VW Golf Mk8

Gael23

Any thoughts on this yet? I know it’s early days

CIP4

I was getting my Golf serviced a few weeks ago and saw my first one in the flesh it was a mid specced one and looked better in person than the pictures. I think the rear looks nice its just the front takes a bit of getting used to and not sure its better than the mk7.5. I reckon though with the new Leon just being Launched which it is a good few thousand cheaper and arguably better looking outside it will have tough competition there.

Gael23

CIP4 wrote: »

I was getting my Golf serviced a few weeks ago and saw my first one in the flesh it was a mid specced one and looked better in person than the pictures. I think the rear looks nice its just the front takes a bit of getting used to and not sure its better than the mk7.5. I reckon though with the new Leon just being Launched which it is a good few thousand cheaper and arguably better looking outside it will have tough competition there.

Agreed. I think the Leon could be a better buy

colm_mcm

Saw one in the flesh over the weekend, I’d agree with CIP4, the rear is nice enough, the front is a mess, and the wheels on the €35k 1.5 petrol model on show looked tiny on it.
Not doing it for me personally, but I’m sure it’ll still sell.

CIP4

Gael23 wrote: »

Agreed. I think the Leon could be a better buy

Top Spec Golf Style/R-Line you are taking early 30's for a petrol and mid 30's for a diesel. It's strong money for a Golf even if they do have a good spec and a lot of features. Not released yet but I reckon the GTI will be close to 50K with a good spec and R 55-60K. Which it really depends what way the economy goes as to how well the performance models will sell.

Gael23

How much are we looking for a Leon DSG?

CIP4

Gael23 wrote: »

How much are we looking for a Leon DSG?

Excellence 150bhp diesel DSG is 32K so looks on average its about 2-3K cheaper than a golf in each guise. They are by no means cheap either.

Spark Plug

When you start getting into the mid-30s or late 30s once a few options are ticked then you wonder would you be better off looking at a 1-series or A-Class instead. wonder what pricing on the GTE will be

colm_mcm

Surely this new ID3 game changer should be on the road soon?

bazz26

I think the gap between the Golf, Leon and Octavia is shrinking in both price and quality. The finish in the new Leon is certainly improved vastly over the last model. The new Octavia interior looks a good step up from the previous model also, the Golf not so much imo.

Gael23

Spark Plug wrote: »

When you start getting into the mid-30s or late 30s once a few options are ticked then you wonder would you be better off looking at a 1-series or A-Class instead. wonder what pricing on the GTE will be

Not going to be an electric version I believe

Third_Echelon

Spark Plug wrote: »

When you start getting into the mid-30s or late 30s once a few options are ticked then you wonder would you be better off looking at a 1-series or A-Class instead. wonder what pricing on the GTE will be

Yeah, don't think there will be a GTE. eGolf is definitely finished (They are still being made, but when they run out of available shells/chassis', that's it).

ID.3 is the 'replacement' as such. Deposits have been open since last year for the 1st edition of the ID.3. You can still put a deposit down from what I've heard. Delivery supposed to be around September for the prebookers and early next year for general sale.

It is definitely getting my attention, but seems a little bit on the expensive side. Needs to drop by a few grand for each trim level to make it competitive i think. Seat will be releasing the 'El Born' next year at some stage as well, which is the exact same car as the ID.3 and looks a bit better i think....

As for the MK8 Golf... I don't like the front of it. Interior is very nice though. Quite similar to the ID.3.

bazz26

There will be a GTE.

Third_Echelon

bazz26 wrote: »

There will be a GTE.

ah yes! you're right. Missed that announcement! Seems like there will be 2 versions of it and a regular plug-in hybrid model too?!

https://www.drivingelectric.com/volkswagen/golf

Philb76

Haven't seen one up close yet just on a trailer do like the new leon though saying that some of these hatchbacks do seem expensive new

ml100

Mk7 1.6 tdi golf weighs 1400kg, ID3 weighs in at 2200 kg, not sure how that will translate into drive experience but I assume it wont be great.

