As much as we poked fun, and pointed out some real issues, I have LOVED my MK8! Im kinda bummed to be selling it. But if you are in the market for a MK8.. HOLLA!
Great Vid BTW!!! They have these in Delray Beach Florida.. well.. ONE.. for $45,000.. and a (GTI -Sfor $39K) they can't sell these. VW needs to wake up. GTI's/R are supposed to be affordable for folks in their 30s.. not in their 50/60ss. The Market adjustment is complete CRAP.. and FORD, GM is already feeling it. Good.
“The dealers have a lot of power” but the consumer has more. If people would stop buying cars at marked up rates, the dealer has to sit on that inventory.
What feeds more fuel to the fire is people actually bragging about being able to "afford" said ridiculous markups. I thought people bragged about getting deals on cars, not overpaying for them
Bingo. The customer has the ultimate power. Just patch up what you have and keep driving past the lot. No car is worth more than MSRP. The dealer profit is already built-in. Charging more, is just highway robbery, and any would-be customers need to tell them that.. Just keep driving and wave to the dealer/salesman.
Consumers can never utilize this power cause they would need to cooperate. Dealers are a much smaller group so they can do that. That's why workers can't do anything without a union.
I don't understand VAGs war on buttons. I can't touch my phone while driving, but it's cool to strap a massive table to the dash and scroll 3 menus to get my heated seats on.
Everyone is trying to beat Tesla to the bottom. In my opinion, the Golf 7 and pre-facelift second generation Tiguan had the perfect interior. Separate knobs for fan speed and temperature, dedicated buttons for defrost and heated seats, and all advanced options were a single button press away with the menu key. The infotainment display was also perfectly integrated into the dashboard. Not this "tablet stuck on the dashboard with Bluetack" look all the manufacturers think their customers want.
Doubly click the hot and cold at the same time turns it on and you don't even have to look 😅 different doesn't mean bad you just have to learn the new short cuts like switching better android and apple.
Exactly -- they're cheaper to manufacture. They also advertise well and look good in photos of the car, and the company can market all the crammed-in features and functionality. To me, eliminating buttons for touch-screens generally makes a car feel cheap. Luxury is now having buttons and switches. If you look at super high-end cars like Rolls Royce, they actually have really good buttons and switches. The opposite end of the spectrum is newer Teslas, with super cheap touchscreen-only interiors.
It's also a matter of feeling they must pile on all kinds of additional functionality/features and need some way to access it all. Many of these 'features' most drivers will never make use of.
@@jetrhofabrigardoesn't it make the engine less stable? Messing with these stages? Not trying to be a smartass I'm genuinely interested since I'd like a few more HP on my mk7 2016.
I think a lot of these issues wouldn’t have been such a big deal if it wasn’t following up the mk7, which did such an amazing job of getting the basics right. The obvious cost cutting felt like a betrayal of the GTI/R’s reputation of feeling like it was a class above its price point
I'm not sure it was cost cutting as it was spending the money in all the wrong places when it comes to the interior. A button can't cost that much right? 50 cents?
The "issue" is that these are simple issue no car manufactures should be getting wrong e.g. bad cup holders? No sunglasses storage, "engine cover" issues? With all the technology on new cars today VW is getting the mos basic analogue features wrong? Really? That's just total and unmitigated incompetence.
Yup, the Mk8 is unfortunately a common plague of modern cars all around with overdone tech that’s wayyy too complicated and no analog anything anymore. I have a Mk7 GTI and I could never see myself getting a Mk8 because being analog is such an important factor for me. It’s not just vw, all manufacturers seem to be overdoing and over complicating tech. I’m a mechanic so I have to figure out this new stuff all the time
I personally find it despicable how integrated vehicle functionality has been placed into the infotainment screen. I’m a tech for an vehicle manufacturer and there’s a van that lost its HVAC controls after a botched software update and over a month later we still can’t get the customers van back to them because we’re waiting on a software fix. What happens when the hardware fails and it can’t be replaced because it’s no longer manufactured. Vehicle obsolescence is becoming way to sever of a problem for how expensive cars are becoming.
Great video, very thorough. The main problem with the Mk8 is that the Mk7 was near damn perfect and they changed it a lot, and not for the better. We sold our '22 GTI prematurely and briefly considered a new Golf R, but the local TX dealer wanted $71k 😆 We ended up with a M240i which is good, but we miss our VWs.
