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Gertie GTD

EB2429

Go Kart Newbie
Location
uk
Car(s)
GTi 7.5
Have to agree with crispo the contrast black/white at the front stands out great. Sounds like you are really enjoying your purchase, which like many is the second biggest purchase we make (well is for us anyway).

Like you say tyres are a bit noisy but I can live with it, and I new that from the test drive. I replaced brand new runflats on my last car for Michelin, and they were better but my wallet wasn't. If you can, stick with them till they are done and see what's about in a year or two. I hear the Dunlop Maxx seem a very quiet 68db tyre ;)
 

James75

Go Kart Champion
Location
Exeter
On a smooth road, it's wonderfully refined, problem is, in the UK thee aren't many of them and certainly not many in Devon.

I've said before that this was purchase with responsibility, kind of bittersweet because after mum died suddenly in 2012, she left some money and we bought a VW California Beach, was able to sell that and buy the GTD outright, so this purchase has some history. I think you kind of accept when you buy a car like GTD, there will be some compromises, though I think, there aren't many, not really. 180+ bhp and 45 mpg driving round town... That's pretty good, isn't it?

My brother's last mini had run flats, horrid on the mini, destroyed any sense of refinement but that's my only experience of them :)


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Nyanga

Ready to race!
Location
West Sussex
James,

Your service pack...was it the VW £15.99 p.m. one?

What accessories have you bought such as boot liner, etc. and cost?
 

Nyanga

Ready to race!
Location
West Sussex
James,

Thanks.

Let me know your conclusion on boot liners.

Any other accessories that you bought / are thinking of?
 

James75

Go Kart Champion
Location
Exeter
Will do, no not really, I might add mud flaps which will hope with the roads down here but need to see them on a Golf first.


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James75

Go Kart Champion
Location
Exeter
Powerrrrrrr....... and MPG

I was amazed this week to come across spy shots of the new Golf Estate R, it's a reality and hopefully it will be in the UK next year.

I love it, it's a bit bonkers and takes the Golf fight firmly to the so called premium manufacturers. But where does this leave the rest of the Golf performance range. There seems to be a danger that the 'humble' GTI will be forgotten, VW were never likely to produce an Estate GTI but it does make me wonder. I notice that Drive the Deal Online Broker is currently able to offer some very nice discounts on the GTI. Will the GTI alway be a relevance or will the 'hot hatch' have to reinvent itself into something like the new Golf GTE?

Having driven Gertie around for a couple of weeks now, it feels powerful, I know a petrol GTI is more powerful and a different experience but I am naturally thinking, what would I gain with a GTI over my GTD. Now I am not putting the GTI down, it's a fabulous car but in this ever increasing battle for power, how much of it is used in the real world? What is the purpose of power or more power, I am not suggesting that we all drive cars limited to 70mph but I have plenty of power for my needs and I have never needed more power and in my, admittedly limited driving experience, my GTD feels fast. I mean it can feel a bit tame before the turbo kicks in, but when the turbo does kick in, the torque is immense, the car simply flies. I guess the GTI would give me a different driving experience and that is what it is about and it is a Golf GTI, and that's a great brand and a car to be desired.

As for the GTD, i am still not convinced by adding a tuning box, I am not sure for me anyway, where in the real world i would make use of that power. I spend much of my day doing mixed driving, which has its moments of fun but that fun won't be increased (in my mind anyway) by the addition of more bhp. The fun could only be increased by perhaps a different deriving experience, such as a petrol GTI or the Golf GTE even.

VW are mooting the idea of a GTD R, with some conflicting reports, initially saying that the new bi turbo diesel out of the Passat will fit into the Golf, then there were some other reports on the internet which said, no, that's not the case it is too bulky.

Either way I suspect very soon in some shape of form the Golf GTD is going to hit 200bhp and match the Golf MK5 petrol GTI (or thereabouts).

Having had three VW's or spent considerable time in three VW's, I can say that Gertie is proving to be, as expected, very VW. It's a superb car, it never shouts about it but it constantly reminds you with the detail. As I have said previously, this almost makes it boring but if like me, you spend a fair amount of time in a car, then you appreciate the detail.

I've found nothing that really annoys me. I am still not completely one over by the steering wheel buttons but i accept this is a consequence of more tech rather than outright design flaws. The interior itself is to me at least, high quality and it looks it, when ever people sit in the GTD, they remark on its interior which is interesting, because on the face of it, it has nothing immediately to grab, other than its quality.

Playing music on the Discover Pro has shown the almost annoyance of German efficiency and trying to get it to play random tracks can be quite difficult. It can be done but you seem to have tell it that you don't want your music shuffled by artists, album or genre but by track, just shuffle track, then sometimes, for reasons i don't understand it seems to give up playing random all together.

The voice control on the Discover Pro is, however, very good and if I was selecting the cheaper Discover Nav, I'd be adding voice activation, it's really useful and cuts out a lot of button pressing, especially when your setting detonations for your Sat Nav, which incidentally is very good, it selects good routes (unlike my last one) and it changes in an instant if you go wrong. Voice activation also negates much of the needs for some kind of independent controller on the console.

