By accessing this website, you acknowledge that Edmunds and its third party business partners may use cookies, pixels, and similar technologies to collect information about you and your interactions with the website as described in our
Privacy Statement, and you agree that your use of the website is subject to our
Visitor Agreement.
Comments
What's interesting is that with this recent gas price runup, the differential between unleaded and premium (in our area, at least) has stayed 20c a gallon.
Edmunds did comparisons of fuel cost in their TRUE COST TO OWN section. The VW GTI did as well as the regular fuel SCION TC and Malibu Maxx.
I happen to think of the new 2006 GTI MK v because I used to own a regular GTI. I test drove the MK v today and was impressed. Pleasantly surprised as to how it handles. So I am in the research stages right now. I was hoping some people can answer a couple questions about the GTI.
1. Who makes the Navigation system for the GTI? I have NAV now and plan to get it on this car. I just like to research the NAV before I purchase so I can decide whether it is any good or not.
2. Is the sound system really as bad as people have been saying? With the bwm I had to pay extra $1,200 for an upgraded radio system which stinks. I really want a decent radio
3. How is the fuel economy on the car? I get about 18 to 20 mpg now with my six cylinder engine. Would the GTI be better than that?
4. How does the GTI compare to the Honda SI? I just started reading about that car today too.
Thank you in advance for any help.
GTI wins in all categories except cost to own. VW/Audi products often go 150K without major problems, but they have more horror stories than Toyota for sure.
If you want best value go TC. If you want most comfort & fun go GTI.
I've been happy with the CD/mp3 player in my GTI. I'm no audiophile, but the music is clear and sounds good. At the moment I have 6 mp3 cds loaded, so that's a couple months of music for me. The radio on the other hand is not very good. The reception is poor and the volume fluctuates (discussed earlier in the forum). It annoys me to the extent I don't think I'll really use the radio - to me it's the worst part of the car (but really my only complaint about the GTI). In the scheme of things it's minor, but in the DC area it just works real lousy. I do not have the satellite radio, so maybe someone else can tell you if it's worth it.
Mileage should easily be better than your old v6. My route to work is terrible for good gas mileage. It is only 4.5 miles: speed limit of 55, 9 stop lights (on average I hit 3), and it's hilly. The car barely has time to warm up before I'm parking it again. Under those conditions the car gets 21 - 22 mpg. Under nicer city driving my car has been getting 23-24 mpg. Highway (speeds 55 - 70) mpg is 30+ mpg. For high speed highway driving (75+) it drops off a little to 28 mpg.
Edmunds recently did a comparison article between the GTI and the Civic Si:
http://www.edmunds.com/insideline/do/Drives/Comparos/articleId=109825
Personally I wanted to see the GTI demolish the Si, but I freely admit I'm a biased driver. Edmunds bemoans the price difference between the two, but actually look at both cars in person. While they may be similarly equiped, the GTI had a superior feel, fit, and finish (to me). Don't forget that the GTI shares the powertrain with it's higher priced audi cousins. It's not like the higher price of the GTI buys you nothing - which is how the article makes it sound.
Just research the heck out of whatever you plan to buy!!
As it stands now, I listen to the radio all the time, but I am planning on getting Sat. radio, so I would be curious to know if that means the sat. radio sounds lousy too.
Can anyone answer that? Does the satellite radio sounds as lousy as the broadcasted radio?
Since I wrote my last post, I heard about the four door GTI coming out in June. This has peaked my interest.
I can't seem to find any pictures of the new four door GTI. My lease is up in June, so the timing might be perfect.
Thanks again!
Mine has XM sat radio and it does sound better than the local commercial radio stations. However, it sounds best with CD's.
I'm getting approx 27 mpg so far combined driving, 60% hwy, 40% city.
Best take an extended look at it at the dealer. From what I hear, most people like the NAV.
2. Is the sound system really as bad as people have been saying? With the bwm I had to pay extra $1,200 for an upgraded radio system which stinks. I really want a decent radio
This is so subjective, that I can only recommend the same procedure as number 1 above. In the end, if you buy a car for $25K+, why do you care if you have to add another $500 if you are an extreme audiophile?
3. How is the fuel economy on the car? I get about 18 to 20 mpg now with my six cylinder engine. Would the GTI be better than that?