This channel has been my go to channel for VW Golf MK8 stuff. I actually ordered mine in the summer of 2021 and got it in the summer of 2022 (through multiple delays and chip shortages in the EU) Even though it’s a regular one and an estate, still the best place to learn stuff about my car. Thank You @HumbleMechanic for being as awesome as you are! 🙌🏼 Greetings from Estonia! 🇪🇪
Charles, I met you when you, Chris, Eric and some other car-tubers during a meet at Venice Beach before SEMA 2018. Just picked up a Mk7 GTI, I have a whole bunch of your content to watch now. 👍
I have a 2022 as well and got the travel assist problem. New steering wheel later and fixed. I also had a problem with wireless apple CarPlay…and replacement of the WiFi unit and that’s fixed too. Other than that, I’ve really enjoyed the car a lot.
@@rinodoog knobs are even easier to use. You don’t even have to look at them. It’s all muscle memory. It’s ironic how texting while driving is illegal, yet all new cars have a giant phone in the center console.
@@ligma9260 All the cars are like this…. the only button that i touch is the volume on my steering wheel… i put the temperature at 21 and never touch it again.
@@rinodoog yea I understand that’s what’s common now a days. But it’s insanely asinine that you can’t text and drive but you can tap around and take your eyes off the road to fumble with your giant iPad in the center console. One of the main reasons I refuse to buy a new car. That and the prices.
I took the engine cover off my 23 Tiguan SE R-line supa fast suv(😉) when I installed my APR Carbon Fiber Open Box CAI and the engine oil temps are running soo much lower. I was seeing up to 221, but now the hottest it’s read was 214. Also, I tried a really good non-VW 508 0W20 oil for a few thousand miles and the oil temps were out of control! Never use non-VW 508 0W20 oil. These gen 3 and 4 EA888’s truly do operate best on 0W20/30(R). Love your videos, keep it up 🤘🤘
The problem with the MK8 is that the MK7/7.5 was amazing and got the basics right. So the MK8 was a regression. As a MK7R owner, I'll keep it forever. But swapping the MK8 drivetrain would be sweet...
I just hit 36k on my MY22 MK8 R. I love the car. Its the best that I have ever owned. I even previously owned an MK7 GTI. I've had the steering wheel repair done, and surprisingly, the cupholder had to be replaced twice. The puddle lights warped to where the "R" emblem became a bloated light blob on the ground, but that's been it. I did go aftermarket for a carbon fiber engine cover, but I DO LOVE this car. I enjoy watching you on VW Cup as well!
I just bought a 2024 GTI Deep Black Pearl and I love it . I has some quicks, but everything else is great from the gas mileage and driving of the car on the twists. Love your reviews.
I’m 64 and blessed to be able to have owned brand new Mk I GTI, 2 Mk 2 GTI’s (both 8v, 16v you had to wring the engine out to get the benefit of the 16v) and a Mk I R (2012), and I have to say, the Mk I and Mk 2 GTI’s were the most fun to own and drive. I could do a lot of the maintenance myself and there wasn’t so much electronics on them. Same for the Scirocco of that era. Although, I have a weak spot for the Corrado, especially in that yellow.
They where fun for there time newer vw gti's R's scirocco also fun especially DSG gearboxes when you getting older and tired of pressing clutches are so much fun😊😊
Hmm, you sound like me. I'm 68 and my first VW was a used 1970 Fastback my dad got me to get to my Summer job. In 1983 I got a new mk1 GTI, then a new mk2 88 GTI 16V (I disliked that you had to wring it out), then a new 92 Corrado SLC which I still own, a new mk4 2004 GTI VR6 that got struck by lightning, a new mk5 2006 GTI, and a new 2015 Sportwagen TDI. The mk1 GTI was the most fun due to the lightness and manual steering. I do all my maintenance. That is why I quit buying new VWs. In a previous video Mr. Humble Mechanic said my VCDS won't work with the mk8s.
