Topic: 2023 Volkswagen Golf GTI Review

[AutoTrader.ca]

Volkswagen’s iconic hot hatchback is more refined than ever in its eighth generation.
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[ArticSteve]

Had a chance to drive the autobahn version in auto this summer.  It's an excellent car but for the lack of any physical control knobs that is stunningly stupid.  However, what makes this car unlivable is the ridiculous steps that are required to disable stop/start on every engine restart.

To label the stop/start and the rest of the controls "fussy" reinforces my belief that these reviews are co-written with the Distributor.  At best the controls should be labeled as terrible. 

Anybody looking at this car will be so disappointed because everything else is so excellent.

In Ontario, I see that finance or lease rates are esstentially 8%.  I believe all VW Dealers tack on a $500 Admin Fee as well.  Tuff times.  Can't see a reduction in used car prices whatsoever with new prices the way they are.

[JohnnyMac]

Had a chance to drive the autobahn version in auto this summer.  It's an excellent car but for the lack of any physical control knobs that is stunningly stupid.  However, what makes this car unlivable is the ridiculous steps that are required to disable stop/start on every engine restart.

To label the stop/start and the rest of the controls "fussy" reinforces my belief that these reviews are co-written with the Distributor.  At best the controls should be labeled as terrible. 

Anybody looking at this car will be so disappointed because everything else is so excellent.

In Ontario, I see that finance or lease rates are esstentially 8%.  I believe all VW Dealers tack on a $500 Admin Fee as well.  Tuff times.  Can't see a reduction in used car prices whatsoever with new prices the way they are.

I do believe that they will be fixing the buttons and controls for 2024 refresh.  As far as stop/start, that's something you really hate, it's easy to avoid with a manual by just keeping the clutch in when at a stop.  Not that I mind it at all on my Civic Si, the CR-V though, we push the off button every time we first start the vehicle.  So like everything, some are better than others.

[OliverD]

Stop/Start has never bothered me on manual cars.

[JohnnyMac]

Stop/Start has never bothered me on manual cars.

I can only speak for my Civic Si as I haven't driven any other one with that feature.

[PJungnitsch]

Pricing in Alberta is $40,000 to $50,000 for new, so getting up there

GLI's are listing from $34,000 to $46,000, seems much more reasonable

[tortoise]

As far as stop/start, that's something you really hate, it's easy to avoid with a manual by just keeping the clutch in when at a stop. 

I'd always thought that was hard on the throwout bearing.

[draghon]

As far as stop/start, that's something you really hate, it's easy to avoid with a manual by just keeping the clutch in when at a stop. 

I'd always thought that was hard on the throwout bearing.

Same, and depending on the clutch, hard on the left leg as well.

[OliverD]

Stop/Start has never bothered me on manual cars.

I can only speak for my Civic Si as I haven't driven any other one with that feature.

It's probably much the same on any manual car. You effectively have control of when the engine stops and starts.

[DriverJeff]

Had a chance to drive the autobahn version in auto this summer.  It's an excellent car but for the lack of any physical control knobs that is stunningly stupid.  However, what makes this car unlivable is the ridiculous steps that are required to disable stop/start on every engine restart.

To label the stop/start and the rest of the controls "fussy" reinforces my belief that these reviews are co-written with the Distributor.  At best the controls should be labeled as terrible. 

Anybody looking at this car will be so disappointed because everything else is so excellent.

In Ontario, I see that finance or lease rates are esstentially 8%.  I believe all VW Dealers tack on a $500 Admin Fee as well.  Tuff times.  Can't see a reduction in used car prices whatsoever with new prices the way they are.

Yeah, I'm getting as rich off of VW paying me off as you are from the competitors paying you off for complaining incessantly. 

Or, maybe I haven't driven the automatic version and had no trouble with the start/stop and understand that once you set up a car's settings, you won't need to regularly modify the majority of them again. That's been the case with the ID.4, Golf R and this GTI. It truly is the weakest point on an otherwise very good machine, but it is far from 'unliveable'. 

[JohnnyMac]

As far as stop/start, that's something you really hate, it's easy to avoid with a manual by just keeping the clutch in when at a stop. 

I'd always thought that was hard on the throwout bearing.

The clutch on the Civic Si is incredibly light and I only keep the clutch in at a stop to keep the engine running if I know the traffic is going to be moving soon.  If it just turned red, I let the car do the stop start, it’s really in unintrusive.
Same, and depending on the clutch, hard on the left leg as well.

[draghon]

As far as stop/start, that's something you really hate, it's easy to avoid with a manual by just keeping the clutch in when at a stop. 

I'd always thought that was hard on the throwout bearing.

The clutch on the Civic Si is incredibly light and I only keep the clutch in at a stop to keep the engine running if I know the traffic is going to be moving soon.  If it just turned red, I let the car do the stop start, it’s really in unintrusive.
Same, and depending on the clutch, hard on the left leg as well.

