GTD 2.0 TDI BMT 185 5dr Hatchback

Great all-rounder. Fun to drive, MPG is not what you might expect though

I picked the Golf up at the end of June and have put 10k on so far so feel I'm in a position to leave a review for it now.

Looks - great looking car, stands out from the rest of the standard company stuff in my opinion, and the 18" alloys are the ones to choose - a free option. The exterior has held up extremely well, one single stone chip on the bumper after 10,000 miles is franckly excellent, being as it gets taken everywhere, left in public car parks and parked on-street overnight. The interior looks great, very much a subtle version of the GTi.

Performance - goes like a bat out of hell. The 0-60 times are deceiving as the first second or so is gettng it moving off the line. 30-70 is lightening quick and this is more important in the real world. The driving experience is very good, strong feel for what the car is doing most of the time and certainly the most exciting FWD car I've driven for a long time. Handling for a diesel is very pleasing.

Economy - I am averaging 48-52mpg. That said, driving on the motorway at err...70mph officer, or 85+ on the autobahn, it still averages no less than 46, no matter how hard you push it. If you use the turbo, which is the point of the car, then you won't achieve more than 52-54mpg so I think the official figures are bordering on false advertising. The turbo is where it is at and it costs you to use it, simply put.

Build quality - I have seen another review that says they have a poorly built car. Not a trace with mine I have to say - gearbox is great whether hot or cold, everything works and feels well bolted together, no break-downs or mechanical issues thus far and it just starts on the first pull every time, even after spending a fortnight at Heathrow whilst we were on holiday, after an efortless 240 mile drive to get there. Fired it up, 240 miles home , no worries. Niggles have been that the wipers were unable to shift bug splat from the windscreen but they seem to have bedded in. The blowers need to be on max de-mist to clear the inside of the screen often and the lack of rear mudflaps means you are preminantly using the rear wiper (which chooses whether it fanices spraying the rear screen when you turn it to the "on" position).

Overall - for the money as a company car, it is a superb choie, particularly if you have a similar patch to me, with some motorway running but a lot of single carriageway A roads and some back roads. It does lack the refinement of the 3-series but brings a lot of practicality for the money. The alternative 1-series is significantly more expensive for the same output engine and doesn't come as well spec'd and is not as good looking as a car.

Report as offensive