2017 Volkswagen Golf GTI Long-term Test and Review

by Michael Taylor, August 29 2017

“…a pleasure to live with, really fun to drive and exudes quality, inside and out.”Michael Taylor, Co-president, TrackWorthy Group Ltd.

The Volkswagen Golf GTI is one of the most universally praised enthusiast cars on the market today, or yesterday. Now in its seventh generation, the Golf GTI has nurtured a very loyal and enthusiastic following with close to 2 million GTIs sold since its launch 41 years ago in 1976

The GTI’s fit and finish is amongst the best in its segment, competing with cars including Ford’s Focus ST and Subaru’s WRX. We have had three long-term Subaru WRX STIs (second, fourth and fifth generation STIs); none compare with the quality and fit and finish of the interior of the 2017 Golf GTI. No question, those who prioritize refinement should invest in a GTI; those who enjoy a more raw, visceral, extreme driving experience will likely prefer the STI.

Our long-term test car is well equipped with the 6-speed automatic DSG Tiptronic transmission (a $1,400 option); Leather Package ($1,120 option); and Driver Assist Package ($1,460 option). The sport seats in black Vienna leather with red accents are as comfortable and form-fitting as any seats we’ve had on a long-term test car. They fit us like a glove, provide plenty of support and look great.

The performance and handling live up to the GTI’s stellar reputation. The car has a turbocharged intercooled 2.0 litre TSI inline four cylinder 16V engine, which generates 210 hp at 4,300-6,200 RPM and 258 lb-ft of torque at 1,600-4,200 RPM. For everyday driving, this provides ample get up and go, most of the time. And when the car’s right pedal is pressed firmly into the carpet, the GTI really performs. An additional $3,850 over the Autobahn edition’s base price of $34,845 will buy you the Performance 5-door, with an extra 10 hp and a variety of standard features that are options on the base and Autobahn versions.

If we were to list everything we like about the GTI, we would run out of digital ink. So, instead, here are our three nit-picks:

1. The 6-speed automatic DSG transmission does not read your mind, as we wish it would

It never seems to be in the right gear when left to its own devices. “Drive,” the default driving mode, which is designed to generate the best fuel economy possible. That means the transmission shifts into the highest gear available as quickly as possible. his results in a very non-sporting driving experience and -it sounds like a diesel. Pull back on the shifter and the GTI transitions into “Sport” mode, as indicated by an “S” on the dash. The car then strives to keep the revs above 2,000 RPM and below 3,000 RPM. The gearbox seems to embark on a constant search for the right gear, shifting endlessly between 2nd and 3rd or 3rd and 4th, etc. Our preference is to pop the shifter to the right and shiftmanually. We favour the shifter over the paddles because interacting with the (very) cheap plastic shifters cheapen the self-shifting experience. Would we have preferred a manual transmission? YES!

2. The “Start/Stop” button works a little too well…

Specifically, the “Start/Stop” button works while you are driving the car. We discovered this the hard way. The “Start/Stop” button is precariously close to the Driving Mode button. On one occasion, we attempted to change driving modes while driving, pushed what we thought was the Driving Mode button, but it was the start/stop button. If you push it twice, which is what you typically do with the Driving Mode button, you shut off the car. Yes, after the first push you receive a warning that you are about to shut the car down, but if you are focused on driving, not looking down, and in the habit of pushing the Driving Mode button twice in quick succession, you will turn off the engine. And to compound the problem, with a DSG transmission you have to stop the car and put it in park in order to restart it. It only took us one awkward and potentially dangerous experience to learn never to make that mistake again.

3. That sounds like we just broke the car!

When the GTI’s front wheels lose traction under heavy acceleration, driving over a bump, sliding on a slippery surface, the drivetrain makes a loud cracking noise that sounds like you have broken the car. We can’t recall this happening with any other front wheel drive cars that we have driven, but this may not be unique to the Golf. We also don’t know if this happens with manual transmission GTIs, but when it happened in our car, it was quite startling. We will definitely investigate on future test cars.

Conclusion

We love our 2017 Golf GTI. It is a pleasure to live with, really fun to drive and exudes quality, inside and out. Is the all-wheel drive Golf R even better? Probably, especially in the winter. Is the Golf R worth $5,000 more than a comparably equipped GTI? Probably. But then you start getting into pricey territory at $46,374 (with the $1,945 Technology Package,which includes Adaptive Cruise Control, Autonomous Emergency Braking and Park Distance Control), plus tax. Our test car priced out at $41,159, plus tax.

