The New 2022 Volkswagen GTI Is Terrific, But Flawed
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- Опубліковано 8 чер 2024
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New 2022 Volkswagen GTI review! Today I'm reviewing the new 2022 VW GTI, and I'm going to show you all around the new GTI. I'm going to take you on a thorough tour of the new GTI, and then I'll show you all the quirks and features of the GTI. Then I'll get behind the wheel and review the driving experience of the new 2022 Volkswagen GTI!
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In an era so focused on the dangers of looking at your phone while driving, automakers sure seem hellbent on making simple functions as distracting and needlessly complicated as possible.
This
This blows my mind still. I can't hold my phone to my ear but its ok for climate controls to be 2 menus deep in a screen? Its near impossible to NOT look at the screen to see what button you're gonna push
Yep, give me normal god damn buttons, dials and switches for my climate controls, radio, lights, etc. I'm fine with infotainment screens for accessing something like suspension tuning, interior light colour and all that unnecessary crap that I'll probably change like once a month at most, but shit I might be changing every time I drive it? Physical buttons, dials and switches please!
Made even worse by the fact that it's a manual. I drive a 2008 Porsche with a manual, and I could not imagine if I had much of a hassle and distraction it'd be to have an Ipad in my center console, while trying to work the transmission lol.
Don't blame the automakers for your addiction
Most important aspect of the rearview camera being behind the rear logo that Doug doesn't mention : It keeps it CLEAN. In New England, on both of our current vehicles, the rearview camera is a salty mess 4-5 months of the year.
Came to say that too. I've cleaned mine literally twice in the 6 years I've had my mk7 GTI
Yes!! Just got the golf alltrack and thought it was a gimmick before. Now when I drive my parents car I've noticed how 90% of the time tha rearview camera is unuseble. Mine is clean all the time.
The "driving lights" or whatever they're called look horrible on this car
Agreed. I don't even think about it until I drive someone else's car and find the backup camera unusable.
Facts in IL (Midwest us state) I work for dominos and their cars have had salt and grime plastered to that camera this whole winter they wash them once a week but it don’t help Shit.
Love it when Doug converts the units to metric for us European viewers. Great content as always, keep up the good work Doug!
"for us European viewers"
For viewers all over the world.
@@guilhermetavares4705 thank u, americans and europeans seem to think they are the only two in the world.
@@no-du1qn Well said 👍🏼
Europe and the rest of the world..
Or Canada lol
As a UIUX Designer myself, I understand the draw to going more digital, but they definitely did not do enough user testing on the controls; this is a symptom of the designers working inside a bubble and not be challenged by critical review. Not a terrible start but they have A LOT of improving to do as user feedback comes in. When it comes to cars, they need to find that balance of digital and physical controls, some of these changes are borderline unsafe.
Also a product designer here and I thought the same thing. With all the talk in the industry about user research and testing it's surprising that you still get outcomes like this. However, there are always compromises to be made and sometimes certain interests have louder and more important voices. In this case it looks like the cost-cutters won the battle against design. It just has to be way cheaper to put everything on a screen than to design and manufacture buttons and knobs for everything.
don't worry this wasn't the designers' mistake, it was the bean counters pushing it.
Doug the type of rapscallion to say "jeez louise"
nah that’s drake lol
15DudeAwesome the type of guy that unironically still uses rapscallion
@@303sebas3 oh, i just thought it was a regular show reference
Not me having the handle KneesLouise
@@lotus20856 that's ironic usage tho
Doug: “The infotainment isn’t that bad”
Also Doug: *Proceeds to explain the most annoying , frustrating and distracting way to turn on the AC, adjust temperature and to turn on heated seats EVER*
🤣😂
Golf users here in Europe are very annoyed by the capacitive controls at the wheel. Some buttons are pushed accidentaly just driving and moving hands. Incredible that Doug said steering wheel is great. This model is a huge step back in quality materials and ergonomy
I loath the infotainment style temp & seat temp controls ...
@@Secrecy30 That's what i keep hearing from people around me as well.
Here in Holland, the Golf has always been a popular hatchback, especially today with the "youth" driving around in them.
But they also say that it is a step back, not just for the controls, but the overall look as well.
I was never a Golf guy, but i guess i agree, as i don't find the new one specifically attractive.
Then again, i'd love to have an Autozam AZ-1.
@@Games_and_Music Well, here in Spain I spotted the first Golf at the streets 4-5 months after new model was released. That would be inconceivable in previous generations. I understand chips shortage and all but coreans are ruling the market right now, with good reasons while European manufacturers are lost between electrification and nonsenses.
Doug: “Be sure to check out CARS AND BIDS!“
me: *taps right side of screen 10 times*
Yikes. As someone who has owned 5+ VW's, it is disappointing to see how cheap the dashboard, seats, and random trim looks just on camera. I can't imagine what it looks and feels like in person. I could tell there was some cost cutting in my MK6 compared to my MK5, but damn. At least they kept the manual and raised horsepower.
Really? I always found the interior of the mk6 better but that might be because of the more modern design, especially the steering wheel.
But yea, every time I see the infotainment and touch buttons it looks like old and cheap smartphones that had pressure activated screens.
Also, the reaction time of that Center screen looks horrible, how long do they want the driver to look at the Menu instead of the road while driving?
What really shocked me tho was the fact that they took the triangle out of the holder in the hatch to cut costs.
