Best mk7 Golf?
Discussion
I have had a few favourite cars that I have owned for more specific reasons but the best all-round car that I have ever owned was a mk7 Golf Estate. I owned this car for 6 years and took it from 40,000 miles to 130,000 miles, it never let me down and only ever required routine maintenance. It was a 2016 (so mk7 not mk7.5) 1.4 TSI GT DSG Estate, a fairly rare spec but fully loaded with 18" alloys, leather, heated seats, satnav, dual-zone, pan roof, LED headlights, radar cruise, front and rear parking sensors etc and I would probably still have it if it wasn't for an errant deer that ran out from a hedge whilst I was travelling at 60mph and unfortunately the insurance company wrote it off, even though it was still drivable! Of course on account of the relatively high mileage, the insurance company paid out substantially less than it would cost to replace it with a comparable vehicle so I bought a 2015 Renault Captur dCi as a cheap stopgap until I could afford something nicer but that was about 18 months ago at this point!
I went for a Captur off the back of my wife's 2015 Clio (the 0.9 TCe model), which she already owned and we both quite like and in many ways the Captur is similarly likable. It rides a bit better than the Clio whilst being more practical, handles fairly tidily, only 20 quid to tax and is very economical. I average 55+ mpg and get 500+ miles out of a tank, which isn't bad for a 45 litre tank. However, it is very slow and it's clear that it's a less refined and lower quality vehicle than the Golf. Just the little details like the door pockets/glovebox aren't lined, so stuff rattles around in them and if I'm not using the rear seats, the seat belt buckles rattle against the rear doors which drives me crazy when I forget to buckle them back in!
I happen to think that the mk7 Golf could well be "peak" car (or at least "peak" ICE car) in its segment offering decent performance, efficiency and a good drive combined with comfort, refinement, practicality, luxury car features in a high quality package. I'm not a VW fanboy by any means and up until I first drove a mk5 Golf, I was more of a Ford/Vauxhall/Peugeot man and of the opinion that you would only buy a Golf if you couldn't afford a bigger, better, more luxurious car than a Mondeo/3-Series but that car completely changed my mindset on the small family hatchback/humble Golf.
So although I like to try different cars and don't tend to buy the same car twice, I'm kind of starting to think that I need another mk7 Golf! Of course the mk8 Golf carries over a lot of positives from the mk7 but I'm not convinced that it's a better car. I've had a look at a couple and it seems like a backwards step in terms of quality, interactivity (the overly-reliant touchscreen interface is a nightmare) and I still think that the styling of the mk7 if a little boring still looks crisper but which is the version to have? I would probably go with a later (mk7.5) car than the one that I had. So accepting that I don't really think that there is a duffer amongst them but I would like a high/comparable spec to what I had before the options are:
GTD: offers the performance that my Captur lacks but should be just as economical, should be fairly reliable for a modern diesel and crucially it was available as an estate (not an essential but the extra practicality of the estate over the hatchback was nice to have).
GTE: a friend owns one of these and rates it very highly and claims to be averaging 65mpg. Almost as quick as a GTI, diesel fuel economy combined with petrol fuel prices but it's only a 20 mile EV range (my commute is 20 miles each way) but I guess 65mpg average is still good. Only available as a hatchback though.
e-Golf: I think that VW missed a bit of a trick with this car. Only available in one quite plain spec, hatchback only and a limited range but I don't find the prospect of a full EV unappealing. Fine for my commute but more restricted for longer journeys. A mk7 e-Golf with the range of a modern id3, available in a variety of specs and available as both a hatchback and an estate would have been quite a compelling car I think.
GTI: probably the most fun mk7 Golf. I would probably go manual on this one, I always wanted a mk5 GTI when they were new but couldn't afford one, fantastic cars. This would be the same but better/more modern. Hatchback only but that's OK.
R: these were extremely popular and had a bit of an image problem but probably because it was such a good and accessible performance car thanks to those cheap lease deals. Do you really need the extra performance over the GTI though and how much does the extra power impact fuel economy? I can get one of these in an estate though, which negates the loss of practicality in the hatchback due to the AWD. DSG only but that's OK, as I hear the standard clutch in the manual version isn't really up to the torque.
I guess the previous generation SEAT Leon/Audi A3 offers similar options with a slightly different flavour but the above summary really lays out the different option available. So which in your opinion is the mk7 Golf to have?
