Golf Diesel Powerhouse! (VW Golf GTI Hatchback Turbo Diesel 150 bhp)

Member Name: marcris

Product:	VW Golf GTI Hatchback Turbo Diesel 150 bhp
Date:	04/09/03 (16226 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Cool car - street cred!, Cheap to run, 150 bhp!

Disadvantages: Group 13-14 insurance

Firstly, apologies if thas may not read as well as some other reviews - this is my first one so it may not scrub up as good as others!

Having read the other 2 reviews on offer for this fantastic car I can't help but agree with the majority. We have owned this car now since October 2002 and have today reached 13000 miles - we love it that much and we only pootle about. VW's have got such a good build quality reputation anyway so that goes without saying but having had some equally nice cars over the years - this way outstrips them all. We're not Gary boys, we haven't souped it up in any way - it's bog standard and doesn't need any further 'enhancements'. Apart from being our first brand new car it was also our first diesel and we have never looked back - it is fantastic. None of this oil burning choking nonsense, once you put the pedal on the floor the car just zooms off, it was actually quite unnerving when first bought because it did feel like take off. For those speed freaks amongst you, this turbo diesel is actually only 0.1 second slower than the flagship petrol GTI at 0-62mph in 8.6 seconds, top speed 134mph (but not on our roads of course!). We put in about £34 to £36 per fortnight and get about 450-500miles for that without going into the red reserve. Having sold a BMW M3 (£25 per week, 150 miles!!) this is a considerable saving for us and the bonus is that we knocked off £50 for the tax at only £110 for a diesel per year - another damn good reason to give up petrol! Official figures stand at 52.3 mpg combined (39.2 urban & 64.2 extra urban). I would personally say that this is very accurate compared to some of the gas guzzlers we've bought and the figures they're supposed to conform to.

Anyway, moving on. So often thought of as 'the hot hatch' I would also like to say that it is a family car through and through. My kids have got loads of room in the back, they have the handy middle armrest tha
t also is a little hidey hole for their game boys as well as the necessary safety of side impact airbags in the front seats to protect both front and back in the event of a side on hit. These combined with the two front bags and VW build add up to one very safe car as well as being one nice car. (So often the 2 don't combine!). The one drawback with having the kids is that unfortunately the black cloth seats do tend to get very dirty very quickly and also the mats are a bit of a bind to get out as they feel they've been superglued to their fixings. This wouldn't put me off having another one but if you've got anklebiters then be prepared to clean regularly to keep the pristine as new look!

Being top of the range then loads of things come as standard and it would probably be easier to list what it doesn't have! ABS, leccy windows front and back, climate control air con (a godsend this summer!), 7 speed gearbox etc etc. Once you've had a 6th gear then it will be hard to go back believe me! The illuminated dash is a lovely shade of blue at night-time and everyone I know that's seen it wants one so that again seems to be quite VW unique!

Finally the price. I did cheat slightly and bought one from my local independent who imported it for me at a price of £17k which was £1205 off list price (£18205 Oct 02). A word of warning here that I have missed out on the 3rd year warranty that would have come with it if I'd gone through a proper retailer. Having said that I am not at all worried about the car because the reputation does speak for itself. I still have a 2 year manufacturer warranty which thankfully I haven't needed yet and the first service at 10,000 miles was £80. You can opt for a variable service schedule every 20,000 miles if you want but it costs more and we opted to get the once over once a year anyway for peace of mind.

My only regret? Well I can't wish I'd bought one sooner because they&#
39;re new anyway. Maybe I would have like to held out for the newer model due next year but then I wouldn't have had this much fun driving over the past year and would have probably bought something else a lot naffer! Certainly no regrets over the car - WE LOVE IT!! - BUY ONE!!

Summary: