New Mk8 Golf GTI Clubsport owner
Discussion
Hi all,
I’ve just picked this up from Chelmsford VW and couldn’t be happier.
I had read a few articles about the new interior and such but I prefer the lack of buttons. One thing I will say is the interior looks crap/ of poor quality in most of the photographs I’ve seen but much better in person. Easily a match in quality for my M4 competition.
Hastily taken photo at the dealers, hopefully more to come once the snow goes and I can clean it properly.

I’ve just picked this up from Chelmsford VW and couldn’t be happier.
I had read a few articles about the new interior and such but I prefer the lack of buttons. One thing I will say is the interior looks crap/ of poor quality in most of the photographs I’ve seen but much better in person. Easily a match in quality for my M4 competition.
Hastily taken photo at the dealers, hopefully more to come once the snow goes and I can clean it properly.
Will get some decent photos up in the next few days once it’s clean.
First impressions - very good. I haven’t pushed it too much yet but as a daily driver I think it works really well. Much more comfortable than I expected and certainly quick enough, even at half throttle when running in. The interior is well built as far as I can see and decent quality materials on all the surfaces you touch. I’m sure there are cheap plastics around but for the price I paid (just over £31k) it feels great.
First impressions - very good. I haven’t pushed it too much yet but as a daily driver I think it works really well. Much more comfortable than I expected and certainly quick enough, even at half throttle when running in. The interior is well built as far as I can see and decent quality materials on all the surfaces you touch. I’m sure there are cheap plastics around but for the price I paid (just over £31k) it feels great.
I had the latest generation A8 until recently so I guess I’ve got used to them. I don’t find the touch screens difficult to use and the voice control works better than most I’ve tried.
I would try and get a good 24/ 48 hour test drive once lock down is over. It really isn’t as bad as the reviews suggest. I think most buyers expect this kind of technology now and it does seem to work well. None of the software faults that other early Mk8 owners have reported so far either.
I would try and get a good 24/ 48 hour test drive once lock down is over. It really isn’t as bad as the reviews suggest. I think most buyers expect this kind of technology now and it does seem to work well. None of the software faults that other early Mk8 owners have reported so far either.
Shawnl said:
Hi all,
I’ve just picked this up from Chelmsford VW and couldn’t be happier.
I had read a few articles about the new interior and such but I prefer the lack of buttons. One thing I will say is the interior looks crap/ of poor quality in most of the photographs I’ve seen but much better in person. Easily a match in quality for my M4 competition.
Hastily taken photo at the dealers, hopefully more to come once the snow goes and I can clean it properly.

Interested to know how you get on wit hthe controls.I’ve just picked this up from Chelmsford VW and couldn’t be happier.
I had read a few articles about the new interior and such but I prefer the lack of buttons. One thing I will say is the interior looks crap/ of poor quality in most of the photographs I’ve seen but much better in person. Easily a match in quality for my M4 competition.
Hastily taken photo at the dealers, hopefully more to come once the snow goes and I can clean it properly.
My old man has had a line of GTIs and the lack of physical buttons is putting him off moving from the Mk7.5 to the 8
Ha I must be the only person on the planet that likes the wheels. I always tend to try the smallest wheel option as they usually give the best compromise between handling and comfort in my experience. They do look much better in the flesh when clean but I guess it’s all personal taste.
The interior is nowhere near as bad as some people would lead you to think. It’s actually of decent enough quality (for the price) but doesn’t photograph very well. Looks much better in the flesh. I’ve only driven the car for a few hours and have a reasonable grasp of how it all works. Would I prefer knobs/ buttons? For some functions (the Air Con and traction spring to mine) I guess so but I’m starting to get used to it. Pretty much everything you need can be done through the mode buttons and steering wheel which helps.
The interior is nowhere near as bad as some people would lead you to think. It’s actually of decent enough quality (for the price) but doesn’t photograph very well. Looks much better in the flesh. I’ve only driven the car for a few hours and have a reasonable grasp of how it all works. Would I prefer knobs/ buttons? For some functions (the Air Con and traction spring to mine) I guess so but I’m starting to get used to it. Pretty much everything you need can be done through the mode buttons and steering wheel which helps.
clarky92 said:
These new clubsports are looking very attractive at 32-33k for a base spec in stock right now. I have a set of genuine 19” Pretoria’s which can go straight on to sort out the ugly standard wheels. Would like a few extras like DCC or heated seats but wait times are crazy
I got mine as a standard in stock model for £31,796 including the 2 year service pack from Chelmsford VW. It worked out cheaper than a standard GTI I had been looking at and as a daily driver I don’t think there is anything out there (new anyway) that gets close to a CS at that price.tedblog said:
You have to be careful speccing a performance golf now as it pushes it over rhe 40k mark and into the luxury road tax bracket
Certainly the case with the R, but don’t forget that it’s based on list price, not OTR price, meaning you’ve got around £3600 to play with on a CS, and much more on a standard GTI. Shawnl said:
I got mine as a standard in stock model for £31,796 including the 2 year service pack from Chelmsford VW. It worked out cheaper than a standard GTI I had been looking at and as a daily driver I don’t think there is anything out there (new anyway) that gets close to a CS at that price.
That's a great price especially with 2 free services, congratulations.I agree on the daily driver element- coming from a 7.5 GTI Performance I test drove the Mk8 Clubsport and it was brilliant. Has the FWD character with more power, GTI heritage but is still a golf overall and will do everything you need a daily driver to do.
How do you find the spec without heated seats, DCC or rear camera for example. Are there missing optional extras you really wish you had?
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