Potentially risking peoples live in an emergency isn’t the best thing to do for saving at max 50cents and putting it back in place would be the first thing I’d be haggling for when buying the mk8 new. (I bet they try selling them as an accessory)
it always has been that way,its VW for a reason
what? the MK6 is literally a MK5 with better interior quality, that's why it was released 2 years faster than expected, you can even read it at golf's wikipedia page. customers weren't so happy with low built quality of mk5 in comparison with mk4, so Volkswagen had to make mk6 much faster, and it was practically just a lift of mk5
I've owned my Mk7 GTI for almost six years now, and sitting in the Mk8 at the dealership recently was a huge disappointment. It's dripping with cost cutting compared to the previous generation, maybe more than most people realize if they haven't spent six years behind the wheel of the Mk7. I also love how driver-focused my car is. The ergonomics are so German in how little focus they take off the road. But no longer with the Mk8. Hope VW can find their way again with the Mk8.5 or Mk9, but I'm beginning to think the Mk7.5 may have been the last true GTI.
VW is still paying out billions in fines. Don’t expect much from the convicted criminal corporation
I couldn't agree more. I had a 2019 GTI, it was a great focused car with a beautiful interior.
I totally agree, I have a 7.5 and I love how well balanced it is with tech and driver feel.
The exterior design of the 8 has grown on me but I still think the 7.5 was better, I don’t think I could ever come to terms with the interior though and for that reason I’ll be sticking with my 7.5 for the foreseeable future. If VW does somehow manage to save the GTI name with the 9 I would consider it as a worthy successor but for now the 8 is just a huge let down to all golf enthusiasts
Agreed. I have a '17 GTI sport and I probably won't be getting another 1 with the direction the new ones keep going.
Hopefully we can see changes in an 8.5 but I don't think there'll be a Mk9 though.
The 7.5 golf R interior is by far the pinnacle of VW's design. Perfect mix of hard buttons and screens and everything feels top notch quality
Yep. 100% agree.
Why I love mine so much! And was skeptical with this new interior on the mk8.
LOL
Oh, sweet summer millennial child..
Obviously you've never driven a Mk4 or sat in a Mk5.
Sit in a MK4 R32 and tell me that..
@@np5844 mk5 GTI premium with leather and a DSG is the pinnacle of GTI you can actually fully turn off ECS and it’s not so numbed out like the 7 the turbo lag is actually fun and the suspension is insane
Quick question Doug? Does having capacitive screens everywhere mean that in the winter, to adjust my temperature and heated seats mean I have to take off my gloves every time ?
If so, looks like this is a non starter for those of us who live with snow. You spend 95% of the time enjoying a car from inside the car, cheap materials and sub par screens are just not worth the money compared to competitors offerings.
Although you can buy gloves that work with screens I find they don't work very well with touches sometimes registering, other times not. How much did they really save by not having physical knobs and buttons? Probably a sliver of the management bonus fund.
As someone who drives a Cadillac with CUE in Maine right now, yes, you will need to remove the gloves. Also, these buttons are not happy campers in cold weather.
You drive your car with winter gloves on?
@@ian9945 Apparently you've never lived anywhere that has a real winter. Most cars have to run the engine a few minutes to warm up to an acceptable temperature, let alone warm YOU up. Or maybe you have some other frame of reference for what "winter gloves" are. When it's below freezing outside, I don't really like to drive my without gloves until it has warmed up to 70-ish degrees inside. That's Fahrenheit.
No. All these touch buttons and screens work with regular gloves.
Great hearing the fun driving experience!
My years of our Rabbit were filled with dreams of the GTI! 😁
My mk 7 has softer plastics, hydraulic hood prop, damped and lined glovebox, a volume knob, and climate controls. Guess I’ll just keep it for a little longer. Also still fun to drive
fellow MK7 owner here, glad I wasn't the only one to notice that the MK8 has a manual hood-prop.
@@seanholby7735 I prefer the manual hood prop. Lighter and will never break.
lol obviously having few years you don't change it yet
Yeah, I own both a MK7 normal Golf and a MK3 Cabrio and this new interior is such a step back compared to the foolproof, well built approach of the older generations, everything is unintuitive and hard to use while driving. I also get the feeling that this interior will wear horribly over time, the cheap plastic and piano black finishes will be all scratched up in about 3 years. I kinda get why they had to do all this cost cutting, but it’s just sad to see
@@santileonsteinberg1441 Piano black plastic is such a disgrace, that only looks shiny and nice at the car dealer, then after a couple of weeks it starts getting dirt and scratches.
Doug: “The infotainment isn’t that bad”
Also Doug: spends the next 10 minutes complaining about the terrible infotainment
God DeMuro Shill
I think the pitchforks and angry journalists calling to scrap the whole thing is totally overblown. A LOT of the infotainment is totally fine -- way more than most reviews would have you believe. However, there are a few aspects that could really be improved.
@@DougDeMuro No, it's dogshit and saying otherwise is perpetuating a downward spiral of automakers removing easy to operate features and shoving them behind the computer screen because it's cheaper and then marketing it as "futuristic" and "high tech" to idiots that don't know any better.
@@CrispyGFX hater
@@DougDeMuro I think those journalists know what they're talking about because they're car guys. They're not Porsche bean-counters turned UA-cam celebrities after making videos about their old hummer and bumper to bumper warranty Aston Martin. You love quirks so obviously you don't mind bad design as much
Each to their own 👍
What a polarizing car. Some of the most brilliant design features that really blow my mind, as well as the worst I have ever seen. I really want to love this car, as I have for previous models, but I cannot tolerate it at all. What a shame.
If GTI gets 3/10 for acceleration, I have to imagine that some of cheap cars must have negative scores.
