Bought new, Owned for 1 Year
Fuel Economy: 13.0 km/litre (7.7 L/100 km), RON95, Mileage: 1,000 km/month
Power
After much consideration I decided to give the Golf 7 a shot to see how it will fit in my daily life as a daily car. By far, the first thing I am still impressed is the power. The 1.4 TSI really is highly impressive, there is a slight turbo lag noticeable some times, but once it is spooled up this car really pulls all the way. It sounds relatively civilised for the most part, which is a good thing.
DSG
Its not the first time I have driven a car with a DQ200 DSG transmission (tried out a Polo TSI prior to this) so I was expecting a lot of the shuddering out of the car. Surprisingly the car has about 1700km so far and there is no shudder at all. Also, the gear 1 to gear 2 transition is very smooth now in fact, however I noticed, when slowing down, the car is not not too willing to drop to first instead it keeps itself in second. Also, in slow speed traffic, it tends to hold to first and not go to second very early, which probably helps in the reduction of the judder. However the sport mode is not to my liking, it holds gears too long for me. The DSG does help in fuel consumption too, making the car highly efficient.
Ride
One thing is for sure, as an outright driver car, this doesn't beat the Focus just yet. The Golf is comfortable and very easy to drive, which is really nice. At high speed, it is shockingly composed and also very quiet. There is still a bit of body roll, but for what is essentially a family car it is not bad. What I did notice was the car is not too floaty even though the suspension is pretty comfort biased. Brakes are a bit grabby though, in typical German form, but you'd not notice it unless you just drove a non continental car. Emergency braking is very composed, in fact in the two occasions I tested out the emergency braking once I got the car (in closed areas of course), from over 110kmh till 0, as soon as I slammed the brakes, the car just stopped, nearly Volvo-like. ABS did kick in, with the emergency stop signal, but not too much drama. Also. unlike many cars, in emergency braking the Golf does hold its line perfectly straight, and remains fully controllable.
Space
Very good interior space I would say. Rear seats are really nice and comfy even with the front seat set pretty far back. Boot is nice and large too which is nice for all the thinks you need however it is still smaller (as expected) compared to the Jetta. What I especially like is the seats fold nice and flat, and with the split level boot floor (you can change the boot floor to make it flush with the seats when folded down and flush with the boot sill or push it down to a lower level for a deeper boot. I did feel the Golf felt nicer inside than the Jetta, especially the seats. Leather or V-Tex Leatherette instead, cleaning fabric seats is not easy over time.
Fit and finish
Fit and finish is typical German, everything feels well put together. Not too many panel gaps, and feels nicer than the Focus (expected considering the price).
Looks
Saved the best for the last. Somehow, the VW Golf in both 6th and 7th generation for me looked like the best yet. It looks so timeless, pretty classy without the price. Its a very continental thing, to make nice looking cars that make sense. Personally I feel the Golf looks nicer than things like the i30 (trying too hard), Focus Mk3 (nice but front LED DRLS looks a bit out of place). The Golf has that simple, understated but sophisticated look. The large amounts of glass makes it a very easy car to park, compared to the Focus especially considering the Focus has a slanted rear windscreen. ParkPilot PDC sensors with diagrams make it easier
KESSY
Considering the price and specifications, the lack of keyless entry and start is a bit of a joke. The key itself I feel a bit flimsy, and suspect it may not last the test of time, especially the jack-knife mechanism.
Rims
The 16" "Dover" alloy wheels look pathetically plain and too small compared to the nicer 17" Dijon alloy wheels. Too bad they cost a bomb to upgrade too, and again considering the pricing I'd have expected that. The 16" are not bad though, they are very comfortable. Mine was with Continental ContiPremiumContact, which I think was a new change since I did hear some people (earlier stocks) came with Hankook tyres - not too sure on that.
Forward Collision Warning
Most Golf 7s sold in the UK come with the FCW with braking system as standard, which again, the Focus has. Nuff said.
Satellite navigation and touchscreen
Unlike on the Golf R, we get the 5.8" Composition touchscreen on the TSI. Which means, no navigation. While this may not be too big of a deal breaker, I would have appreciated navigation, as that would be very convenient. However, I do feel the Composition touchscreen is not perfectly responsive compared to what people said it was smartphone-like. Swiping around was not as smooth as on say an iPhone. Also, there is no ability to have CarPlay to take over like on some Honda vehicles.
Reliability
And last, but the biggest con, reliability. The thing is, for now the car works, however while I feel there is an improvement in the new version of the DQ200 and a friend's Golf has passed the 8000km mark with no drama for now, I'm not too sure how my luck will be. VW's sales team have significantly improved, a good thing too probably because they noticed their dwindling numbers. While the deal I got was pretty impressive, I am a bit worried on how my luck will be with the DSG. One thing is for sure, I'd say the DSG as a DCT felt more sorted out than the PowerShift, however I'd gladly trade the DSG for a nice normal auto.
To Improve
KESSY, Satnav for the Malaysian market. Also, give us the option to have FCW and the BLIS system too, with the ACC adaptive cruise control and DCC dynamic chassis control.
The bigger things to improve is the aftersales. VGM, take over all the service centres. Make sure turnaround is fast, and efficient. And give us a bit more peace of mind over the DSG DQ200. It's nice so far, since it works, but I don't want to experience seeing the check engine, EPC, and transmission gear position flashing at me.
Yes, I would recommend this car