Should I buy a Golf GTI Mk5 ?

[emkarate]

Hi all, am new to the site and would like some feedback on the mk 5 GTI please !

I have a Focus diesel at the mo, which is a good car but doesen't thrill. Am thinking of a Golf GTI mk 5 as it seems a good all rounder for speed, space etc. I had a mk 4 GT TDI prior to that for 5 years and it was a great car, and I know the mk 5 drives much better.

Have a couple of questions....

1/ What is the realistic fuel economy of this car (not manufacturer figures)
2/ IS the DSG gearbox very good or should I look for a manual?

Cheers in anticipation !

[Moschops]

Hi and Welcome...

Okay, I've just filled mine (Edition 30) up this morning, £65.00 but that was 53 litres of V Power at £120.9 a litre.
Out this tank I managed 374.9 miles...yes that many, the best I've had a for a long time, mixture of driving, Motorways, some spirited driving in Somerset/Dorset and also a journey to work mixture of roads and traffic lights along the way too. It average approx 34.5mpg. I normally manage between 320-350 to a tankfull.
 
DSG, yes mines DSG and it's great, never had an "auto" before and bought it after just one afternoon test drive and haven't looked back. If you can get one with the MFSW and Paddles.

Go and try a manaul and a DSG and see for yourself. 

[Beddie]

My Edition 30 has averaged out at around 29mpg over the last 15K, the 'regular' GTI i had a few years was slightly more frugal at 33mpg..
I love DSG and would 100% spec it in the next car, it's definitely a marmite option though imo, people love it, others hate it... requires a longer than normal test drive to decide whether its for you imo...  

[emkarate]

Thanks for your comments, VW official figure for average is 35mpg so don't think it would be far off considering yours are Ed 30's.

Would need to test drive manual & dsg to decide I think.

Cheers 

[Top Cat]

Welcome to the forum.

Remember it is a GTI, Moschops is an old man who drives with driving gloves, so you wont match his figures regulary you can expect somewhere between 25 and 30 MPG with the occasional blast. 

[Moschops]

Welcome to the forum.

Remember it is a GTI, Moschops is an old man who drives with driving gloves, so you wont match his figures regulary you can expect somewhere between 25 and 30 MPG with the occasional blast. 

You forgot the flat cap too TC.... Don't drive too fast in case it blows off....

EMK...go and book a test drive and see for yourself, like Beddie says, get a long one too.

[wigit]

reason why we went GTI was because it is a cracking all round car, the GTI has really impressed me over the the last 20 months and exceeded my expectations, pitty i never get to drive it that often

[Dandan]

Few months back when I was on the look for a new car I had few models to choose from:

1. mk5 golf GTI
2. fn2 Civic Type R
3. Focus ST

Test drove em all and imo the golf was a clear winner. It's practical, fast, sporty and good looking. When I first sat in the golf it just felt like home and everything was in its right place and worked properly. There was no *sigh* *ugh* "How do you..." "Where's the..." "What the..." (Had not owned a VW before)

My current fuel consumption after some mixed driving: 9 liters/100 km = 31.3867707 miles/gallon(UK)
Drove to our summer cottage with : 8.1 liters/100 km = 34.8741897 miles/gallon(UK)

Keep in mind that I got the car not too long ago and like to push it alittle more 

I have a manual and the gearbox feels perfect! Might have approved DSG also but just got an offer I could not refuse with this one. What I've heard DSG is a little more expensive service wise but you get a better 0-60 time with it and better fuel economy 

Oh and my car is perfectly stock atm 

[Garth]

I have a GTI for sale....

They're a pretty good buy and by far the best hot hatch in my opinion. I was looking at either a focus st or the golf and after driving the focus, I went straight out and bought my Golf... it's miles better than the focus in my eyes.

I get between 32 and 37mpg on my daily commute from Leeds to Manchester although if you drive between 50 and 70 you can see 40mpg. My average ove the last 2000 miles is 32, which is not bad considering that includes town driving as well. For reference, my last car was a 330cd convertible (diesel) which gave me 30 mpg long term.

I've not had much experience of the dsg as mine is a manual but people do have goos things to say about it. I was never interested in auto/dsg until my knee was shot and now need one! I'd still prefer the manual in an ideal world though.

[aidman]

I went DSG on my golf simply because of the stop start nature of my daily commute into london. Personally I think it would be hard to go back to a manual now, i absolutely love the DSG :)

[JPC]

Buy a MK5 GTI! simples!

[Greeners]

Welcome!  (what Jay said!  )

[Gti_Mad]

welcome along

and yes you should deffo buy a GTI 

[RedRobin]

A Warm Welcome to the forum, em 

The Mk5 (and Mk6) GTI is an exceptional allrounder (especially 5-door version). Have had mine for 5 years since new (86k miles) and have no plans to change her. Mine's modified and Stage2 but I regularly get 28 mpg and occasionally 30 mpg but who cares!? 22 mpg on German autobahns, 15 mpg on track.

Don't think of DSG as an automatic. Think manual and change gears as if a manual. Use 'auto' D-mode for urban 30/40 limit zones and traffic queues. It's a learning curve but if you like it it'll become fluid and natural.

[LouCyffer]

Red's spot on about the DSG. I came to my GTI from an Impreza STi, and it took me about 3 months to get comfortable with DSG. I test drove a DSG and a manual back to back, and then a GTI and R32 back to back. I average 30mpg over all types of driving, and can get 40 on a 30 mile run if I'm feeling lazy. It does drop if I want to push on in Maximum Attack Paddleshift mode

Try as many as you can, look for the right spec (paddleshift, buttons on the steering wheel) and enjoy!