Any car with a 0-60 time over 7 seconds gets a 1 in Acceleration. Between 6.5 and 7 seconds is a 2, 6.0 to 6.5 is a 3, etc...
@@chrisstaub5880 using your scale, a 10/10 would be two seconds?
@@Unfinished_sentenc Double-check your math, a 10 is under 3 seconds. Also, that's not my scale, it's Doug's.
He reviews some of the fastest cars in the world. Those cars earn a 10 in acceleration . So in comparison, even somewhat speedy cars aren’t going to score well. But the upside is that the score remains objective, even if that means cars that are normally considered a very fast only earn like a 5 or 6.
It's funny to me that VW has abandoned their "premium interior" advantage, especially since Mazda has used that same feature to move upmarket. The other concern I have is that VW is well-known to be plagued with electrical Gremlins....with all the screens and haptic touch buttons/ sliders I just think they are inviting a whole new source of consumer dissatisfaction
Got to claw back the money from those huge fines somehow.
@@yungboicontigo9278 like the radar cruise control dying about a month out of warranty, getting it fixed at a VW dealer for a steep price and then have it break once again. Once radar cruise is dead you don't get any cruise control at all.
Right! I’m not sure why he doesn’t mention a turbo Mazda3 as a competitor to this. To me it seems like a natural competitor. Similar stats across the board.
@@yungboicontigo9278 this was years ago. And my main issue is that an electrical problem can be 'fixed' only for it to break a few months later again.
The only places I see people cross shopping Mazda and VW are Australia and the Internet.
I honestly don't understand how all those awful touch menu crap is legal. You constantly have to look at the screen, press everything anywhere from once to 8 times before it responds. But if you touch your phone to skip a song you basically get hanged.
I remember seeing a old GTI commercial where it falls out of tree after getting stuck in it. I was about 13 years old and I fell in love. It wasn’t till about 10 years later when I was able to buy my own. It was a MkV such as yours, but black magic pearl. It was the last manual with a moon roof in Southern CA in ‘07z I remember the hype leading up to purchasing the car, watching Top Gear, and 5th gear. I can hear their British accents in my head. Then there were the “make friends with your fast” and “Un-pimp your ride” commercials. VW even sent a Fast replica, that I still have. The MkV experience was truly uncanny. Haven’t been able to find another car experience like it.
Love this video. I couldnt help but smile as you smiled driving it. I am now itching to test it.
I have the same radio in my ID.4 and once you get used to the way it works the system is great! You are almost never needing multiple things on the screen at the same time.
I bought a MK 7.5 because I knew all these issues with interior quality UI with the tech was an issue. Every time I see a review of the MK 8 I feel very happy about my choice!
Same! Mk7.5 was definitely the better option.
Yep, Im not getting rid of my 7.5 Golf R.
@@i2ambler2002 Yep, I have a 2015 R and a 7.5 ticks all the boxes I would like for my next R
The capacitive touch controls are a disaster in the making. Won’t be able to use in the winter if wearing gloves, and how long before these bits stop working and you lose control over virtually every function in the car? Definitely a car to lease for three years and then immediately return IMO
Yup, made a comment about all these car manufacturers doing this. In 10 years in the used market these cars will be a nightmare. Like the early high tech BMWs but literally all car manufacturers this time.
@@preciadoalex123 with all of the new technology cars are going to essentially become “disposable” after three years, like an iPhone. Forget about keeping one once the warranty has expired. Genius thinking on the part of the manufacturers: They make sure you come back every three years to “upgrade” to the latest and greatest! Unfortunately, it seems like the newest tech has become more important that the actual driving experience to 98% of the population, with the exception of seniors who just want a simple and reliable vehicle to get them where they need to go.
AFAIK the screen and the buttons work with gloves - at least the type of gloves ShopDAP used on their UA-cam-video.
gloves? umm... move somewhere warmer? :)
Good for you that it has heated steeringwheel. No need for gloves.
Doug, great review and production quality, entertaining and educational. You'd be surprised to know that in Canada the base model can be order with a sunroof, heated steering wheel and wait for it, a volume knob for the the radio!
never thought a volume knob would be legitimently game changing
Seems to be a similar situation with the new Civic Si. They're giving us fewer features and jacking up the price.
I just bought a base model in the US today and it has both those things.
Mk7 was benchmark level. I’d love to see a Mk8 suspension retrofit on a 7. Especially Golf R!
I cannot overstate how much I HATE the current trend of EVERYTHING having to be in a center touchscreen. Why can't I just turn a knob to change temperature or volume??
Probably car manufacturers trying to skimp on production costs for mechanical parts.
I literally can´t wait for the time when Doug is reviewing new Cars and is like: "Do you remember the early 2020s when every Car Company suddenly saw the need to replace EVERY physical button or dial with a slider or onscreen buttons? Well, we were all glad that only lasted for X ... Years!"
Yeah totally. Will the current tech bubble just pop already? lol. It's all so nauseating at this point.
Won't happen.
Repeat after me: " haptic touch is good".
Nice review Doug. 240hp not bad. Love seeing 6 speed manual as an option.
I had a 6-spd in my 2002 GTI
Good review, very detailed and honest, thank you!
With the current lineup of VW, I would go with a Jetta GLI Autobahn manual. It has most of the features of the GTI but still has physical buttons for climate control and on the steering wheel and is about $7000 cheaper with nearly as much power.
And it looks better, without those silly little lights
Yeah excpet new Jettas are bigger than Passats from 10 years ago. They're boats, hard to consider that sportty.
Good point. At least you can still get it with 3 pedals.
