You've hit the nail on the head....
Over the past couple of decades they have added more "aids", & encouraged the driver to NOT drive...so they have to add even more aids...to pander to those drivers who can't drive to pander to their poor egos..so that everybody is "a driving god"......much like BMWs ad strap line of "the ultimate driving machine"...which is of no use when 90% of them are driven in 30mph stop start traffic...might as well have a flipping 1lt Nissan Micra..& that in reality is ALL that the idiot behind the wheel is capable of handling...
Basically this is another reason why I have a lower powered car...less aids as less power to then reel in....result is more fun....& you can then have fun as a DRIVER......even then I've still had to whip out VCDS & programme some stuff out/off/etc..
Performance Pack = marketing bullsh1t...
Well, they certainly got
me with the marketing.
Even if the 2019 didn't come with it as standard, I'd have sought out a car with the performance pack; remembering the countless ATBs and limited slips I've used in front axles.
This is kind of like a perpetual case of blue balls. On one hand, it's a damned solid daily driver; but on the other... That last ten percent is hounding me. I know what it won't do, now; and it kind of bothers me... But VW isn't stupid. Oh, no. They've spoiled me at the price point, and they
know it. They gave me a gorgeous interior, expensive paint, comfortable cloth seats that are cool enough to bypass leather and deal with being shocked all winter long... The damned thing has more amenities than any Jaguar I've ever owned.
A Golf GTI is indeed a smart purchase; but perhaps
I'm not quite as smart as I thought. Perhaps I'm a closet idiot and it just took actually
owning one of these to get it through my thick head. ?
I've said it before, I think, but this is kind of like coming up a dollar short at a whorehouse. You're still having fun, but that last little bit; the bit you actually showed up for... Well, it's just not on the table.
This has taught me some valuable lessons, chief of which is that I'll enjoy the Cybertruck. If stuff is this computerized on a Golf GTI, I may as well go all in with technology on my daily driver. I'm no longer worried about all the computers, detachment, or anything of the like in a Tesla. It can't be any worse than this, and the payoff will be a new automotive world to explore.
It also taught me that I'm not ready to settle down in driving, which is where I thought I was. No, being so limited these days means I actually want to go wild
more than I did before; not less. Didn't see that one coming.
This was indeed the best car for me to purchase, though. Like Clarkson says, if you don't know what you want, buy a GTI. At the very least, you
will know what you want after driving it for a while; or at least what you don't want. It's like an all you can eat buffet of modern features to try out; but the only way it's going to sink in is to actually buy one; and if you still can't make up your mind, you've got a very nice, fast car that's not going to "age" in your eyes.
If you're going to own something that isn't ideal, you can do a
hell of a lot worse. It still receives a high recommendation from me. In the pile of performance-minded daily driver options on the market, this is still a safe bet.
It just might be a little too safe for me specifically.