The Mega Mk7 Golf GTI/GTD/R thread

carsfan wrote: »

Aaargh!
Scraped an alloy yesterday on the gti. Disgusted with myself but it's only an inch long and probably invisible to most people but not me.
I read somewhere that these alloys are prone to corrosion if damaged. Any of you with experience know?
Should I get this repaired or leave it. If the wheel was going to deteriorate I would repair it but otherwise I will leave it until I am selling unless I damage it further.

Balls, I've been there and I know it's a sickner. Sure I only had the R a week and picked up a nasty stone chip - in a really obvious location too as luck would have it!

Yes those wheels are a disaster and they will corrode eventually, whether you kerb them or not. I had a small kerb mark on both my fronts on the GTI. Sickened like you when it happened but you soon kinda forget they are there.

Before I traded the car I could see very obvious signs of corrosion starting - on a non kerbed wheel! The area I had kerbed didn't corrode at all. Depending on where it is you could try taking the rough edge off it with some very very fine sandpaper and then dab some clear lacquer over it to stop moisture getting in.

MisterDrak wrote: »

I got the Apple Car play working properly at the weekend, and have to say its pretty good...

The phone needs to be plugged in and unlocked, and using an official Apple charge cable (I've tried using yellow pack ones but don't work), before the car is started. Siri needs to be turned on also. After that just select the Car App icon and you get the app select screen.

Text messages is pretty cool, and you can dictate the message and it reads the message back to you (usually getting it correct) then asks to send it. For in-bound messages it also reads out the message.

The Music and Podcasts is an improvement in terms of ease of use of use over the in car Bluetooth Media function, looks prettier too. Maps are about the same...

Sounds good. I'm hoping that I'll be able to get this feature enabled at some stage, as it isn't standard with the regular Nav. When I select AppConnect in the menu, I get a message telling me to contact my dealer for an activation code. The dealers don't have a clue about activating it yet but I've read that they will be able to do it in the near future.

I'm with AIG, via Chill. I don't know if I'd recommend Chill as their customer service sucks (except when you're renewing!). My premium on the R is approx €560, which is little or no change at all from the GTI I had before.

Casati wrote: »

Anybody with a GTI considering upgrading to a Golf R next week and on PCP? Any idea how VW calculate the penalty for terminating a PCP agreement after only a year?

Ive a Superb Combi on 3.9% PCP, and after reading the positive comments about the Golf R am at early stages of wondering if I could move to a Golf R estate next year - if they tried to charge me a penalty of thousands of euro it would make my mind up quickly

I don't think VW Ireland are going to offer the R Estate - so that could be your decision made for you!

As far as I know, there is no penalty for early payment. You just pay the interest outstanding as of today, like any other loan (plus a small admin fee - not 100% sure on this)

Thanks for the info on the pcp, its good to know the penalty is not likely to rule it out automatically

I love those seats and quite like the rear wing, not sure on the rest though.

carsfan wrote: »

How are you guys with the R finding them now you have them a while?
Are they a step up from a gti in every way and in every day use?
Are the running costs appreciably higher?
Any regrets?

It's still fairly early days. Running costs definitely higher. I'm only averaging about 26.5 - 27mpg per tank at the moment. I was averaging 34-ish in the GTI with similar commutes. I reckon that'll improve a bit though as it runs in.

It's a huge step up from the GTI performance wise. There's masses of power and grunt. However it's very hard to actually use it! My typical commute must have an abnormally high % of "Sunday drivers". So invariably I am stuck in a line of cars with little opportunity to overtake!

The R has a few more toys and tech that I didn't have in the GTI - such as adaptive cruise and of course DSG... I love the gearbox, huge novelty factor still.

Also the leather seats (heated) really lift the interior ambiance. I've the heaters on nearly all the time

The 5 door practicality is a massive bonus too.

I love the looks - the colour / wheels combo especially. It's a genuine head turner.

So overall, no regrets at all. In all honesty the GTI would do the same job 90% of the time.... but when the opportunity does arise on an open road to put the boot down, it's something else.

cros13 wrote: »

Why not go for a GTE?

It performs better than a GTD and you can commute on electric power alone for 1/10th the cost of diesel.

