30-Pin, Too - 2015 Volkswagen Golf GTI Long-Term Road Test

Edmunds.comEdmunds.com Member, Administrator, Moderator Posts: 10,316
edited December 2014 in Volkswagen
image30-Pin, Too - 2015 Volkswagen Golf GTI Long-Term Road Test

Like our A3, our 2015 Volkswagen Golf GTI is still holding onto its heritage via the stock 30-pin iPod connector.

And the VW fix is actually worse...

Read the full story here


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Comments

  • ebeaudoinebeaudoin Member Posts: 509
    A little disappointing that VW Auto Group, arguably one of the most technologically-advanced manufacturers, can't seem to get their Apple iOS connectivity straightened out.
  • agentorangeagentorange Member Posts: 893
    [Fake German accent] Ve vill not be dictated to by an company named for a fruit! Verdammt! Apfel? Nein, nein, nein! Zis iOS is not a standard born of ruthless German efficiency, zerefore, ve vill not use it! [/Accent off]
  • chol92594chol92594 Member Posts: 208
    It also looks like the design of the adapter would make it incompatible with a lot of iPhone cases like Lifeproofs, Otterboxes, etc. since the big plastic edge next to the Lightning connector needs to sit close enough to the bottom of the phone for a good connection.

    I've already voiced my opinions on how asinine it is to not include a standard USB port like many other manufacturers do. My mom's Tiguan has the same issue and I just use Bluetooth streaming. Most in-car USB connections don't charge modern smartphones well, anyways. I'd rather use a separate high-power charger and stream across Bluetooth.
  • darexdarex Member Posts: 187
    Sounds like the whole audio system, connectivity, and subscription-based (!) VW Car-Net (for Internet radio) are really poorly executed. A good reason to avoid this car, maybe.
  • sharpendsharpend Member Posts: 177
    @darex
    Or a good reason to avoid iPhone, maybe.
  • 330i_zhp330i_zhp Member Posts: 55
    Why do so many manufacturers insist on catering to Apple? Sure, there may be fragmented interfaces with so many Android phones, but for most music applications, any standard USB connections does what most people need it to do. Apple makes a good phone, but those proprietary connectors are just plain dumb.
  • fordson1fordson1 Unconfirmed Posts: 1,512
    Should VW have the proprietary port? No. Do you need myriad specialty cables? No - just get one with the VW connector on one end and a female USB on the other end, use it with one of the million or so male USB cables that we all have that come with all of our devices...and cut the drama that always ensues when you get a VW/Audi car to test.
  • atariatari Member Posts: 10
    I agree with fordson1. You can find mdi to female usb adapters for under $10 on amazon. Are there other inputs in the car anywhere? Any SD card slots? I could easily throw loads of music on an sd card and not have to worry about having it all on my phone. I'm honestly more interested in whether I should go for a loaded GTI or hold out for the Golf R.
  • fordson1fordson1 Unconfirmed Posts: 1,512
    Yeah, it's got an SD card slot. For the people at Edmunds, this MDI thing is apparently a big deal, but for someone who actually buys a GTI or Audi and then gets the $10 cord on Amazon, it's a non-issue.
  • ken_in_austinken_in_austin Member Posts: 7
    Hey, at least they moved the MDI connector from the center armrest stack to the front bin - let's give them credit for that at least!!!
  • jakek66jakek66 Member Posts: 60
    At least they moved it from the glovebox (worst location ever)
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