I went for a Captur off the back of my wife's 2015 Clio (the 0.9 TCe model), which she already owned and we both quite like and in many ways the Captur is similarly likable. It rides a bit better than the Clio whilst being more practical, handles fairly tidily, only 20 quid to tax and is very economical. I average 55+ mpg and get 500+ miles out of a tank, which isn't bad for a 45 litre tank. However, it is very slow and it's clear that it's a less refined and lower quality vehicle than the Golf. Just the little details like the door pockets/glovebox aren't lined, so stuff rattles around in them and if I'm not using the rear seats, the seat belt buckles rattle against the rear doors which drives me crazy when I forget to buckle them back in!
I happen to think that the mk7 Golf could well be "peak" car (or at least "peak" ICE car) in its segment offering decent performance, efficiency and a good drive combined with comfort, refinement, practicality, luxury car features in a high quality package. I'm not a VW fanboy by any means and up until I first drove a mk5 Golf, I was more of a Ford/Vauxhall/Peugeot man and of the opinion that you would only buy a Golf if you couldn't afford a bigger, better, more luxurious car than a Mondeo/3-Series but that car completely changed my mindset on the small family hatchback/humble Golf.
So although I like to try different cars and don't tend to buy the same car twice, I'm kind of starting to think that I need another mk7 Golf! Of course the mk8 Golf carries over a lot of positives from the mk7 but I'm not convinced that it's a better car. I've had a look at a couple and it seems like a backwards step in terms of quality, interactivity (the overly-reliant touchscreen interface is a nightmare) and I still think that the styling of the mk7 if a little boring still looks crisper but which is the version to have? I would probably go with a later (mk7.5) car than the one that I had. So accepting that I don't really think that there is a duffer amongst them but I would like a high/comparable spec to what I had before the options are:
GTD: offers the performance that my Captur lacks but should be just as economical, should be fairly reliable for a modern diesel and crucially it was available as an estate (not an essential but the extra practicality of the estate over the hatchback was nice to have).
GTE: a friend owns one of these and rates it very highly and claims to be averaging 65mpg. Almost as quick as a GTI, diesel fuel economy combined with petrol fuel prices but it's only a 20 mile EV range (my commute is 20 miles each way) but I guess 65mpg average is still good. Only available as a hatchback though.
e-Golf: I think that VW missed a bit of a trick with this car. Only available in one quite plain spec, hatchback only and a limited range but I don't find the prospect of a full EV unappealing. Fine for my commute but more restricted for longer journeys. A mk7 e-Golf with the range of a modern id3, available in a variety of specs and available as both a hatchback and an estate would have been quite a compelling car I think.
GTI: probably the most fun mk7 Golf. I would probably go manual on this one, I always wanted a mk5 GTI when they were new but couldn't afford one, fantastic cars. This would be the same but better/more modern. Hatchback only but that's OK.
R: these were extremely popular and had a bit of an image problem but probably because it was such a good and accessible performance car thanks to those cheap lease deals. Do you really need the extra performance over the GTI though and how much does the extra power impact fuel economy? I can get one of these in an estate though, which negates the loss of practicality in the hatchback due to the AWD. DSG only but that's OK, as I hear the standard clutch in the manual version isn't really up to the torque.
I guess the previous generation SEAT Leon/Audi A3 offers similar options with a slightly different flavour but the above summary really lays out the different option available. So which in your opinion is the mk7 Golf to have?
Edited by white_goodman on Saturday 30th May 11:50
Edited by white_goodman on Saturday 30th May 11:52
Edited by white_goodman on Saturday 30th May 11:53
I have a 2016 Golf Alltrack. Only the 2.0 TDI 150 Manual one.
Bought 3.5 years ago from the first owner privately. Taken it from 48 to 90000m.
Bought it after 3 years with a leased Q5.
TBH even though the Golf is 10 yr old now I'm not sure what I would replace it with.
It's had its faults. Sticky rear calipers, door check strap and a clutch/flywheel. Nothing that has let me down.(touch wood!!)
I'd sooner have 17" wheels rather than the 18s it's on. But it's ok.
Has a towbar for my trailer.
It's comfy, fairly anonymous, classless even.
Cleans up ok with a quality interior.
No monthly payments, run it for work at HMRC rates.
VED is reasonable. (£180??)
48 MPG average. Mostly rural roads. 56 on a run.
Uses no oil.
As said even though I look ate replacing it with new.
A new what?
Bought 3.5 years ago from the first owner privately. Taken it from 48 to 90000m.
Bought it after 3 years with a leased Q5.
TBH even though the Golf is 10 yr old now I'm not sure what I would replace it with.
It's had its faults. Sticky rear calipers, door check strap and a clutch/flywheel. Nothing that has let me down.(touch wood!!)
I'd sooner have 17" wheels rather than the 18s it's on. But it's ok.
