premier3IS

Your write ups are always a pleasure to read my man! Congrats on the car, I had a feeling you were going to end up in the GTI.

Agree with how this car feels quick, that torque hits that sweet spot when its perfectly engineered. I've driven a slightly modded one of these too, and it was extremely quick, surprised me actually.

Enjoy in good health and spirit, keep in touch and see you around on here from time to time. I also see you got the 'moderator' title now. Man it really been a while since I been here eh?

arentz07

Thanks! Yeah, as an ex-Lexus owner, I've been wondering why I am still here...



But in all seriousness, I am moderating IS forums, and still trying to contribute to discussions there. I just like it here, honestly.

arentz07

So I've had the GTI for a week and a half now, some thoughts on living with the car...

I've been getting mid-to-upper 20's MPG in this car (of ethanol-free 91), in spite of me hooning it a little bit throughout the week. I managed to get 31 MPG on a longer highway drive at about 75 MPH or so. As a car with a nice balance of fun and efficiency, this car rocks! I've also set up Android Auto. I've previously dismissed AA as a bit of a gimmick, and something I'd never use. However, I actually love it so far. Texting by voice is really a nice convenience - no need to really even look at the touchscreen while doing it for example. I've got navigation in this Autobahn GTI, but I don't know how much I'll use it when Google Maps is going to be superior for most cases.



I did a Wal-Mart run with the GTI last night. Floor space behind the second row is kinda meh, but there’s plenty of height for stacking things. Honestly, I was a bit surprised how little length there was to the cargo area - it looks much bigger when it’s empty I guess. I think if you fold the rear seats, though, you get the real value proposition of a hatch - just a lot of open space in which to stow large items. Haven’t seen a need to do that yet, but it’s a nice peace of mind to have especially considering this car is still pretty dang small.

Commuting in this car for a week has also been very easy. Entering and exiting the driver's seat is much easier than it was in my IS, thanks to a more-normal step-in height. The seats are really comfy, as well. They aren't as plush-feeling as in my Lexus, but they are perfectly supportive for me (5' 11", 150 pounds - admittedly a little small for my height). The ride quality is just a tiny bit busy compared to the Lexus, as well, but it's overall pretty smooth over even imperfect pavement, and quiet as well. I've also been enjoying the Fender audio to great effect. The bass is really strong, and the highs are crisp. It's no Mark Levinson, but I think it's a big upgrade over the base audio system in my IS as well, especially when it comes to the bass.

Overall, I am loving this car. Now if it could stop raining so I could enjoy the back roads more, I'd really be a happy camper.

patgilm

You mention the cargo area being pretty small and that’s one of the reasons I didn’t get one a few years ago. With two kids I didn’t feel comfortable with them being so close to the rear of the car in case of an accident even if they have a good crash rating. The Golf R (and S3) also doesn’t lease well so that’s the reason I ended up in my previous IS350.

arentz07

That's fair. Seeing as how I don't have any kiddos - just my wife and me at the moment - I think the Golf provides more than enough practicality for us. However, back in the IS, I was able to do a two-week's worth Wal-Mart trip without having to put items on top of one another due to how deep the trunk was. Not so much anymore. That said, I think that this car will be better for hauling big boxes than the IS by a mile. And the passenger compartment seems a bit roomier than the IS's as well, particularly in back.

arentz07

So, first weirdness with the new car... already. However, hopefully it's not actually an issue. I was checking the oil just to get one last look at it, after 7,000 miles since its last oil change. Meanwhile, I happened to notice the coolant was slightly below the "Min" line on the reservoir. Strangely, the car hadn't alerted me to this fact, so, it might just barely have been above the tolerance allowed as "normal". So, I topped it off with more of the purple stuff and will be monitoring it.

The coolant line is very short - basically a direct path to the engine, so naturally, I was unable to spot any sign of a leak. The oil seemed a little dark, but not milky or diluted-looking like I'd expect if coolant had made its way into the oil reservoir.

A friend of mine told me his prior Passat had low coolant toward the end of the lease he had on it, and the dealer topped it off saying that it was "normal". So here's hoping. I highly suspect that it's been low for a long time and I'm just the first person to notice. Apparently VWs have some air in the system to work out early on in their lives, which can result in coolant level dropping a bit.

bagwell

^^^ yep, coolant has probably been low a while, I wouldn't sweat it.

Oil...how long are you gonna let it go? with my WRX I never went over 5K due to the turbo. Very cheap insurance assuming is 5qts + stock oil filter.

arentz07

Good question. For this change, it'll have been about 7,000 miles, and I think I might stick to that or 7,500. Maybe 5,000. I am going to play it by ear I guess. I probably won't be the most gentle on the car, so it feels iffy to wait the whole 10,000.

