W8 Diary
Thread Starter
Joined: May 2006
Posts: 4,759
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From: In Bed..... fordshire
Not had much to report in the last couple of weeks as I've tried to cut down the usage for the commute to work which is what really brings the MPG down.
I had a long trip to Leeds and Scunthorpe the other day - almost 500 miles of Motorway and A roads which was as relaxed and comfortable as I'd expect it to be.
When I was last at the VW dealer I got talking to a mechanic there who told me about the company they use for remaps. As so many new car customers get their cars remapped (usually for higher economy these days) they can't have erroneous warning lights being displayed on brand new cars, so this company guarantee no warning lights. I wouldn't bother normally but as a nervous owner at the best of times - 5 years of Alfa ownership will do that to a man - I've decided to get the ECU remapped by them while the car is in for an oil change. Obviously I've gone for POWERRRR over economy, the car under current mapping has 300-odd BHP versus the standard 275.
In other news I've renewed with the same insurer. Although I nearly fell off my chair at one quote of over £10,000 for a year! For those that don't know me I'm 41, have a clean licence and only one no-fault accident on my insurance! My renewal came in at £955 (without business usage), looking on comparison sites the best I got was with Diamond at £937 including business use. Diamond is part of Admiral so Admiral were able to match that.
Lastly while the car is at the VW dealer I have a courtesy car. After years of 156 diesels from the Alfa garage having a brand new (2400 miles on the clock) courtesy car was something of a revelation. However I don't think I'll be signing up for a Golf Estate Diesel Auto any time soon.
Looks wise the wheelbase is too short for the car, which sits on balloon tyres (or standard tyres as they used to be called before low profile became the norm). From the front it has the normal handsome, inoffensive Golf look, but the estate back just throws out all the proportions. Inside it's a slightly dark but comfortable place to be.
The displays are all clear and easy to use - my phone was hooked up in seconds and the full song display on the screen and summary between the dials.
The only shiny bit was the metallic gear lever surround which easily caught the light and could be distracting. And hilariously there was (presumably fake) carbon fibre trim around the dash.
Driving impressions: the first thing I noticed was the very, very grabby brakes. Maybe I'm used to older cars with longer pedal travel but this binary pedal took a lot of getting used to but I seem to be getting there. Other than that the car is clearly designed for people who have absolutely no interest in driving cars. The stop-start mode was switched off in seconds leaving the button glowing an annoying amber, but I really didn't like the function.
The auto gearbox is heavily orientated towards economy as you're barely moving before 2nd is engaged. Third came in below 20 and I got into 4th just above 20. I'm not sure how many gears this 'box has as I didn't really get above 30 in London traffic but I fully expect to hit 10th or 11th on the motorway. I did try the manual mode but the engine was so quiet I had to watch the rev counter to change gear so gave up after only a few yards. Yes, I had the stereo on, but not particularly high volume. No paddles on this model, so a shove or pull on the gear lever once you'd knocked it to the left was the way to change gear if you did fancy that particular game of guesswork.
Difficult to say what the economy is like but expect it to be good (especially compared to the W8).
Things that have impressed me on this Golf Estate are the equipment developments. Clearly (based on the wheels) this is a low-spec car, but the stereo was very high quality, intuitive and simple to use. Things like having the indicators on the wing mirrors must have benefits - you'll know when it's still going for a start - but I assume it adds to the cost of a new wing mirror which is likely to be into the hundreds of pounds. Needless to say there's a switch to fold them in.
Electric windows all round, rain sensitive wipers, auto headlights, integrated sat-nav (which on my brief test was very good) all add to the quality feel.
The seats are very adjustable (manually, the W8 is all electric) but while they seemed snug, in a good way, I do suspect they'll give me a bad back as I was starting to ache after the few miles I did this morning. And I did notice the hard plastic of the centre console on my left knee which could get really uncomfortable on a long drive, particularly as it's an auto and my left leg won't be doing anything.
The boot security cover is 100x essier to use than the Passat's which is hit and miss as to whether it goes into the slots. On the Golf guiders mean it's a first time thing. Rear legroom - even with the extra length of the estate - is also poor. I'd struggle to sit behind someone as tall as me I think but it's not bad for a car of this size. The Alfa had similar leg room in the back and was effectively the same sector, but it did have very, very good seats which were pretty big too.
So I definitely wouldn't buy one of these, but with a more interesting engine and in hatchback form rather than estate I could be tempted. So, Golf GTi it is then.
Or maybe I wait for the upcoming R model....
I had a long trip to Leeds and Scunthorpe the other day - almost 500 miles of Motorway and A roads which was as relaxed and comfortable as I'd expect it to be.
When I was last at the VW dealer I got talking to a mechanic there who told me about the company they use for remaps. As so many new car customers get their cars remapped (usually for higher economy these days) they can't have erroneous warning lights being displayed on brand new cars, so this company guarantee no warning lights. I wouldn't bother normally but as a nervous owner at the best of times - 5 years of Alfa ownership will do that to a man - I've decided to get the ECU remapped by them while the car is in for an oil change. Obviously I've gone for POWERRRR over economy, the car under current mapping has 300-odd BHP versus the standard 275.
In other news I've renewed with the same insurer. Although I nearly fell off my chair at one quote of over £10,000 for a year! For those that don't know me I'm 41, have a clean licence and only one no-fault accident on my insurance! My renewal came in at £955 (without business usage), looking on comparison sites the best I got was with Diamond at £937 including business use. Diamond is part of Admiral so Admiral were able to match that.
