Back in 2016, something odd happened. I owned a modified 2008 two-door Volkswagen GTI in red with the DSG, known in VW parlance as a Mark 5. After taking it to a Jiffy Lube for a transmission fluid service, I noticed that the gearbox was acting odd. It turned out that this Jiffy Lube had put in the wrong transmission fluid and damaged the gearbox. Looking at a bill of around $4,500, I decided it was time to replace my beloved GTI with... another GTI, also known as a Mark 7! This time around, I wanted a four-door GTI with more options than just the six-speed automatic and a CD player. I almost pulled the trigger on a 2015 model, but Apple decided to debut its then-new CarPlay in the 2016 models. Thanks to this, I purchased a 2016 GTI in black.
Why this model? It came with a few packages, including an upgraded lighting package, a performance package with a slight power increase, a standard sunroof, a Beats audio system, and heated seats. All 2016 GTIs came with a 2.0-liter turbocharged inline-four engine producing 220 horsepower with the performance pack and 258 pound-feet of torque. With a six-speed DSG dual-clutch automatic transmission and front-wheel drive, the GTI accelerated from 0-60 MPH in around 6.5 seconds. At the time, that was plenty quick! For nine years, I've come to appreciate many features this GTI has.
Starting with the looks, the GTI has subtle upgrades over a standard Golf. I love the red stripe at the front, the small grille, the 18-inch wheels, and the backup camera integrated into the badge. Hop inside, and you're transported back in time when Volkswagen still used physical buttons for the climate control. There's a plethora of buttons on the sides of the infotainment system, on the steering wheel, and around the shifter. All the controls are easy to use, and this small hot hatchback even has a feature to automatically park. The material quality is even better than that of a new Volkswagen, featuring high-class materials.
For the most part, owning this GTI has been great. That said, there have been a few oddities. First, the one-touch power windows stopped being consistent years ago. Sometimes, the windows decide they won't function as one-touch. Also, the early days of Apple CarPlay weren't the best. There were a few times when the system shut off completely or lagged. Living in Chicagoland, a low hatchback doesn't perform the best in winter without winter tires. There is also the time when, allegedly, an ambulance backed into the driver's door, but that's a story for a different time.
The main reason you buy a GTI is that you want a performance hatchback that can work in almost any situation. Driving the GTI is almost always a joy, even in horrific Chicago traffic. The optional DSG gearbox can be used in either fully automatic or manual mode, via the paddle shifters or the standard shifter. Safety features include blind spot monitoring, a system that uses sensors, adaptive cruise control, emergency braking, and lane keep assist. They work well for the most part, and the emergency braking system has helped in a few situations, even when the car was perfectly fine. Although I never cared about fuel economy, I would average around 26-27 MPG in mixed conditions. While my first GTI was modified with an APR tune, lowering springs, and performance exhaust, I decided to keep this one less lairy since it never needed more power.
Do I recommend buying one? If you can find a non-modified one, absolutely! I recommend a slightly newer Mark 7.5, which came out a few years later. These came with larger screens and an additional gear for the automatic transmission. My time with Volkswagen has come to an end. Once I'm done with this, my next vehicle won't be a GTI. The newer GTIs have lost some of the touch of previous GTIs with lesser materials, a worse infotainment system, and I've gotten bored with Volkswagen. I've driven plenty of vehicles over the last few years, but my GTI has always been one of my absolute favorite vehicles. If you're in the know, a particular automotive celebrity also owned a Mark 7 GTI. I can proudly say: Clarkson bought his after I bought mine!
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