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2018 GTI test drive first impressions

ontheellipse

Passed Driver's Ed
Location
Maryland
I hadn't driven a GTI, or any Volkswagen, since driving a buddy's older GTI's and Rabbits in the 90's. I've been looking at the new GTI's on the internet and reading about them here. Finally got a chance to drive one yesterday (2018/cloth/manual/SE) and here were the things that surprised me (maybe you're in the same boat I'm in researching a purchase):

• much faster than I expected. reading about tunes, I assumed I'd get the car and want to jump to Stage 1 immediately. Maybe i'm old, but I think stock is plenty fast. I don't worry about speeding tickets now, but I quickly found myself doing close to 100 without realizing it.

•*suspension feels great. I expected a harsher ride. I made a turn down a road that had just been stripped for repayment...many manhole covers/bumps sitting high in the road. I braced for a hit, but it soaked the bumps up nicely.

• in every review I've watched, there are always comments about the interior feeling more expensive than it is, and I didn't get that impression at all. Maybe I'm not used to cars in that price range, but most things I touched felt flimsy/cheap. The radio volume knob, the sideview mirror knob, the lever that raises and lowers the seat height....all felt a lot cheaper than I expected. I've also read that current WRX's are the opposite; that they feel cheaper than they are. That will be an interesting test drive.

• shifting gears felt a little more rubbery than I expected. Not terrible, i just expected something more solid. I did like the gearing, though. The shift points felt pretty much perfect.

I can't tell if I walked away more or less interested in the car. I feel like I'd like to drive the DSG version, too. Did the interior feel cheap to anyone else, but you got over it because you like the chassis/motor/driving characteristics?
 

AERO

Go Kart Newbie
Location
SE of Denver
I think your initial impression is pretty good. The manual transmission is definitely not the best. Try a Honda if you want a nice shifter. However, if you think the GTI interior feels cheap, wait until you get in a Subaru. You will be appalled! The VW interior is substantially better.
 

nuSchule

Ready to race!
Location
NC
...
• in every review I've watched, there are always comments about the interior feeling more expensive than it is, and I didn't get that impression at all. Maybe I'm not used to cars in that price range, but most things I touched felt flimsy/cheap. The radio volume knob, the sideview mirror knob, the lever that raises and lowers the seat height....all felt a lot cheaper than I expected. I've also read that current WRX's are the opposite; that they feel cheaper than they are. That will be an interesting test drive.

...

I can't tell if I walked away more or less interested in the car. I feel like I'd like to drive the DSG version, too. Did the interior feel cheap to anyone else, but you got over it because you like the chassis/motor/driving characteristics?

I actually agree with you a bit on the interior. I will say, initial reviews from the early MK7s talked more about how the interior compared within the same class and price range... in which case, yes, the MK7 interior was immensely better in almost every way. Recently, this same thought has gravitated more towards the interior feeling more expensive than you'd expect. Although similar ideas, they are each nuanced. Does the interior of the GTI feel like a $40K interior? To me, not really... is it still best in class within the class and price range? More or less.

If you drive the DSG, be sure to take a spirited drive in manual mode. Driving around in "D" is less than inspiring. "Sport" might leave you questioning life choices. This is coming from a DSG owner. Happy shopping!
 

ontheellipse

Passed Driver's Ed
Location
Maryland
I think your initial impression is pretty good. The manual transmission is definitely not the best. Try a Honda if you want a nice shifter. However, if you think the GTI interior feels cheap, wait until you get in a Subaru. You will be appalled! The VW interior is substantially better.

I plan on giving the new 2.0T Accord manual a spin. I think I can rule the Subaru out without driving it.
 

ontheellipse

Passed Driver's Ed
Location
Maryland
I actually agree with you a bit on the interior. I will say, initial reviews from the early MK7s talked more about how the interior compared within the same class and price range... in which case, yes, the MK7 interior was immensely better in almost every way. Recently, this same thought has gravitated more towards the interior feeling more expensive than you'd expect. Although similar ideas, they are each nuanced. Does the interior of the GTI feel like a $40K interior? To me, not really... is it still best in class within the class and price range? More or less.

