Any recent GTI owners wishing they waited for the MK7 US release?

VW-TX said:

The car drove amazing. It was extremely STIFF, actually unstable stiff. When I hit bumps, the front end was hoping around. I have a feeling the bump stops or shipping things were still in the front suspension. Anyone can confirm by the pictures of the height?

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They definitely left the spring blocks in on that, the front is sitting WAY too high.

Artysta said:

MK6 + Stage 1 + black vinyl roof + color matched lower bumper + LED tails = MK6.5

Thats like saying mk6 + stage 1 + dual center exhaust = mk6 Golf R

You're missing: bigger turbo, lighter weight, better fuel consumption, longer, wider, lower, progressive steering, new platform, refined dsg transmission, better tuning capabilities.

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I don't disagree with those facts, maybe 5-10% gains, but IMHO 5-10% better performance was/is not worth the price I paid for a used autobahn $24k to a new similarly equipped MK7 $32K. Especially after considering the mods I listed to make it a "MK6.5".

Fact is after doing tune, vinyl, led's, ect. I would bet better than 80% of people, on first glance, could not tell the difference. The only ones who could instantly tell are the type of people on this forum and I am perfectly ok with that.

Not my picture or my car, but here is Roc-Euro Tuning's new MK7. It's their new development car and is sitting on prototype ISC suspension that they designed. They are working on the intake now.

Can't wait to go there today to check it out in person and to pick up some R8 coils.

Buy a 2015 GTI by 6/30/14 and get a free GoPro. VW mounted a couple dozen of them on a GTI and went for a ride:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=T1kR_usCvkw

Artysta said:

Let's be real, The mk7 is superior to the mk6 in every possible way, except it comes with the same shitty tires.



Exterior Design - mk7>mk6>mk5

Interior Design - mk7>mk6>mk5

Performance - mk7>mk6>mk5

Ride Comfort - mk7 >mk6>mk5



Please tell me one way the mk6 is actually better.. and don't give me that "its built in germany" bs cause my mk6 had plenty of rattles,wind noises, wastegate rattles etc.



To the people who are saying the mk6 looks better or performs better are drinking some amazing magical kool-aid. My neighbour owns a mk6 gti, and was blown away after seeing mine in person. I especially don't get why would you get a 2014 model when you have a brand new model with a better platform, updated engine, better looks etc. for literally the same money.

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Looks are a place where you get into the subjective. There are still some parts of the MK5 that I like better than the newer models. I am still puzzled when I look at a MK7. It may change with time or if I saw one with different wheels though. I think the interior is good at least.

If anyone pays the same money for an old model, they need serious negotiation lessons. For some, the upgrade would not be worth the couple grand premium. I know people that won't buy a new iphone, for example, because it's $150-200 more than the two year old one. Madness to me, but it's just not worth it to them. :iono:

formul8 said:

All four Mk7's the local dealer had in stock have Pirelli's. It's one of the first things I noticed since the same tires came on my 2010. Those tires suck.

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Buy new tires, sell the stockers...sort of a pain but totally worth it IMO.

I sat in a Mk7 GTI last night at the dealer, didn't have time for a test drive. It does feel amazing inside but as I was looking around there are a few things that just "feel" cheap. Maybe it's that faux CF or whatever it is trim or the super light clutch pedal. I also didn't like how far the door opened and it seemed to swing wide open rather than having the standard "steps" to keep the door at certain increments if you don't want to open it all the way in a tight parking spot. I'm excited to drive one but there's just something I don't love and I can't quite put my finger on it. It is also quite a bit bigger than the Mk6 and possibly on the verge of being too big. I do like the lower roof line though. I'm sure that clutch will take a dump quickly with the proposed stage 1 tune from APR, it is feather-light.

I still can't wait to test drive one with the PP models get here though.

formul8 said:

All four Mk7's the local dealer had in stock have Pirelli's. It's one of the first things I noticed since the same tires came on my 2010. Those tires suck.

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What is it specifically that's bad about the Pirellis? Bought my '14 GTI in April and so far I think they're great in dry and wet weather. Haven't had a chance to test them through winter though.

For the past few years I've been using the Continental DWS on my '08 Rabbit and I loved them. If the Pirellis end up sucking during the winter I'll probably switch back to the Contis. But so far I have zero issues with them.

