Why are these MK7's so fun to drive?

[heiney9]

Teutonic Engineering

 

[DasTurboWagen]

The Mk7 really is a great all around car. I would love if they made a GTI wagon but even my S with these tiny 195 series tires is a good handler and the 1.8T is more than powerful enough to have serious fun.

I've always run 93 Octane since new and with highway heavy trips I can easily get around 40 mpg and no less than 38. Daily driving with lots of traffic and not much highway I'm usually around 27 mpg when I fill up. Also with the wagon I have the same cargo capacity as my brother's '17 Grand Cherokee. (Though not as wide cargo entry) Can't forget a fantastic interior and features for the price and basically endless modding opportunities like others have mentioned.

 

[mclieberman]

Go grab a jb1 (I got a used one for this very forum) and you'll be even happier. Makes a huge difference! For sub $300 how can you go wrong.

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[Gawernator]

I know this is sacrilege on this forum and don't get me wrong, the Golf is a great all around car, but as far as fun, my first gen Honda Fit was much more fun. The handling stock was great. Even from day one, you could place it exactly where you wanted in a corner. Handling characteristics were very predictable. Oversteering, give out a little gas to straighten out. Understeer, let off the gas and let it rotate. High speed corners it was solid. The Golf on the other hand, I don't know what it's going to do. Ponderous. You turn and hope it goes where you want where with the Fit, you could feel exactly where it was going.
This also applied to my previous 96 Civic even stock.

I am hoping this is due to stock suspension and new spring, shocks and sb will remedy. I am sure GTI is in another league, so can't speak for that.

Off to the re-education camp for you

 

[sebastian1]

I fell in love with the GTI, back in Germany. It is an all-round car and makes your mundane daily commute a lot more fun.

 

[Obsrvr]

I know this is sacrilege on this forum and don't get me wrong, the Golf is a great all around car, but as far as fun, my first gen Honda Fit was much more fun. The handling stock was great. Even from day one, you could place it exactly where you wanted in a corner. Handling characteristics were very predictable. Oversteering, give out a little gas to straighten out. Understeer, let off the gas and let it rotate. High speed corners it was solid. The Golf on the other hand, I don't know what it's going to do. Ponderous. You turn and hope it goes where you want where with the Fit, you could feel exactly where it was going.
This also applied to my previous 96 Civic even stock.

I am hoping this is due to stock suspension and new spring, shocks and sb will remedy. I am sure GTI is in another league, so can't speak for that.

 

[Oldschoolmk7]

Cheap fun!

 

[MSchott]

My favorite part of the car is the steering. I came from a 2014 BMW RWD 328i Sport Line. Shamefully, the steering was terrible. VW does a far better job with the GTI. It tightens up quickly off center and with speed. Car and Driver rated the GTI steering as one of the 10 best modern cars. That along with the very crisp handling and LSD in the Sport model make the car a blast to drive.

 

[gti330ex]

Interior quality. It really is a class or two above its price point. The seats, steering wheel, soft touch surfaces everywhere. My car has zero rattles or squeaks.

The short wheelbase does make it fun to drive. I had a mk6 Jetta GLI before and it's longer wheelbase makes it way less nimble.

Also... gas mileage. If you really try, and there is a lot of technique, you can easily exceed 30mpg in mixed driving. I have a 28 mile commute to work and I average 35mpg round trip. Very satisfied

Wheelbase is almost identical between the two. The mk6 gti on the other hand was about 3 inches shorter compared to GLI. The MQB chassis is what you are most likely noticing.

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[icin235]

Seriously? For the money this car offers so much bang for the buck. Everyone list their top favorite aspect.

I have a lot of 1st place ties myself, but the car is a perfect balance of sport/economy/performance/value/tuneability (made a word) and everyday livability.

Go...

Just want to join this thread and say... agreed on all counts.

 

[scrapin240]

I know this is sacrilege on this forum and don't get me wrong, the Golf is a great all around car, but as far as fun, my first gen Honda Fit was much more fun. The handling stock was great. Even from day one, you could place it exactly where you wanted in a corner. Handling characteristics were very predictable. Oversteering, give out a little gas to straighten out. Understeer, let off the gas and let it rotate. High speed corners it was solid. The Golf on the other hand, I don't know what it's going to do. Ponderous. You turn and hope it goes where you want where with the Fit, you could feel exactly where it was going.
This also applied to my previous 96 Civic even stock.

I am hoping this is due to stock suspension and new spring, shocks and sb will remedy. I am sure GTI is in another league, so can't speak for that.

I absolutely loved my 1st Gen Fit, and even the 2nd Gen we had. Totally loved the way the 1st gen was telepathic in the corner, and how much fun it is to drive a slow car fast.

Can't speak to the Golf, but The GTI is like the Fit with power, and a much better aftermarket.

 

[jmchapple]

I bought a '17 GTI SE in Dec. and was very impressed by what I was getting for the money. I am also a first time VW owner. I was showing the car to someone with multiple nice cars and even he was impressed with the interior.

 

[fingerscrossed]

Nothing beats that "solid" German road feel.

 

[slide13]

I hit the 1 year mark with my GTI at the end of this week. This is my first ever new car purchase in my life. I couldn't be happier with my decision. It's such a practical and fun car to drive! I get 30-32mpg on average and it has plenty of power to keep me entertained while driving.

It has a huge aftermarket which makes it fun to look into all the options but, I have to say, I've been happier than expected with it stock. I threw on some mud flaps for winter, a short shifter and shift knob, did the clutch delay removal, etc. and I love driving it. It has enough power for me for now. I originally had planned on intake, exhaust, clutch, tune, etc. But for now, I think I'm happy enough with stock to keep it that way a little longer. Slow car fast and all that, it has enough power for me without making it too tempting to get in trouble.

The interior is excellent, it feels much nicer than most cars in this price class. And I like that is has restrained styling...it doesn't have that boy racer look that so many other sporty cars seem to cultivate.

Best $25k I could have spent I think.

 

[Oldschoolmk7]

^^. Agreed. It is a great value proposition with no equal imo.