I rarely touch my physical buttons on my climate control. is this a real dealbreaker for anyone ? it's automatic, just set 20C and it's ok, no matter what the season is.
Yup, but even better, I'd go get myself a used 2017 or 2018 manual Golf R without a doubt.....
People who act like the info-tainment system's ergonomic failures aren't a big deal should consider this car is being sold as a manual. It's a massive pain to have to start messing with dials and buttons when driving stick, let alone a touchscreen, while you're trying to drive stick. Especially in city traffic.
And also trying to sip your coffee or beverage in the cup holder too, answering the wirelessly connected phone too all while driving in city traffic. It’s hell. lol
People who act like the infotainment system's ergonomic flaws aren't a big deal should first and foremost try to find a single *good* reason from a consumer standpoint (you know, the only standpoint that should matter to the general public) why it's OK and worth defending to replace known good input methods with objectively worse ones.
I'm waiting!...
And i dont care. Its noy a deal breaker for me because ill learn to deal with it, instead of crying
I dont care for the info tainment thing but if you can't multi task driving things you shouldn't drive a stick.
@@fuxbox that's really not his point though. touch screens are much easier in automatic cars, regardless if you are good at multi-tasking or not.
Doug, I am happy to see that now you include the control of the heated seats trough pressing both temperature buttons that I mentioned in the comments of your previous video for the Golf and you responded to me!
I feel somewhat alone in the MK8 world in that the infotainment/tech/interior matter fairly little to me. I don't even really care that much about the horsepower bump. The GTI is one of my favorites because of the low weight (relative to other cars in '22, anyway), the steering, and the handling.
I absolutely HATE piano black or chrome ANYTHING on the dash, especially in the gauge area. These surfaces reflect light, usually right back in to your eyes. It's very annoying and there's nothing you can do about it.
You can put plain stickers over it
Wrap
Doug: these capacitive buttons look great!
Me: they are already scratched and the car is brand new. Piano black is dumb AF.
I never understand why they are making the screens shiny. My mazda screens have a matt finish.
@@yungboicontigo9278 Buttons are not screens, they are just backlit, and finished in gloss black, so that they look like screens(premium). Also like 90% of pc displays have a matte finish. It wouldn't be a problem for manufacturers to make a gloss less interior, but they just chose not to.
In my 2012 GLI, I swapped out the US-spec headlight switch with a Euro-spec one that let you turn on the fog lights separately from the headlights. It was a $20 part and a 30 second swap
That's been a thing since mk3. I.e. almost 20 years we've all known about it
Wait, that's not possible with VW's US-headlights? Apart from it looking cool I think it's actually important to be able to switch on fog lights without the main headlights for slow driving in really heavy fog. The fog lights keep their light low to the ground so you see the road and obstacles from above, the main headlights often light up all the fog in front so you see nothing but that wall of enlightened fog... So when it's getting close to undriveable i creep forward with just fog lights and parking lights on.
@@zwidawurzn9423 not for US mkt. There are federal and state regulations that mandate foglights can only be on with main beam headlights. Counter productive, I know.
I'm pretty sure you can also get it coded to use fog lights as drl's
@@joshyFTW99 In the European version they’re the DRL’s, they look good
As a 2016 owner, I can only imagine what a nightmare to own this will be after the warranty expires. I still love the performance, however, not worth putting up with the electrical gremlins and more importantly, the never-ending drama of the leaking sunroof.
I thought the mk7 was supposed to be quite reliable, what electrical gremlins did yours have?
I had one with a leaking sunroof, very annoying.
This car looks awesome with this color.
Here in Germany almost everybody refers to it as GOLF GTI, as GTI is like a trim level of the Golf…
um is it not.?
More like here in Europe, lol.
this trend to call it just GTI and the Jetta just GLI is just American things... in Brazil all of the sports versions from VW are called by their name + its trim level
Idc is people call it just the GTI. To me it shows how significant the car is that calling it just the GTI is enough that people know what you are talking about
@@hanro7430 imagine every time he talks about the car he says golf gti, people are just picky and want to look more smart or something
Besides all the technology flaws, there is also the looks (in my opinion of course) because I still think that front doesn't look good enough and I prefer the Mk7 or 7.5's front especially the GTI variant
Quick edit : I'm actually happy to see that I am not the only one thinking the Mk8 is...well... weirdly designed... And as someone pointed out, it really lacks the 3 doors variant for the more sporty feeling
Agree, but it actually looks way better in person. Have you seen it in irl? The weird droopy headlights dont look so wrong when you stand next to it. Previous still looks better tho, i agree.
I can agree. I used to hate the Mk8 styling, but Ill keep my Mk7.5 for the next 10 years.
disagree on the looks. I think it looks GORGEOUS, though maybe it's because all the other new cars look ugly af
@@Mr.Marbles I never actually got to stand next to the mk8 that is a fact because here in my country there is literally not a single mk8 on the road but a lot of Mk7(.5) so one day if I ever get the chance to stand next to one of them I might change my mind who knows
@@eftbfl well you are really lucky, I wish I had one too
Fun fact with the dome lights, you can tap each individual light housing to turn it on/off! I just drove one of these on a test drive and really enjoyed it as R's are unfortunately going to take 3-9 months to get. I think I'll definitely be getting a GTI in this exact spec after seeing this video!
yep, i bought it :)
you can also tap and hold and it'll dim..just release at the level you want.
