Golf GT 7DSG review after 6,500 miles

[slo007]

I posted a review of my Golf on Epinions:

http://www.epinions.com/review/2009_...t_492339498628

You can read the review below:

The following review is about the Golf make VI sold in the U.K. It’s the virtually the same car as the GTI recently introduced in the U.S., save for a few option changes. Herein I describe my experience with a 2009 VW Golf GT 7DSG 5-door, now with almost 7,000 miles, acquired in April of 2009.

:-: Background :-:

Two years after selling my Acura TSX to help finance an MBA study in Italy, I finally saved enough money to purchase a new car. And while one might lean towards the same brand after four excellent and trouble free years, my odd experience at the local Honda dealer pushed me to consider other brands.

:-: My Shopping List :-:

I initially set out to buy the equivalent of a space ship: Honda’s European Civic 1.8 Sport. It’s round, modern, edgy, spacious, and fun to drive – or so I heard. The local dealer would not allow me to drive it as their insurance might not cover my American driver’s license. How lame! So off I went to Toyota, VW, and other brands’ parking lots…

After reading about cars for, let’s be honest: the entire two years I didn’t have one, I had a short list of cars to look at in person:

- Honda Civic 1.8 (out of production due to factory shut down, limited supply, could not drive one)

- Toyota Avensis (didn’t like green lighting – too old fashioned – slow performance specs)

- Toyota Auris (too bland)

- BMW 320i (A4 looks better, expensive car & insurance)

- Audi A4 1.8 (very cool design with LED lights, impressive interior, but expensive insurance)

- Skoda Octavia (same platform as Golf VI, same engine as A4, slightly cheaper, but too big for me)

- VW Golf GT

:-: First Driving Experience :-:

VW only had a Golf GT turbo-diesel with a 6-speed manual transmission in stock for me to test drive, so I took that around the neighborhood and was immediately impressed with the smooth power build up, the quietness of the 2.0 liter engine, and the excellent quality of the materials in the cabin. After comparing insurance prices on more expensive models, I decided to order a new Golf.

Ultimately, however, the model I purchased was a Golf GT 1.4 TSI 7DSG.

Let me explain the abbreviations below:

In the UK market, VW sells the Golf in four variations: S, SE, GT and GTI (introduced later). The GT has a more sporty lower suspension than S and SE variations, Alcantara sport seats with height and lumbar support, and more standard features (i.e. steering wheel buttons, fog lights, upgraded stereo, etc.).

VW FSI engines use direct injection of gasoline into the combustion chamber to improve efficiency and reduce fuel consumption and emissions. The TSI uses an FSI engine which is then dual-charged through a combination of an engine driven supercharger and an exhaust gas turbocharger arranged in series. You can see a video on YouTube about this engine:

<http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fvysuD5MFow>

Note that the Golf in the video is the make 5. Also worth noting: the TSI uses premium fuel, currently 1.10 GBP per Liter, or US$ 3.79 per U.S. gallon. Regular gasoline in Scotland is usually 95 octane, while premium is 97 or 99 depending on the station. I can only feel the difference outside the city - barely.

The 2009 Golf GT 1.4 TSI has 160 HP and 177 Lbs/ft of torque. The 1.4 liter engine, when attached to a 7-gear dual clutch automatic transmission (7DSG), responds faster than the 6-speed manual and performs with similar performance to a larger engine. Reaching 0-60 mph takes 8 seconds, which is the same as the 6-speed manual. My previous Acura TSX 5AT with a 2.4 Liter engine took 9.8 seconds!

PS: GT TDI models only come with a 6DSG transmission. They cost $ 1,330 more.

:-: Design & Features :-:

I often find it hard to distinguish the make 5 and 6 Golf models on the street. You have to look close at the headlights or tail lights to them apart. Inside, the new Golf is also similar to the older model, though it has chrome around the fan outlets and buttons on the dash and doors. And herein lies my biggest annoyance with VW, the knob for the mirrors reflects on the driver’s window the entire time, regardless of lighting or time of day.

