Silverstreak HX

I drove the Mk5 GTI the other day and found it to be amazingly fun and am considering it for my next car purchase . Was wondering if anybody here owns one and how do they like it so far??

rai

I don't know about the reliability, but the GTi is a heck of a nice car especially for the money. I should have bought a 4-door GTi instead of the Legacy Wagon, but I didn't go with the VW just b/c I was worried it would have problems down the road. I like to keep my cars after the warranty is over and had my last VW 8 years and it was one thing or another every 6 months, that got old, even if it's covered by warranty I don't like to bring my cars in too often.

I would get a 4-door with DSG, if I need/want an extra car. I don't like too much power for FWD cars but the GTi is nicely balanced and is sporty. I really loved the DSG and it makes the car, tho I didn't drive one with a MT so I can't say how good that is.

Slamnasty

I am considering getting one myself, and have driven one in every tranny combo available. As far as reliability goes, the engine and tranny were available in Europe 2-3 years before the car came here, so it's not like the cars we are getting are only a year or two into their lives. They're closer to 4-5 years at this point, and the results have been very good from what I've heard. I have an older 1.8T GTI, and it's been very reliable for me. I've got over 104k on my 2002 5-speed, and it works great. My only problem with it is that the turbo lag is so pronounced. The 2.0T definitely DOES NOT suffer from this though.

The current GTI is just damned good, and I'd love a 4-door 6-speed manual. After having tested the DSG, it's nice, but I guess I still miss actually shifting.

Ike 2.2

My wife drove a '06 MKV DSG GTI for about 13K miles. Experienced minor HVAC issues (fixed with firmware Rev) and random CELs that VW dismissed as "no big deals". She traded it in for a '08 MKV VW R32 with DSG (only way it comes). LOVE that car!

curiouz_G

It still seems like the 2.0T falls flat on its face after 4krpm.

But overall they seem like nice cars.

XHawkeye

Neighbor had one of the first (they had it before I saw reviews on it) GLI's and it had massive transmission problems, 6 months later VW replaced it with a GTI. The GTI has been problem free.

seung

i had the car for an year-
it was fantastic other than
haunted radio and windows.
(turned on- off, went up and down randomly for no reason, especially when it's hot...)

jsalicru

Well, I got one 1.5 years ago now. Currently getting fixed after some asshole hit me (he was street racing).. nevertheless... I have around 30k of trouble free miles on it.

The only problem I've EVER had on the car is the auto-down decides not to work every once in a great while and its very short lived... like it will happen once, then never return.

Clutch is great, response is great, quite the neutral handling for a fwd car. Interior is awesome in my opinion.

I've grown to like it more than my Legacy.

In regards to the power falling flat after 4k.... ehh.. when I leave a light floored, the car starts spinning the tires at around 4k.. so I don't agree with you. In fact, I was surprised that it doesn't fall flat too much under stock ECU map... unlike my Legacy.

Wanna drive a car that falls flat on its face? Drive a MazdaSpeed 3. Its really a great car, but man does it fall flat after 5500 rpms... its like you hit the e-brake... really!

Silverstreak HX

Well I have driven both the DSG and the 6 speed and I have to say I do not care what they do to an automatic it is still an auto and has no place in a sporty car! With that said I am sure it is great for those that have to have an auto but for me automatics are
I had one automatic in my driving time and I hated every minute of it!!
From what I have read the Mk4 suffered from some Korean built parts that were subpar . The Mk5 has corrected that from what I have read- Built in Wolfsburg .
I have been doing a lot of test driving lately and the GTI was the only one that I remember as not being just ok but stood out with the amazingly nice interior,Multi function display , smooth 6 sp and clutch,nice torquey 4 with great exhaust soundtrack and very excellent handling for a fwd and there is a chip to get an extra 50 hp out of it .
Here is a review I found that I agree is about very accurate of how this car is- 2006 VW GTI -- The Car We Love to Test Drive

Ike 2.2

DSG is not an automatic transmission. There is no torque converter. It has two clutches.
If you mean you don't like the transmission interface (stick vs. paddles) then I agree. I prefer an old-fashion stick too.