Third_Echelon

ml100 wrote: »

Mk7 1.6 tdi golf weighs 1400kg, ID3 weighs in at 2200 kg, not sure how that will translate into drive experience but I assume it wont be great.

Test drives and reviews so far from industry reviewers have shown very good driving experience feedback from what I've seen.

Where did you see that weight? I've only seen weights between 1600 - 1700 KG? I guess it depends on the model chosen (3 range options with smaller to larger battery packs).

https://www.motor1.com/news/369662/vw-id-3-unveiled-frankfurt/

https://ev-database.org/car/1127/Volkswagen-ID3-Pure

Sexual Chocolate

Seen one in Navan recently and thought it looked better in person as well.

sk8board

We’re on our 2nd mk7.5 and I saw a mk8 style in the flesh recently. Really not sure about those silver slats on the lower front bumper. They seem to be there in all trims too.
Also, expect to see a lot more auto’s sold, as it’s a much cleaner interior.

650Ginge

I drove a mk8 style 1.5 eTSI Evo 150ps dsg last week. Very nice car, long time since I drove a golf but felt instantly familiar. I just got out of a test drive in a Q3 same engine. Golf seemed nicer place to be. The dual screens are nice. Pity it's typically VW with an option list for everything. Where as the Honda Civic 1.5 sport plus had everything as standard. Only paint colour is an option on the Honda. The golf is 10k more expensive spec'd similarly. This isn't in Ireland so might be different. The mild hybrid seems to result in zero engine braking in both golf and Q3. It was strange and I stepped out of a hire E-soul with nearly one peddle drive.

colm_mcm

ml100 wrote: »

Mk7 1.6 tdi golf weighs 1400kg, ID3 weighs in at 2200 kg, not sure how that will translate into drive experience but I assume it wont be great.

Mk7 is closer to 1300kg.

That ID3 would be the same weight as a Land Cruiser.

I guess a lot of the battery weight is down low in the car though so it mightn’t be that bad to drive.

Stallingrad

Seems the bean counters have really had a field day with the new Golf, lots of evidence of cutting back to save costs. The stupid form over function touch controls also are a potential deal breaker.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X48c9lFX3NY

sk8board

Stallingrad wrote: »

Seems the bean counters have really had a field day with the new Golf, lots of evidence of cutting back to save costs. The stupid form over function touch controls also are a potential deal breaker.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X48c9lFX3NY

Agreed. The lockdown killed the sales headstart the mk8 had over the ID3.

we paid €28k for an r-line 1.5tsi and great spec in Jan, which now appears to be even less than the base spec mk8 price.
I know one is a run-out model, but that means a similar spec mk8 must be €34/35k. Too much for a golf when the ID3 is looking over its shoulder.

ml100

colm_mcm wrote: »

Mk7 is closer to 1300kg.

That ID3 would be the same weight as a Land Cruiser.

I guess a lot of the battery weight is down low in the car though so it mightn’t be that bad to drive.

Id.3 weight was from an YouTube review which after googling seems to be way off, 1600-1700kg seems to be mentioned alot, the mk7 weight was from my nct cert last week !

DaveyDave

New Leon doesn't look too bad from what I've seen in passing, haven't seen a Mk8 properly though. Interested to see both in the flesh and test drive the mild hybrid.

Spark Plug wrote: »

When you start getting into the mid-30s or late 30s once a few options are ticked then you wonder would you be better off looking at a 1-series or A-Class instead. wonder what pricing on the GTE will be

150hp DSG MHEV Style with tinted windows, 18" wheels, sport suspension and adaptive LEDs is €36,500.

140hp 118i M Sport auto with wireless charging, tinted windows, heated steering wheel, high beam assist, adaptive cruise control (adaptive LEDs and driving assistant forced options) and keyless is €42,900.

The Golf doesn't have leather but the BMW doesn't have mild hybrid which should even out the comparison.

Golf is 0% and BMW is 3.9%.

yer man!

