clock at £12800 (RRP £20500) including the extended warranty which ran out last november. Not sure what I would get for it now though.

Overall I am very happy with the Golf, everything from the performance to the equipment levels, if I were to be fussy, steering wheel controls and xenon lights would have been nice but for 2006 those options were rare on a used example......for a VW anyway.

[augvw]

Hello, we brought our 55 plate Golf Plus 2.0 Gt-tdi back in 2006.

Comfort: 8 good supportive comfy seats, still feel fresh after a long journey.

Soundproofing: 6.5 road noise is a little louder than expected .

Driving: 8 Great handling, goes wherever I point it and handles bumpy roads fine.

Dynamic: 8 Very responsive with bags of mid range torque.

Quality: 7.5 The fit and finish of the car is generally pretty good and the quality of the interior plastics is fine.

Consumption: 6.5 I get about 490 a tank with mostly motorway driving which is average imo.

Price: 7 We got this car from the Vw dealership with 7k on the clock at £12800 (RRP £20500) including the extended warranty which ran out last november. Not sure what I would get for it now though.

Overall I am very happy with the Golf, everything from the performance to the equipment levels, if I were to be fussy, steering wheel controls and xenon lights would have been nice but for 2006 those options were rare on a used example......for a VW anyway.

Soundproofing: 6.5 road noise is a little louder than expected .

maybe it's because of tire noise, I have michelin primacy hp and are very quiet.

Regards.

[thorne]

55 plate 2.0 GT TDI. I've had the car for 2 years and will be part/ex her on Tue for a new 2.0 SE TDI DSG. The car has been a bit of an eye opener for me, I had a MKIII 1.9 TDI and my last car was a MKIV 1.9 GT TDI - I used to think the Golfs were the best car I'd ever had. The Plus gave me a lot more though, at 6' 2" I used to struggle to get into the MKIV but found the Plus much easier. The driving position seem much better and the fully adjustable Steering Wheel was a big improvement. Power is just right (140) and on motorway cruising I get into the high 60's mpg- current combined is 62.9. I use Cruise control set at about 65 - 70 depending on traffic.

Comfort - 8 out of 10
Noise - Engine 8/10 Wind 7/10 (the rubber door seal has come away a bit and I cant be bothered to stick it back on. I also have rain/wind deflectors to stop rain getting in while I'm smoking).
Running costs - probably 9/10 (a few things have cost me a bit - new radiator, turbo pipe coming off to name 2), but fuel and servicing have been more than reasonable. Just checked my service history and a service with cambelt change cost £360 - not bad!
Space - 10. Don't have kids in the back but recently had my sister and brother-in-law over and they were very impressed with the room in the back - not being nasty but they are both pretty big people. Did manage to get a bath in the back once. The missus was a bit cramped in the front but she managed the 60 mile journey well.
Driving - got to be 10. Very lively engine coupled with 6 speed manual with excellent steering makes it great fun to drive. The 6 speed manual was quite different from the Golf MKIV but I soon got used to it. The car does roll/sway a bit especially if there are strong sidewinds but it always felt stable and safe and just added to the fun factor.
Heating - Air Con. 6/10. I never did get the hang of the heating. Sometimes my legs would be cool and my top warm and then it would change over. I expect that with the AC on all the time it was having just as much trouble as me at getting the temperature constant.
Visibility 7/10. Good seating position with adjustable height gave good all round view. My only gripe is with the A Pillars. They are very big and I used to be moving slightly sideways with my upper body when going round blind corners or some roundabouts. Again, something I got used to but it could be a problem on roads that I was familiar with.

Overall I would say 8 out of ten. Will let you know what I think of the new one soon. Don't want to be too hasty and let first impressions hinder my judgement.

Glad I never had to get the rusty wheel arches sorted, I wasn't looking forward to heated discussions with the dealers about who was going to pay for the repairs. My initial chat with then centred around 50/50 split with me paying about £300 for 2 new wings fitted and sprayed. That was when I thought about getting a new one. I have had a previous car from new and it's easier to bargain over non-warranty problems if you are a regular customer with regular service business.

