2003 Volkswagen Golf GTi 1.8 turbo 20v petrol
Summary:
Pleasant, but ultimately unsatisfying
Faults:
Central locking fault
Loose trim on B pillars
Poor idle quality when the engine gets warm
Damp patches on boot carpet after heavy rain.
General Comments:
After a promotion at work, I was so excited to change my car from a Focus 1.8 Zetec to this gorgeous looking turbocharged Golf. But 9 months on, I feel a bit short changed. Where the Focus was ten times better in reality than I was expecting, the Golf was nowhere near as good as I thought it would be.
It's not a bad car to drive. In fact, it's a very nice car to drive, being extremely comfortable and with a beautifully designed interior. The turbo engine is torquey and performs well, and delivers a wave of smooth, punchy acceleration in the midrange.
Here's the "but". It's no fun whatsoever. The steering and handling are not a patch on the Focus's, and despite the Golf being a sizeable amount quicker, I reckon the Focus would leave it for dead on a twisty road. The Golf feels nice when ambling, but up the pace on a typical British B-road and it quickly feels out of its depth. It wallows, bucks and understeers if you press it in the twisty bits. By comparison, the Focus felt alive and composed when driven enthusiastically.
Build and reliability have also transpired to be disappointing. For a car which initially appears so lovingly crafted, it's been a real let down. There are several squeaks and rattles inside, the central locking intermittently goes mad, the engine idles like a top fuel dragster in traffic, and the boot appears to have sprung a leak. Pretty shabby on a 9 month old car really, especially one on which the quality reputation is so hyped.
The biggest disappointment of all this though, is that despite that emotive combination of VW, Golf and GTI badges on the tailgate, and decent outright performance, the car is really quite boring to drive. Combined with the indifferent quality, and truly woeful dealers, it adds up to an unsatisfying disappointment. If I'd spent my own money on it, I would be depressed beyond words.
Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Don't Know
Review Date: 12th December, 2003
20th Jun 2006, 13:12
Usually the gearbox, Pads and disks going after a short while are usually down to the driver.
24th Dec 2006, 06:26
The comment above is about what I grew to expect from the service managers at the various VW dealers I used.
Basically, whenever a VW breaks, particularly under warranty, it's the fault of the driver, the weather, the road surfaces, the wind, the fuel and so on. Anything except the car itself.
Many of the mkIV Golfs are South African built (SA VIN number) and in my experience are some of the most carelessly built, slapdash cars ever unleashed on the public.
VW dealers are snooty and unsympathetic, sticker prices are, ludicrous, reliability stinks, and the car is light years behind the competition dynamically. I haven't touched one since I dumped my 2002 Golf back at the dealership complete with keys and paperwork. Biggest pile of rubbish I've ever owned.
15th Jan 2004, 07:09
I have a MK4 Golf GT TDI, and I disgusted with its reliability.
First of all the driver squeaks all the time, despite the dealer being told each time it has been in.
The water bottle has now sprung a leak.
The exhaust brackets have been replaced apparently it is a design fault with all MK4 Golfs, so beware!!
The centre arm rest clip has broken and fallen off.
The key has broken and you cannot attached a key ring to it.
It goes through disks and pads at an alarming rate!!
My car is 37 months old, 1 month out of warranty and has done 36,000miles and the gear box has just packed in. VW will not cover it under warranty, even though the car has a full VW service history!! A cost of £2000 to repair!
The dealerships are not very customer driven either!
I will certainly not be buying another VW!