I sat in the Mk8 R line in the dealer this week. Thought it was a very impressive car. I've always loved golfs and this did feel instantly familiar but just more refined and obviously more modern. Although my jaw dropped a little when I saw the price tag, 42K for that particular model which had the mild hybrid technology. I'm not sure it would be worth that money, I would't feel psychologically comfortable spending much more than 30k on a golf.

CIP4

yer man! wrote: »

I sat in the Mk8 R line in the dealer this week. Thought it was a very impressive car. I've always loved golfs and this did feel instantly familiar but just more refined and obviously more modern. Although my jaw dropped a little when I saw the price tag, 42K for that particular model which had the mild hybrid technology. I'm not sure it would be worth that money, I would't feel psychologically comfortable spending much more than 30k on a golf.

Scary money when its not even a performance model one. I suppose new car prices have shot up across the board not just Golfs.

sky18

what dealer was the r line in just want to see what it's like

ml100

CIP4 wrote: »

Scary money when its not even a performance model one. I suppose new car prices have shot up across the board not just Golfs.

Will they sell at the money, I know pcp has helped push the prices up but that car must be 10k dearer than 3 to 4 years ago.

yer man!

sky18 wrote: »

what dealer was the r line in just want to see what it's like

It's a dealer in The Netherlands, they all seem to be well stocked with various trim levels of the mk8. I was just browsing while my own car was getting looked at. I was surprised to see it as I thought the software issue was a bigger deal but they said they just had to halt deliveries for only 2 weeks until VW sent the patch. They were expecting to not sell any for 2 months.

sky18

The r line 1.5 e tsi here is around 35k plus delivery and paint. I think the new A3 is a fine car it will probably be around the 42k mark.

yer man!

sky18 wrote: »

The r line 1.5 e tsi here is around 35k plus delivery and paint. I think the new A3 is a fine car it will probably be around the 42k mark.

Yeah to be fair this model had pretty much every feature that I could identify, I think the standard r line is 38k here. Still a fair chunk of money, especially with the ID3 competing against the same size class of car.

neeb03

Hi all,

We were considering the new Golf 8 R-Line and wondered if I could get the opinion of any owners that have had one for a while?

Reading an awful lot of problems with the software and being very glitchy. The car we drove was binging with a warning for "Traffic Hazard warning currently restricted" and the sat nav couldn't be switched to the drivers display. The car drove beautiful but these little bugs would really annoy me.

Love to hear any owners opinions if they have had one for the past year??

We were considering the Audi A3 Sportback instead as it had actual physical buttons too.

Many thanks

neeb03

Anyone????

JoeA3

Yes, the software can be a bit glitchy but they've improved it considerably with recent software updates. Any new car would have the latest software installed, which fixes most of the glitchy bugs, and if not, the car can have the latest updates applied. Takes a few hours in the workshop.

Also, sat nav on the drivers display can be done now. Didn't work on very early MK8's but definitely does now. It can be retro-enabled on older cars anyway by the dealers or by yourself using something like OBDEleven.

PaulRyan97

Yeah likewise, have had my MK.8 for a year now, the software glitches were definitely more noticeable at the beginning but they seem to be mostly gone now. The only I still get sometimes is the feed from the reversing camera flickers from time to time.

neeb03

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119046369#Comment_119046369

Many thanks for that Paul. We were looking at an early 211 model, so built in 2020. I heard that the original 2020 cars can only be updated so much. The newer cars have an upgraded chip which is supposed to be much faster but the older 2020 and early 2021 are cannot be upgraded to the new chip.

Do you miss the buttons for temp and volume? How do you find the haptic buttons on the steering wheel?

Thanks again

PaulRyan97

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119046778#Comment_119046778

Having come from a MK7, I do miss the physical buttons to an extent. There's so many extra steps to changing the climate it's quite annoying. Personally I usually have the same fan speed and temperature all the time so it's not a big deal but if you do vary your climate a lot it will be annoying.

