09vdubgti
Banned
It has been a while since I have been to the New York International Auto Show. Decided I would go this year, since I had the day off. Of course, the car I was most looking forward to was the new MKVII Volkswagen Golf/GTI. Making its confirmed debut at the Geneva Auto Show earlier this year, this was going to be the official North American Debut of the MKVII. Tickets received, camera charged off I went.
Before I continue I would just like to say, I have been to NYC (Manhattan) I don't know how many times. However it is always a great time going there. There is an incredible energy there that I've only been able to feel there and no where else. If you have not been here, I highly suggest to get time off work, school whatever it may be and visit it.
Location: Jacob Javits Center
Upon entry to the NYIAS we are greeted with this.
nyias photo entrance by BrianCerna, on Flickr
Walk through, and you are first see the Ford display. The Fiesta ST was a cutie by the way. Looked great. However I think we all know what the standard ford looks like. So lets move ahead.
Off in the distance, you see it tucked all the way in the back. You see it, and it just makes you proud. The Great VW sign. At this point, I start Getting excited.
nyias photo _2 by BrianCerna, on Flickr
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Finally I get to the VW display and they had some nice examples of the DSG gearbox and their new Hybrid motor.
nyias photo _3 by BrianCerna, on Flickr
nyias photo _4 by BrianCerna, on Flickr
The mechanics of a double clutch gearbox always intrigued me. It was nice to see how it actually looked. How it works, idk, but it works haha.
nyias photo gti by BrianCerna, on Flickr
Don't mind my horrid photoshop skills, still learning.
nyias gti by BrianCerna, on Flickr
nyias photo _5 by BrianCerna, on Flickr
nyias photo gti_3 by BrianCerna, on Flickr
nyias photo gti_1 by BrianCerna, on Flickr
nyias photo gti_2 by BrianCerna, on Flickr
Alright, so to whoever bothers reading this, here are some thoughts on the MKVII GTI. First off, when I first saw the car in pictures. I did not like the stripe on the head lights, the wheels, and how conservative the GTI looked. I thought maybe they would spice it up a bit, in terms of design. With all this competition now, from Ford, Mazda, Honda to name of few. The sports compact segment is getting really competitive.
However thinking to myself, the GTI was never about being right in your face, loud or vulgar. It was always the well groomed, well behaved, clean hot hatch. Seeing it in person made me realize that this new generation of the Golf is a perfect remembrance of what the GTI is. A clean, subtle design with nice added details that make the car stand out. The over all design of the car is well to me at least, great. I like it. It is a nice little upgrade to the MKVI. The stripe that run through out the grille was extended through the headlights for this generation. In all honesty, I like it. It works, its a nice added detail that make the car a bit more unique from its predecessors. The stripe flows well with the front end design of the car. The GTI was also red so, that also could have made it look more attractive.
This MKVII GTI comes with the new, Austin alloy wheels. I still have mixed feelings on this wheel. I don't think it is as repugnant as it looks in the photos, in person it does look better. Still though, I think they are a bit out there in terms of design. Don't want to say boy racer, but that term comes to mind when I see them.
Moving on to the interior. I would like to point out that, I do own a MKV not a MKVI. Alright, so upon opening the door. I immediately felt something very odd. The door felt extremely light. The mkv gtis door feels like its made of straight iron and feels as solid as the material its made from. The new mk7 felt, very light but not as solid as the mkv does. The noise the door makes is also different, when you open and close it. The MKV makes a nice deep "boomph" noise when you close it. This didn't. Okay, lets move on. The interior itself is very well appointed. The design is gorgeous and very upscale. The new D Style steering wheel, is beautiful. One selling point to me, when I got my GTI was the steering wheel. This time it is no different. It feels great in your hands, and very elegant. The new interlagos plaid seats also have been redesigned. The bolsters are tighter, giving you a firmer fit in the seat. Also they have added a wider bolster up top of the seat which is phenomenal. One thing I always wanted in the gti seats was for more shoulder/upper back support and with this seat. It will deliver that. Kudos to VW on not just changing bringing in the same seat from the mkv/6. It just feels better sitting in it. Looking around one would not guess this is a mid 20k car. It looks like you are in a nicely equipped Audi.
This leads me off to think. How can they make an interior this gorgeous and keep its costs down? Well my fellow readers, here is where I can see some costs being cut. The touch points of the car, feel cheap(er), inferior to the mkv. The materials feel very, plastic-y. It does not have that nice soft touch the mkv is known for. Does not feel as the materials are of the same quality of the mkv. I can not say how it feels compared to an mk6 as I haven't been in one in a while. Beyond that, the new Panoramic roof, is an awesome addition to the car. Looks great and they added a nice net styled sun deflector.
"Alright, alright..get on to the good stuff are we getting the performance package or what?".
No. Well at least not yet. This generation is being said to have 210hp, and 258ft/tq. The Hp figures are not what we were hoping for here for the north american market. Hopes not lost yet folks, the power figures have not yet been finalized. It is still considered a ''concept'' at this point. Talking with the VW reps there, they all seem to be just as discontent with the news of the N/A gti not getting the euro spec ponies and LSD. VW is considering the performance package according to the reps. They are hoping it will be available here. However they said they would not know until at least the second quarter of 2014. They did stress though, that this new TSI motor is all new. It has been completely rebuilt with better and lighter internals.They even located the monstrous k03 right behind the motor by the firewall, so it could actually be seen. So you hypebeasts and youngings out there can finally show off that cool turbo. In a recent study I recently made up, 90% of the people will like the mk7 gti when they see it in person. The other 10% would be the enthusiasts who swear by their generation. Which is cool. I really like the car, and if in the market, I would highly look into it. Recent pricing in the UK were just released and it will be beginning at £25845.
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