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My 10,000 mile review

E-rok

Passed Driver's Ed
Location
North Idaho
I go thru vehicles like crazy so its not often that I keep one for over 10k so here are my thoughts.

Vehicle: 2017 GTI SE DSG
Mods: ST X coilovers @ 4k, ST RSB @ 8k, JB4 @ 8k, 18x8 alzors on stock hankooks if that matters.

Exterior: IMO best looking in its class. I feel 20 driving it (im 34 and its red), but I cant imagine driving something ridiculous like a current Civic

Interior: good I guess? I havent really driven anything comparable but the magazines say its nice? For what its worth, my wifes 14 Touarag has a nicer interior, as expected. Absolutely love the seats, people that are more "wide" might not.

Performance: Honestly stock got old after like a month. I dont drive like a jackass but it is just not quite where I wanted it. Coilovers and JB4 brought it to stock expectations IMO. Again I have not driven anything conparable so it could be gods chariot for all I know.

Infotainment: super important to the millennials Im sure. Overall OK but the android auto glitches once every few weeks and just goes black, wont change unless I park it for an hour or two. Ill listen to your favorite conservative talk radio in the meantime.

Economy: my commute is relatively easy, 50-60 with little stopping. I get mid 30s all day long, which is pretty damn good considering it has over 300hp.

Driving: I would say after the RSB it handles really well, but my gage gor comparaison is a slammed B5 S4 as I have had nothing but diesel trucks for the most part.

In summary, I bought new, got a good discount off MSRP, still raped on VW resale, im not sure how much better it is than say a used 3 series?

Maintenance: Ive changed the oil so far. Nothing really to say here yet.

Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk
 

Supermoto

Autocross Champion
Location
San Diego
Car(s)
2019 Autobahn DSG
Pretty much completely agree. I am still running everything stock except a downpipe and I couldn't be happier with the car. After months of research I kept coming back to the GTI as the best bang for your buck car that fits my needs.
 

JC_451

Autocross Champion
Location
NJ, one of the nice parts.
Car(s)
2017 GTI Sport
I go thru cash like crazy so its not often that I keep one for over 10k so here are my thoughts.

Fixed that for you.

Snarkyness aside, you will be severely punished financially if you plan to part from the GTI in the near future. Depreciation hits it pretty hard.
 

GTI-Jay

Ready to race!
Location
USA
Fixed that for you.

Snarkyness aside, you will be severely punished financially if you plan to part from the GTI in the near future. Depreciation hits it pretty hard.

I'm sure he knows this. Its his money and he gets to spend it whatever way he likes. Doesn't need someone online to be judgmental. How do you know he's not loaded and money means shit to him? as long as he has enough then go for it.. thats what its there for ..... to spend.

Every hobby so to speak is a waste of money. Sure you could 'invest' it. But if he gets excited to get and drive a new car, then so be it.

I waste lots of money on having to have a brand new car every 3yrs, and bikes and tech the list goes on and on.. but it all makes me happy and makes me look forward to every day.
 

E-rok

Passed Driver's Ed
Location
North Idaho
Well, I am definitely not loaded and I guess all I meant was in comparison to my previous trucks resale is horrible, but obviously everyone loves trucks right now.

In (more sober lol) summary, its a fantastic DD but you better plan on keeping it!

Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk
 
H

Huntermike

Guest
I just put 10k miles on mine so I will add some thoughts. Instead of starting my own thread I'm going to just piggyback on E-Rok's. I have gone through 5 vehicles in the last 5 years so we'll see if the GTI sticks around. The previous cars were: '17 Mazda6 GT; '14 Accord Sport; '12 Accord LX; '05 MINI Cooper S. I picked up my SE on June 19th and passed 10k a couple days ago. I drive about 30k/year.

Stock A/S tires are not a good match for this car. The squeal easily and don't match the chassis dynamics. Definitely a disconnect from the potential of the car. If you are ordering a new one, get the summer tire option...it's a steal.

The ride is comparable to the Mazda on the highways but the sporting ability is a bit higher. I think it could use just a bit more damping in the rear but the controlled suppleness of the factory suspension is great. Our roads are falling apart so I have no interest in lowering or stiffening the car. No wonder why CUV's are outselling cars!

Efficiency has been fantastic. My 90+% highway driving is about as perfect as could be for mileage. Typical day is 150-350 miles round trip. I came from a '17 Mazda6 GT and managed 36.8 mpg-US over 28k miles. So far in the GTI I'm at 37.0 mpg over 10k miles. I know the mileage will drop in the winter but I'm impressed. Best tank was 39.6mpg...I'm hoping to get one over 40 before cold weather sets in. I have been using 88 octane E15 since it's the cheapest fuel that VW approves of. I found no mileage or performance difference from 87-E10 to 91-E0. Haven't tried 93-E10 yet but I have no desire.

