My new 2018 GTI Autobahn

I picked up the first 2018 to hit VW of San Francisco this weekend. It was exactly the spec I was looking for too, white DSG Autobahn. I paid list but that was part of a deal that also has me getting a '18 R at a very very good price from their dealer allocation.

I also have a '15 GTI S so I've been interested to see if it is worthwhile getting the fancier trim because VW have really thrown the kitchen sink at the '18 Autobahn.

I love the new styling and interior and the leather seats are soft and comfortable. It has all of the various driver aids and for the most part they work well but the radar cruise control seems pretty jerky and has failed to notice the car in front of me at least once so far.

I only have double digit mileage yet so I can't comment on whether or not I feel the extra 10hp and I haven't noticed a big handling difference with the VAQ diff but then I haven't really spanked it yet.

My '15 has been flawless, needing nothing but service items and new rear shocks at 72,000 miles. It is worth noting that I own a car rental company and these are daily rental cars and they have stood up to the abuse just as well as any of the Japanese cars in my fleet. Customers love the GTI and have been asking me for the R too so I'm looking forward to obliging when that turns up.

I'm running it as my personal car while I break it in as I run my cars up to 80-90k and I want good reliability karma.

Here's some pics :-

Awesome! I worked with the guys at Royal a lot during the past summer, great people and facilities.

Enjoy in good health.

You get cold enough out there to put the seat heater on high??

Man, that's pretty cold!

Excellent

tony2x said:

My '15 has been flawless, needing nothing but service items and new rear shocks at 72,000 miles. It is worth noting that I own a car rental company and these are daily rental cars and they have stood up to the abuse just as well as any of the Japanese cars in my fleet. Customers love the GTI and have been asking me for the R too so I'm looking forward to obliging when that turns up.

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Congrats on the new addition. Its good to know that they withstand the abuse without any issues.

So the USA doesn't get active info display? Why buy VW when they treat us like second class citizens? My wife's sister has a 15 Golf in Singapore and it has lane departure, self parking and the LED tail lights are fantastic looking. I tried finding a GTI in 15 with driver assist and it was not available anywhere in New England. I really feel like VW doesn't deserve our business in the USA.

Nothing better than a fresh leather steering wheel! Congrats. Wasn't a fan of the refresh design but it's starting to grow on me with more pics on the forum. Love the white!

Nice! I'm a fan of white. May I ask what the name of your rental company is?

Love it, except for the wheels. What was VW thinking?

robb said:

Love it, except for the wheels. What was VW thinking?

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My bet would be that they are less expensive to produce.

ElectricEye said:

My bet would be that they are less expensive to produce.

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Very cheap as they are made from waste nuclear fuel rods from China .

The refresh is growing on me too. Maybe it's the white, but the stripes around the headlights look a bit more palatable here. Still not a fan of the plain piano black trim inside (sat in one at our dealership, no thanks), but like the new media screen (cue Rolling Stones song). And what happened to the chrome and red badges? Thought at least the ABs would get them. Need to buy a few.

Using it for a rental? Good on ya. Would definately rent one if I ever find myself in the Bay Area.

adam1991 said:

You get cold enough out there to put the seat heater on high??

Man, that's pretty cold!

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I love seat heaters in all weathers, plus it's pretty chilly here in SF in the mornings and nothing is better than getting into a nice warm toasty car and having a warm posterior.

Jarbear said:

Nice! I'm a fan of white. May I ask what the name of your rental company is?

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Sure! We are called The Oxford Collection. Right now we are exclusively renting on Turo but our new website launching next month will allow direct rentals.

SpaceGhost said:

So the USA doesn't get active info display? Why buy VW when they treat us like second class citizens? My wife's sister has a 15 Golf in Singapore and it has lane departure, self parking and the LED tail lights are fantastic looking. I tried finding a GTI in 15 with driver assist and it was not available anywhere in New England. I really feel like VW doesn't deserve our business in the USA.

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No, not even as an option. Only the R gets it as standard in 2018 and I think maybe the top end eGolf.

I bet that GTI cost your wife's sister a pretty penny. I was shocked when I saw the cost of cars there and that's before you even factor in the cost of the license to operate it for three years.

Nice ride, Tony! Any chance you could post a pic of your 2015 GTI next to your 2018 at night to show the difference in headlight output? Not sure if you have the lighting package on your '15 or not...