Has a towbar for my trailer.
It's comfy, fairly anonymous, classless even.
Cleans up ok with a quality interior.
No monthly payments, run it for work at HMRC rates.
VED is reasonable. (£180??)
48 MPG average. Mostly rural roads. 56 on a run.
Uses no oil.
As said even though I look ate replacing it with new.
A new what?
Edited by loskie on Saturday 30th May 12:38
Edited by loskie on Saturday 30th May 13:03
Edited by loskie on Saturday 30th May 13:06
Also a fan of the Mk7.
Had a 12013 1.4 TSI GT DSG hatch for a few years, easy 50mpg on a run, £20 RFL and only had to replace the water pump in my ownership (40,000-86,000 miles).
I only replaced it my wife sold her Ateca for an i3 (which she adores) and the Golf wasn't quite big enough for family stuff. I looked at a Mk7.5 estate but they were mainly diesel and quite leggy for the budget I had at the time.
I looked at a Jap import Alltrack with the 1.8 TSI engine briefly but it was too expensive I thought, it's still for sale today, a year or so since I saw it.
I ended up in a BMW F31 320i. It's OK, certainly not a huge improvement over the Golf.
Had a 12013 1.4 TSI GT DSG hatch for a few years, easy 50mpg on a run, £20 RFL and only had to replace the water pump in my ownership (40,000-86,000 miles).
I only replaced it my wife sold her Ateca for an i3 (which she adores) and the Golf wasn't quite big enough for family stuff. I looked at a Mk7.5 estate but they were mainly diesel and quite leggy for the budget I had at the time.
I looked at a Jap import Alltrack with the 1.8 TSI engine briefly but it was too expensive I thought, it's still for sale today, a year or so since I saw it.
I ended up in a BMW F31 320i. It's OK, certainly not a huge improvement over the Golf.
loskie said:
I have a 2016 Golf Alltrack. Only the 2.0 TDI 150 Manual one.
Bought 3.5 years ago from the first owner privately. Taken it from 48 to 80000m.
Bought it after 3 years with a leased Q5.
TBH even though the Golf is 10 yr old now I'm not sure what I would replace it with.
It's had its faults. Sticky rear calipers, door check strap and a clutch/flywheel. Nothing that has let me down.(touch wood!!)
I'd sooner have 17" wheels rather than the 18s it's on. But it's ok.
Has a towbar for my trailer.
It's comfy, fairly anonymous, classless even.
Cleans up ok with a quality interior.
No monthly payments, run it for work at HMRC rates.
VED is reasonable. (£180??)
48 MPG average. Mostly rural roads. 56 on a run.
Uses no oil.
As said even though I look ate replacing it with new.
A new what?
Forgot about the Alltrack, thanks. Might meet my higher spec requirements. They just did it with the 2.0 TDI 150 engine?Bought 3.5 years ago from the first owner privately. Taken it from 48 to 80000m.
Bought it after 3 years with a leased Q5.
TBH even though the Golf is 10 yr old now I'm not sure what I would replace it with.
It's had its faults. Sticky rear calipers, door check strap and a clutch/flywheel. Nothing that has let me down.(touch wood!!)
I'd sooner have 17" wheels rather than the 18s it's on. But it's ok.
Has a towbar for my trailer.
It's comfy, fairly anonymous, classless even.
Cleans up ok with a quality interior.
No monthly payments, run it for work at HMRC rates.
VED is reasonable. (£180??)
48 MPG average. Mostly rural roads. 56 on a run.
Uses no oil.
As said even though I look ate replacing it with new.
A new what?
Edited by loskie on Saturday 30th May 12:38
I recall they did a Passat Estate with the powertrain from the Golf GTE too? Much bigger car though (Mk7 Golf estate is kind of the perfect size) and I'm guessing still only a 20 mile EV range...
Exactly what you say though, my mk7 Golf Estate I kept for 3 years longer than any other car that I have had and that wasn't for lack of looking at other options but for me, the Focus has never been quite as good as the Golf since the mk1 (still a good car though), the mk8 Golf was subjectively "worse" andI don't find the "premium" BMW/Audi/Mercedes/Volvo options quite as desirable as I used to. Sure you can get a nicer, more powerful engine but the massive additional expense was too much to justify. Other more expensive options (RR Evoque for example) just weren't as good to drive and I did really rather like the Honda CRV hybrid that I borrowed but it was very expensive and less economical than my Golf!
Deerfoot said:
Its Just Adz said:
That's nice. Three doors aren't my thing (doors are too long when parking) but they do suit a GTI. Regardless, a 5 door GTI Performance manual would be a fantastic thing.
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