I've had my MK8 GTI for 3 years and I love it. For a front wheel drive it has a good amount of giddy up and go, the sound of the exhaust note is really good in sports mode and you remove the parcel shelf and I've got mine with the full luxury package and sunroof and on nice sunny days the car is awesome. The people who complain about the haptic buttons don't own a MK8. I was looking at a Toyota at one stage and all their buttons on brand new cars look like they've come out of the 80s. My version with the heated and ventilated seats on a cold morning just rock. Only issue I have is that when in full sports mode and have a bit more fun the fuel goes down as the speed goes up, so she thirsty!
I love mine. I never had a MK7 but had a 6 GTI, 6 R and 4 GTI and they were all great. I wanted a GR Corolla but after test driving it, feeling how unapologetically rental car the interior is and a 10k ADM, I walked on it . Found a MK8 GTI 40th the next day for MSRP, drove it and realized how I love VW and drove it home. It took just a couple days to get used to the interior functions and I love them now. Crazy thing is my 24 Rav4 Hybrid has a way worse functioning infotainment and a much cheaper interior (and for much more money spent.).
As a driving instructor, my student on skidpad had one of these and I was ultimately impressed how such an inexperienced driver ended up looking so good sideways on a wet circular SkidPad. Just seeing this car sideways and watching the driver able ble to straighten the car back out was very impressive.
Thanks for all the little issues , just waiting for my Kings Red 24 GTI arriving in August . It has plenty of power for city and hwy driving plus verry good mileage. NowI have a shopping list of parts to order for mine. Thanks for your informative videos and Love that blue on your R.
Just got the GTI end of July and is sitting in the garage waiting for the Stek protevtive to be installed in two weeks. Love the response and quick acceleration and the adjustableity of the suspension and steering feel .
Not to mention us DSG owners that have to kill auto/start-stop every time we start the car, and it’s also in the infotainment menu, no physical button. Yes, it can be flashed off permanently, but already have a passive/aggressive relationship with the dealer, rather not make it even more complicated.
Would the stop start being on at startup possibly be to newer Euro regulations or something? Have been in a few newer Euro cars and they all seem to behave this way.
Some of the design choices felt like the engineers were justifying reasons to have their jobs, instead of actually improving driver experience. I had the 2023 AE for a half year prior to trading. The thing that absolutely bugged me the most was the headlight controls or lack there of. Instead of a circular dial as in previous models, VW swapped in a tap button, WTF. The headlights are completely automatic and cannot be dimmed while driving over 5MPH. This was aggravating because there are situations when I need control to dim my headlights on a daily basis. This type of tap control put me in awkward situations and is terrible in when a driver needs to adjust the headlights. The car was a blast to drive, no complaints there, and only suffered from annoying features.
Have a Mk7.5 GTI and have zero interest in the MK8. I think it looks fat/bulky and kind unattractive. The interior/cockpit treatment just makes it worse, no buttons and putting everything behind a screen that’s slow and laggy. 🤦♂️ The cost is still about $7-10k more than it should be…count me out and probably will be switching brand when it’s time to unload the MK7.5
My Mk1 Jetta GLi coupe laughs at your haptic steering wheel and dodgy infotainment center. But cup holders and a hood strut would be nice...along with all-wheel drive, AC, and a turbo. Oh, and sunglasses holder too! 😄 All joking aside it's a technological wonder, but sadly it isn't made to last. I doubt these will last 40 years like my Mk1, but you'll have fun for a time. Always enjoy your videos Charles - cheers!
It's a love / hate relationship for me with my 2024 R. I was lucky and my dealer didn't jack the price up. The infotainment is a HUGE pain. The lag between the gas pedal and the actual "go" is way too long IMO. Sweet rims on yours and I hope it found a good home. Thanks for the honest review.
I hate it because it doesn’t have enough touchscreens. I wanted touchscreens to replace the steering wheel, pedals and the transmission lever. I can’t wait for all glass windows/windshields to be replaced with touchscreens, requiring the driver to operate the vehicle via a VR headset.
