The Volkswagen GTI Was Our Daily Driver Of Choice
GTI, Volkswagen went from being on top of the world to having its entire existence turned upside down. Indeed, the diesel scandal rocked the entire automotive landscape, and Volkswagen as a company is still recovering and rethinking its future plans in the wake of this mess. While it might seem like it's all skulls and crossbones over at VW AG, there are still plenty of things for the company to be proud of. The GTI, for example. We put roughly 20,000 miles on a Carbon Steel GTI over the course of a year. No, they weren't all perfect, but overall, the GTI became a dear friend to the Autoblog staff. When our time was up at the end of January, the GTI was just as plucky and solid as it was when we picked it up 12 months earlier. This is truly a great car, and we're going to miss it terribly. But perhaps more than anything, our GTI served as a constant reminder that even in the wake of the lying, cheating diesel scandal, not everything is going up in a cloud of smoke over at Volkswagen.
Here's what we learned from a year behind the wheel of our favorite little hot hatch. The performance pack is nice, but you don't need it. 1,495 performance package, which adds 10 horsepower, slightly larger front brakes, and the company's Dynamic Chassis Control (DCC) suspension. DCC is lovely, but we never found the standard setup's ride quality to be too harsh or too soft - instead, it strikes a just-right balance for everyday livability. Unless you're planning on tracking your GTI, the performance package isn't a totally necessary add-on. 1,495 in your pocket. The base model is where it's at. Honestly, when it comes to the GTI, you can keep a lot of money in your pocket and still get a totally perfect car. Our tester was the base S, with no navigation, no sunroof, the standard audio system, and manual, cloth seats. But don't look at it that way.
Instead, think of it like this: right off the bat, you get incredibly supportive, heated cloth (plaid!) seats; you get Volkswagen's XDS torque-vectoring differential for better front-wheel-drive dynamics; you get an infotainment system with App-Connect smartphone mirroring. 820 for destination) that has everything you need. At no point did we regret not optioning up for an SE or Autobahn trim. Both of those models require you to get leather seats, which seems like a shame since the tartan pattern is an iconic part of GTI heritage. The base sound system is fine. No one needs a sunroof. Keep it simple - this is one instance where the S is a base model in name only. The driver assistance package never shuts up, so don't buy it. What an annoyance - read our earlier update for a larger explanation of exactly why this system drew our ire over the year. To summarize, the pros of the system absolutely do not outweigh the cons.
Plus, the GTI S doesn't come with a back-up camera, so why bother with incessantly beeping sensors if you don't even get added visual aid? 695 and pay for parallel parking lessons if you're that bad at backing up a car the size of a Golf. We cannot stress it enough: This package is absolutely unnecessary. You can live with it in all four seasons. Just get winter tires. Fitted with a set of Bridgestone Blizzak P225/40R18 tires, the GTI handled two rounds of winter with aplomb. If you're considering spending several thousand dollars more for the Golf R just because it has all-wheel drive, know that you don't have to. The front-drive GTI is perfectly fine for even your roughest winters - plus, those heated, cloth seats get nice and toasty, and with a quickness. But we can't stress enough: fit it with the correct tires. Our tire pressure warning light spent more time on than off.