Most people report around 25mpg average, 30+ (up to 33 or so) highway. Again "average" is subjective, and if your typical trip is 2 miles stop-and-go through a hilly city, you will be glad if you can get 20mpg (in this or most other cars).
4. How does the GTI compare to the Honda SI? I just started reading about that car today too.
Several car magazines, not just edmunds, have published comparisons between the two. They always come out very close performance wise; edmunds is the first I know of in which the Si wins. Having said that, they are quite different cars. The GTI is heavier, more solid, has more (head)room, in particular in the back, is a hatchback - and as such more practical to some people, has the better interior, can easily be driven on really long road trips without tiring, looks more modest (especially, the 5-door version), and has a ton of torque low down (in fact, about twice as much as the Si at almost any rpm until you hit the stratosphere). The Si is more about juvenile performance affordability and associated silly looks, and driving at 7000+rpm all day long. And no - I am not biased..
In my view, 18"+ are all about looks and not about performance. 16" and 17" definitely, by all measures, handle better than 18" (you will have to inflate properly to reduce sidewall flex). In addition, most 18" wheels are heavy and carry their weight farther outside, which is not at all what you want. For example, the standard 18" wheels of the GTI are about 5 lbs heavier than the 17". That is 20lbs more unsprung weight. But most importantly, you can opt for summer tires also on the 17", if you want. Depends on where you live and what your priorities are.
Summer tires: best grip under warm conditions, useless at cold temperatures or in snow and on ice; often need very costly replacement every 10,000 to 15,000 miles, or so. Good all-weather tires (like Conti Extreme Contact): very good performance year 'round, but not optimal handling in summer, and not the prime choice for winter driving. Easily last 40-60k miles.
So, it is a matter of economics, handling, and safety. Depends on how much money you are willing to spend for your fun and safety, and whether you want to/ need to change the tires in winter.
A good set of all-season performance tires on 17" wheels should be just right for most of your needs, unless you're really driving at the edge of the performance envelope.
DL
My lease is up in 2 months and want to know if I can wait for the four door?
Thank you,
JP
DL
I was curious today and took the Acura TSX for a test drive. I liked the car. The technology seemed pretty impressive. It handled pretty good. Not as tight as the GTI or my current 325XI.
Now my head is spinning.
Has anyone else received a 'Fast' for buying the GTI?
DL
DL
The GTI's reported 6 second time is very fast but is there any FWD car that is quicker 0 to 60?
That's a $60-65,000 car, too.
:shades:
:P
Weight transfer is one problem .RWD lets more of the vehicle weight work for traction during hard acceleration. FWD torque steering is another.
Wrt earlier question, I believe GTI (like the Audi A3 which uses same engines) is designed for 91 octane (premium) for optimum performance. Lower octane's useable but results in lower power and (with extended use) might void the warranty.
can anyone of you gti owners please confirm. you will be putting me out og my misery. thanks. :sick:
I drove the GTI, and it smoked both.
Tighter handling, shorter braking, and faster get-up.
I was in the market for an A3, or similar, but based upon first test-drive, and the better fuel efficiency, I ordered my GTI on the same day. Black Pack 2 with DVD Nav.
I now have 780 miles on it, and I am thrilled.
Absolutely everything about performance is perfect -- ergonomics are a 10, handling 9, Braking 9.5, Features, and fit and finish are 10... But the Loudspeakers are rather lack-luster, shrill in the mid-range, and of course the DVD NAV (which is great) has the pesky warning. So I can't fix the speakers cheaply, but does anyone have a fix to make the DVD NAV Warning go away?
One cannot immediately control the audio without hitting this pesky "Accept" button.
Cheers
M
The Fast ad campaign created 'a symbolic representation of the urge inside us to go fast'. I personally thought the as was far more clever than the average car commercial - which usually features a talking head or a voiceover. The ads were advertising the fact the GTI is a DRIVERS CAR. Not an econobox or a car with the personality of a washer machine. Judging from how Fasts have been selling on Ebay for 200 – 700 dollars, more than a few people like these ads.
