NewNiceMrMe Posted January 30, 2005 Report Share Posted January 30, 2005 Following on from a conversation that started between Ari and I was a promise that I would arrange a drive in a new Golf GTi and report back on it. Well, here is the review. Firstly, the drive came about after I pulled a few strings that will go un-detailed; resulting in the availability of a Press car for a few hours. Throughout my testing of the car I tried to forget any expectations of my own cars performance/build quality and give as neutral a view as possible. Hopefully I have managed to do so. To begin with, the specification of the car I drove was quite high (being a Press car this was always going to be the case) and can be detailed as follows: 3-door Golf GTi in Red (£19,995) 6 speed manual (standard gearbox) Anthracite leather interior (£1,645 option) 18” Monza alloys (£445 option) Electric door mirrors and auto-dimming (£180 option) Navigation system with 6-disc CD (£1665 option) Winter pack (£220 option) Bi-Xenon lights (£725 option) Rear parking sensors (£295 option) Cruise control (£270 option) Multi function steering wheel (£225 option) This gave a list price of a staggering £25,645. Because of this, and for the purpose of trying to give as fair a review as possible, I tried bearing in mind that the average buyer wouldn’t spec their car as high as this and kept a figure of £22k-ish inside my mind for a car with the 18” Monza wheels and leather as the main options that someone might choose. First impressions Ok, so walking up to the car I have to admit it looked nice from the side with the 18” alloys on it. They really do look very large indeed on a car of this size – and very imposing. They would certainly have to be on the car if it was one I was going to buy. From the front the car was less impressive. In fact, I found it decidedly unimpressive bordering on cheap looking. I say this because of the swathes of very plastic looking grille-type meshing. It just looked very boy-ish indeed. From the rear it had a more distinctive stance than the standard Golf’s and the twin pipes stood out in a subtle yet striking manner. Upon opening the door the build quality was immediately noticeable. This is one very finely put together car. The next thing that impressed was the clarity and driver orientated appeal of the cabin. The steering wheel (multi-function option on this one) was superb and felt special. Some of the interior plastics were a bit cheap looking in comparison to what I have grown used to but they were generally of a solid yet stylish nature. The instrument binnacle area is excellent. Clear dials, everything where you’d expect it, as if almost instinctively. You could get very quickly used to this car. The main criticism I would have of the interior would be that some of the stereo controls and other buttons were rather small and finicky. They were solid enough but became a bit of an irritation as the hours wore on. The best bit though, by far, was the seats. These are fantastic and I’d go as far as to say they are almost on par with the M3 seats that have received acclaim in all press reports that I’ve ever read. They were firm, gripping, and the driving position they offered was utterly without fault. Within seconds I had found the perfect seating position and felt very comfortable (although the car sat a bit higher than I expected and this was noticeable even with the seat lowered as much as it would do). The leather wasn’t of Audi/BMW standards though – more, forgive me, Toyota Celica standard (that was my honest opinion!). I discounted this on the basis that I shouldn’t expect it but you have to bear in mind the leather finish is very expensive indeed and the guy who handed the car to me pointed out they were actually “leatherette” in parts when I commented on it. Hope that doesn’t come as a shock to too many buyers – because it was news to me. On The Road Upon start-up it became clear this was a very refined car. Its pull was smooth and easy – with little Type R-like characteristics. The gear change was a bit notchy for my liking but it was better than anything else I have driven in this class. Gears were still easy to find though and I was delighted to see it was a 6-speed box. The start of my journey was on rather bumpy tarmac with interruptions from pot holes – but the GTi absorbed them with ease. Ride is a definite strength. I could be a passenger in this car on a long trip with no problems too because space was equally impressive. I would question the statement that Jeremy Clarkson said about it replacing an MPV or larger family saloon though – the honest answer is no it won’t. You’ll carry 3 passengers, of adult size, but I wouldn’t fancy much more than a 100 mile trip if the car was full of adults. For a couple with children though (say