@@theNateKerr do you prefer that or the Honda in your pfp
@@xoxxxooxx I owned my Mk8 GTI for around 11 months. Sold it back in January for the Type R. Zero regrets on the Type R purchase as the VW had so many issues. I truly believe I had a bad car as so many people have little to no issues with their GTIs. I am sad about it, as I really did like that little car but probably for the best that I sold it and moved on. So to answer your question, I prefer the Type R. But if you like tech and the way GTIs look, the mk8 is a great little car.
@@theNateKerr thank you because in the future I’m was looking in whether getting the gti or the newer gen 11th typer r
I like that Doug takes time to review normal cars. Big ups to u Doug.
"Normal cars". Lol.
7:19 The"hand near screen" detection happens since the mk7, in it's MIB1, so it's been around since 2013
2015 in the us
And I find it completly useless on my VAG
Indeed. And I've been mesmerized by it ever since! I still find it very cool and exciting.
I just wish they would bring the hand gestures over from Europe. Obviously Audi will have to bring it first for about 5 years before we see it on VW’s. But the hand gestures are great. Being in a rental 5 series while my Arteon was in the shop, I grew to love it and it actually took me a few days to stop doing the gestures when I got my car back. Still trying to figure out how to long code it. As it’s been available since MIBII.
I read that a test driver for a car magazine couldn't drive the GTI around the track because the haptic buttons on the steering wheel kept changing his drive mode during steering. It would shift from RACE to ECO mode or something like that mid-turn. That's scary!
Yes it’s true! And that was me.
I believe it was Car and Driver
5:33 “wOuLdNt ThAt Be NiCe!” 😂 great video man!
I own a 17 Tiguan. 2 liter turbo (mk6 gti motor) and I absolutely love it. I keep up with WRXs and most Hondas aren’t an issue. Interior design is spot on. Perfect mix of screens and physical buttons. Sad to see but evolution is a must in the auto world. Only way to sell to the newer generations of buyers. Either way vw makes some great engines and vehicles. They definitely have their issues but all and all my vw experience has been great.
Doug, this is the reason I take your opinions above any other reviews. The copy-and-paste criticism's from all the other videos tells me nothing, but your video goes more in depth about what it can / can't do and I appreciate that.
Everything going through the touchscreen would be very distracting while driving, not sure I like it. Anyhow, I stopped by my VW dealer the other day, I have been waiting for this car for a year. MSRP of the 2022 GTI SE with leather was $36,515. Added "market adjustment $15000", Dealer processing fee $899, Dealer doc fee $799, Window tint $699, Nitro in tries $399, Paint and seat protection $799. Total asking $55,110 almost $20,000 over MSPR. Oh and "no test drive permitted till a binding offer has been accepted by the sales manager". For their asking price I could get a hell of a nice CPO BMW!
Fck new cars they arent worth what they cost to make, the cost and value aspect is way out of hand
I hope the dealership model goes away in my lifetime
I love his „caaaars and bids“ intro
Everytime I see I have to laugh.
Best channel.
Greetings from Australia mate. First time on your channel. Love your review ... Now subbed 🏎
Holy shit, literally every control is so unresponsive. Who the hell thinks touchscreens are superior to buttons in a vehicle where you have to focus on the road? Aftermarket head unit vibes with that delay
Alright Dad, calm down.
Who the hell thinks it's a good idea to turn a knob in a car traveling at more than 60 mph?
@@nightdriver7216 can’t tell if you’re joking but its pretty easy
@@nightdriver7216 I'm allowed to shift gears but turning a knob from muscle memory is too mentally taxing?
One thing I really dislike about the infotainment system is the design of the user interface. They could have made the icons look really nice like an iphone or something but for whatever reason they made them look like colorless folders from Windows 95.
I find those horribly slow animations to be the worst thing about it. If my smartphone was that sluggish, it would offend me enough to throw it at the wall and buy a new one.
But this is used in freaking car? To adjust things like climate control and music?! So you'd not only be annoyed by all that delay, but also be distracted from the road for all that time?!! IT'S FREAKING INSANE!!!
How is that sh¡t even legal?!
@@yungboicontigo9278 pleads don't use God's name in vain
The whole interior is a disaster. Touch capacitive buttons on the steering wheel, bland/dated user interface, unilluminated controls, cheap plastics like a 90s car
Not a fan of the light strip at the front either. Looks cheap on EQ Mercedes, imagine on a VW
@@yungboicontigo9278 It's crazy how many corporate sycophants are on the web today, mistaking criticism for "whining" and the complacency of mindlessly eating up any dumb new trend for virtue...
I have a 2012 Mk6 GTI and a 2015 Mk7 (2dr) and I want a Mk8 but the issues I have is that it doesn’t have actual buttons. No physical buttons to touch to control the dash, infotainment, and the fact the car is missing so much of its previous generations qualities. I will wait for a Mk8.5. Good review Doug. 👍
Just bought a 2011 gti with 98K miles drives so nice. First manual car i've owned still getting used to the clutch engaging like 75% of the way up but its not much of an issue slowly getting the hang of it.
As a 2014 VW Golf owner, I'm not interested in purchasing a car that lacks physical, tactile climate controls. I want to be able to adjust the temperature and the fan speed without taking my eyes off the road.
Doesn't the Golf 7.5 have those? Also it's prettier than the 8 imo
My best buddy has a 2012 gti and feels the same way. That era of tech was perfect imo, technology that was useful but not unnecessary. I wouldn't feel safe driving this car having to look away from the road every time I want to adjust something
@@20blog28 ye
Anyone else miss just being able to turn a physical knob to do their climate control and NOT have to take their eyes off the road to check if they'd actually say turned on their defrost?
