Find Reviews by Make:
Back for the seventh time, the Volkswagen GTI will be unveiled in person in about 24 hours, once the Paris Auto Show kicks off.
The GTI will keep its 2.0L turbocharged 4 cylinder, making 217 horsepower. While it may seem like a modest figure, the current GTI is no slowpoke, and with the new one shedding a couple hundred pounds, it should be even better to drive. The plaid interior stays as well. We’ll have to wait another day for full details.
44 Comments on “Volkswagen GTI, Back In Plaid For The Seventh Time...”
Read all comments
Highly probable this will be my next car. Looks great.
I agree, it looks very good. I’m glad it didn’t change so much to make my mk6 look dated.
I’m driving a mkV right now and would definitely consider a mkVII, EXCEPT for the dealer experience. I have never been satisfied with how they treat me, and although I love my car, she frequently requires warranty work.
Wolverine called…he wants his claws back ;)
Otherwise, another attractive, less-is-more design by VW.
I hope we can see comfort access on cheaper packages. For the MKVI I think you had to get the Autobahn or Golf R to enjoy keyless entry or a start button.
When do we get pics of the decontented American version?
You mean the American version that’s 99% the same car, but missing a few gizmos I don’t need and with a price tag that’s *thousands* of dollars cheaper?
I remember when “decontented American version” meant that your BMW M-car crossed the ocean with only a single color combo, gained a catalyst and lost 30 or 40 horsepower.
I’m not going to worry about more restrictive trim levels or a lack of optional $3,000 Recaro seats.
Not too bad. Made a render of a 3door GTI myself a couple of weeks ago. Wasn’t so far away from the real thing :)
http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=172580439546286&set=a.172580436212953.42223.164808696990127&type=1&theater
“Now is the winter of our discontent
Made glorious summer by this sun of VW;
And all the clouds that lour’d upon our house
In the deep bosom of the recession snubbed.
A car! Sport Hatch! My Kingdom for a Scirocco!
Sadly, Volkswagen of America announced last week that there are currently no plans for the Scirocco to come stateside, even after it moves to MQB in the next 18 months.
Basterds. That’s why my next duty station will be back to Germany.
LOL! +1
While the MQB A3 sedan is at the top of my list for next year, if Audi prices it into the stratosphere I would gladly take the MkVII GTI (or in TTAC-speak, “the emm-kay-vee-eye-eye”).
The MKVI was/is an excellent car, in many ways better than the 8P A3. Excited for this thing in the flesh.
The lease on the CC comes up in 11 months. I can easily picture this GTI parked next to the new MX-5. Glad the plaid interior stays. I like it. Does anybody know where these will be built? Please don’t say Mexico.
Hey VW, please don’t scare us with the interior shot of a GTI with an automatic….
And would it be too tacky to ask for a manual shifter with a golfball knob?
love the plaid interior. too bad I’m not into VWs.
Kinda the reverse for me.
Every time I see a GTI parked on the street, I approach it and admire the clean looks and restrained sportiness of the styling; “this will be my next car,” I think to myself. Then turn away in disgust when I see the plaid seats.
As long as VeeDub leaves out the bud vase with that sappy daisy spoinking out cheesily like a ghastly retread of hippie yesterday marketing nostalgia, I’m good with the I’m-a-lumberjack-and-I’m-okay! interior.
Fair enough. I’d rather have the plaid than the non-biodegradable plastic posies.
The unexpected dash of punk rock the plaid seats add as a contrast with the otherwise restrained design is what makes it so cool.
So just order it with the optional leather seats…
The interior treatment sort of matches all plaid shorts and hoodies the kids seem to be wearing these days. With driverless cars becoming legal, they can just blend right into the seats and the cops will be none the wiser.
@ Charlie
I don’t like leather seating.
I want to want one. It would be an amazing daily driver. My kid can go in the back. My bass rig fits in the hatch. It’s quick and well designed.
I just don’t feel anything in my pants when I see or drive one.
The Focus ST on the other hand. I have a different reaction to that car, and it’s NOT G Rated.
I wish I wanted a GTI because it’s probably a better choice, all around. I just don’t.
VW seems to be moving towards GM’s planned obsolescence model. The first 4 Golf generations covered more than 30 model years on the US market. Generations 5 and 6 came and went in 6. Will generation 8 show up in 2015?
Not sure where you are getting your numbers. The MkV showed up in the US in model year 2006. After being out in Europe for 2 already. The MkVI is now model year 2013. That’s 8 years. One can argue that 4 years per generation is too short, but 6 years between the two is certainly incorrect.