Thanks Charles - great summing up (as usual). I can get used to pretty much anything as long as I have a good driving experience. What I cant forgive is a boring color palette and dealer rip-offs (I mean "mark ups"). I was fortunate that my local dealer wasnt attaching a mark-up when I bought my Spektrum but I am certain that when the 8.5's come around he will go for the gusto - cuz, you know, GREED is the in thing
It's not even a problem for reliability's sake. The problem is that you can't literally do ANYTHING while driving, without removing your eyes off the road. In my 370z; while driving, I can effortlessly touch and feel exactly where the buttons are for adjusting volume, station, heating, climate, ventilation, seat heating, seat adjustment, mirror adjustment. Everything, without taking my eyes off the road. Not that I need to do those things constantly...but the mere fact that YOU CAN'T do it in these new cars is morbid. We recognize the hazard of texting while driving, using mobile phones while driving - while at the same time, we completely ignore the fact that people fiddle and play around on the screen in their car to do a basic thing such as OPEN THE GLOVE COMPARTMENT (fckn tesla).
use the info system how they intended you too with your voice anyhow it’s a small price when you compare the 7.5 in the performance stakes Iv not had one mk7.5 R or gti owner come close to our mk8 gti CS even a TCR doesn’t pip it (I came from a 7.5 R too)
@@filip000 Wow, you can't develop muscle memory and have to "feel" your way around a car you've owned for, presumably, longer than a week? That's like... yikes. Have you consulted with a neurologist?
Despite actually owning and living with a mk8 I think I've thought about the touch screen less than any reviewer who has only had it for a week. Also, shoutout to a fellow that has set all the lights to purple, the objectively best color.
Had a GTI as a rental this year and i loved it. At first the LKA was extremally annoying and it took me few days to figure out how to turn that off but after turning all that stuff off it stays off between the starts (which is a plus in my book) and the car drives awesome. The haptic buttons on the steering wheel are a miss - i managed to turn the steering wheel heating multiple times by accident. But over the car is amazing. Clean design, very peppy, the gearbox is programmed correctly and the interior styling brings out the kid in me.
The biggest thing I hated about my Mk8 GTI was the fob, whoever though it was a good idea to not recess the panic button, but have all the other buttons recessed is a nut... I was constantly accidently pressing the panic button with the key in my pocket, while driving, getting in and out of the car...
I passed on the MK8 after seeing the interior and haptics and changed brand entirely. I had a Mk6 GTI, MK6 R, and finally a Mk 7.5 R, finally sold it 3 months ago and bought a Lexus IS500. Other than missing the manual and dealing with a slower (albeit extremely reliable) transmission. It was the best decision I made. No more rattly interiors and nothing but V8 goodness.
@@ivanjovanovic362 it’s not that much of a stretch, Golf Rs in Canada are 60k now, I bought my 7.5 for 45K in 2019. The problem is the MK8 is in a class of car it has no business being in for its price.
Heavily agree on the "better in person" thing. When I saw the reviews for the generation, I thought it was hideous. Then I saw my coworker pull up with a Blue Golf R, and traded in my Mk5 for a 40th GTI about 6 months later lol. Absolutely zero regrets. It's a fantastic car.
My wife’s ‘22 Tiguan is now on its third haptic button steering wheel. Travel assist error was the reason for the first replacement and probably why it was originally traded in at a gmc dealer. Originally the steering wheels were back ordered for over a year which given the incessant travel assist error I can under why someone would dump a one year old car at a gm dealer. The second replacement was due to faulty steering wheel heating. It just comes on at random and immediately at startup even in 100 degree temps. Really just a failure of engineering and execution on vw’s part. And the egregious omission of illuminated controls on the head unit for volume and climate still continues in the 2024 atlas. Really a head scratcher they’d continue to push out such garbage knowing that everyone hates it. I’ve owned something like 10 VAG vehicles over the years but these last few years of poor design and execution really make me wonder about them.
Unfortunately we were one of those families. My wife's car came up, a 16 gti manual she took to 170+k, no problems, true love. When I finally asked why she was waffling so much replacing it she ranted at me about the mkviii. Ugly inside and out, far worse ui, same drive...and this is from someone who reads no reviews and had no prior well poisoning. She decided against it, we went on a euro trip where we rented a new golf...and she doubled down hard. It's still the same car she loved mechanically that whole time, but you can't call it better than a mkvii, and it's hard to buy after seeing that. Still got my mkvii manual wagon, but it's well and truly resolved that they have abandoned my segment entirely.
I was unsure of the mk8 till I seen one in person, then I drove one and the pros outweigh cons imo. The seats are much better than the 7.5 as is the streering wheel, I got over the haptics in a couple of hours due to how good the car drives. I also enjoy the way the interior looks in comparison. Is it perfect nope, but I think its a improvement in all the areas that are most important to me.