It's quoted as being 0.1 seconds slower to 60 than a GTD so I don't see how that constitutes better performance? I know none of us would notice 0.1 seconds but it's hardly describable as better

millington wrote: »

It's quoted as being 0.1 seconds slower to 60 than a GTD so I don't see how that constitutes better performance? I know none of us would notice 0.1 seconds but it's hardly describable as better

What I meant by perform better was more than 0-100 times. It's primarily that the GTE is more fun to drive.

GTE also has better weight distribution than the GTD.

Leaving aside that I'd also question Volkswagens quoted figures... there seems to be a trend of manufacturers misquoting the 0-100 times from a lot of EVs and PHEVs. My i3 was quoted as 7.2 seconds by BMW, but Car & Driver, Auto Express and my own race timer put it at 6.5 seconds. The Leaf is quoted by Nissan to do 10.5 seconds, but timed runs show 9.5 seconds.

RandomAccess wrote: »

It's not all about the 0-60 times, a lot of the reviews I saw preferred it to the GTD. I think the only thing it falls down on was it's price.

Yup, and because of VRT differences the GTE is not £6,000 more expensive than the GTD like in the UK.... it's €500 cheaper than the GTD here. And it comes better equipped too. Plus if you use it for an average commute you will save €3-4k a year on tax, fuel and brake pads.... fuel and brake pads that can be put to better use...

cros13 wrote: »

What I meant by perform better was more than 0-100 times. It's primarily that the GTE is more fun to drive.

GTE also has better weight distribution than the GTD.

Leaving aside that I'd also question Volkswagens quoted figures... there seems to be a trend of manufacturers misquoting the 0-100 times from a lot of EVs and PHEVs. My i3 was quoted as 7.2 seconds by BMW, but Car & Driver, Auto Express and my own race timer put it at 6.5 seconds. The Leaf is quoted by Nissan to do 10.5 seconds, but timed runs show 9.5 seconds.



Yup, and because of VRT differences the GTE is not £6,000 more expensive than the GTD like in the UK.... it's €500 cheaper than the GTD here. And it comes better equipped too. Plus if you use it for an average commute you will save €3-4k a year on tax, fuel and brake pads.... fuel and brake pads that can be put to better use...

I would like to drive a GTE out of interest but from general impressions, I'd rather the GTD (well, GTi but comparing like for like here)

I doubt the GTE would hold value aswell as the GTD so savings might be a bit less come the end of the road. Interesting car all the same

millington wrote: »

I doubt the GTE would hold value aswell as the GTD

vintagevrs wrote: »

I think the problem with the GTE is the fear of the unknown, especially when considering depreciation

Maybe I'm too far down the electric rabbit hole, but I'm kinda shocked by that. The addition of the electric powertrain means less wear and tear on the rest of the mechanicals.

Motor regen means the friction brakes are used less. The engine gets revved less aggressively because torque fill from the electric motor allows the software to bring in the throttle of the petrol engine gradually. The modern automotive li-ion batteries usually take 15-20 years to drop to 70% capacity.

And all that's before you look at in a PHEV rarely using the petrol engine for more than 10% of driving.So a GTE in 5 years with 100,000km on the clock will probably only have run the thermal engine for 10,000km or so, might still be on it's original brake pads and still has 85-90% of battery capacity at worst.

From the EV driver perspective it's a bit slightly underpowered EV with 1.4L training wheels. But in the general scheme of things it's a well engineered powertrain, it's a fun car to drive, maybe not as much fun as a GTI... but it's cheaper and earns it's keep as a commuter car Mon-Fri that costs cents to run but is still good craic on weekends. In 5 years maybe you sell it on and buy a Tesla Model 3...
https://youtu.be/9C4uTEEOJlM?t=40s

the turbo petrol engine. :pac:

Would you consider a GTE? If I was looking for a GTD I would look into one of these as well.

As for spec, I think the Golf with the tech pack is pretty well equipped, so really up to you after that. Sunroof and leather are expensive options in my opinion. I can't comment on the Dynaudio system as I haven't heard it, but I find the base stereo perfectly fine, €750 is a fair whack more.

If there is one option I would have it would be DSG, but again some people prefer the manual so it's all down to personal preference.