The slider underneath the display for volume and temperature is just a bad design. I'm a software engineer by trade who has had a focus on UX development for industrial safety applications (which car infotainment could be classified as) and I am shocked they thought it was a good idea. Firstly, since they moved most of the controls to the touchscreen above it, meaning you'll use it more on the move, you'll then to use the area where the slider is as a handrest which will trigger the bloody thing. Secondly, it's not backlit so at night you can't actually see it. Thirdly, the volume control is relative meaning if you swipe to what should be the min volume part it'll actually only reduce your volume by how much you moved your finger.

The capacitive touch buttons on the steering wheel get a lot of hate but honestly they're fine. I haven't really ever accidentally trigger them, they're not that sensitive. They do allow some more fine grained input such as setting the cruise control speed where a tap puts you up or down a km/h while a long press does it in blocks of 10. The most annoying thing is they are gloss black and show up fingerprints.

JoeA3

@neeb03 I have a MK8 too and I'd completely agree with @PaulRyan97, his post covers it well. The hate for the steering wheel buttons is way over stated. They're fine imo, but the main touch screen can be a faff at times, but you do get used to it... I do think they should have stuck with more traditional controls for the commonly used things (radio volume, climate settings). And despite the multitude of buttons on the wheel, there isn't a "phone" button. So you have to use the screen to make calls too. These simple, frequent tasks should be easier to do but VW's UX team thought otherwise it seems...

I think software updates for the earliest cars aren't as readily available so I'd recommend getting as new a car as you can. Check the firmware/software version on the car, its in Settings -> System Information. I think the older cars were on version 15** or 16**. Latest software is 1896. My car was delivered with version 1804 (I think) which was largely glitch free, only a minor annoyance or two, but I recently got auto upgraded to 1896 and that seems 100% fine.

neeb03

@PaulRyan97 @JoeA3 Many thanks for the great feedback and information. It has been very helpful. I am coming from an R-Line 7.5 and it has been faultless and everything is very easy and accessible. We had an A3 saloon before that and it was beautiful.

I will check the software on the 211 Mk8 we are looking at but these niggly things would lead me towards the A3. The 1 series was beautiful to drive and probably nicer inside but the MPG on the Golf is fantastic as we regularly get over 50mpg from the mk 7.5. The BMW we test drove wasn't getting near 40, but it was new.

JoeA3

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119049366#Comment_119049366

Just so you're aware, the Audi uses much the same software. I think the A3 has some more physical buttons but the underlying software is the same on most of the new VAG cars.

neeb03

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119049748#Comment_119049748

Many thanks. I believe it is based on the system that is in my 7.5 golf not the newer platform which is in the mk 8 golf, Skoda, Seat. Hoping so, as the one we have is perfect. The audi has the volume controls and heating etc. on separate switches not on the infotainment. It also has actual switches and buttons on the steering wheel.

I'm torn, because the Golf drove lovely and was very comfortable.

AMKC

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119049366#Comment_119049366

So from an Audi A3 to a Golf. How about a Skoda Octavia next? Not a thing wrong with them. They look great in the metal in a decent spec.

neeb03

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119051900#Comment_119051900

Actually I really love the interior of the Octavia but would like to stick with the hatchback.

Just checked the software on the car we were looking at and it is 1664, so one of the first batches.

AMKC

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119052369#Comment_119052369

The Octavia is a hatchback.

neeb03

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119052382#Comment_119052382

Should have said, prefer smaller hatchback.

To me the Octavia is a hatchback with a bum sticking out. Wants to be a saloon but is a mix of both.

AMKC

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119052581#Comment_119052581

Awe OK. Yes it is that indeed. I think Skoda just thought it was a good idea at the time ever since the first model came out as saloons were still popular then and have stuck to it. I wonder will they ever change that?

DaveyDave

The Leon shares the slightly longer chassis with the Octavia but more traditional hatchback than liftback style. Both are similar prices to the Golf once you add on a few options that the Golf has. All very familiar cars though so you'll be at home in either of them.