Lastly while the car is at the VW dealer I have a courtesy car. After years of 156 diesels from the Alfa garage having a brand new (2400 miles on the clock) courtesy car was something of a revelation. However I don't think I'll be signing up for a Golf Estate Diesel Auto any time soon.
Looks wise the wheelbase is too short for the car, which sits on balloon tyres (or standard tyres as they used to be called before low profile became the norm). From the front it has the normal handsome, inoffensive Golf look, but the estate back just throws out all the proportions. Inside it's a slightly dark but comfortable place to be.
The displays are all clear and easy to use - my phone was hooked up in seconds and the full song display on the screen and summary between the dials.
The only shiny bit was the metallic gear lever surround which easily caught the light and could be distracting. And hilariously there was (presumably fake) carbon fibre trim around the dash.
Driving impressions: the first thing I noticed was the very, very grabby brakes. Maybe I'm used to older cars with longer pedal travel but this binary pedal took a lot of getting used to but I seem to be getting there. Other than that the car is clearly designed for people who have absolutely no interest in driving cars. The stop-start mode was switched off in seconds leaving the button glowing an annoying amber, but I really didn't like the function.
The auto gearbox is heavily orientated towards economy as you're barely moving before 2nd is engaged. Third came in below 20 and I got into 4th just above 20. I'm not sure how many gears this 'box has as I didn't really get above 30 in London traffic but I fully expect to hit 10th or 11th on the motorway. I did try the manual mode but the engine was so quiet I had to watch the rev counter to change gear so gave up after only a few yards. Yes, I had the stereo on, but not particularly high volume. No paddles on this model, so a shove or pull on the gear lever once you'd knocked it to the left was the way to change gear if you did fancy that particular game of guesswork.
Difficult to say what the economy is like but expect it to be good (especially compared to the W8).
Things that have impressed me on this Golf Estate are the equipment developments. Clearly (based on the wheels) this is a low-spec car, but the stereo was very high quality, intuitive and simple to use. Things like having the indicators on the wing mirrors must have benefits - you'll know when it's still going for a start - but I assume it adds to the cost of a new wing mirror which is likely to be into the hundreds of pounds. Needless to say there's a switch to fold them in.
Electric windows all round, rain sensitive wipers, auto headlights, integrated sat-nav (which on my brief test was very good) all add to the quality feel.
The seats are very adjustable (manually, the W8 is all electric) but while they seemed snug, in a good way, I do suspect they'll give me a bad back as I was starting to ache after the few miles I did this morning. And I did notice the hard plastic of the centre console on my left knee which could get really uncomfortable on a long drive, particularly as it's an auto and my left leg won't be doing anything.
The boot security cover is 100x essier to use than the Passat's which is hit and miss as to whether it goes into the slots. On the Golf guiders mean it's a first time thing. Rear legroom - even with the extra length of the estate - is also poor. I'd struggle to sit behind someone as tall as me I think but it's not bad for a car of this size. The Alfa had similar leg room in the back and was effectively the same sector, but it did have very, very good seats which were pretty big too.
So I definitely wouldn't buy one of these, but with a more interesting engine and in hatchback form rather than estate I could be tempted. So, Golf GTi it is then.
Or maybe I wait for the upcoming R model....
Joined: Mar 2001
Posts: 31,181
Likes: 58
From: Hertford
What a good review. Better than you'll find in StylewanCar or DEvolution...
I'm afraid these VWankfestwagens are like that - much Emperor's New Clothes and grabby brakes are universal amongst poverty-wagens - and are infuriating.
Yes; I detest chrome accents - I thought such nonsense ended in the 1970s, but young car designers have no experience of older cars; fail.
I've never been able to get comfortable in anything Golf-derived; I'm sure it's deliberate, in order to make the expensive models more desirable.
It's not just VW, BTW; I think many manufacturers have forgotten the basics of making a decent car, since they're only interested in 'style' these days.
I'm afraid these VWankfestwagens are like that - much Emperor's New Clothes and grabby brakes are universal amongst poverty-wagens - and are infuriating.
Yes; I detest chrome accents - I thought such nonsense ended in the 1970s, but young car designers have no experience of older cars; fail.
I've never been able to get comfortable in anything Golf-derived; I'm sure it's deliberate, in order to make the expensive models more desirable.
It's not just VW, BTW; I think many manufacturers have forgotten the basics of making a decent car, since they're only interested in 'style' these days.
Thread Starter
Joined: May 2006
Posts: 4,759
Likes: 0
From: In Bed..... fordshire
Further thoughts on the VW Golf Diesel Auto... I can hear your excitement building at those words.
The gearing - on the way home, in London rush hour traffic, the auto actually got me into 6th gear. Unbelievable. I was below 40mph at the time.
The gearing - on the way home, in London rush hour traffic, the auto actually got me into 6th gear. Unbelievable. I was below 40mph at the time.
Thread Starter
Joined: May 2006
Posts: 4,759
Likes: 0
From: In Bed..... fordshire
And the code went away - at about the same time as the message got through to the mechanic that it had been remapped. It's being remapped today which should not only clear al old warning codes, but will prevent erroneous codes being thrown up due to the original remap. Possibly a needless expense, but given the possibility of future warnings due to the amount of use the car will get I thought it worthwhile. It'll mean a warranty on it too.
I may have chance to have a play with the reader at the weekend. And I promise, this next post will be my last on the diesel.....