VWVortex First Drive: Golf VI GTI

[jamie@vwvortex]

FULL STORY...

PHOTOS

Feel free to post up questions and I'll do my best to get answers...

[Thumper]

I like it! Can't wait til it gets here.

[feels_road]

[GTi Tifosi]

yeah its a pretty cool car, I like it alot. Not sure if i'll trade my mkv in for one....

[Mk42003]

[Volksboy]

DO WANT NOW!!

[travi5]

I can't wait to finally see one of these in person

[Bob Weaver]

Thanks JD Power.

And thanks VW for bringing a Blue GTI.

[Fantomasz]

YES
I want white base with dsg no other options

[mjc9203]

Should be a great car. Only tough part for me will be that used 335i's are starting to creep into that same price range

for VW though

[CadiGTi]

Just remember the "carrying costs" (ie. maintenance and repairs) on the BMW will be quite a bit higher once the warranty is out compared to a new GTi.

[dubscientist]

hopefully this new "decontented" mk6 doesn't spend as much time in the shop as much as the mkv. the mkv was a great car. however my family has both mkv gti and jetta.(along with two mk2's) we rock!!!) the gti has had all kind of random problems. and the jetta 2.5 auto just gets bad gas mileage vs the gti on long trips. not bashing just my experience!!!!

[veedubmac]

Great write up! Are there any pics of the Carbon Steel? Is that the color the GTI was at the NYIAS? It is too bad we Americans dont get duel climate control, and the Adaptive Chassis setup... BOO VWoA

[VrstewartW]

awesomeness

[1-VW]

Quote, originally posted by dubscientist »

hopefully this new "decontented" mk6 doesn't spend as much time in the shop as much as the mkv. the mkv was a great car. however my family has both mkv gti and jetta.(along with two mk2's) we rock!!!) the gti has had all kind of random problems. and the jetta 2.5 auto just gets bad gas mileage vs the gti on long trips. not bashing just my experience!!!!

I dont really want to take the post off topic but this is one area where I have to come in defense of VW. They innovate and push the boundries with their engines, transmission and electronic control systems. There will always be problems with first-to-market technology. Toyota is ultra-reliable because there cars are ultra simple and there is not much in there that can go wrong.

I am however with you on the 2.5 engine, it is a dud.

[vr6gtispeed]

Quote, originally posted by 1-VW »

I dont really want to take the post off topic but this is one area where I have to come in defense of VW. They innovate and push the boundries with their engines, transmission and electronic control systems. There will always be problems with first-to-market technology. Toyota is ultra-reliable because there cars are ultra simple and there is not much in there that can go wrong. I am however with you on the 2.5 engine, it is a dud.

Pushing the boundaries all the time can be a very bad thing. I don't think I'll buy another VW due to the problems I've had in the past. VWs are too much money to make that many trips to the dealer for problems. I also get the same opinion from other people.

[RabbidGTI06]

i want a god damn blue one. i wanted a blue mkv hatch...couldnt have it. now i want a blue mkvi hatch....cant have it. whats the deal? maybe someone from volkswagen can answer this one. with all the great colors you have why cant we order the paint we WANT? ill pay extra option costs like on a car from any other company. i will continue with vw but get on the ball...seriously. give us more than 4 or 5 color options. speaking of options...do we NEED packages or once again could us consumers mix and match so i could get a dynaudio system and a sunroof instead of having to buy both packages when i dont want leather and dont give a flip about bluetooth? just my rant. get back on track! "packages"=FTL

[Geesixty]

I never thought I would say this, I might be replacing my current VW with <gasp> another VW. The styling looks great and I am very excited to take one for a spin.

Make mine a four-door w/ the autobahn package with a 6-speed in white or red, please!

[Fantomasz]

who need dual climate control?
it's waiste of money in my opinion.

You set two different temp but still will get same temp level in whole cabin
unless You install some courtin in the midle of cabin to separate left and right side of cabin

[1-VW]

Very good review, I am happy to hear that the gti continues to do what it does best by offering the best balance of sport, luxury and driveability.

I have a few question as follows:

1) How is the initial bite on the new brakes? I found the brakes in the MK5 to lack initial bite when applied but they were very good otherwise.

2) Are the dash lights (speedo, tach, temp etc.) on all the time seeing that they are recessed into the tube-like housing.

3) Does the engine feel more responsive with the sound resonator now located on the exhaust rather than the intake? I found that the 2.0T jetta felt much more responsive and and during part throttle it felt faster than the gti, and I felt that it was due to the resonator on the intake side of the GTI.

4) To my mind the one think that stood out the most with the MK5 is it's ability to do easy-going just as good as the passat, but when required it can raise it's game to a level that most sporty compacts cannot match. Is the MK6 similar in this regard?

I hope this not too much although I had to rein myself in a bit.

[RzinDubs]

I have always wanted a GTI.

When my lease runs out. I will be buying a 4 door GTI in black or dark blue. Can't wait. Looks like a great car!!!

[Daemon688]

I'm so glad to see that gaping maw on the MkV removed.