Wilson2000

My Subaru's coolant kept dropping slowly and I would add several oz's a couple times per year. I read up on it and found this is common in Subarus. In fact, when it was time to change the coolant, the procedure called for adding a factory stop-leak product along with the new Subaru coolant (not sure why it isn't integrated in their coolant). Turns out, this is added at the factory to ward off the head gasket leak Subarus are famous for. Upon discovering all this, in addition to the class action suite regarding their CVT trannies, I decided to sell it and replace it with a Toyota.

Maybe consider adding a VW approved brand of stop-leak to your VW?

arentz07

Perhaps? I haven't heard anything about actual leaks, and coolant issues in general seem to be limited to times early in the car's life. When I topped it off, I used a brand that is supposed to be compatible with 2006+ VW products. Hopefully that'll be good enough for now. Thinking a coolant flush in the near future would also be good insurance.

arentz07

While preparing for the stay-at-home order issued by the mayor of Kansas City to the entire KC Metro area, some friends of mine from the BMW CCA group here in KC decided to have a quick blast around I-435 loop. It was pretty exciting to actually get to drive in a pack of such loud, fast cars at once, and a good way to say goodbye to our freedom to have social gatherings temporarily. And, what's more, after this spirited drive, my coolant level seems to still be the same, which is great! I suspect it is not actually a problem after all, and likely just natural evaporation or gradual use over time, which is somewhat normal.

Below are simply some photos of us congregated before heading out.




And here was my GTI!

Before you ask, no, a GTI doesn't count as a BMW, and neither does that Supra!

Stroock639

hey man i don't think i yet congratulated you on the whip, congrats! i have two friends that have these (pre-facelift GTi and a facelift R) and they're very fun little cars, the R especially with the AWD puts down some seriously impressive performance... with just a stage 2 tune and a downpipe it does 0-60 in under 4 seconds which i think is pretty crazy for something with 3XX hp, i have to make sure it's always a rolling start if me and him race the pre-facelift is FWD and does a nice little front wheel skrrrt when when the turbo spools up lol

how have things been so far? good luck with the car and i wish you the best! oh and P.S... that disgraceful white object behind that nice 5 series wagon absolutely counts as a BMW, don't know why the GTi would though... last i checked VW could actually be bothered to use their own parts

arentz07

Nah the VW doesn't count. I just got invited because I know a couple of the guys in the club.

So far the only spooky thing was that the coolant was a bit low. I didn't notice that until after I had already purchased the car. Android Auto also seems to be a bit moody. I sometimes have to disconnect the cable from the car and re-connect to get it to function - really minor thing but annoying nonetheless. Otherwise it has been great so far! Driving this car is entertaining even in more mundane situations... something I couldn't really say about the IS. I felt that I always had to go find good back roads to enjoy that car. I like the way this GTI always feels like it's ready to go.
I probably should have gotten an oil change straight away when I picked up the car, but I put it off a little. This is unfortunate because Kansas City is now under a stay-at-home order, which means only essential travel, such as going to the grocery store or doctor's office, is allowed. Technically, auto repair shops are still going to be open, but... try convincing my wife that an oil change is more important than our health. So, I'll not be driving the car much at all for the next 30 days, which is a bummer.

Johnhav430

I first drove that car on a business trip in early 2015. Spent a week with it and loved it. That year I attended a Porsche event and forgot all about the GTI. I mean with 991 GTS' and Panamera GTS' it's understandable. The next year I got another one and noticed the fuel door now said 87, when prior was premium only. Did some research and yes premium recommended but I guess VW got smart in that some don't want a car that uses premium. I hate the games played with the spread as it's more inelastic today than 20 years ago. But using 87 does not yield the HP numbers advertised....

I just had to laugh at CR when they stated "there's nothing sporty about the new GTI." They could not have been more biased. Fun, is fun.

And no, don't bother with the oil change it isn't more important than your health.

arentz07

I'm definitely using only premium fuel. This car gets such better gas mileage than my old IS that I am still saving a lot of money.

I think the GTI is pretty sporty, especially compared to my old IS, or even something like a 3-series. Sure, a Porsche is going to be more raw/engaging. Even the Macan I drove felt very "alive". I really like Porsches! That said, in its price bracket, the GTI is a lot of fun. It's flawed, but those flaws add to the experience for me. Oh, and the limited-slip diff mitigates those flaws somewhat.