PH Carpool: Volkswagen Golf GTI Mk7
Bought on the strength of the infotainment system ... that then failed
Car: Volkswagen Golf GTI Mk7 Performance Pack three-door
Owned since: September 2015
Previously owned: 1996 Ford Escort L (first car, shared with sibling), 2007 Ford Focus 1.8 Titanium (shared family runaround when at university), 2008 Ford Fiesta ST (first personal purchase), 2013 Ford Focus ST-2
"After a testing time with my health in 2014, I began to associate my Focus ST with a period of my life I didn't want to be constantly reminded of. So when the PCP came up on the Focus, I decided it was time to change. Throughout my ownership of the Focus, a few niggles bugged me including its propensity to axle tramp in the wet, the poor SYNC 1 system, average sound quality from the Sony stereo and its five-door shape. Not seeing enough change in the facelifted Focus to stay true to Ford, I started looking elsewhere. As I'm a bit of a techy, I'd decided I wanted the latest technology so something from the VW range seemed appropriate.
"I weighed up the Leon Cupra and Octavia vRS and, as competent as they are, neither quite did it for me in the desirability stakes. My parents had a Mk2 Golf GTI and my dad always reflects on what a brilliant car it was and how sad he was to see it go. Despite the huge following and legendary status, I'd never had my head turned by the more modern Golf GTIs until I went to the Frankfurt show in 2013 and saw a Mk7 in the flesh. With a bit of spare cash from my time off work, some decent equity in the Focus and attractive PCP deals from VW, it looked as good a time as ever to make the step up to the quintessential hot hatch. With the right spec, it would also address the niggles experienced in the Focus."
"Websites like CarWow and DriveTheDeal are useful tools for negotiating a good deal and it was through CarWow that it became apparent the Golf was in my price range. When I ordered it I didn't know the annual spec change was imminent but luckily my build date was over a month away so I benefitted from the revised MIB II head unit with nav, standard winter pack and keyless entry. I ordered Car Net (even though the dealer knew very little about what it was) as I'd read on forums this would bring CarPlay/Android Auto functionality as well. Turned out I was right and I had the technology I wanted!"
Things I love:
"The colour, the general build quality and its ability to do just about everything. While this is my daily driver and unlikely to ever be tracked, I love how it can do the everyday mundane drive to work and also the B-road blast in an all-encompassing, high quality package.
"I've never driven a car with adaptive cruise control before and this is a great feature which has probably made it onto my must have list for future purchases. It just adds that extra level of relaxation on a long drive and the low down torque of the engine means I never really need to change gear.
"I also really like the manual gearbox. While I was tempted to go for the DSG, I thought I would miss out on the satisfaction of a perfect rev match and the overall engagement with the car."
"Not long after I took delivery of the car, the infotainment system failed (see above about perceived build quality) and I was left without radio, nav and CarPlay for several weeks while they 'worked on a fix'. I'm not sure whether said fix ever materialised so eventually I asked for the unit to be replaced under warranty. It wasn't the best customer experience but they did give me some freebies as a gesture of goodwill.
"Also, while the adaptive cruise control is a great feature, the related City Emergency Braking system has butted in unnecessarily on a couple of occasions where it's deemed I'm about to have a crash and applied the brakes automatically. Where maybe I used to just lift off the accelerator when a car in front slowed to turn off a main road, now I apply a dab of brake just to let the car know I'm alert to what's going on in front."
Costs:
"Insurance is the big saver here compared to my previous hot hatches, mainly due to the city braking system. The Golf is about £200 less compared to the Focus for a postcode in the M60.
"Fuel wise I'm also seeing a 10-15 per cent improvement over the Ford and, if I'm really careful, I can get 45mpg on my commute.
"I also purchased the car with a service plan included so don't need to worry about that for a couple of years."
"My family have a caravan in Anglesey so I'm often in North Wales but recently I took the scenic route along roads near Bala and the Evo Triangle. I've done a similar route before but this was the first time in the Golf. It's on B-roads like those in North Wales where the car really comes into its own, with the Performance Pack 'diff' hauling the car round tight bends well and the bigger brakes helping on hilly descents. At no point did I find the car wanting in the performance stakes, all the while covering the practicality side with my bike in the boot.
"I've a new found respect for the car now that I'm aware of what it can do given the right stretch of road."
What next?
"I plan to keep the car for a good few years as the technology is bang up to date with CarPlay and all the other gadgets I could ever need. If I do get bored with it I'll probably add a sharper pedal box to slightly alter the driving characteristics and different alloys to freshen it up. While I like the standard alloys, from some angles the car looks under-wheeled so maybe some 19-inch BBS items will address that. I like some of the ABT exterior touches but I don't want to ruin the car's understated appearance too much so I'll approach any exterior alterations with caution.
"I would like to own a V8 before they die out but practically speaking this would need to be a weekend car. However, if right-hand drive Mustangs drop into the low-20s in the next couple of years then who knows..."
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