Interior comfort is great. Seats are just as comfortable as the Mazda6 and much better than the '14 Accord before that. There are many more squeaks and rattles inside that both of those 2 cars combined. Fender audio can mask it out, which is nice. Better sounding than the premium Bose in the M6.

I still can't believe how VW can't include automatic climate control in a $30k+ vehicle. Same with some of the ADAS systems that are standard on many cars in the price range. Or a HUD. Or a full-power seat. My Mazda6 had this and it was $27k OTD.

Reliability has been fine. Maybe I'll have them look at the driver power window switch as it's not responsive all the time. No oil consumption, no issues. Only changes to the car have been debadging the rear and putting a set of Huff's from an '07 GTI on it with the factory Pirelli's. Nobody has noticed the paradox yet! I like the way it looks.

CarPlay is nice, but not bug-free. Same with the SD card reader not seeing all my files all the time. CD player is useless to me now.
 

wantone

Ready to race!
Location
Iowa
Speaking of 10,000 miles, anyone do the 10k service from VW? And if so, how much did it cost from the dealer?
 

RogueGTI

Ready to race!
Location
SoCal
Good simple review. And yes, buying new cars ever 10kmi is crazy. I'm not so sure about VW resale being a problem, more GTI because it's a modders delight.

Diving dynamics wise, 3 series is better, but you get this car because of its daily livability and practicality while still have great fwd handling and fit/finish. I also, speaking as an engineer, think VW does a better job constructing their cars in terms of assembly and paint quality and integration quality. You're getting a highly engineered high volume model, so stuff generally is just more thought out, and just works better. GTI maintenance is also very easy and DIY friendly. I'd dare say also, your computer tuning options for car electronic functions is far and away better, owing to the high volume nature. I had an ex gf with a 2001 325i. The paint quality wasnt great, and the interior leather started coming apart at like 30kmi. I do like BMW.

Interior is excellent, but my mk6 has a few things over it. My mk6 also had narrower seats (which are also great). My ass has gotten a little wide, so I feel it.

I've had one Android Auto sudden freeze in my 3500mi. Dependent on phone as well i suppose. Yes a very annoying issue.

If you want to sell the GTI at 10kmi, then good luck holding onto any car long term. These cars are brilliant packages overall. Only long term concern I see is intake valve carbonization. Mine is a keeper, 17Sport MT6. I have owned mostly diesel cars my whole life, funny.
 
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RogueGTI

Ready to race!
Location
SoCal
...

I still can't believe how VW can't include automatic climate control in a $30k+ vehicle. Same with some of the ADAS systems that are standard on many cars in the price range. Or a HUD. Or a full-power seat. My Mazda6 had this and it was $27k OTD.

...

Curious for more comparison to accord sport. My gf loves accords. I find the driving dynamics of her 2009 to be "blech" but kudos to Honda for the sport model, and I really like the design of the new accords, and again kudos for offering it in MT6.

My mk6 came with automatic climate control, and works great. Just a cost cutting measure for competitiveness. I don't give two hoots for ADAS stuff, mostly gimmicky nonsense and all about pushing driverless cars on people. I had my eye on an autobahn trim and ADAS was a detraction and I'm so glad for the sport trim I got. Full power seats - dead weight and extra stuff to break, except for memory functions, if you are sharing the car regularly. A HUD would be cool and very appropriate to the GTI philosophy. Got my 2017 Sport for 26k OTD, in CA. I got a good deal though.
 

Rafiki76

Ready to race!
Location
Los Angeles
Car(s)
MKVII GTI
Speaking of 10,000 miles, anyone do the 10k service from VW? And if so, how much did it cost from the dealer?

I did a 1 year service at around 5,2xx miles. I opted just for a tire rotation and an oil change instead of the full service with inspection. It cost me around $112.xx
 
H

Huntermike

Guest
Curious for more comparison to accord sport. My gf loves accords. I find the driving dynamics of her 2009 to be "blech" but kudos to Honda for the sport model, and I really like the design of the new accords, and again kudos for offering it in MT6.

My mk6 came with automatic climate control, and works great. Just a cost cutting measure for competitiveness. I don't give two hoots for ADAS stuff, mostly gimmicky nonsense and all about pushing driverless cars on people. I had my eye on an autobahn trim and ADAS was a detraction and I'm so glad for the sport trim I got. Full power seats - dead weight and extra stuff to break, except for memory functions, if you are sharing the car regularly. A HUD would be cool and very appropriate to the GTI philosophy. Got my 2017 Sport for 26k OTD, in CA. I got a good deal though.
2009 Accord was the same generation as my ‘12, blech is right. I owned mine for 8 months. It was Honda’s attempt at Americanizing the Accord, like the Passat...bloated and comfy. Thank goodness they came around in ‘13 and made it lighter and sportier.
 
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