MBorVW said:

I sat in a Mk7 GTI last night at the dealer, didn't have time for a test drive. It does feel amazing inside but as I was looking around there are a few things that just "feel" cheap. Maybe it's that faux CF or whatever it is trim or the super light clutch pedal. I also didn't like how far the door opened and it seemed to swing wide open rather than having the standard "steps" to keep the door at certain increments if you don't want to open it all the way in a tight parking spot. I'm excited to drive one but there's just something I don't love and I can't quite put my finger on it. It is also quite a bit bigger than the Mk6 and possibly on the verge of being too big. I do like the lower roof line though. I'm sure that clutch will take a dump quickly with the proposed stage 1 tune from APR, it is feather-light.

I still can't wait to test drive one with the PP models get here though.

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I tested an Autobahn, and I felt the same about the trim. It's still a great car though, and the PP will be great. I didn't like it at first, but I'm liking it a lot more now.

mmmoose said:

What is it specifically that's bad about the Pirellis? Bought my '14 GTI in April and so far I think they're great in dry and wet weather. Haven't had a chance to test them through winter though.



For the past few years I've been using the Continental DWS on my '08 Rabbit and I loved them. If the Pirellis end up sucking during the winter I'll probably switch back to the Contis. But so far I have zero issues with them.

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The stock Pirellis end up hardening pretty quickly. They also end being pretty noisy. I have 7600 miles and 7 months on mine and they're already horrible for acceleration in both wet and dry weather. They're also pretty bad at lateral grip.

mmmoose said:

What is it specifically that's bad about the Pirellis? Bought my '14 GTI in April and so far I think they're great in dry and wet weather. Haven't had a chance to test them through winter though.

For the past few years I've been using the Continental DWS on my '08 Rabbit and I loved them. If the Pirellis end up sucking during the winter I'll probably switch back to the Contis. But so far I have zero issues with them.

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They'll start howling like it has 4 bad wheel bearings around the 20-25k miles. I replaced them at least 10k early because they were so damn loud.

Thanks Dave1078 and formul8. Well that's disappointing to hear. I guess I'll keep an eye out on mine as they age. What's funny is I originally tried to get my dealership to swap the stock tires to a set of Continental DWS. Unfortunately I couldn't get 'em to budge on that deal, so I guess either way I didn't have much of a choice.

mmmoose said:

What is it specifically that's bad about the Pirellis? Bought my '14 GTI in April and so far I think they're great in dry and wet weather. Haven't had a chance to test them through winter though.

For the past few years I've been using the Continental DWS on my '08 Rabbit and I loved them. If the Pirellis end up sucking during the winter I'll probably switch back to the Contis. But so far I have zero issues with them.

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I had the stock Pirellis with about 29k on them at the beginning of last winter. They were the worst tire I have ever driven in the snow. They were absolutely devoid of traction as soon as there was *any* snow on the road. I replaced them with Conti DWS- soooooo much better.

I test drove a MK7 GTI with a 6 speed today.

My impressions:

I like the improved steering. It seems that it is more eager to turn when I want it to turn. Not that the MK6 is bad, because the steering was an improvement over my 2012 WRX. I just find the MK7 steering to be an improvement over the MK6.

It feels more nimble for some strange reason. I guess because it is lighter, but I don't know. It just doesn't seem like as much of a burden to toss around as my MK6 is. It also seemed to ride a tad bit better than mine, but that could be my tires versus the P Zero Neros.

I like the new transmission shifter and clutch. It reminds me of the 6MT Accord I had back in 2007 with smooth and precise shifts and a short throw super light clutch. Please don't take this as an insult because of all the cars I have owned or driven, the 6MT Accord and 6MT Acuras had some of the best clutches and shifting feels stock compared to most Murikan cars.

My main gripe about the MK7 is those all season P Zero Nero tires that come with it stock. Really? This is a hot hatch, it should come with some extreme performance tires stock, especially in South Louisiana! Then again, I'm used to changing out tires on new cars anyway!

My next gripe is that I hope the new radio is a major milestone improvement over the RNS-315 and RNS-510 because it looks like it will be EXPENSIVE to replace, if it can be replaced at all. While I am starting to chill on the super elaborate aftermarket sound systems, the fact that I don't know all the features of the new stock HU could lead to a letdown. If it plays WAV or FLAC off the SD card or through the MDI, then maybe it could work with a processor. If all the SD card or MDI allows is compressed music through USB media, that is a huge complaint of mine.

While the MK7 is an improvement over the MK6, I still stand by my original statement that my next car will NOT be a MK7 GTI.

lo ran said:

the moment of truth is upon us, end of May and early June cars will start showing up!?!.. I cant wait to get inside that car and take it for a spin.. Will see the long lasting dilemma if the GTI will hold to its standards.. Puebla Plant aside I am optimistic about the German Engineering there.

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Isn't VW saying September now?