Mk 5 1.6 FSI - comments?

[DanG]

Been driving a 1.6 FSI hire car the past few days and I am really disapointed.

I have had 6 Golfs in the past and a Touareg now and really like VW's. (appart from their service)

I was really looking forward to driving the Mk 5 Golf, and having seen millions of them on the road I thought they must be pretty good.

But for £15k new I had hoped for higher quality plastics, a little bit of leather (steering wheel) and an engine, because I think that must be an option.....

1.6FSI chugs like a diesel (esp up hill), refuses to 'go' at all and the 'self adjusting' clutch is terrible.

I can only think they gave it 6 gears for fuel economy, and the ESP circuitry would make a great buy second hand as it will never be used.

What are VW doing?! they have huge competition out there in this sector and they give us this piece of crap. For a few more quid you can get a brand new WRX from those car supermarkets for goodness sake!

Also the build quality on this one (and I know its a hire car - but its only got 4000 miles on it) is awful. The boot doesnt shut unless you slam it so hard that the glass rattles, the electric window motors are from my old Hornby railway set and can barely close, the front has been designed to be so low to the ground that in car parks in Reading and Heathrow it scrapes the floor on the ramps.

Only good things are the seats, rear window wipe in reverse and automatic light package....(I know that the GTI is great but Avis dont lend them out!).

£15k is far too much money for this vehicle, particularly when you can get a TDI which does better mpg for the same price......

[shao_khan]

Gotta agree with you - the only place that engine has ever been good was in the Audi A2. I had oen as a loaner for a while and it was truely loathesome.

I have never been a fan of the MK5 interior anyway I dont think it was a step forward from the MK4, unless immitating Japanese interiors is a way to kid people that you are getting Japanese reliability.