[kenny.c]

Soundproofing: 6.5 road noise is a little louder than expected .

maybe it's because of tire noise, I have michelin primacy hp and are very quiet.

Regards.

I think it is the tyres, I was told during a VW service my 4 year old front Falken 452 225/40 18's have distortion but should be ok to use since it has about 2.5mm left in them or till next mot for another check.

Might try the Michelin's next.

[alibaly]

Hi, We bought our 55plate registered in feb 2006 1.9sTDI 105 in november 2006

Comfort 8 - very happy with seats and driving position and as we are both big people the extra leg and head room is great. also after a long run we arrive feeling fresh.

Soundproofing 7 - thought it a bit noisier than I expected at first but after changing to uniroyal rainmasters this year it is a bit quieter but the handling not so precise now. car came with pirelli P6000 tyres.

Driving 9 - overall very pleased with the handling but I had a Vauxhall Meriva for a few weeks after a silly woman decided to ram me in the side and scrape her car down both doors and rear quarter and bumper and when I got back into my car following repairs the steering felt dead and heavy for a mile or two.

Dynamic 9 - super, very responsive with bags of power whilst overtaking and on entering motorways.

Quality 8 - well built and solid feeling and no rattles after 6 years must be good. only wear seems to be on my drivers interior door handle which has a soft finish and is badly scratched and cut up with me opening the door with the car keys in my hand.

Consumption 7 - averaged 44 since purchased and best ever was 58 on holiday. six speed box would help a lot as I sometimes find myself trying to change up when in 5th already.

Price 8 - I got a good deal on mine at 8 months old for £11400 with 11000 miles on the clock and now at 48000 so thimgs have evened up.

Overall we are both very pleased with our Golf Plus and will probably keep it till next year. My only problem is the repair costs, new ESP unit cost £509 from the main dealer at 4 years and 2 months old, Mot and timing belt cost £369 and Aircon service plus long life service and 2 glow plugs came in at £415.

[Radiccio]

Also a '55 plate 2.0 GT TDI DSG. Had the car about a year and a half to replace a '93 plate Golf VR6 after marriage and baby

Comfort - 8 out of 10. I would have not chosen the 16" wheels and sport pack myself, but I was looking for a silver 2.0 TDi with leather and air con and this one fit the bill. Engine is surprisingly smooth and quiet although a very different character from the old VR6! Seats are excellent.

Noise - 7 out of 10. Some wind noise from driver's door seal - it looks OK so I can't quite work out where this is coming from? Quite a bit of road noise too but am about to replace the balding Hankooks (!) with Michelin energy savers so that should help. Engine is surprisingly quiet and I was concerned after hearing a few clattery 1.9's.

Running costs - 9 out of 10. Only standard servicing so far. I could just eek 40mpg out of the VR6 (yes, it took some doing) on a long journey and the average was about 29mpg (after six points, so driving gently) but the TDi is averaging 50mpg including short trips and motorways at 80-85mph. Can easily average 55-60mpg if I drive gently.

Space - 10. Plenty of room for everyone.

Driving - 10. Very torquey engine coupled with DSG makes it great fun to drive. Feels similar in some respects (torque) to VR6 although not as creamy and without the top end - VR6 just kept getting faster and faster! I bought and fitted an RNS510 sat nav which is great fun, although endless faffing about with firmware and maps as newest maps require newest firmware which requires CANbus upgrade (£200) unless you download the various workarounds and choose a CD-R that it likes!

Heating - Air Con. 10 out of 10. Standard air con (no clima) works fine.

Visibility 9 out of 10. Good seating position but rear view a bit limited and have to trust the reversing indicators.

Overall - 9 out of 10. If I were buying new I'd stick with the 15" wheels and maybe go for the full air con but as it was I picked it up for £8000 with only 40,000 miles so am very happy.

