Looking to buy a MK5 GTi and have some questions!

[s3neil]

Hey guys,

I currently drive an Audi S3 (2002) and am looking to move on from it and one of my potential choices is the MK5 GTI and I'm looking for a 3 door, black model with DSG so if you wouldn't mind answering a few questions then it would be appreciated :)

How many miles on average do you get to a tank of fuel? My S3 usually gets roughly 28mpg and 340 miles to it's tank.
I've not had a FWD car for a few years, my last one was a Honda Prelude VTEC and it was a bit... primitive - You could light the fronts up on greasy surfaces and it could torque steer for England given half the chance. What's the GTI like? I'm not the sort of person to go lighting it up from traffic lights but I feel coming from AWD that FWD is a 'step down' so to speak? What were your experiences in the snow?
What are the standard audio like? I quite like the BOSE system in my S3 with it's little subwoofer but the Symphony headunit is crap. Can you get double din adapters to slot in an aftermarket headunit?

Cheers for your time guys!

[higher1]

Hi i went from the same car a 1999 S3 to a 2006 gti but manual and i love it its more responsive low down and a little smoother but i would say the build quality on the audi is better and has a lot less road noise than the golf, i can get 38 mpg easy in the golf im sure lots of people will say they get a lot less but im not driving it like ive stolen it! the bose system in the audi does sound nice i have factory 10 speaker system and sat nav in the golf its good but the bass is lacking compared to the audi bose system i was running a alpine head unit not factory symphony.

The golf is a great car with nice optional extras and for me a stepping stone until i can afford the later S3

[gazbutS3]

I made the same change a few years back from a 2000 S3 to a 55 plate regular GTI and later a 57 plate Ed30 and I agree with everything HIGHER1 said above, you will probably also find the handling alot more responsive in the mk5, I recently had the pleasure of driving an early S3 and couldn't believe how heavy and sort of old fashioned it felt in comparison to the later cars. The mk5 will be better on fuel overall as well. I Would still like a std straight early S3 for keeps though one of the best cars I've had

[LouCyffer]

Neil, I came to a GTI from an Impreza '05 STi, and an Impreza 2000. I was concerned that I'd miss 4WD. To be honest, I do, a bit. But my biggest fear, torque steer just doesn't happen in the GTI. The ESP is useful but you have to learn throttle control again. I was used to just hoofing it and letting the 4WD sort it out. Now I can light up the front on a wet road in 3rd if I'm giving it the beans on an overtake. You just get used to it, and it isn't inhibiting at all. The problem was that to get the 4WD I'd need an R32, and the driving character doesn't suit me at all. Personally I find the GTI is better, I like the character of a blown engine rather than a big V.

Economy varies widely dependent on fuel, driving style, etc. Over the last 18months my average economy is 30mpg over 19000 miles (that's 375 per tank approx). I'm saving a heap of cash over a 22mpg Scooby. DSG is a bit marmite, it took me about a year to become fully comfortable with it. My advice is to test drive back to back. I did with an R32 & a GTI and I made my choice!

In the snow, with winter tyres the GTI is brilliant. I had no issues, never got stuck and had a hoot. GTI + Vredestein Wintrac = 

[david25]

My three last tanks

MPG / mileage / litres

40.87 374 41.6
37.99 409 48.94
35.91 354 44.81

I do very little town driving, the above is 80% A-road and 20% motorway

[Wildman10]

DSG is fantastic apart from horrible combination of turbo and automatic at low speeds - starting off with manual selected (to keep from changing into 2nd at low speeds) helps, but be sure you're comfortable with this.

MPG? Depends how you drive - drive like old man then it is great, but if drive like the car wants then what are you talking about?

Ian

[jhono]

38mpg is acheivable ,my audi a3 sline wouldnt do that some times mind you it was 220 bhp and i have a lead foot,got to admit though the golf does sound nice with a good aftermkt exhaust,build quality haveing had 5 audis is about the same

[Felix]

Neil - Ive had two of the mk1 S3's and the mk5 GTI is a much better car to drive, and even more so Ed30 with its extra ooomph. You are so much more involved in the drive (for a modern car) and the engine is so much nicer than the 1.8T. You wont get that solid 4wd feel when attacking corners as you do in the S3, but I would never go back to one from the gti. Go and drive one thats been looked after and see if you like it. Cant comment on DSG. Just get some winter wheels/tyres for the snow. 

[Andy_GTI]

I too came from a 2003 S3, I would say the build quality is ever so slightly better in the 8L, as is the audio but I think the GTI is a much better car in virtually every other aspect. Its much more fun to drive, especially with the DSG IMO. Im currently getting about 32mpg, about 330-350 miles to a tank with mixed town/A road/motorway driving. Theres more GTIs on the road however this means you can be far more picky when buying - try and get one with all the extras you want as youll just be bolting them on and paying for them down the line

[titchy]

i changed my s4 for gti had it re mapped its not a lot slower than s4 i did miss 4 wd for a while but got used to it dont miss the running costs though, its useless in snow winter tyres for this winter. the gti is as well built as audi, i love my gti

[s3neil]

Thanks for your input guys, as it happens I'm looking at an 06 plate one with leather and DSG tomorrow 

[LouCyffer]

Hope it's a good 'un. Look at the options that are difficult or expensive to retrofit like xenons & highline. On a DSG multifunction steering wheel buttons are no problem to retro, as is an RNS510. Arm rest is easy to retrofit as long as you don't mind non functional rear vents. There are plenty of threads on these. Look for a good VW history as the common faults outside of warranty (Air con & Teves abs failure) are favourably looked upon by VW if the car has a full service history. Make sure it's had the cam belt change at 4 years/40k as well as the 40k/4 year DSG service. As the guys have said, there are a lot around; you can hopefully take your time to get a good example. And keep an eye on our forum 'Cars for sale' thread 

Keep us posted how it goes.