RE: 2020 Volkswagen Golf GTI: official details

[CrippsCorner]

Gameface said:

Helicopter123 said:

It's a bit 'Halfords' isn't it?

If this is Halfords, what is the Civic Type R?

Ripspeed.

I love the seats and hate the screens. 5 door only now isn't it? If so off my radar anyway.

[P-Jay]

I really like that, I've worked out (wasn't hard to be fair) that the Eldest who almost never comes in the car these days, but yet is the reason why I've got a Superb and not a hatchback (well the Superb is a hatch, but you know what I mean) will be almost 17 when it's time to give it back so I can probbaly have something smaller.

If I can get a DSG one on a reasonable monthly I'd certainly try one out. It's quick enough, nice enough to look at, sober enough to be a daily and all the other boring stuff that makes it easy to live with.

I'd guess it'll be safely under the £40k / £500 VED limit (the current R is 'only' £36k)

[Throttlebody]

Gweeds said:

Car manufacturers burying often-used settings like climate-control within touchscreen menus.

STOP IT.

There’s too much touchscreen action in modern cars. The full iPad style of operating doesn’t really translate well into cars. Physical buttons for key operations is superior. It’s a lesson learnt in the aviation industry with glass cockpits. Fortunately the ‘fashion’ for it is waning.

[PhantomPH]

Had a few Golfs and a couple of GTIs, so it looks pretty much par for the course for me. The Golf GTI has always been about being an all-rounder and appealing to more market than just the 'hot hatch' brigade, so 'bland' tends to get used a lot by people who seem to think it should only appeal to teenagers.

My only criticism is that directional wheels that go in the WRONG DIRECTION on one side of the car, do my bloody head in!!!!!

[1974foggy]

I know they are always subtle, but wow that is very bland.
Would be nice to see some subtle arch extensions like the earlier Golf GTis had perhaps, you can barely tell the difference between an R line, gti or R.
Kia style DRLs/fogs in the grille, too - used to be others copying VW not the other way around.
Whilst Im ranting, Id rather have some updated (mk2 gti style) steel wheels than cheap looking alloys, at least they were honest!

[re33]

PhantomPH said:

Had a few Golfs and a couple of GTIs, so it looks pretty much par for the course for me. The Golf GTI has always been about being an all-rounder and appealing to more market than just the 'hot hatch' brigade, so 'bland' tends to get used a lot by people who seem to think it should only appeal to teenagers.

My only criticism is that directional wheels that go in the WRONG DIRECTION on one side of the car, do my bloody head in!!!!!

I'd be more worried about the fact they look like symbols that were popular in Germany in the 1930s up until about 1945. They look awful too, imo!

[volkswizardph]

I'm quite excited about this car, it doesn't really cost VW an awful lot to take GTI development to the next level as the costs are in the manufacturing and the changes don't actually sound too expensive.

I have to laugh when I read about the exotic "alloy subframe" that was indeed previously only on one Golf, the Clubsport S. It was 100% idential to the alloy subframe used on every Audi A3 from a lowly 1.0 TFSI upwards, it was clearly a bean counter move to not use it on a Golf, maybe the deletion of the telescopic strut bonnet stay was for a good cause...

[davidc1]

Pic of the red car with doors open looks ace.
Megane front fogs are horrid though.
Overall i like it .
I would buy 1.
In white.with the larger alloys.

[P-Jay]

PhantomPH said:

Had a few Golfs and a couple of GTIs, so it looks pretty much par for the course for me. The Golf GTI has always been about being an all-rounder and appealing to more market than just the 'hot hatch' brigade, so 'bland' tends to get used a lot by people who seem to think it should only appeal to teenagers.

My only criticism is that directional wheels that go in the WRONG DIRECTION on one side of the car, do my bloody head in!!!!!

My lock-down brain can't work out if by switch them with the wheels on the other side of the car would make them go the 'right' way. The sensible part of me says, don't be daft, it doesn't work like that and VW wouldn't make Left and Right sided wheels, but for some reason I can't help be think it would work.