[confusionhunter]

Hi Folks, My first post. Ive had my Golf plus GT Tdi for a few months now. While I prefer it to a mk5 golf (another conversation) my complaints about the Plus (I also think its a silly name) also apply to most modern VAGs in and around 'Value engineering and specifically my complaints are based on a direct comparison to my other car with is a mk4 golf estate TDI PD 130.

Comfort: 8 - Tooke a bit of getting used to being higher but from a sefaty point of view this is better and its fine now Im used to it. Not done a massive drive over 2 hours but its fine. I retro fitted the Aremrest which helps too. The material is a little 'Hard' which brings down the comfort but makes a massive plus in the practicality stake.
Soundproofing: 5 - Sorry guys.... Its shocking. Down to 2 things IMHO. Tyres: Sod all to do with tyres. I took the very same tyres off my MK4 golf and put them on my plus (different wheels obviously, with 18s), and the plus is noticably louder. I think this is a simply case if VW saving a few bob and doing a worse job of soundproofing end of. Im considering getting the dyna mat out. This might also help with the second point: Engine sounds like i someone has knocked out the CAT and left a resonating chamber. If I got used to it would probably be ok but I switch between the mk4 and plus and its noticable every time.
Driving: 8 - Misses out on a 9/10 because of the Electro steering assist, Again more 'Value engineering from VAG' Give me a hydralic pump please. Power from teh 140 is good though, dont feel teh need to remap (except to do the EGR mod). I retro fitted cruise control which helps too.
Dynamic: 9 - I have a kid and a dog and the sliding rear seats is a nice party trick. hatches and cup holders everywhere, really glad I went for a plus over a normal mk5.
Quality: 7 - No leather interior, no Xenon option (although I plan on making my own), And vw quality is worse than the early 2000s IMHO. No puddle lights, no bonnet gas strut, not even the fag lighters are lit anymore. and genrally feels abit cheaper thanthe mk4. Its a shame as Im sure if thed have spend a wee bit more it would be just as good. But I really like the plus dash over the normal mk5.
Consumption: 7 - Approaching 45 mpg on long runs, but I get 54 from my mk4. Around down it dips below 40 which Im a bit peeved about. Although to be fair I cleaned the inlet and blocked the EGR on the mk4 and this deserves the same treatment (its over 100k miles), only after that is there a fair comparison (also hence my remap comment earlier. Never seen over 50.

Price: 8 - I was looking for a bit and for the not much extra money you get a lot more IMHO for the GT spec. Newer less mileage examples compared to mormal mk5s. Fine Im happy with the silly name and benfitting from VWs marketing **** up as I think its great compared to the mk5.

Lets be fair, I'd be a lot more harsh on anormal mk5 golf! I'm Planning to keep this a while hence my investment in an armrest Xenons and possible remap and dynamat. Also my complaints about 'Value engineering apply to most brands.... Audi especially too...

[genix]

'55 plate 2.0 GT TDI
Comfort: 9 (comfy seats, great raised driving position, extremely easy to get in/out, plenty of leg and head room; heating/demist/AC work great, strange cold air wafts on sharp bends though... ; suspension a bit on the hard side)
Soundproofing: 8 (engine noise not too bad; quality of tyres v important; some wind noise at motorway speeds)
Driving: 9/10 (great control, precise steering, plenty of power; gear shift could be a bit slicker)
Space: 9/10 (plenty of it, definitely enough for a small family; seats very flexible, especially the rear seats; boot is not cavernous but extremely flexible; N.B. not a car for a large family)
Visibility: 8/9 (fairly good, except A pillars and relatively high rear window that hampers a bit visibility when rear parking)
Quality: 8/9 (good quality materials; feels solidly built; only occasional rattles, but really being picky here)
Consumption: 9/10 (great, quite happy with it; ca. 45-47 mpg in town; ca 54-55 mpg combined motorway; note that the average computer mpg values are rather inflated - can show an average of up to 70 mpg when driven sensibly on A roads at 50-60 mph)
Price: 8 (bought sh)
Definitely a great car, not seeing much out there in terms of being worth trading it for (except a newer Golf Plus, perhaps... )