Any idea if the A4 feels like a big step up in interior quality/feel?
 

russiankid

Drag Race Newbie
Location
PA
Go sit in a Focus ST, which is a GTI competitor, and you will see why the interior feels more expensive and refined.
 

TheWombat

Go Kart Champion
Location
Vermont
Any idea if the A4 feels like a big step up in interior quality/feel?

Yes. Oh yes. To get that step up, though, you are paying a lot more. As I see it at least; YMMV. At the Prestige Plus trim level, which is pretty much where you want to be on the A4 unless you can spring for (and find) a Premiere level car, you're talking north of fifty large for the equivalent feature set of a GTI Autobahn trim, adjusted for the luxury segment of course. The seats, interior pieces, trim, switches, displays, and everything pretty much in anything other than a truly base A4 are flat-out better than in the GTI. I have a Golf R, and I'd still trade my interior for the Audi's in a heartbeat.

That is not to say the GTI interior is bad, or cheap. Far from it. I had a base GTI MkVI and I can tell you the inside of that car was like a freakin' Rolls compared to the Focus ST I had had a bit earlier. And it was miles beyond the inside of my WRX, too. But the Golf is a mid-twenty thousand dollar car at heart, and that puts it all in context. What VW does within that range is very good, but if you go higher up the scale, your expectations increase too.
 

NoGodGetOverIt

Autocross Champion
Location
NC
Car(s)
2017 GTI SE/DSG
Coming from an Evo, the GTI interior feels like a Bentley! :D
 

ontheellipse

Passed Driver's Ed
Location
Maryland
Yes. Oh yes. To get that step up, though, you are paying a lot more. As I see it at least; YMMV. At the Prestige Plus trim level, which is pretty much where you want to be on the A4 unless you can spring for (and find) a Premiere level car, you're talking north of fifty large for the equivalent feature set of a GTI Autobahn trim, adjusted for the luxury segment of course. The seats, interior pieces, trim, switches, displays, and everything pretty much in anything other than a truly base A4 are flat-out better than in the GTI. I have a Golf R, and I'd still trade my interior for the Audi's in a heartbeat.

i've only started looking in their direction. looks like i can get a CPO AWD A4 with 20-30k miles on it for under 30k. Maybe in a shitty trim level?
 

ElectricEye

Autocross Newbie
Location
Central NJ

ontheellipse

Passed Driver's Ed
Location
Maryland
I think the interior LOOKS nice, it just felt a little flimsier than I expected.

Focus ST isn't even on my radar because of the way it looks on the outside
 

vj123

Autocross Newbie
Location
The Detroit
Car(s)
19 & 16 GTI - sold
Yeah the stock GTI has plenty of power for my day to day driving and i can imagine what a ECU tune will bring in. The only mods i had was exhaust, wheel and tires and they were more than enough.

Regarding interiors, you should try out the competitors (Focus ST and WRX) and you will understand why people rate GTI to be higher. My vehicle prior to GTI was a 2013 A4 and GTI was not a big let down from the Audis.
 

Strange Mud

Autocross Champion
Location
Small Town CT
Car(s)
Assorted
I agree with rubbery shifter with wide gates compared to my last ride but it slots into gear nicely and I really haven't missed any shifts that were not entirely my fault. WRX just felt bigger and not a hatchback. It was faster but would have been 4-5K more when I was shopping
 

angelsfanswa

Passed Driver's Ed
I would do a few test drives with the DSG and MT. That’s what I did. They’re both good options IMO. I didn’t like the clutch on the Manual (too light and too high engagement point). I liked the shift action itself, though. I think the DSG does a better job keeping the boost on and shifts and shifts nicely, but then I get bored sometimes. I ended up with DSG cause I deal with traffic a lot, but I probably would have adjusted to the clutch. My 2000 Passat had long clutch pedal travel and I drove that for 7 years.

On the interior, I think the leather is more upscale. I found the cloth more comfortable but ended up with leather in my 2017 because I wanted a sunroof and other features at the time, and the leather is easy to clean.




Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 

cb1111

Newbie
Location
Virginia, USA
Comparing the interior to anything in the same price range shows that the VW is head and shoulders above the competition.

What were you driving before?
 
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