UPDATE
Well I collected the car on Sunday so thought I'd ramble for a bit. Had roughly an 80 mile drive home which was great,. Really gave me a chance to get used to the car - although within 2 minutes, as soon as I got on the M1 another Edition 30 passed me which I thought was a rare coincidence as I rarely see them on the roads.
Anyway the drive home was really enjoyable, bit dampened by the crappy wet weather though. The main first impression, having come from a MkV 2.0 GT TDi is just how smooth and quiet the GTI engine is. It really is a massive difference - and all this time I thought my TDi was pretty refined and quiet. I have to say though I thought it would "feel" a bit quicker, but I'm wondering if that's due to me being used to the low down torque of the TDI and me not having driven petrol engines for almost 3 years, I might have to get used to revving higher again. Bear in mind though that the weather was wet and it was my first drive so I was possibly being over cautious in my driving style. Fear not, I'll investigate further this weekend ;)
Other main things I noticed on the way home were the interior - the GTI interior really is a lot nicer than the GT. The heated seats - how did I live without them ? The Pescara alloys - amazed how quickly these have grown on me. The handling - just so much sharper but hardly any harsher. The fuel consumption - down from 50 to low 30s but obviously I expected that and in my opinion a price worth paying.
Obviously I'll get the obligatory photos posted as soon as I get a chance (daylight) to take them.
One small problem I'm left with - I now have 2 cars and I need to insure both until I sell the TDI. Best deal I've found is with "More Than" , who will give me a good price on the GTI and also have quoted me £175 to insure the TDI for a YEAR, which is cheaper than other companies have quoted me to insure it on temporary cover for 30 days - wierd. Anyone else been in this situation and if so how did you handle it?
Well that's that for now. Finally got my GTI, well chuffed!!!
Aldo