Righto, I've now collected the car. I haven't found a mk6 forum that I feel as comfortable with yet so I'll probably stick around these parts if you'll have me :)
I don't have any pics yet as I arrived home in the dark but was lucky enough to have a 4 hour drive home from the top of Norfolk down to Surrey. It was mixed driving so I again was lucky to get some motorway, lots of roundabouts, some pootling along through villages, a fair bit of overtaking and quite a few sweeping A roads. I certainly got a good feel for the car.
Initial thoughts are very favourable although the real test will be living with the car for a few years. My 4mo was a tremendous car and did everything I asked of it over 8.5 years and with two small children. This GTI has a lot to live up to... can it do it?
Mk6 Weak Points
* My mk4 was definitely better built. The switches felt like they were made of better quality plastic and it had leather in places that mk6 has cheap plastic (e.g. door panels, handles and gear stick). There wasn't a single rattle in my old car yet this one does have a few small ones that I will hunt down and irradicate :D
* The 4mo has an engine with real character and a noise to match. I do miss that... a lot. The mk6 GTI sounds very much like a diesel in comparison. It also doesn't have the instant surge of power at any speed in 6th gear. But it's a matter of driving style I guess and I will get used to a small engined turbo again soon (I last had one in my mk1 TT 225 in 2003). Foot down in 6th at 70 mph and the 4mo was off and running without hesitation. The mk6 thinks about it and then decides it will have some. I'm a little spoilt in having owned a series of large normally aspirated engines and maybe other people don't notice the lag in the same way.
* The mk6 GTI doesn't inspire the same confidence in the level of grip. The 4mo wallowed but due to the nature of the Haldex 4wd you simply buried the throttle to gain more traction around corners. Foot to the floor from a standstill was grin inducing in the 4mo but again in the mk6 I'll need to learn a different style of driving.
The Mediocre
* Lets be honest, the standard audio is ok but nothing to shout about. I miss the factory uprated Digital Sound Package from the 4mo. The mk6 has volume and clarity but no 'punch'. But again I have probably been spoiled by the quality of the uprated sound in my last car. And afterall this is fairly easily fixed so certrainly not a big negative point.
Where The Mk6 Shines
* I've become very accustomed to the large car feel of the 4mo and the effortless wafting along the road while soaking up the bumps while sitting in leather armchairs. Yet the mk6 GTI has a charm of its own. It isn't a motorway cruiser. It's a proper GTI which feels jittery and when on the right type of road and in the right rev range it excels. It really is a proper GTI and it looks to be a fantastic all rounder again. Its character reminds me a lot of my old mk2 GTI 16v back in the early 90's.
* It is a lovely place to be. It has a nice modern look, especially inside. Compared to my 4mo it really does feel more up to date. I can forgive the cost cutting... just.
* Handling... I may have felt more comfortable at the limit in the 4mo but the mk6 GTI has bags more feel and waaaaaay better handling.
* On the way to collect the mk6 I managed to get 35 mpg in the 4mo. That sort of mpg is rare and I was driving like a granny as I didn't have much petrol and I really didn't want to have to top up just to give it to the dealer. This was on a long drive again from Surrey to Norfolk. In comparison the mk6 managed around 44 mpg on a short 30 minute hop around Norfolk and then 42.3 mpg from Norfolk back to Surrey. I wasn't driving too qiuckly but equally I was enjoying myself on some of the roads. I have no illusion that I'll get that day-to-day as it was indeed on a long clear run. But it certainly put a smile on my face when I looked at it. Assuming I get a similar percentage improvement it will save me around £300 a year on my fuel bill (VED is around £90 per year cheaper too).
Overall
I didn't expect to be blown away with the mk6 GTI and compared to my old car I haven't been. However it is an absolutely lovely car and if I had not had such a competant all rounder in the 4mo then I probably would have been extremely impressed. I bought it as a fast-ish car that can do most jobs well and I think it will deliver that :)
But... I love it. It is exactly what I expected and the return to a true GTI is a pleasure. What is strange however is that I doubt I'll ever get a mk5. I have owned every mark of Golf but somehow I skipped the 5 which is arguably the best. My plan on this one is to keep it around 3 years and then change again.
A Note On DSG Again
I think I've worked out why everyone else loves DSG but I was just "ok" with it. I went for a manual due to (probably unfounded) concerns over long term reliability but also due to liking a manual car. However I again think I've been spoiled by the 4mo. That was manual but with such a good engine I rarely had to change gear. With the mk6 GTI I can see I need to work the gears more to keep it in the right rev range... with DSG it would do that for you and therefore it would feel like a bigger engine as you wouldn't have to worry about gears.