I think the 'Unpimp My Ride' ads are even better because it's a slap to the tuning culture. Don't get me wrong, there is nothing wrong with tuning your car and making it your own. However, some people just don't know when to stop. Living in DC I see a lot of tuner car brutality. Fools shoving rims on their car that are so huge they can't turn properly, or import exhaust systems that make the car sound like a lawn mower on crack. One fool in my development put a two tiered spoiler on his 2002 'vette. I hope he is haunted by the ghosts of 'vettes past... Anyways the ads flaunt the fact that the GTI is ready to go as is. From the standard rims, to the exhaust tip, nothing is screaming upgrade me. I like this a lot better than the subaru WRX TR (tuner version). Rather than tuning the heck out of the WRX TR, just buy the WRX STi. People would probably save money and end up with a better performing car.
As for the loud crash you hear from the edmunds forum ad, it is a GTI crashing down upon a tuner car (like the one unpimp my ride spot). I think you can even pull the lever to drop the GTI if you feel so inclined.
These ads are going to be love it or hate it. All in all, I think it will get people to notice the GTI far more than, say, the Civic Si commercial where the car's siloutte is jumping across roofs on a city skyscape.
Among enthusiasts I think the ads generated a lot of positive interest. Personally, it got me to notice the GTI, but not to buy it. The GTI itself convinced me to buy.
The stock tires are great, or should I say; they drove great, with a good solid rating from shops and other owners as well... APologies that I've forgotten the model/s; As I upgraded the wheels and tires at the dealership, simply because I liked the Graphite color against the Black body color. I Have 18" OZ Tribe Wheels with Sumitomo HTR+ at 36.5 LBS front and 40 LBS pressure rear (These are all weather tires).
I have been married for eleven years, and am outside the VW marketing demographic... I simply bought the car based upon performance.
i wonder what the REAL weight is.
Edmunds is wrong. The US GTI weight is (approximately):
3100 manual / 3150 DSG
(per calculation from Euro-spec cars, extrapolated to US GTI, as weighed in reviews/by owner(s), and also from US owner's manual). Why the VW web site .pdf file states over 3300lbs, no one knows.
********************
It is getting pretty hard to find anything that weighs less than this and still has a top.
I bought the GTI after the test drive, and I had no intention whatsoever of even driving the car... In fact they didn' even have it on the showroom floor, and I was in looking at an Audi Acura and A Mini.
My advice; would be to get one if you can; at least before everyone finds out the magic of this car.
I don't know how much you know about DSG and Manual, and how much you prefer to have your hands occupied while driving... BUt I will tell you what I've learned in two weeks of ownership.
Amazing automobile. Great mileage, if you can keep yourself from passing, and racing everyone on the road; because frankly when the turbo winds-up the only reason you may feel like going home, is when you've run out of gas.
The DSG is simply faster and more efficient to shift than any other tranny. It is so, because the dual gearbox is actively engaged in your next gear before you even shift. A shift has no lag, and wastes less fuel than Even the most fluid manual Transmission.
I have no sun-roof rattle, and the radio/Stereo is quality, I simply made the mistake of expecting even the stereo to be as flipping excellent as the rest of this car.
Do not test Drive this Car unless you can afford to buy one,a nd do not buy one without a free weekend to open it up, or you may have several sleepless nights, staring at the ceiling thinking that there would be less traffic, if you took it for a spin at say... 3:30 AM.
Regards
Fastbackwards
Thanks
Ryan
(1) It's not a new transmission - it has been available in Europe (and in the US in the Audi TT) for several years
(2) You have a great warranty in case something goes wrong
(3) Actual work orders by certified mechanics posted elsewhere have indicated that repairs are similar to (if not lower than) a manual transmission car.
(4) Since electronics control shifting and engagement, and the clutches are wet clutches, there is much less wear and tear than with a conventional clutch.
Still, I've seen very few "tuned" VW's, but tons of "tuned" Accords, Civics, trucks (hi-rise and pimped bling blingers, etc.
I'm on the fence on buying a new GTI. One of the most important factors for me, because of rising gas prices, is fuel economy. I know the new GTI gets pretty good milage but my concern is over required gas grade. Some reports/reviews that I've read say that the new GTI requires premium gas, while others say it will run on regular grade gas. Can any owners comment on their expreience?
Many thanks in advance,
TA