2005 Volkswagen Golf GT TDi 2.0 turbo diesel from UK and Ireland

Summary:

Another quality product from Volkswagen

Faults:

Nothing so far.

General Comments:

This is my first mark 5 Golf after having 3 mark 4 Golfs in a row.

Styling is good and the car looks more sporty and aggressive compared to the mark 4. The colour (coastal blue metallic) and the 8-spoke alloys just make the car look great. I've had a few admiring comments from friends, neighbours and work colleagues.

The handling and ride is a big improvement over the mark 4.

Car is bigger inside than previous model especially for rear seat passengers. Quality of interior trim plastics and fabrics is very good and will hopefully stand up well to a good few years wear and tear. A slight downside though is that the boot is a bit smaller than on the mark 4.

The 2.0 turbo diesel engine is an absolute gem. Effortless performance and great mid-range acceleration coupled with amazing fuel economy (53/54 mpg)

Car is very quiet inside with only slight wind noise and tyre roar motorway speeds.

Climate control is excellent and has a feature which enables front seat passenger to control the temperature independently of the driver.

My only slight criticism is my previous mark 4 Golf had a 6-CD autochanger whereas this car only has a single disc in-dash mounted unit.

However this is a minor point on an otherwise very good car.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 12th September, 2005

13th Sep 2005, 16:42

Better get rid of it before it costs you your retirement savings to repair it. New Volkswagen models are rapidly becoming known as the worst built and most expensive to maintain vehicles on the road.

14th Sep 2005, 01:24

I guess I must be lucky then as I've not had any serious problems with my last 3 VWs and any problems (minor) I've had have been covered by the manufacturer's warranty.

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2005 Volkswagen Golf GLS 1.9 turbo diesel from North America

Summary:

Great fun car to drive

Faults:

The dual mass flywheel (DMF) requires replacement. I have just over 16,000 miles on this car in less than 6 months and the clutch is showing signs of imminent failure. After researching this issue I have discovered that I am not the only VW owner having problems with the dual mass flywheel clutch. This is an inferior product, which is unable to handle the high torque of the turbo charged engine. This especially applies to the diesel engine, which are noted for their high torque.

Two things I find very odd follow:

1. The VW clutch and flywheel warranty is only 12 months / 12,000 miles.

1. This well-known problem has a readily available fix on the Internet. Replace with the VW VR6 single mass flywheel and clutch, which is capable of handling 300 ft. lbs. of torque.

General Comments:

This is a wonderful car with no other problems except the weak clutch.

VWOA, please resolve this issue.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 16th May, 2005

16th May 2007, 23:20

I have a 2002 TDI that just had a flywheel failure, and again 2 months later. I am the original owner, and it is obvious that this problem is a serious design defect, since it has been OEM parts each time. I have owned other 5 speed cars in the past and never had clutch wear problems until 200,000 miles or more.

It is very dangerous to be driving at freeway speed and all of a sudden lose power and coast along at 35 mph on the freeway. Although it is otherwise a good car, I would not advise owning one of these cars under any circumstances.