up to teens) it’ll do the job very nicely indeed. The steering was a bit light for my liking though – and as a drivers car I felt some of the feedback was muted. That’s also a criticism I have of the M3 though, so it’s not something I would let put me off. Getting into the pace of things I took the car on a 75 mile round trip. The was on A roads, B roads and the vehicle was given a damn good thrashing as well as a more gentle test on the return trip to test its everyday viability. This is a quick car – make no mistake. The power delivery is excellent and well balanced. The only point at which I started to think it needed a kick up the rear was beyond 100 mph (on a short stretch it has to be said). I also found sixth gear to be a waste of time except as an overdrive. It just seemed too widely geared away from 5th to be of much use. But, from 1st through to 5th this is one very very fun car. You can throw it around as much as you want and it simply won’t be phased by it. It sits very well, grip is sublime, and twitchiness was nil. As a drivers car it is up there with the best (bar the steering comments) in class and well above class. On major roads I found wind noise a bit excessive and surprisingly enough the air vents had a few intrusive whistles that I wasn’t expecting. All things considered though my expectations were exceeded without doubt. On B roads the car was a joy. This is where it comes into its own. I managed to get a good 10 minutes on a country-lane type road on the outskirts of Durham and to be honest I went down it once….then turned around and did it again! The car felt perfectly matched to it (in fact I swear it knew where the bumps were and adjusted its stance accordingly!). It should be said that performance isn’t at a level that will hurt your neck or back – it simply isn’t. You’ll feel the car pulling, but it isn’t going to scare anyone too much. That said, it was easy to get good speed out of the car without deafening yourself as in the Type-R. I stopped the car at the end of my second trip on the country lane and took another good look around it. This is when a few things struck me. This car, that I had enjoyed so much on the short stretch of roads, just didn’t look that much fun from outside. Wheels aside, well, it’s a Golf. It looks it too. In fact, I saw a TDi Golf on the way back too and the only thing that really distinguished the two, at a glance, was the wheels. You won’t get masses of attention in this car which is good thing, but I do suspect you’d get a tad tired of people thinking it is ‘just a Golf’. That ‘disguise’ element wasn’t wolf in sheep’s clothing though. Perhaps more ‘slightly angry medium sized dog woken from sleep…’! Considering its origins I would have to say it is by far the best Golf I have ever driven – and by some considerable margin….except one. It is no R32, and I know that model is yet to follow. But, not just in power…in substance, style and overall feel…this is a family hot hatch. If I were a young single male, it wouldn’t be my choice. If I were a young single female, well it might be. Yes, sorry, it did smack of a rather feminine feel. If I were in my late twenties with a young family – then it’d be a perfect car…..but don’t expect to do huge amounts of Christmas shopping in it and you’d best make sure you pick a pram/pushchair that folds very compact indeed. As I said, space is very good – but Jeremy Clarkson must have had a fish-eyed pair of spectacles on when he said it would do the job of an MPV/family saloon. No it won’t. ….but here is the let-down. Based on the list price, this car is hugely over-priced. Based on my mindset trying to say it was £22,000….it is still hugely over priced. So, I tried to mentally strip it of options and think it was the £19,995 base car….and I’m sorry to say it is still way way too expensive. As a £17,000 car this has to be the best there is – but even then I think a few male drivers will start to feel rather feminine in it! But, this is a £19,995 entry car….and at that price it is way too expensive for me to even think of it as being worth its money. VW, in my opinion, have produced a cracking all-rounder, but have got far too carried away in their own hype by pricing it at £20k. It’s simply not worth it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sayerbloke Posted January 30, 2005 Report Share Posted January 30, 2005 Thorough review! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NewNiceMrMe Posted January 30, 2005 Author Report Share Posted January 30, 2005 How coincidental is this too! No sooner have I posted it than JC is reviewing it on TG!!! Bloody copycat. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JamesB Posted January 30, 2005 Report Share Posted January 30, 2005 It would be easier to understand your conclusions if you could go into a bit of detail. Great write-up, probably what I expected from the press reports but we all know that you can't always believe what the motoring press have to say. I don't think I'll be getting one, even though I'm in the market for a hatchback and it's for exactly the reason you state - it's just too expensive. Having said that, many thousands of people will. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Durrsaku Posted January 30, 2005 Report Share Posted January 30, 2005 well we will compare the two. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NewNiceMrMe Posted January 30, 2005 Author Report Share Posted January 30, 2005 Let me just add this to what JC has just said about 6th gear... TOTAL RUBBISH. He is full of it. Sixth gear does not do what he says it does!!!!! If anyone has questions that they want more detail on, per the above comment, feel free to ask me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JamesB Posted January 30, 2005 Report Share Posted January 30, 2005 [ QUOTE ] If anyone has questions that they want more detail on, per the above comment, feel free to ask me. [/ QUOTE ] I was being tongue-in-cheek (I'd hoped it was fairly obvious ). I thought your review was very thorough. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NewNiceMrMe Posted January 30, 2005 Author Report Share Posted January 30, 2005 Oh I see. Cheers James! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ari Posted January 30, 2005 Report Share Posted January 30, 2005 Good review. Still disagree about the price. If I had a £20K ceiling I'm struggling to think what I'd rather have. BMW 1 Series? Don't think so! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NewNiceMrMe Posted January 30, 2005 Author Report Share Posted January 30, 2005 Thing is, it'd have cloth and none of the other toys that this one had for £19,995. I did give it a lot of thought though. Particularly in terms of what else I might buy with the £20k. I came up with the following as preferred buys (whilst I appreciate this is from MY perspective and not necessarily what a GTi inclinded buyer might be looking for): Audi A3 2.0 FSI Sport (Sportback) Audi A4 2.0 FSI Saloon BMW 320i NEW MODEL Saloon (£21k) Saab 9-3 2.0 Turbo Linear Skoda Octavia 20v vRS (and £4.5k change!) Volvo S40 T5 (for £22k) I can honestly say I'd prefer all of the above if it were my money. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ari Posted January 30, 2005 Report Share Posted January 30, 2005 I'd look at the Saab, but doubt it is as nicely built and as good to drive. The A3 and A4 2.0FSI are too slow, as is the BMW 320i (compared to a Golf GTI I mean). Skoda and Volvo, probably good cars, but no. Still the Golf I'm afraid! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NewNiceMrMe Posted January 30, 2005 Author Report Share Posted January 30, 2005 Yes, and I think that is where my comments about "not what a GTi type buyer might choose" but they're purely meant to show what else you can get for the money if you don't want a Renault or Honda hot hatch. As the review says I was very impressed indeed, but there is no getting away from the price. One thing I didn't add was that when I returned to base two people asked about the car, what did I think etc. These were car enthusiasts but they knew little about the Golf. I really really sold it to them. Really bulled it up in every respect. They were all over it like flies. Then, I dropped the price into the conversation. They were stunned. One of them said he thought about £15k but insisted I was taking the p*ss. Then, when I told him that the one he was looking at that very moment was £25K he just couldn't stop laughing. They were genuinely amazed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Durrsaku Posted January 30, 2005 Report Share Posted January 30, 2005 I have just given some time finally to read the review properly as was busy early on and true it is very thorough. Good work. It would help someone who is looking to buy one. What was it that you did for a living? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NewNiceMrMe Posted January 30, 2005 Author Report Share Posted January 30, 2005 Not going to say again because last time I did I got murdered on here! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