[MeiK]

Hey they got something right for once!

Looks like the next logical progression from the MKIV (as already stated)

[jarturo]

thanks VW!!...I knew you could be back to the MKIV roots..let's wait for the R version

[A2gtirulz]

can't wait

United gray 4 door

[moose920]

New car looks great and thanks for a great write up!

BUT....

Did I read that right? Only way to get a sunroof is to get the autobahn? It's not a standalone option?

That would be a bummer.

[prom king]

No bump in horsepower to compete with speed or wrx?

[Passat1]

Styling is subjective but the MK VI don't do it for me. I'd buy a MK V but not the MK VI.

[dat]

Quote, originally posted by RabbidGTI06 »

i want a god damn blue one. i wanted a blue mkv hatch...couldnt have it. now i want a blue mkvi hatch....cant have it. whats the deal? maybe someone from volkswagen can answer this one. with all the great colors you have why cant we order the paint we WANT? ill pay extra option costs like on a car from any other company. i will continue with vw but get on the ball...seriously. give us more than 4 or 5 color options. speaking of options...do we NEED packages or once again could us consumers mix and match so i could get a dynaudio system and a sunroof instead of having to buy both packages when i dont want leather and dont give a flip about bluetooth? just my rant. get back on track! "packages"=FTL

i totally agree, especially on the package point. this may be the reason i end up with a TDI golf instead so that way i have more ways to customize it how i like.

[venom600]

Quote, originally posted by Fantomasz »

who need dual climate control? it's waiste of money in my opinion. You set two different temp but still will get same temp level in whole cabin unless You install some courtin in the midle of cabin to separate left and right side of cabin

Anyone who frequently has a passenger that likes a vastly different temperature setting (ie. women). I'm not happy unless the air is freezing, and most women don't like that.

[MeiK]

Quote, originally posted by prom king »

No bump in horsepower to compete with speed or wrx?

Nevermind the fact that the .:R20 is looking to stick to FWD...

As far as performance goes - VW stays laughable compared to the WRX/EVO crowd.

[mediumbluemetalic]

Great writeup! I can't wait to see the GTI in person... if the next GLI is no fun, or ceases to exist, I'll probably seek a GTI, simply because I've been so impressed by all that I've read. I do wish that you could get a sunroof with the standard cloth seats, but that's a minor complaint. It sounds like the car won't disappoint. But we already knew that.

and...

Quote, originally posted by vr6gtispeed »

Pushing the boundaries all the time can be a very bad thing. I don't think I'll buy another VW due to the problems I've had in the past. VWs are too much money to make that many trips to the dealer for problems. I also get the same opinion from other people.

Read http://www.fox.com/fod/play.ph...54482

My '03 GLI has 90,000 now and has cost me $0.00 in repair bills to-date. And that's the generation that "other people" refer to when they speak of Volkswagens and problems. I can only assume that the MkVI GTI reviewed in this thread will only be significantly better than my car, as the MkV Golf that it's based on was rated highly by Consumer Reports. I wouldn't be so quick to knock the MkVI. It should be a great car.

[jamie@vwvortex]

Quote, originally posted by 1-VW »

1) How is the initial bite on the new brakes? I found the brakes in the MK5 to lack initial bite when applied but they were very good otherwise. 2) Are the dash lights (speedo, tach, temp etc.) on all the time seeing that they are recessed into the tube-like housing. 3) Does the engine feel more responsive with the sound resonator now located on the exhaust rather than the intake? I found that the 2.0T jetta felt much more responsive and and during part throttle it felt faster than the gti, and I felt that it was due to the resonator on the intake side of the GTI. 4) To my mind the one think that stood out the most with the MK5 is it's ability to do easy-going just as good as the passat, but when required it can raise it's game to a level that most sporty compacts cannot match. Is the MK6 similar in this regard? I hope this not too much although I had to rein myself in a bit.

1. The brakes on the European models were great. However (once again) American consumers have complained about the brake dust on J.D. Power surveys so we get these crappy low-dust organic brake pad compounds that don't have particularly good bite. I have no idea what kind of pads U.S. spec cars will have with the Golf VI version, so we'll keep our fingers crossed.

2. Yes, dash lights are on all the time, but many are now powered by LEDs so bulbs burning out will be far and few between.

3. If you're asking if the sound make the car feel more responsive I guess I'd say yes. Overall the newer engine felt smoother and a bit more responsive. To me it didn't sound much different than the Golf V, so don't expect any significant changes there.

4. The Mk6 is better in this regard, particularly since it is quieter when cruising along, giving the feel of a more expensive car. However if you decide to pitch it in and hammer on it, you'll still have a lot of fun.

Hope that helps a bit.

[jamie@vwvortex]

One more thing...

Those that want a blue color might want to hold out a little longer as VWoA has heard your plea and is working on getting a dark blue metallic added hopefully as a running change during 2010.

[20VTGuy]

I wonder if bodyside moldings will be available on it. While alot of cars today have nixed bodyside molding in favor of style I still prefer the extra protection they give.