I test drove it on launch, and hit the r drive mode button twice on accident during the test drive (It's right where I have my thumb). That was that for me. The 8.5 is supposedly December, with the triumphant return of actual buttons. We will see how that goes, as this will likely be the last ICE Golf R.
Yes, like Charles mentioned, the 8.5 Golf R will be haptic-controls only. According to VW, they've modified the sensitivity of the controls on the periphery of the wheel so it's very hard to accidentally activate them.
@@hovan2yourjunk If I would ever buy a Mk. 8 with a haptic wheel, the first thing I'd do is see if they could swap the steering wheel for the one with buttons. There's no way it wouldn't work -- not only did VW already have a version of the wheel with buttons on lower trim levels of the same exact car, but just in the name of cost-cutting and inter-platform efficiency I'm sure the wheels are probably plug-and-play.
Wow wow wow. Great video, appreciate the insights. Haptic Touch buttons that aren’t illuminated, bum shift knobs and no sunglasses holder are unbelievable whiffs by VAG on this gen.
I love my MK8 and I love the infotainment and steering wheel controls. Once you "get it" it's super easy to control in my opinion. There are things that I dislike though like every car.
Love mine. Big upgrade from my wrangler. Everything was new to me anyways so I didn’t mind the touch and setup of controls and infotainment. Apple CarPlay is awesome. Lighting cable ports are cool. Cup holders are dumb, if you put anything there it gets directly in the way of shifting gears. I mostly drive in custom with the sport exhaust but it’s very nice to switch to comfort mode for a much less race-feel.
Charles, I’ve been following you for years and have really enjoyed your content. I’ve had many VWs (1995 Jetta, 1999 Jetta, 2003 Jetta, 2010 Passat, 2018 GTI) however, I really don’t like the direction they’ve gone. I had that they’ve just continued to go down market over and over. I’m thinking the GTI will be my last VW and jumping over to Audi, however, I’m seeing that the new interiors are all going to the touch capacitive stuff, which I hate…
I drive a MK7.5 GTI. Stock for stock, the MK8 is unquestionably a better car to drive. It feels tighter, it's quieter and it's noticeably quicker. I love my Clark plaid, but I do find both the cloth and leather chairs in the MK8 to be comfier. But... the MK8 interior overall feels a bit cheap. The screens are sharp and the touch controls really aren't that bad, but climbing back into my 7.5 after sitting in a MK8, the older car has a certain "rightness" about it that's hard to quantify. The MK8 is good enough that I've seriously considered trading in to get one, but the MK7 is just that much better (to me) that I can never quite go through with it.
About the "it looks better in real life" thing, he's so right. I didn't quite like how it looked when I first saw it.. until I actually went and saw one in person, much better.
Great review, but I got a ‘23 anniversary edition and I absolutely love it!!! Sure the no button thing had to get some “getting used to” now it’s basically set and forget. As a daily it’s very good, and a “b” road carver it’s excellent, as a track day fun toy, bet you it will get to your limits before you get to its limits. All in all, my first Vee Dub and I’m impressed.
sweet thanks for this. Ive been looking at R's for a bit and was cautious of all the digital side of the R models. Glad to hear the issues have been solved. Also ive been finidng a bunch of R's now selling for under MSRP.
Removing the strut from the engine bay was enough for me to skip vw from now on. If they skimp on a hood support, that was there on the prior model, what else they cheapin' on?
I got my 2017 GTI and I love it. It feels like the perfect mix of mechanical switches and touch buttons. I'm hoping the Mark 9 is closer to the Mark 7 in that way.
I love the MK8 GTI as I bought one for my daily and I am a long time 911 collector so that should speak volumes. It’s light on its feet, chassis is dialed in and has outstanding build quality for a hot hatch. I am very experienced with performance cars from exotics to track cars over the last three decades and I know what I want and don’t want in a small performance car. The key to the MK8 GTI is get the 8.5” info screen with actual volume knobs. It gives you everything you could possibly want in a much smaller and less intrusive screen at eye level in a driver focused car. The GTI is damn near perfect and lighter on its feet than any awd that might be quicker from a start but not near as fun. FYI: my last daily was a M2 Comp and believe it or not the GTI is better built with no rattles or squeaks going over bumps even in the cold. It’s solid as a rock and at this price point, a bargain.
