2010 Volkswagen Golf Base 2 door 2.5 five cylinder
Summary:
A keeper
Faults:
The rear window washer dribbles a little washer fluid when the outside temps are at 95 degrees Fahrenheit.
General Comments:
I've always liked Volkswagens. My first car was a 1969 Beetle, and I also had a 1997 Jetta. My last car, a 2005 Hyundai Elantra hatchback was competent, likeable, and reliable -- I'd happily recommend the brand to anyone, but VW is my favored brand.
The 2.5 liter five cylinder is torquey. Around town, I seldom have to push it far beyond 2000 RPM to accelerate. This is my first car with more than 5 cylinders and more than a 2 liter displacement. I am pleasantly surprised with the fuel economy. I am getting similar gas mileage to what I got with the Hyundai -- 24/25 city and 31/32 highway.
The tiptronic automatic transmission shifts in a smooth and seamless manner, and having a 5th and 6th gear makes highway travel very pleasant.
My favorite characteristic of the car is its handling abilities. The only car in the class that matched it was the Mazda 3, which I felt out handled the VW a little bit, but at the expense of ride quality.
The fit & finish and the quality of materials are superb. The stitching on the very comfortable seats is pretty attractive.
Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes
Review Date: 11th July, 2011
27th Feb 2011, 11:59
I used to work in VW service department, and you are not alone in your observation that the speedometer is slightly "optimistic". VW's official position on this before I left was that gauges should read accurately within +/- 7% of one-another: that is, in comparison to an identical car with identical instrumentation. They will not recognize speed readings from aftermarket GPS systems as valid points of reference for speedometer comparisons.
Dealers are usually reticent about ordering replacement gauge clusters unless they register a fault code in the diagnostic computer or they are grossly and obviously malfunctioning. This is because clusters are usually special-ordered coded to the specific car they will be installed on, and are not returnable thereafter. If the subsequent warranty claim is rejected, the dealer is stuck footing the bill and the customer's concern probably won't be resolved to their satisfaction either. Thus, they tend to approach clusters with caution, especially when they seem to be working within the manufacturer's specification.
The 2.5 is a lovely, torquey motor, but it is a pig in city driving returning abysmal mileage (in the 12-15 liters/100km range). On the highway though, it is quite impressive given its displacement and consumption under 7.0 liters /100km is the norm. Overall, these motors are trouble-free with only the occasional knock-sensor or secondary air pump setting a check engine light.
Besides these issues, I feel that the wiper mechanism on these cars is a little delicate, and care should be taken to clear the windows of snow BEFORE turning them on. Also, the door locks seem to go quite frequently on VW products since 2006, with a significantly higher percentage of Mexican-built versions experiencing this problem than German-built. If your VIN starts with '3' (Jettas and Wagons-hecho en Mexico) then you probably already know what I mean. If your VIN starts with 'W' (Rabbit and Golf 2.5 and TDI regular hatchback models after 2010-made in Germany) then you might end up changing one or two door locks (the driver's door is usually the one that breaks on the German-production cars) but probably not. Either way, great car, great drive. Enjoy it!