Unreal
Great work Doug👍
I test drove one of these a few weeks ago. Still think this is a great car overall, but the lack of hard buttons for climate controls ruin it quite a bit for me. The change in materials to be cheaper is noticeable, but I don't think it makes that large of an impact. If I was looking to buy a car, I'd happily get this or snag a Golf R.
Exactly how I felt about it, it's drives, sounds, and handles great if not better than the previous generation. The interior isn't quite as good, but it doesn't ruin the experience overall. People are too quick to write it off because of the haptic controls and like Doug said, you kinda get used to it. I would buy one if I could
It's really nice to be honest, the interior quality is not worse really.
I mean the fact that they cheap out on interior is unacceptable. This car is basically 37k. That’s ridiculous.
@@tommygarcia8010 it's not that bad actually, but a little worse than the 7th gen. However, the sound insulation is actually better on the 8th Gen.
Honestly, how often you touch those things? Once a week perhaps. I always set mine at 21 Celsius and that's it.
While I prefer the mk7 headlights, I otherwise like the looks of these and it is sooo great to see VW keeping the Golf a reasonable size, manual, and just fun, small-ish hot hatch in today's bloated crossover filled world.
I dunno, seems pretty bloated to me, when considering its weight
True the mk7 headlights look a million times better. The facelift was end of 2017 - since then they also have the fully digital display in the cluster, adaptive indicators, the updated 6 gear manual/ or 7 gear dual clutch and so on.
Nah man the mk8 headlights are where its at
Make no mistake, this will be the last one.
lol. many popular compact crossovers are just hatchbacks with a little extra ground clearance. car buyers are frequently more motivated by fashion trends than anything else.
Hi Doug! Just curious, how's the R more practical? Just AWD?
Those rear seat pockets are nice. Always hated having a pocket full of junk taking up my minimal leg room in back. Makes so much more sense to raise them up like this.
Enjoyed your review. I was going to update my mk 7.5 Golf but after a test drive of this model - no way. I honestly could not live with the stupid infotainment system. VW has lost another customer.
Does the car revolve around an infotainment system? Is it really that important for you? I think you would die if you drove any car made before 2012
@@ramp7857 I have been involved with analysing computer operating systems and software for many years. I have driven many cars with infotainment systems. In my humble opinion the current system in the VW group cars ( Audi, Seat, Skoda & VW) is the worst on the market today. The system on current BMW cars is so much more user friendly. You need to use both for an extended period and you will change your opinion.
I forgot to mention the quality of plastics. A real drop in quality from my 2018 Golf.
@Sam You don't have to use climate controls to make a car move
@@5ebra1 The plastics are in areas you won't touch, and it doesn't make noise so unless you use your car as a bed it shouldn't be a problem
And i don't think a bad infotainment system can decide if you will buy a car or not, i never used a lot of infotainment systems like you but looking at this video i think it does the job
@@ramp7857 if you are happy buying a car where it is difficult to change the cabin temperature without disturbing the satnav and don’t mind an interior made out of plastic that is worse than a 1980 Golf you will be happy. I have owned 9 VW group cars they were a poor man’s Mercedes but not any more. If you are thinking of buying one please compare it to other new cars.
I love the idea of a new, more powerful GTI, but the interior and controls in my MK 7.5 are so insanely perfect as is, I don't think I would ever upgrade.
I did buy a 2022 GTI SE manual this year after daily driving a 2013 EOS. Here are my impressions so far:
- interior quality actually feels very similar to the old EOS in terms of materials, etc. GTI has much better front bucket seats and a much better back seat than the EOS. Just exceptionally comfortable and supportive driver's seat, best I've ever sat in. Leather was standard on the SE for Mk7 / 7.5, but now it is optional. Mine has the plaid cloth seats and I don't really miss having leather - you still get seat heaters. The Mk7 / 7.5 owners on this thread saying that the previous generation had a nicer interior are probably right, although it's subtle. I test-drove an ID.4 and it has a lot of the same materials.
- weird cost cutting: the driver and passenger seats are both half-manual, half-power, with a power seatback angle and manual fore-and-aft. (I think you get full power seats if you opt for leather.) There is no longer a CD player of any kind, so I just play music off a thumb drive ... but the inputs are USB-C and all my thumb drives are USB-A so I need an adapter.
- capacitive touch controls work perfectly fine and you get used to everything once you've had it for a few days, although I can understand why the nav screen would drive a journalist who spent a few hours with the car crazy. Dashboard is phenomenal, so many options for configuration that I probably haven't even explored half of them yet.
- the engine feels a lot more responsive than it did in the EOS (which had an older version of the 2.0L turbo), like there is no more turbo lag at all. Manual transmission feels kind of like a TT shifter, hefty but precise. Everyone has their own opinion of what a nice shift action feels like, but I do like the shifter.
I really miss the 2 door Vr6s. One of my favorite sounding and affordable and practical cars. Not only are they fast but damn there top speed is insane considering its baby v6 no governor and high gears but never would know considering how fast the aacceleration is
Doug is a type of guy to match his shirt to a car.
I love the light bar on the mk8, when it came out I had my issues with the design but after seeing a few out and about certain elements have really grown on me
Agreed. It is more modern than before. I am beginning to appreciate it.
It's a shame Doug didn't show the backwards directional wheels on the passenger side as they always exemplify great design and attention to detail. Also would be interesting to see what's under the trunk - spare tire?
