Golf GTI Mk7 - essential options?

Golf GTI Mk7 - essential options?

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Basil Hume

Original Poster:

1,259 posts

251 months

Wednesday 28th January 2015
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I've had some good quotes on a privately-funded new Mk7 GTI, to replace my current R32.

As always, there are loads of options but it's quite well kitted anyway (auto wipers, xenons, DAB, parking sensors all round - all important to me). But unless you can convince me otherwise, I've so far been leaning towards a lightly spec'd version:

In

- Metallic paint: just a personal thing;
- Dynaudio: ditto...and quite a low cost upgrade.

Maybe?

- Leather: I have 2 young kids and I like the wipe-clean nature, but it's just so expensive;
- Discover nav / £750 option (i.e. not Pro): I'm going away on holiday in France later this year and it could be handy, but I could still get a portable unit for so much less.

Out

- Performance pack: sounds great, until I realise that the whole reason I'm looking at a GTI rather than an R is because I don't need heaps of performance at this stage in my life;
- DSG: liked it on my 8P S3, but not essential.

Thoughts valued.

acme

2,971 posts

197 months

Wednesday 28th January 2015
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Not exactly what you're looking for as I have a MK7 1.4TSI ACT GT DSG - what a mouthful!

However I do have two of those options; satnav (discover), which oddly is included in the GT spec, but not GTI/R etc & DSG (albeit 7 speed dry clutch, I suspect the GTI has the wet (?) 6 speed)

Satnav
Not perfect, but has proved to be great in my job, showing basic functions on the binnacle display is great & means you don't need to take your eyes off the road for too long to look at the main screen. Via the steering wheel controls it's really easy to navigate to the required screen and choose recent destinations. The postcode input is in a daft place & first thing as you're setting off it takes an age to start. Depends how much you'd use it.

DSG
Not sure if this applies to the 6 speed but it's quite jerky and DEFINITELY removes a layer of interactivity with the car. Works really well with the active cruise control allowing it to bring you to a stop. For the miles I do 20k+ it makes sense, if I was doing less & private only I'd go manual. Could be different on the 6speed/2 litre engine...

Cheers

Basil Hume

Original Poster:

1,259 posts

251 months

Wednesday 28th January 2015
quotequote all
Thanks acme.

I'm doing between 7-9k miles a year and, although a lot of our driving is around town, I'm not sure DSG is worth it (having had it on our old S3).

The nav is the one option that I'm tempted by, but it's poor value.

andrewparker

7,903 posts

186 months

Wednesday 28th January 2015
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I wouldn't bother with leather, unless you particularly like it. I've had both GTI and currently have a GTD, both with the cloth interior. It lifts what is otherwise a relatively drab interior and is very hardwearing. I have a 2 and 5 year old who love making a mess in the car but it always hoovers up like new.

acme

2,971 posts

197 months

Wednesday 28th January 2015
quotequote all
No problems, hopefully it was a little help.

Even around town, and assuming you enjoy your driving (which I do if you're on PH) I'd go for the manual. I can imagine in the future these cars won't come with a manual (obviously so) option so why not enjoy whilst you can. Plus I'd have thought the GTI was even more fun than mine.

Can't deny as compared to a stand alone unit satnav's bl**dy expensive, but it is pretty good IMO. Not sure I'd bother though if I rarely used it on a personal only car. Considering it's a bespoke design it's pretty seemless in my eyes and I'm chuffed I've got it.

Re leather, I agree with Andrew Parker, mine has Shetland interior (which would be totally useless with kids) and without it the interior with the piano black surround (GT's the same as the GTI/GTD/R) and the rear privacy glass would make for a drab interior, in facts it's why I chose Shetland (not available on the GTI).


Patch1875

4,893 posts

131 months

Wednesday 28th January 2015
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Mines has no options other than DPB.

Had no choice as I got a great deal on it as it was out of stock, as you have said its a well specced car as standard if I ordered another I would only consider keyless and the 19's

va1o

16,029 posts

206 months

Wednesday 28th January 2015
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I would say Sat Nav is essential. It makes a difference at resale and should really be standard given the lesser GT models have it.

Metallic is nice to have but the standard Red and Black colour options still look very good.

