First clean today and just done 1000 miles.
Okay so i've dome a 1000 miles, i am still getting to know the car but i thought it would be worth just adding a bit to the journal. So how does it feel, well it's looser, the flat spot and tightness has gone and the power is now coming along a lot smoother. In fact sometimes the power is almost too much. Stuck behind slow moving traffic, i have on occasion had to hold back, if it goes and the car in front is dawdling or just can't get away, then you have to reign the car back in. This has led to some jerky pull aways as i get used to the car and the power.
The car is certainly powerful, I can't claim to have a lot of car experience but i know this thing is quick, jesus on the motorway, if you've got people just being idiots and you want to get out of the way, drop it to fourth, plant your foot and it has gone. Likewise, if you're dealing with town or city traffic, it's perfectly quick enough to get through it and when it comes to Devon's many many hills it just demolishes them.
VW has also demonstrated on a car this size, you do not really need a controller on the console for the infotainment, it all works just fine. Voice Activation goes a long way to helping with that, the whole system has got used to myself and my partner and our voices, that's one Essex and one Yorkshire tone. I had initially planned to spec just the Discover Nav and add the voice activation, i'd recommend that, none of these systems are perfect but they work well enough. The Biggest problem for the Discovery Pro, in the UK at least, is the current lack of Carnet. If this was available, even with its subscription, it would make the Discovery Pro and a more tempting option, wireless hotspot, the ability to send destinations remotely to the sat nav, google street view mapping etc etc plus some remote car features.
Gertie is a joy to drive, she really is, the nose can feel a bit heavy, but this thing really goes round corners, the power for most driving, is always there. Find a Devon twisty road and you can really push it through the corners and have a lot of fun.
Nothing has fallen off yet (touch wood), nothing has rattled, the tyres are noisy and that is something i'd look to change. In reality the car is quite underwhelming, it does everything well, i've said before, it seems these days, cars have to scream and shout to grab buyers' attention. The Golf doesn't do that, and i guess that is why it would not suit anyone but when you live with it, spend time in it, all that attention to detail, all that design detail, it is really appreciated.
So far i am happy with the all the options i chose, without a doubt, Dynamic Light Assist (DLA) is the one i most enjoy, i simply won't be able to own another car without it. Again, you drive round Devon at night, it's amazing, the lights dip, mask, change, all according to what the lane assist camera sees. True, it can get caught out by a tall hedgerow but it's never caught out completely.
And talking of night... The interior, it's very very classy and smart at night, especially with the ambient lighting. I have also noticed that the car gets up to temp quickly, a bonus for heating etc, i see from the car menus the car has an auxiliary heater for the diesel engine, i presume this is the reason.
I don't know if you love a Golf or you stand back and admire, giving knowing glances to other owners. It's not a car that perhaps inspires or demands passion, it's too busy being all German and efficient but it is an enormously cable car. I know with the GTD that over the next 18 months, there will be a fast Ford ST Diesel and Peugeot are also throwing their hat in the ring, i suspect some of the future 'hot diesels' will be quicker, may handle better, i am not convinced that as a complete package they will beat the GTD. Then i have already said that i don't see the GTD as a 'hot diesel', it's far more than that, it has a far greater breadth of ability.
So 1000 miles in, it's a car that grows on, a strangely addictive car with supreme manners and refinement and when you need to deal with problems, it's the perfect getaway car.
James