R32Ash Posted January 30, 2005 Report Share Posted January 30, 2005 He's a 'chicken sexer'. That doesn't involve anything perverted, they just identify girl and boy chicks apparently. (I actually know someone who did that as a job! ) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NewNiceMrMe Posted January 30, 2005 Author Report Share Posted January 30, 2005 No, I used to do that but got into trouble with the chicks... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wrightyrs Posted January 31, 2005 Report Share Posted January 31, 2005 Very good review,and having sat in one myself,not had the chance to drive one yet but at that price VW are having a laugh. ok i'm biased but the Octavia is far better value and even when the MK2 Octavia vRS(same engine more power)comes out which is gonna hopefully be priced around the £16.5K-£17.5K(No Options)will be far better value,and it is exactly the same underpinnings as the Golf so the extra money is a waste in my opinion,just for the BADGE!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jojo Posted January 31, 2005 Report Share Posted January 31, 2005 [ QUOTE ] Very good review,and having sat in one myself,not had the chance to drive one yet but at that price VW are having a laugh. ok i'm biased but the Octavia is far better value and even when the MK2 Octavia vRS(same engine more power)comes out which is gonna hopefully be priced around the £16.5K-£17.5K(No Options)will be far better value,and it is exactly the same underpinnings as the Golf so the extra money is a waste in my opinion,just for the BADGE!!!! [/ QUOTE ] I agree that the New Golf GTI is overpriced, but you do get your money back come selling time, as it will be residually sound compared to its rivals. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Calm Chris Posted January 31, 2005 Report Share Posted January 31, 2005 Nice one M3Me- You've told me enough, in a well informed and neutral way, for me not to waste time on a GTi test drive! I love the idea of the over pricing. It just means that all the R32's which book out at £18-£21k on the private market are a far better car option than a new GTi. Should help hold up R32 prices nicely. Not that I after a comparision, but have you driven a R32? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sparky Posted January 31, 2005 Report Share Posted January 31, 2005 Oh well, guess it's best to learn what cars to avoid. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NewNiceMrMe Posted January 31, 2005 Author Report Share Posted January 31, 2005 My time in an R32 was very short indeed. About 5 minutes in fact and it was only as a passenger. The sound was lovely though and I was very impressed. If you wanted to try to compare my brief R32 experience with the GTi I'd have to say the GTi was a much more refined car but wouldn't put them in the same class regarding performance. There is another thing too. I know I mentioned wind noise at speed, but at low speeds, general pottering - the car was too quiet. It was very quiet. Didn't feel like a hot hatch. I think key to the Golf is that it mixes performance and daily useage so well. You couldn't fail to be impressed in that respect. You have to remember too that if I had started listing cars in the £25k bracket that the test car was...well you'd really start to see how superior the competition is at that price range. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ari Posted January 31, 2005 Report Share Posted January 31, 2005 [ QUOTE ] I love the idea of the over pricing. It just means that all the R32's which book out at £18-£21k on the private market are a far better car option than a new GTi. [/ QUOTE ] Why? I'd sooner have a brand new Mk5 than a second-hand old shape even if the old shape was a V6. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Riz Posted January 31, 2005 Report Share Posted January 31, 2005 [ QUOTE ] [ QUOTE ] I love the idea of the over pricing. It just means that all the R32's which book out at £18-£21k on the private market are a far better car option than a new GTi. [/ QUOTE ] Why? I'd sooner have a brand new Mk5 than a second-hand old shape even if the old shape was a V6. [/ QUOTE ]Very valid point. But i think people are confusing the issue here.... the new MK5 GTi and the MK4 R32 are both very good cars in their own ways BUT you cant really compare the both of them..... People should be comparing the MK5 GTi with the MK4 GTi. When the next R32 comes out thats when the comparisons should be made. Riz Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sparky Posted January 31, 2005 Report Share Posted January 31, 2005 When will the next R32 be out then? I heard they were calling it the R33 - any ideas why, or is it just a rumour? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NewNiceMrMe Posted January 31, 2005 Author Report Share Posted January 31, 2005 I can't believe for a second any R32 owner would be able to live with the performance of the new GTi. The R32 is a much quicker car. Furthermore, I'd suggest that as many TSN-ers as possible (definitely Ari!) drive one of these cars. You'll like it. But I'd let to bet it makes you think about just how much it is... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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