Leather I would leave as IMO it detracts from the character of the GTI. The tartan cloth is really nice smile

DSG would for me be a personal preference, I wouldn't have another VW without but some people prefer the manual.

Can't really comment on Dynaudio or Performance Pack as I haven't tried them yet, but unlikely to be essential!

Juicetin1

599 posts

189 months

Thursday 29th January 2015
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Performance Pack is only 10bhp more and unladen weight 32kg more because of the lsd and bigger brakes. They'd better be good. I've ticked the box anyway.
I've also gone for adaptive chassis control but not really sure i'll make the most of it, still time to delete from my order.
I went for tornado red because i think it really suits the Gti, almost opted for carbon grey but i find it a little dark. Night blue is nice but i don't think suits the Gti.
No more options for me. Ive heard good things about the Dynaudio and high beam assist though.

andrewparker

7,903 posts

186 months

Thursday 29th January 2015
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I'm not sure about DCC. I know people rave about it, but with the car on standard wheels it rides fine, even on the potholed roads of West Yorkshire. I'm sure if I'd have specced it I would have felt it was £815 wasted.

I think my next Golf will have a panoramic roof. I like the exterior look with it, particularly contrasted against a red car for example, and the cabin could do with being a bit more light and airy.

NBirkitt

252 posts

190 months

Thursday 12th February 2015
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Juicetin1 said:
Performance Pack is only 10bhp more and unladen weight 32kg more because of the lsd and bigger brakes. They'd better be good. I've ticked the box anyway..
Yes, the extra 10 PS / bhp of the Performance Pack is really neither here nor there.. if anything it just helps carry that extra weight ( ! ) but the special VAQ diff ( described as mechanical but more like the electronically controlled Haldex coupling in the way it works ) is what really makes the PP worthwhile – we've driven it on test track and it is almost unreal how it just keeps turning in to the corner the harder you drive it.. almost defies the laws of physics and in some ways almost superior to 4WD R in the way it puts the power down and handles through the corners... Bigger brakes also advantageous for high-performance driving... So, PP Maybe not really necessary for normal fast-road driving, but if you're ever even thinking of further performance upgrades or taking the car out on track days etc then the PP is worth every penny...

Dolf Stoppard

1,318 posts

121 months

Thursday 12th February 2015
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Just picked up my new three door GTI in white. Car was pre-registered and came with leather, Dynaudio, pan roof and the winter pack.

I've never been a big fan of Golfs but to me the Mk7 is an incredibly smart car in the right colour / spec. The inside of the car is also fantastic and it really does seem to be from the class above - the ambient lighting in particular makes it feel a special place to be. No, it's not as quick as an M135i or an A45, but sub 6.5 seconds to 60 is hardly slow, and as far as I'm concerned it's the best overall package.

Going back to the extras I posted the following thoughts on GolfGTIForum.co.uk

ACC - Not tried it but is meant to be very good (as is the normal ride quality). Probably depends on what kind of ride quality you're coming from.

PP - I've purchased a car without it and it felt plenty quick enough (and I'm coming from a Cayman). Most seem to say it's worth it if you're going to really push the car to its limits.

Winter Pack - Essential for me as heated seats are a must. A bit overpriced if you go for leather as heated seats are included.

Leather - Divides opinion but I really like it.

Nav - if you're going to use it every day then go for it. Lots of people like it because it does look good but is expensive if you're not going to be a regular user. The Pro Nav in particular is very pricey.

Reverse camera - Quite cheap and looks cool!

Keyless entry - Some love it. Others don't. If you've had it previosuly you may well want to spec it again. However, you don't tend to miss what you've never had!

Pan Sunroof - Is not really panoramic from the inside but looks great on certain colours - like white.

Dynaudio - Like your tunes loud? Worth considering. Stock system is also very good.

High beam assist - Finsishes things off nicely if you like your tech.

Larger alloys - Look good and go well with ACC. Many like them even on stock suspension.

Climate Screen - Very handy but linked to Advanced Telephone Prep.

Advanced Telephone Prep - need the best call quality at all times and use your phone a lot while in the car? This option might be for you. Sacrifices some multimedia options.

Hope the above helps.