I've also gotten over Park Assist shame and now just use it, why not? It works really well and once you learn the system, it's really useful. i have noticed that even when the system is telling you to reserve, if you don't feel confident and say, pull forward, it just adapts.

MPG is holding out nicely, at present around 45mpg per tank, this is mixed driving, some country roads, a few b roads and a tiny bit of motorway, very impressed and happy. Perhaps my limited car experience means i am a little naive around MPG but this seems good to me. As the old adage goes, you don't get something for nothing, and in context with 180bhp, this seems good. Remember i have just run a hired base model Polo for the last three months and over a tank of fuel, even with the aircon off that was not doing any more than 35 to 38 mpg and put on the zircon and dropped even further.

I am still happy with my options, the lane assist which seems to be the least specified option ever on the Golf, is still proving very popular. I like the warning light on the mirror glass.

The driving experience is still great, I am surprised about the pettiness these sort of cars can inspire in people, people racing you at lights, cutting you up, sitting right up your arse etc etc. I even had a VW T4 today hang onto the back of me wanting to get past and prove a point, in the end i let him. When I owned my Camper, it was generally a happy vehicle and the way other motorists behaved towards it was completely different. It's just something i noticed.

James
 

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Exonian1

Passed Driver's Ed
Location
Devon, UK
The GTI and GTD are on quite an equal footing in many respects, a slight gain in one area negated in another as the two models trade blows.
The high torque of the GTD makes it very satisfying to drive and obviously the better fuel economy and low running costs are why it's the 'thinking man's' hot hatch, and the biggest drawbacks are the slightly limited rev band compared to a petrol engine and the issues with re-gen's if you do a lot of short journeys (like I do). Either car would be a great long term partner and there's little to choose between them. Spend a bit of time in either and it would tick nearly all the boxes.
I've owned numerous GTI's in over 27 years of driving, most of them modified in some way.
You might not think you'd use a tuning box in everyday driving but you'd be surprised! If you can hanker after 300bhp in an R estate you'd certainly make use of the extra torque of a tuning box!
Where does the future of the GTI lie? It still sits bang in the middle ground as an 'all rounder' hot hatch - right now it's just the lease deals that make an R cheaper to have for two years than a very basic model Golf which is hitting GTI sales big time. VW will work around that to keep their niche brands buoyant.



oh, and while I think about it - the front mud flaps look good but the rears less so. And avoid the OEM VW boot liner as I had one in my MK6 and anything put on it slid around like it was on ice! Get something with a more matt or grippy finish.
 

James75

Go Kart Champion
Location
Exeter
I guess I need to experience a 'tuned' car. Although I have had pretty varied types of car, my actual driving experience is relatively limited. I wonder what will happen or what will VW do to keep the GTI sales good.

I am happy with the MPG, I mean I've been running a California Beach for just under the last three years and it was moving to Devon that meant we had to sell it.

I try to keep gentile on a few long runs, for the regen, and as you know I drive up to Cullompton most days or back again to home and that a nice driving road.

Be interested in the GTE but I realise that is about lease and fleet sales.

I like the estate R as a concept, I guess it's not really bonkers, high power estates are not new but I like the idea in a Golf class car.

Would like to drive a GTI but I suspect as you say, they are quite close


James


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Nyanga

Ready to race!
Location
West Sussex
James,

Thanks. Thought provoking report.

Regards Drive the Deal. What discounts are they doing on GTi's at the mo?
 

James75

Go Kart Champion
Location
Exeter
I specced a 3 Door DSG - added everything but leather and sunroof and they offered 4764 off the price including options.


James


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Exonian1

Passed Driver's Ed
Location
Devon, UK
Some of those quoted discounts include a £750 VW finance incentive, I'm not sure if DTD allow for that or whether you'd get that in top?

Any time you want a drive in a GTI just give me a shout James!
 

Nyanga

Ready to race!
Location
West Sussex
James,

Interesting.

The best discounts two months ago looked like 11.7-12%.

Then in the Forum, someone said that VW would be increasing prices on 01 Nov. Then someone said discounts had improved, which you appear to confirm.

But Golf sales are strong....!!?
 

EB2429

Go Kart Newbie
Location
uk
Car(s)
GTi 7.5
I am surprised the GTD isn't up to 200 or more already, if it hasn't been done already then i think that when vw get the Golf GTD above 200 bhp from the factory, It will be more than 8 years after BMW put a very clever twin turbo 20ltr 204hp motor in the 1series. I had a 123d and it was/is a very good engine.

The characteristics of a diesel Imo is far removed from a gti, pushed to the red line you would think you are in different cars if the dash wasn't the same. Both great cars but not really that similar in my eyes. They may appeal to nearly the same type of driver, but i find them almost like chalk and cheese.

Regarding everyone on the net buying an R and whether this will concern the GTi, I really hope it continues and makes the GTD & GTI something rare and to cherish. Will the 2nd hand market take kindly to a 25-30mpg golf R? I guess time will tell...
 
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