If you are looking for an incredibly practical 5-door hatchback (with more than 52 cubic feet of cargo capacity with the rear seats down) that is really fun to drive, the 2017 Volkswagen Golf GTI should be on your short list, and it would be a great car to fill anyone’s parking spot.

Long-term Test Car Standard Features and Options

Our long-term tester was very well equipped with a long list of standard and optional equipment, including:

18″ Austin alloy rims with all-season tires
6.5″ touchscreen with proximity sensor and CD player
Alarm system
App-Connect smartphone integration (Android Auto, Apple Carplay, and Mirrorlink)
Automatic Bi-Xenon headlights with Adaptive Front-light System (AFS) including red accent strip
Available Adaptive Cruise Control – the speed and distance from the car ahead is automatically regulated. You can also specify the distance.
Bi-Xenon headlights with LED DRLs – advanced headlights turn up to 13 degrees when you corner. They are also brighter, longer lasting and more energy efficient than conventional bulbs.
Blind Spot Detection with Rear Traffic Alert
Bluetooth mobile phone connectivity
Climatronic dual-zone electronic climate control
Colour multifunction trip computer and indicator
Cooled glove box
Cross Differential System (XDS) – if a wheel spins while corning XDS will apply the brakes to the spinning wheel
Discover Media with satellite navigation
Driver profile selection
Dynamic Chassis Control (DCC)
Dynamic steering
Electronic Stability Control (ESC)
Fender Premium Audio System with 400 watts and 8 speakers plus subwoofer
Front fog lights
Heated front seats
Heated front washer nozzles
KESSY Locking and Starting System
Leather multi-function sport steering wheel
Leather package $1,120.00, which includes power adjustable front seats with power driver and manual passenger lumbar support, leather seating surface
Panoramic power sunroof
Power adjustable and heated exterior mirrors
Rain sensing wipers
Rear-view camera
Reflex Silver MetallicSiriusXM satellite radio
Storage security drawer under driver’s seat
Voice control

Base Prices:

3-door 6-speed manual

3-door Autobahn Edition 6-speed manual

5-door Autobahn Edition 6-speed manual

5-door Performance Edition 6-speed manual
$29,495

$33, 945

$34,845

$38,695

Test Car Price

5-door Autobahn

DSG

Leather Package

Driver Assist Package

Subtotal
$34,845

$1,400

$1,120

$1,460

$38,825

A/C tax, Tire tax, OMVIC, PPSA, amdin fee

Freight & PDI

Total

Plus HST
$689

$1,645

$41,159

Fuel Economy (based on the 6-speed manual transmission):

9.7 l/100 kms city

7.0 l/100 kms highway

Golf GTI Facts

GTI stands for Gran Turismo Injection

Seven Generations of the Golf GTI

Golf GTI MK I 1976–1983 110-112 hp 462,000 built

Golf GTI Mk II 1984–1991 107-160 hp 628,000 built

Golf GTI Mk III 1991–1997 110-150 hp 327,000 built

Golf GTI Mk IV 1998–2003 110-180 hp 164,859 built

Golf GTI Mk V 2004–2008 200-230 hp 181,800 built

Golf GTI Mk VI 2009–2012 211-235 hp 199,903 built

Golf GTI Mk VII 2014-present 210-290 hp currently in production

Golf GTI Anniversary Editions

20^th Anniversary model had BBS rims and was offered in 1996

25^th Anniversary model was limited to 3,000 units and released in 2001

30^th Anniversary model had 230 hp and was offered in 2006

35^th Anniversary model had a top speed of 247 km/h and was offered in 2011

40^th Anniversary Clubsport model had 290 hp and was offered in 2016

Acceleration Through the Ages

Golf GTI Mk I

Golf GTI Mk II Clubsport
0-100 km/h

0-100 km/h
9.2 seconds

6.3 seconds

Colours of original 1976 Mk I Golf GTI:

Number of GTIs build up to end of Mk VI:

Original number of Mk I Golf GTIs planned for production:

Number of Mk I Golf GTIs actually built:
Diamond Silver Metallic and Mars Red

1,963,562

5,000

462,000