NBirkitt

252 posts

190 months

Thursday 12th February 2015
quotequote all
Dolf Stoppard said:
Just picked up my new three door GTI in white. Car was pre-registered and came with leather, Dynaudio, pan roof and the winter pack.

ACC - Not tried it but is meant to be very good (as is the normal ride quality). Probably depends on what kind of ride quality you're coming from.
FYI

ACC is Automatic Cruise Control – a standard feature on Mk 7 Golf GTI

The system that involves adaptive damping and selectable Sport / Normal / Comfort settings for the damping / affects the ride quality is DCC ( Dynamic Chassis Control ) has to be ordered as an option

Confusion arises because it ( DCC ) used to be referred to as Adaptive Chassis Control ( ACC )

Dolf Stoppard

1,318 posts

121 months

Thursday 12th February 2015
quotequote all
NBirkitt said:
Dolf Stoppard said:
Just picked up my new three door GTI in white. Car was pre-registered and came with leather, Dynaudio, pan roof and the winter pack.

ACC - Not tried it but is meant to be very good (as is the normal ride quality). Probably depends on what kind of ride quality you're coming from.
FYI

ACC is Automatic Cruise Control – a standard feature on Mk 7 Golf GTI

The system that involves adaptive damping and selectable Sport / Normal / Comfort settings for the damping / affects the ride quality is DCC ( Dynamic Chassis Control ) has to be ordered as an option

Confusion arises because it ( DCC ) used to be referred to as Adaptive Chassis Control ( ACC )
FYI

In some ways, we're both wrong. ACC is actually Adaptive Cruise Control. As you point out though, Dynamic Chassis Control was previously known as Adaptive Chassis Control. And still is on certain bits of the VW site.

Bloody acronyms!

NBirkitt

252 posts

190 months

Friday 13th February 2015
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Thanks for the correction. Yes ACC is (correctly) Adaptive Cruise Control. Adaptive not Automatic.

The essential point is that it isn't anything to do with the chassis dynamics. Because of the previous uses of the acronym ACC for Adaptive Chassis Control, some owners seem to think that their car has DCC (Dynamic Chassis Control) when it doesn't, unless it was specified as an option costing £815... The Driver Profile Selection (DPS) using the touchscreen does have Comfort and Sport options but unless the car has DCC then the only discernible change in dynamics is to the feel of the steering, not the suspension. I've been on a press launch where even motoring journalists got confused by this aspect.


Dolf Stoppard

1,318 posts

121 months

Friday 13th February 2015
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I think it's fair to say a new acronym would definitely have been a good idea!

missing the VR6

2,320 posts

188 months

Friday 13th February 2015
quotequote all
I can't think there are really any must have items for the GTI. Majority are ordered with Performance Pack, but will the car be worth less than the £1000 initial cost of the PP when you change? (Unlikely in my opinion)

I kind of think with the rise of smartphones, nav is arguably less relevant than ever. If you do go for it, don't waste your money on the Discover Pro, it's a huge amount extra for not a lot.

Yes it's a bit odd the GT has nav and the GTI not. But the GTI has dual zone climate which the GT doesn't.

OP, if you wanted to see what sort of deal we could do for you feel free to get in touch.

loskie

5,144 posts

119 months

Sunday 15th February 2015
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I don't think any of the options are "essential"!

Buy what you want and can afford they will add very little to any resale value especially if you trade it in.

Basil Hume

Original Poster:

1,259 posts

251 months

Thursday 19th February 2015
quotequote all
Thanks for the guidance chaps.

I'm now pretty convinced about the leather, having been reminded in recent weeks just what a pasting my kids can give the interior (seat backs especially)! It's massive relief being able to just wipe-clean - although it comes as the single greatest cost.

DSG is definitely out, mainly on cost grounds.

The Performance Pack is back in contention though, mainly because of the bigger brakes. I've had the PP-spec brakes on my S3, R32 and (I think) Volvo V60. It looks like the rear callipers on the R32 & S3 are spec'd as the front ones on the standard GTI. Is this worth thinking about?

I'm also inclined to go for nav, as - on balance - it would be more useful than not; and retain some value, unlike all the other options.

I don't have a record of keeping cars for long (max. 2 years), but I'm looking at a GTI with a view to it breaking that tenure mark - mainly because I like the R32 format so much, but recognise that it's approaching 7 years old.