My comment was more of a general comment on clutches than on your SI specifically. Honda's have historically had very light clutches, mine included.

[Layne]

Pricing in Alberta is $40,000 to $50,000 for new, so getting up there

GLI's are listing from $34,000 to $46,000, seems much more reasonable

Difference in performance, however.

[Patrick_D1]

Stop/Start has never bothered me on manual cars.

I can only speak for my Civic Si as I haven't driven any other one with that feature.

The manual has no stop-start. Ditto the Golf R.

Had a chance to drive the autobahn version in auto this summer.  It's an excellent car but for the lack of any physical control knobs that is stunningly stupid.  However, what makes this car unlivable is the ridiculous steps that are required to disable stop/start on every engine restart.

To label the stop/start and the rest of the controls "fussy" reinforces my belief that these reviews are co-written with the Distributor.  At best the controls should be labeled as terrible. 

Anybody looking at this car will be so disappointed because everything else is so excellent.

In Ontario, I see that finance or lease rates are esstentially 8%.  I believe all VW Dealers tack on a $500 Admin Fee as well.  Tuff times.  Can't see a reduction in used car prices whatsoever with new prices the way they are.

Yeah, I'm getting as rich off of VW paying me off as you are from the competitors paying you off for complaining incessantly. 

Or, maybe I haven't driven the automatic version and had no trouble with the start/stop and understand that once you set up a car's settings, you won't need to regularly modify the majority of them again. That's been the case with the ID.4, Golf R and this GTI. It truly is the weakest point on an otherwise very good machine, but it is far from 'unliveable'.

Say I drink the corporate kool-aid all you want, but I've lived with this car for a year. I've said on here before that there's a bunch of easy customization options that make the car miles simpler to live with. It remains a sore spot, and an unforced error for sure, but the chassis and performance vastly overshadow it. For my own money, if I were banished from the industry tomorrow, this is what I'd buy.

[Jaeger]

1) Declaring this car to be unliveable is somewhere between melodramatic overstatement and patent absurdity.

2) Questioning a journalist's integrity because you disagree with them is snake-belly low. But you won't see the people regularly delivering sermons on civility piping up about it.

[rrocket]

Say I drink the corporate kool-aid all you want, but I've lived with this car for a year. I've said on here before that there's a bunch of easy customization options that make the car miles simpler to live with. It remains a sore spot, and an unforced error for sure, but the chassis and performance vastly overshadow it. For my own money, if I were banished from the industry tomorrow, this is what I'd buy.

So you can shut the start/stop off permanently with these customizations, or it reverts back every time the car is started?

[ArticSteve]

Say I drink the corporate kool-aid all you want, but I've lived with this car for a year. I've said on here before that there's a bunch of easy customization options that make the car miles simpler to live with. It remains a sore spot, and an unforced error for sure, but the chassis and performance vastly overshadow it. For my own money, if I were banished from the industry tomorrow, this is what I'd buy.

So you can shut the start/stop off permanently with these customizations, or it reverts back every time the car is started?

Reverts back.  Then it's like dealing with a multi layered Ipad just to disable it until the next time.  This is for the automatic I drove.  The entire control system is absurd.  It's mind boggling that it ever made it into production.  But when you look at the Germans today, burning the worst type of coal possible despite spending 1 Trillion USD on solar and wind to be green, in a country that is always cloudy and has little wind, then you can start putting the dots together.

[ArticSteve]

1) Declaring this car to be unliveable is somewhere between melodramatic overstatement and patent absurdity.

2) Questioning a journalist's integrity because you disagree with them is snake-belly low. But you won't see the people regularly delivering sermons on civility piping up about it.

Ya Ya Ya.   

[ArticSteve]

As far as stop/start, that's something you really hate, it's easy to avoid with a manual by just keeping the clutch in when at a stop

Of course I hate stop/start.  What's the purpose?  I clearly stated it was an automatic and for practical purposes VW made it so ridiculous to terminate people just won't do it and then you've got yourself a "performance" car that turns it's engine off continuously and restarts continuously.  SWEET. 

[rrocket]

Say I drink the corporate kool-aid all you want, but I've lived with this car for a year. I've said on here before that there's a bunch of easy customization options that make the car miles simpler to live with. It remains a sore spot, and an unforced error for sure, but the chassis and performance vastly overshadow it. For my own money, if I were banished from the industry tomorrow, this is what I'd buy.

So you can shut the start/stop off permanently with these customizations, or it reverts back every time the car is started?

Reverts back.  Then it's like dealing with a multi layered Ipad just to disable it until the next time.  This is for the automatic I drove.  The entire control system is absurd.  It's mind boggling that it ever made it into production.  But when you look at the Germans today, burning the worst type of coal possible despite spending 1 Trillion USD on solar and wind to be green, in a country that is always cloudy and has little wind, then you can start putting the dots together.

Well that sucks.

If one TRULY hates start stop and the ability to turn it off every drive is a big PITA, I can see why this could be a deal breaker.