Something neat: the front cup holders come with a bottle opener between the slots which can also be used to adjust placement of larger or smaller bottles. The glove compartment can be cooled by an AC vent, though I left this closed in cool Scotland.

My Golf came with the Convenience Package, featuring an auto dimming interior rear-view mirror, automatic headlights with coming/leaving home function, front foot well illumination (though only one side works), and rain sensor. The last one is my favorite since it rains all the time in Aberdeen and I don’t have to play around with the wiper stalk. Only problem is that I have to manually activate it every time I turn the engine on by moving the wiper stalk. It does go on by itself, but only after the car reaches 25 mph; by which time I might have hit someone from driving blind.

My Golf also came with a digital radio feature called DAB in the UK. It removes the feature of connecting an iPod directly to the stereo, although it preserves the auxiliary port for a 3.5-mm plug in the center arm rest. While I wish I could connect my iPod directly, the external plug works well and the quality of the sound is superb, with good highs, mids, and reasonable bass for a stock speaker set lacking a dedicated subwoofer. I can also adjust bass, mid, and treble independently of whether I’m playing a CD, my iPod, or radio station; and it keeps each set of settings for later.

Oddly enough, I sometimes find the passenger rear view mirror lowers for an easier view of the sidewalk when I put the car in reverse; but it only does that 10% of the time. Maybe it’s a bug.

Also nice are the front and rear parking sensors. I didn’t care for them while looking at cars, but what do I think of them now? Priceless! Since I have to parallel park all the time, I can maneuver into very tight spots while looking at the distance in front and rear based on little bars that show up in the LCD of the stereo. The car also beeps when getting close to an object, more quickly when very close. The feature is superb, though it’s so sensitive that it leaves about 12 inches (30 cm) when it’s showing there’s no more room left. I like it a lot since so many people have towing hitches in the UK, and they always leave the ball in place (a formula for disaster if you can’t see them). Every car I buy in the future will have them!

The shortcoming of the sensor is that I now find myself looking more at the LCD of the stereo than for things or people around me.

:-: Safety :-:

The Golf make 6 has received 5 stars in crash testing both in the U.S. and in Europe. It has the usual set of front, side, and curtain airbags; plus a driver’s knee airbag. My only complaint is that it slams the ABS brakes when the front wheels start to spin. This results in a loud set of thuds coming from the front of the car, which is disconcerting to passengers and driver alike. I wish it worked more like my Acura, which cut the throttle instead.

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety picked the four-door Golf as one of the safest small cars in 2009. They also picked the Honda Civic, Kia Soul, Nissan Cube, and Subaru Impreza.

:-: Driving Dynamics :-:

Driving the new Golf is a pleasure. It’s a fun little car that pulls your body into the seats when accelerating hard and never lets you down. Passing cars is easy, as driver and car connect on each target ahead and quickly gain speed for quick maneuvers and safe passing.

Since I like to pass people as quickly as possible, I often drop the foot to the bottom and enjoy a rapid increase in speed from 50-60 into 80-90 in what feels like a mere 5 seconds. By the time I pass the other vehicle, I need to pull my foot off as the car is still eager to go faster. Top speed is limited to 139 mph.

I only wish the brakes were a little larger as they feel faded when trying to slow down quickly. Nevertheless, the ABS comes on quickly when breaking with urgency, as I often do when a rabbit runs across the road. So far, no rabbits have been harmed in 6,000 miles of driving around Scotland!

From Europe’s Oil Capital Aberdeen to the Fringe Festival in capital Edinburgh, north to the Grampian flat lands with cozy castles and world famous whiskey distilleries; and west to the Highlands, monster ridden Loch Ness, and gorgeous Isle of Skye – this is a country worth visiting! You can see pictures of my Golf below:

((see next post))

In the beginning, I was concerned the lower suspension would hurt my back; however I found that the lumber support and excellent range of seat adjustments make long range trips very comfortable. The record so far was eight hours in the car.

The Golf has a computer system that displays average consumption, hours driven, average velocity, maximum velocity (beeps when you reach a preset velocity), stereo setting, and other adjustments on the LCD screen between speedometer and engine rpm. It also allows the driver to adjust the cruise control to an exact speed, say 30 mph, to avoid exceeding the local speed limit (there are cameras everywhere in the UK!). Roads in Scotland have turns aplenty and the car feels glued to the road, even when the roads are wet.

:-: Space & Comfort :-:

The Golf comes in 3 or 5 door configurations. I like having 5 doors better which make loading large objects easy, carrying friends and family more comfortable, and is usually about the same size as the coupe. The rear seats fold down in a 60-40 configuration, and one can slide skis through an opening behind the center arm rest. Only problem is that the rear seats’ bottoms don’t move, so the trunk space is not completely flat. Nevertheless, the space available is comparable to other cars in the market:

Car model -- trunk in cubic feet (UK specs converted from liters)

2009 Honda Civic (U.S.) – 12.0

2009 Honda Civic (U.K.) – 17.1

2010 Ford Focus (U.S.) – 13.8

2009 Toyota Corolla (U.S.) – 12.3

2009 VW Golf GTI (U.S. model make 5) – 14.7

2009 VW Golf GT (UK model make 6) – 12.4 (350 liters with seats up, 1305 with seats down)

All four windows have the auto down and up feature, and you can close a window left open from your remote. Unfortunately, the remote has no panic function. I liked using that with the TSX when I forgot where I parked the car. Now that the Golf 6 is becoming ubiquitous around the UK, I’m starting to have to check the plates instead.

:-: Pricing :-:

VW is limiting production of the Golf, but one can still negotiate on a better price. I paid 20,600 GPB for mine, UK taxes included. MSRP was 22,350 - as equipped. If you are willing to get something already in the dealer’s lot, you should be able to get close to invoice pricing in the U.S. (say $500-600 above). It took 4 weeks to get mine shipped from Bremen in Germany. Last I heard, custom orders take 12-15 weeks.

:-: Conclusion :-:

If I were shopping for a car today, the Golf would be a top pick! It’s more comfortable than I expected - despite the sport-tuned suspension - it’s faster than I hoped, more fun than a sedan like the TSX, and yet it has plenty of room to carry five people, or a bike in the back, or a full dorm move from one side of the city to another. I drive to work daily (15 mins) and am very happy with the response, the stereo quality, and good mpg: 25-28 in the city and 35-51 in the hwy. In long drives, the car is comfy, safe, and grips the road securely – even in heavy rain.

[slo007]

Photos of my car:

[p3asa]

Nice review although you probably should have done a wee bit of research rather than say the car has a bug.

"Oddly enough, I sometimes find the passenger rear view mirror lowers for an easier view of the sidewalk when I put the car in reverse; but it only does that 10% of the time. Maybe it’s a bug." --- Is actually known as "Reverse activated kerb view adjustment" and is a great feature for watching how close you are to the kerb when parking. It automatically comes dips when you put the car into reverse if the the wing mirror control button is set at the "L" setting.

25mph before your auto windscreen wipers come on? That would be a problem. Mine come on around 5mph.

I agree the reflection off the vents and buttons are annoying, however after a weeks driving, I never even noticed them.

[slo007]

Nice review although you probably should have done a wee bit of research rather than say the car has a bug.

I read most of the manual and could not find it. Thanks for pointing it out! My fiancee loves the mirror moving down on reverse, while I hate the living guts of it! It takes too long to move back in place when driving away and sometimes interferes in my safe driving (being able to see others).

[/QUOTE]
I agree the reflection off the vents and buttons are annoying, however after a weeks driving, I never even noticed them.[/QUOTE]

This bothered me for a long time, but it doesn't apply as much after a year with the car.

[slo007]

I've had the car for over 12,000 miles now and am very pleased. There have been no major malfunctions (knock on wood) and it's still a pleasure to drive. I intend on keeping it for the long run.

Only bug that has surfaced recently is the vent on the passenger side makes noises (regardless of road surface or whether the fan is on or not). When I press against the plastic trim around it, it goes quiet. I'll bring it up next time I take the car in for service.