Volkswagen Golf VI - VW Golf VI 2.0 GT

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Mon 12 Apr 2010 20:36
Volkswagen Golf VI - VW Golf VI 2.0 GT - SteveLee

I borrowed a brand new Golf VI GT (I believe its the 140bhp diesel but could be wrong) according to the press, I was expecting a Focus beater with a beautiful interior. Well, the leather seats looked nice but weren't particularly comfortable, the car had nasty scratchy plastic door handles, the dash was neat but nothing out of the ordinary - which describes the whole cabin really.

On start up I was greeted by the usual diesel clatter, I can't say it ever went away - I could always hear the gruff rattly diesel under the bonnet, it went pretty well - plenty of grunt after the initial off-boost lag, again I wasn't impressed with the refinement.

The steering was quite nice, the car went where it was pointed but the ride! Oh my god, what a bone shaker! I found it less comfortable than an original (rubber suspended) Mini, at least that gave a bit before your spine got hammered. The road noise was quite deafening too - awful. No Focus I've ever driven is this bad for harshness or road noise - including the ST. Why are the press raving about this awful car? I wouldn't have one if you gave it to me. Yes I understand it's a GT with all the ramifications that badge impiies - but should it make a car unbearable which this undoubtedly is? The only car I've ever driven with worse suspension was an early "sportily" sprung Audi TT.

I assume the GT is a "warm" hatch? I dread to think what the "hot" variant would be like.

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Mon 12 Apr 2010 23:43
Volkswagen Golf VI - VW Golf VI 2.0 GT - Avant

Unless you want a hard ride (and in fairness some people do), go for the SE versions of both VW and Audi, rather than Sport / S-line. The ride is more acceptable, partly because of the smaller wheels.

Edit - add Skoda to that. If thinking about a Superb, the road tests of the SE (17" wheels) are much more compimentary about the ride than they are abvout the Elegance (18").

Edited by Avant on 13/04/2010 at 22:36

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Tue 13 Apr 2010 00:15
Volkswagen Golf VI - VW Golf VI 2.0 GT - SteveLee

Unless you're a "gold chains no brains" type and want a low-rider - why would anyone want a hard ride? Something slightly lowered but firmly damped - fair enough, but this is hard to the point of being suspensionless, it must be rather skittish in the wet - why do people think it's sporty to have a car without suspension? Why not go back to a ridged cart with wooden wheels? Mad!

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Tue 13 Apr 2010 10:06
Volkswagen Golf VI - VW Golf VI 2.0 GT - DP

Peugeot were the kings of this in the 80's and 90's. They made cars which handled superbly, but retained a supple, quiet ride. I had a phase 2 306 XSi for a while, and it was stiff enough to cock its inside rear wheel an inch or two off the deck in hard cornering, but supple enough that expansion joints on motorways and all but the worst potholes were heard more than felt. I believe they were one of the only car makers to manufacture their own dampers at that point. It's also why I was slightly disappointed with the Focus when I first drove one. A stonking car, don't get me wrong, and as capable as the Pug, if not more so, but just didn't have that same finesse over poor surfaces. A bit stiffer, a bit coa***r. In fact, I still haven't driven any other FWD car with a chassis as good as the 306's. A bit sad really when that car went out of production a decade ago.

Personally speaking, I've always found sporting German cars to have an appalling ride. Our own mk4 Golfs (one GT diesel, one GTI petrol) are both crashy over poor surfaces, with the diesel being far worse than the petrol due, I presume, to the stiffer front springs dictated by the diesel engine. Both pale in comparison to a work colleague's Audi A5 S-Line though, which I always admired until I went in it. The racket from the tyres, and the constant fidgeting and crashing of the suspension completely ruin the car, in my opinion.

Suspension design and set up is one area where I believe the French completely trounce the Germans.

Edited by DP on 13/04/2010 at 10:10

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Tue 13 Apr 2010 16:24
Volkswagen Golf VI - VW Golf VI 2.0 GT - HectorG

I am also averse to the fashion for low profile tyres, despite the type of vehicle on which they are specified. An example of this is the Skoda Yeti 4x4 which I recently tested as a potential replacement for my Subaru Forester 2.0 XT (which incidentally is on 60 aspect ratio tyres). On models other than poverty spec you can only have 50 aspect tyres, which I consider to be ridiculous on a car that has any pretensions as an off-roader. The ride is, as one would expect, compromised, and in my opinion is unacceptable.

I have also driven a Golf VI estate on 55 aspect ratio tyres. This wasn't too bad compared with what we are offered these days, but it was far from the magic carpet I remember from happy days with Citroens - DS, GS and CX. I would imagine the Golf on 60 aspect tyres would be better, but these are only found on the basic model. If you want anything like a sunroof then you must have these damn low profile tyres .

Like DP I think the only answer is to go back to French cars and put up with the unreliability. I'm going to try a new Renault Scenic with the TCe 130 petrol turbo which HJ praises for both the engine and ride comfort. Anyone got any suggestions for a car which will accommodate two dogs, handle occasional rough tracks and ride comfortably?

Edited by HectorG on 13/04/2010 at 16:25

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Tue 13 Apr 2010 17:22
Volkswagen Golf VI - VW Golf VI 2.0 GT - oldgit

I own a Golf MK6 SE 122PS that has standard 16 inch wheels and lower profile tyres compared with my previous MK5 SE Golf that had 15 inch wheels. The ride comfort of the new Golf isn't so forgiving as the old Golf and no doubt this is partly due to the lower profile tyres but may also be due to the simplified/cheaper multilink suspension fitted to the new car.

Of course I'm old fashioned and decry this nonsense of fitting low/very low profile wheels to cars for appearance purposes but most of the young blood who are also company car drivers seem to want to specify alternative lower profiles in order to, allegedly, improve road holding etc. Absolute nonsense, of course as they ruin the ride and can cause tramlining, I believe.

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Tue 13 Apr 2010 22:16
Volkswagen Golf VI - VW Golf VI 2.0 GT - davros

HUM: a car which will accommodate two dogs, handle occasional rough tracks and ride comfortably?

FWIW, I live up a dirt track, own two dogs, used to drive a CX and regularly do a 650 mile round trip between the UK and France in one stint. Try a Subaru Legacy. Works for me (and the dogs like it, too).

Davros

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Tue 13 Apr 2010 21:35
Volkswagen Golf VI - VW Golf VI 2.0 GT - bristolmotorspeedway {P}

I assume the GT is a "warm" hatch? I dread to think what the "hot" variant would be like

I spent an afternoon test driving the 2.0 TSI GTI last summer and thought the ride quality was ok actually. Certainly firm, but not unpleasant and very controlled and predictable. This was on 18" wheels and without the optional adaptive suspension. Perhaps the GTI dampers and springs are better tuned to work with the big wheels than they are on the GT.

By comparison, I drove an Audi A4 in S-Line trim and, as other posters have mentioned, the ride was awful. Again on 18" wheels, this transmitted every bump in a very harsh way and on rough pock-marked tarmac was very jittery. Nowhere near the level of control that the Golf had.

Thought the Golf was a nice car, just too expensive at almost £25k in 5-dr GTI trim, and easy to add another few thou in options that you could reasonably expect to be standard. They do hold their value well though....

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