Yes
I've had SO many Golfs over the years in GTI and Golf R form and they just keep getting better with each revision...until 2022. I feel lucky to have gotten a '20 Autobahn and will either stick with that until VW addresses the critiques of the infotainment or I end up getting something else entirely. And it's not just VW...so many auto manufacturers are ditching buttons for sleek screen-based systems and haptic buttons, which I personally feel is a huge mistake when you are barreling down the road and need to adjust something quickly. It's just not safe, nor is it convenient. I hope they listen to the multitudes of reviews out there are re-think some of these design choices, much like when Honda added the volume knob back to the Civic.
thats why it has buttons bro
I’ve had a gti and an mk7.5 r. The new mk8 is so much better in every way and it’s not even close. I have zero issues with the infotainment system. I was so scared because of all the reviews bagging on the interior and the infotainment. I absolutely love it. Night and day better than the previous generation. Infotainment system is amazing once you spend 1-2 days to get used to it it’s way better than old Gen
@@Thekobeowns It looks like a very clean and modern interior. I have not sat in the latest GTI so I don't know how comfortable are the seats. I think Americans want instant gratification and place too high of an importance on a screen when other things matter more. I have not even heard a much more significant question which is whether the injection is dual or direct only. Thats the problem is most American reviewers are pretty silly, focusing only on aesthetic as if it was a Van Gogh or Monet. Management of carbon, emissions, service intervals and these things like that matter more.
mine was totaled RIP
i personally own a 2012 gli autobahn and 2022 tesla m3 long range. It made me sad how much less enjoyable the tesla is to drive i though i would like it more with time. the 2012 gli really was the pinnacle of ergonomic design, everything can be adjusted on it without taking eyes off the road and i barely have to move my arm to access everything i need i can change climate, heated seats and radio/ volume all by feel alone
I hope all manufacturers drop these haptic controls for good , literally dangerous
@@Bobspineable nah it's more of manufacturers Saving money by throwing everything on a screen ,I think the backlash the new golf interface and even Ferrari Roma has faced will make them reconsider
My first daily driver was a 1964 Volkswagen Beetle. The car was reliable and fun to drive. It had adequate room, the driving position was just about perfect. It had few features but all of them were within easy reach and made total sense. It had enough room for my needs. It went well through the snow, got good mileage, and was decent enough on the highway too. It wasn’t perfect but it sure did all of the basic needs really really well and started me on a long road of vw ownership.
My current Mk7 looks like it will be my last modern VW. Like my beetle, it makes sense to me and does almost everything quite well without being silly. VWs lineup except the GTI and Golf R have been basically a rental at fleet for a long time, and now the only remaining model that had me in a vw showroom has too many annoying changes to keep me. These changes make doing some of the basics more complicated than they should be.
The finger sensor for the screen has been in VW’s for a while, my 2016 Jetta has that feature its awesome
The Infiniti FX50 can also open roof and close sun shade, definitely one of the most advanced cars of its era hands down, in contrast to what the brand is today.
The fact that Doug can relay true driving enjoyment to us from a $30,000 car when he regularly drives $300,000 cars is the reason I’ve loved this channel for so long.
Anybody at ANY income level can feel excited about a vehicle they are looking at on this channel without feeling bad about not being able to buy exotic or highly expensive cars.
Keep it up Doug!
Sad to see the climate in the screen like that from VW. I have a MKV and I always have loved how it's a fun car, nice inside and so simple. It's truly like riding a bike, you never forget how to do anything in a golf, even in a MKVI or MK7. But it makes sense, the simple sensible car doesn't mean anything, especially in the US and China markets that automakers are targeting. The overall market heavily rewards being flashy and making people think you're "high-tech"
This! European cars really lost their taste since they target the US and China. Same with BMWs.
I think most customers would actually prefer physical controls, it's just much cheaper for VW run everything through a tablet than to design and build a dash with physical knobs, buttons, and switches.
Doug is that type of guy who ignores me but loves his videos ❤️
I’ve been looking into one of these, but I’m not sure I can get past having to use the touch screen for almost everything. I might consider the Jetta GLI instead since it still has some manual controls
Last gen gti also has manual controls
12:40
Not sure if you can do this in the Mk8, but in Mk7, you can turn on just the fog lights only by turning the headlights dial thing to the second position (next to Auto), and pulling the dial towards you.
This dims the DRLs and turns on the foglights only
source: im a mk7 owner
Is yours a euro spec? My US spec MK7 I can only use the fogs with the low beams. I also do have the lighting package. But you can swap the light dial thing from the US to the euro one and it’s just plug and play
Typically a Euro-market feature, in the US we are not able to turn on just the fog lights unless the headlight switched is swapped to a Euro one.
Source: I'm a US-market MK7 owner who swapped to a Euro switch
Aussie here, and we too have euro spec where you can dim DRLs with fogs. However I used 'OBDeleven' to have both full DRL and fogs on, along with the 'Scandinavian DRLs' (marker light on and rear lights on - workers better with the LED rear lights). So with all lights on bar the actual HID headlights, it looks pretty nice during the day. Gives my mk7 GTI PP extra personality.
The screen and slider situation, and the capacitive touch "buttons" are an absolute deal breaker for me.
I test drove a model with those touch buttons. It's even worse than doug makes it sound.
I bet it's even worse if you are wearing gloves.
Doug why did the Type R score 6 on accel while the GTI scores 3 and yet they have the same 0-60 times?
Previous owner of Golf MK2 and Mk3, familiar with MK4 and they allways had good shifting, better then others !
I have the same exact feeling about this car as you, Doug. Tech isn’t that great, but looks and drives great!
I always liked the GTI but the latest generation is pretty disappointing. There are better options out there.
I think the reason reviewers are so upset about the climate controls is that over the last 10 years of hating this type of design it's surprising VW has not learned lessons from other cars. People want redundant control for climate with physical buttons, not haptic/capacitive touch buttons or screens that are confusing...