I cannot wait to go back to work.

[aaron_2000]

SmoothCriminal said:

And If you want a front wheel drive vag group performace car the Cupra is steps ahead of this aswell

But god is the interior of the Leon nasty. I bet the Cupra is great to drive by modern standards, but I couldn't stomach sitting in that interior for any period of time.

[Deckert]

In my opinion the bigger wheels completely transform the car. I don't think i've ever disliked any Golf GTI wheels, (Mk5 Ed30 BBS my favourites) but the standard ones pictures here are disastrous.

[FTW]

Same gearstick/toggle switch as Porsche just with a different outer casing?

[Frimley111R]

VW always remind me of domestic appliances, really good but never anything to be truly excited by.

[NGK210]

Chassis and aero spec very promising: a hot hatch with a pointy front-end and a generally engaging chassis that’s also a comfy motorway cruiser. Yes please!

So, it’s a great tragedy that outwardly it manages to look both ‘cold’ / bleak and chavtastically kitsch. Yuck! Yuck!

Solution:
-Replace vulgar front bumper with an R’s or an R-line’s
-Learn how to use volume control on steering wheel
-Remove ‘orrible new GTI badge, replace with Mk7 GTI badge (red) and relocate to bottom-left of boot
-Spec tartan seats; £0 white paint; DSG; Dynaudio; passive dampers; delete LED light bar
-Tell dealer that fitment of Pretorias is non negotiable

Or, realise the 290bhp Mk4 Leon Cupra looks much cooler and will probably be a better overall package. (But won’t have a lined glove box or door bins )

Edited by NGK210 on Thursday 14th May 17:17

[PhantomPH]

P-Jay said:

PhantomPH said:

Had a few Golfs and a couple of GTIs, so it looks pretty much par for the course for me. The Golf GTI has always been about being an all-rounder and appealing to more market than just the 'hot hatch' brigade, so 'bland' tends to get used a lot by people who seem to think it should only appeal to teenagers.

My only criticism is that directional wheels that go in the WRONG DIRECTION on one side of the car, do my bloody head in!!!!!

My lock-down brain can't work out if by switch them with the wheels on the other side of the car would make them go the 'right' way. The sensible part of me says, don't be daft, it doesn't work like that and VW wouldn't make Left and Right sided wheels, but for some reason I can't help be think it would work.

I cannot wait to go back to work.

No, if you put them on the other side, they would look 'correct'...basically all 4 wheels have the same 'direction' which means that on one side of the car they are sweeping back and on the other they are sweeping forwards. Done properly, there should be 2 wheels that are the reverse of the others so they both look like they are 'sweeping' in the same direction when each side of the car is viewed.

I once did a good deed when a car dealer mixed up alloys that were correctly directional (side to side mirror) but the tech guys had obviously mixed them up...so the directions in the photos of their car were all different - even between the front and the back of the car!

Once you see it, you can't un-see it.

[jack_86]

Looks alright.... I haven’t been excited about a Volkswagen for a long time they all seem so bland even the higher end stuff like the toureag.

[AndyWoodall]

I am a big fan on the Mk7, it was the perfect every day car for me, so wasn't particularly sold on the looks of this one but its growing on me.

Undoubtably it will be pretty good, so I look forward to trying it.

[FN2TypeR]

PaulJC84 said:

I saw a leaked one of these in red on here and the front looked better with the wide grille than in that picture.

Found it.

Edited by PaulJC84 on Thursday 14th May 07:48

I was critical of these in the last thread that popped up on them but I like that!

Are they doing a manual version?

[NGK210]

FN2TypeR said:

Are they doing a manual version?

Yes; 6 speed. And hopefully this time the clutch will not be sourced from Lindt.

[neverlifted]

Surely a G30 330i M Sport Plus Edition at circa £37k (after discount) which is RWD, has an LSD and Adaptive Dampers as standard is better value and likely a superior driving experience. Same 4 cylinder washing machine type engine though.