Also, the first four Golf models moved improved at a glacial pace. The first two generations were right for their times, but the third has already aged when it arrived, especially in light of the early 90’s Japanese alternatives. The GTi halo has held the Golf brand up for quite some time here in NA.
I want to not be afraid of Volkswagens.
Well, I feel I can comment on this as the former owner of a 2008 GTI. Here’s my findings:
It’s a sporty car, with a “sporty” ride, if you like feeling every groove in the highway through your butt up to your teeth, then keep reading. I always got 28-29 mpg, but – you’ll need to use premium, not regular gas. Your insurance company will love you, hell, I’m 53, married and clean record – still costs more than my wife’s 2008 Highlander Limited that was 12K more to buy! It is a fun car, I liked the heated seats and the DSG was a blast. But, cough up $345.00 every 40k miles for your DSG service, unless that’s changed, which I doubt. I never had any real problems with the car and my dealer was great. So, why am I a “former” owner? Well, it’s the little things like a hard ride after a long day at work when my back is tired, it’s the pricey gas, oil, filters, insurance, its the feeling you can’t get out of your head that this is a time bomb waiting to blow and leave you with a repair bill that equals your monthly pay. My car had the old engine with the timing belt, $1,200.00 at 90K miles that someone else can deal with. I understand the new engine has a timing chain so that’s much better.
If you really want one, read the GTI forum, ask questions, talk to other owners and if you still want it, get it. At least you know more about it than I did, oh – and resale is ok, not Honda – but ok.
Sounds like you bought the wrong Golf. The base car with the softer suspension and non-DSG slushbox probably would have been right up your alley. Why do people buy emphatically sporting cars and then complain about the harsh ride? Baffles me.
Insurance is baffling too – it costs me the same amount to insure my $45K BMW as my $3.5K Jeep Grand Cherokee. The Jeep is actually a couple bucks a month more due to not getting all the safety discounts. Same coverage on both, wouldn’t save enough to be worth not having collision on the Jeep. 43yo single male with a clean record.
Strange. During my test drives of MKV and MKVI GTIs I had no complaints about the ride. I tend to prefer firmer suspensions though and like to feel the road. If you are used to Camrys, Impalas, and the like, then yes, the GTI will seem overly harsh. You could also have replaced the stock 18″ rims with 17″ or 16″ rims to help curb the harshness.
Drive a Mazdaspeed3, Cooper S or similar and the GTI practically rides like a 5-series in comparison.
Out of curiosity, what car did you replace your GTI with that satisfies your performance-to-ride quality equation?
Junebug, you and I are the same age and live in the same state. My 2010 GTI costs $549 a year to insure, which I think is quite reasonable.
$349 for the 40k DSG service? Where? That’s the lowest non DIY price I’ve ever seen. Yes, oil changes with synthetic oil are pricey, but all the German cars are that way. It’s not a Honda.
Bigger questions to you: Did you have fun driving it? Your post makes it sound like you regretted it.
Actually LeeK newer Honda’s and Toyota’s use 0w20. There is a synthetic blend 0w20 but only the Honda dealers have it.
I’ve gotta tell you – if you’re spending $1,200 on the timing belt, you’re getting ripped off. A reputable independent shop will do the old 2.0T FSI engine for $700-$750.
Is it going to be an MQB car, or still on the older platform but with added weight saving measures>
MQB.
Note the strong similarity between the new Golf VII and the next-gen Audi A3 hatch.
Please tell me it will be available with a proper manual transmission.
Yes, a six speed manual is offered.
Please don’t short change the US market VW. I’ll be shopping for the Golf R version in fall 2014
I have 86,000 miles on a 2008 Mark V. It has been very reliable and rides fine as far as I am concerned. I drive this car from Connecticut into NYC ever day. The time of day that I drive allows a lot of 85 mph sprints on I-684 and the Saw Mill Parkway. I have a stick, which I love. This is by far the best all around car that I have ever had. That list includes my current Audi S6. I may be in the minority, but my VW dealer has been my best dealer ever.
My friend had the timing belt and water pump done for her 2007 Passat at a New Jersey VW dealer for $850. My dealer in CT does the job for about the same amount.
I never understood the GTI until I owned one. It’s not the fastest, most Luxurious, most economical, cheapest or even the most reliable car. It’s not “the most” of just about anything.
What it is, is a damn good combination of all of the above. That makes it a hard to beat package and a very likable car.
I was in the same boat. I was leaning toward a WRX but a test drive in the GTI changed my mind.