For hot hatchbacks? Here in North America? I don't think so, no. The Mk8 Golf GTI is almost alone on this segment, and it is definitely the best.
I'd personally rather have a veloster N
The car has a very reliable Alexa type system where you can just voice command all HVAC controls and heated seats. All of the reviewers are on board with hating on the haptic controls but soon cars won’t have controls at all
@@CrimsonTheLion yeah, I agree. Or even find a Focus RS or ST. I personally just want something that doesn't look like an egg because i really just don't think the golf looks good anymore, I think its ugly tbh
@@Montblanc1986 I absolutely hate voice controls. I don't care how responsive it gets I would 100% rather press a button to turn up my AC fan speed by 2 steps than talk to my car. Not to mention this opens the door to car manufactures collecting data on you like every other company.
That is a bad ass looking vessel. Love it!
If you want a good road to throw a car around, I recommend either the Espola Grade in Poway, or the highway heading towards Ramona! That's my neck of the woods!!
The MK8 GTI still comes across as having a Fu Manchu situation going on and there’s no way for me to not see that. Realistically the GTI has more than enough power for a sporty daily driver and suits the GTI mission perfectly IMO, but I’d almost get the R just for the bumper design swap alone. I think it works much better with the new droopy headlights too.
And it has AWD
The base MSRP bump from GTI to R is $14k. They should offer an AWD option on normal Golfs
Huhhha you soooo kool!
@@louiearmstrong Totally! I actually thought they should’ve with the previous gen too because we were already seeing at that point how hard the car struggled to put the power down on the front wheels. With the added power bump, the car unsurprisingly jumps and skips even more so off the line.
@@benwells2338 if I had a time machine I'd go back to 2018 when they were basically giving away manual Golf Alltrack wagons. They resell today for the same price
Can't wait for the next Golf's capacitive gas pedal.
Doug: "You slide your toe lllleft to accelerate, and rrrrright to decelerate. Very nice touch."
Any idea what the clutch is rated for in this generation? I know previous generations had trouble when it came to adding power.
Doug, Please consider doing a review on an MK4 1.8T GTI. Thanks!
The capacitive touch everywhere is absurd and I can't imagine the distractions while driving this thing. Also some of the cost cutting (especially the warning triangle laziness) is just hilarious, to be honest.
With all that touch controls (on screen, and particulary even NOT on screen), I'm eagerly waiting for some major car crach to happen, hopefully followed by class action lawsuit that WOULD PROVE that THIS INSANITY had impacted drivers attention in some major way, and caused the car crash!
EDIT: Just remembered ... there's even complete idiotic car manufacturers that embedded touch controls on the ... STEERING WHEEL even!
It won't happen because taking your hand off the steering wheel to change a knob is almost as dangerous if not equally so. You don't change settings in a moving car, period.
Probably would’ve happened by bow just saying, not a fan of them either tho
@@nightdriver7216 What do you do if your window fogs up in a tunnel? Kind of have to. I had an issue with our Tesla fogging up, and nearly crashed due to not being able to see shit in a matter of seconds.
Thanks for correctly using lighted
Climate controls only on screen = instant non-starter for me. I love the sunshade closed with open roof though, I want that on my car. Great review!
There is also a Cupra León sold in Mexico, and of course Europe, which is the Spanish brother to the Golf GTi.
Over in Mexico, you can get it with 245hp or 300hp (both with front wheel drive and a 7DCT).
@Lismi Talda No one cares niece Lismi.
@JOVANKA---------👇🥰 No one cares niece Jovanka.
Yeah, the gti clubsport also has 300 HP and fwd
At least in Europe
@@Dieselkraftwerk The GTi Clubsport is basically a rebadged Cupra León 300.
It'd be great if VW sold Seats in the US. But it makes sense that they don't, SEAT offers great performance for the price, much like how Skoda offers luxury for the price, but the American market really doesn't care about that, being big flashy and making your neighbors think you're richer than them it's what sells cars in the US market.
The sunroof situation with the mash closed and the roof open is also the case for a lot of MINI Models, not only for Volkswagen models. :)
It's pretty normal in Europe in general
I have that sunroof shade on my 2022 mini clubman JCW and it’s the best thing ever!
That central screen, clima/mode panel and light switch panel are all shared between all VW group cars. They are also in Škoda, Seat, Cupra, etc. They have slightly different designs, but the same layout. Also the electronic gear lever "assembly" with buttons is shared. Again - same layot, different design.
My daily Stinger pitch: for the low $30k's you could have a nicely equipped 4cyl Stinger, or for the low $40k's of this particular GTI, you could have a base level Stinger GT with 368hp. Oh and yes, it's a hatchback too.
It’s disappointing that they stopped selling the normal golf here, I would’ve gotten one, but instead got a Mazda 3 hatchback instead
Wait you only have GTI's and R's? No base Golfs?
the Elantra GT is pretty nice...
@@honestyisthegucci yeah we only get the gti and r ones now
We’ve got a mk8 golf - we don’t have any opinion on the vw infotainment as we simply haven’t ever seen it - the wireless Apple CarPlay is seamless and brilliant. As for the slider temperature buttons, you can tap them rather than slide and you get used to it in 5mins. As for the volume, it’s already on the steering wheel
nice review best gti ever
Maybe I'm the outlier here but I hate that they tried to make everything capacitive touch. What if you're wearing nice leather gloves? Nope, gotta take them off. Have a bandage on your index finger? Tough, gotta use a different finger.