You hit the nail right on the head. I love my 24 GTI but those are definitely things that annoy me. Especially the dash temperature and volume controls not being illuminated. You can’t see them at night. My Road Sign Display has been acting up lately. The haptic buttons are okay but are a little too sensitive at times.
Took delivery Feb 2022. Heard all of the complaints and comments pre-delivery. Safe to say I have not had all of the problems others had to put up with. Love the car. It's a blast to drive and own. Got used to the haptics and submenu stuff. Had a 76 Scirocco, 84 and 2011 GTI and they were all wonderful cars, but this is the best.
The Dieselgate bills were also piling up at this point in VW history. For me, it was the different plastics between the front and rear door panels that tipped me off
I love my '22 GTI S dsg. I don't how I would drive without haptic. Its like going back from an iPhone 14 Pro S to a Blackberry. This car is a blast and has been very reliable. Water pump was replaced under warranty due to "seepage" but there was no actual water pump issue. An updated fixed my steering wheel error codes. I'm currently at 63,300 mi. Was APR stg 1 93 and now at Stg 1 E85. Been tuned for the last 30k miles. I had a '21 GLI dsg and a 17' Charger R/T before that. Also a manual NC Miata 6spd in the driveway.
We bought a first year (2015) mk7 GTI with a 2.0 6spd manual. We now have 130,000 miles on it, and the car has been amazing. Other than the recall for the suction pump in the fuel tank and a noisy rear wheel bearing ( which just occurred at 129k) it has been rock solid. Still has original brakes.
I own a Cupra Formentor VZ5, so basically a Golf 8 with an RS3 drivetrain. And I love how it drives. Cornering is amazing, the power is insane, as is the sound. The car looks amazing, sometimes i just standing in front of it, just looking at it. I like the seats and the steering wheel, too. But I have a lot of concerns with the rest. The infotainment is still a topic of it’s own but even after 4 years of existence the software is still poor. It’s fine when it’s working but I am used to no issues at all from my Golf 7 I owned previously. At least I have a big fat button for turning of traction control LOL. I also think the the interior quality is really bad and has dipped from Golf 7 to the newer platform. Basically everything is cheap hard plastic, you don’t get a cover for the cupholders in the middle anymore, the even got rid of the felt inside the door pockets. If it wasn’t for the engine, I would’ve bought a BMW 3 series or a Golf 7.5 R. I know a lot of manufacturers have dipped in quality but VW really has to step up their game interior wise. They charge premium prices for a car which is cheaper build than it’s predecessor.
I literally JUST bought a 2022 GTI (German here), basically new with less than 7k miles on it, fully decked out besides electric side mirrors because the car was manufactured during the electronics shortage so they left this out to actually have a car to sell. And I love to drive it. It handles fantastically! The touch buttons are.. not so great but also not terrible. You get used to them. Still, man this thing is fun to drive.
Mk8 tip… if you tap both cold & hot hvac buttons for your side on the center console you turns on & cycle through the seat heater seatings without having to go to the climate control menu. My 8 year old taught me as I was taking her to school 😂
I’ve always hated that interior in videos and pics, until I sat in one. It’s futuristic and makes other cars look old. I was surprised how much I loved it in person!
@@nikolaibonnkarovsky6621 no they stated in interviews that they heard the feedback that people have the capacitive buttons. It's just not something that you change over night...
I’m in the UK. It took two years for my 2023 Clubsport to be delivered. It the meantime the specifications had been updated and the prices increased. Volkswagen honoured the original deal and even bettered when it came to trade-in. (What are US dealers thinking?) I love the car. All those gripes across social media from people who drove the car for a couple of hours and thought they knew it.
Had an mk8 for almost 10k miles now. The buttons on the wheel are honestly completely fine. I prefer them, works just like a phone, never accidentally touch them. The buttons for AC can definitely be annoying sometimes but you get use to it after like a week tops. Otherwise no complaints, the car is awesome and fun.
After driving an Arteon for more than 6 months with those haptic steering wheel and AC buttons I must say: It's not as bad as everyone says, it's fine. But it is surely not an advantage over the buttons that I had in my Passat of the previous generation. Being able to swipe to change the volume or the song is not an advantage at all. Neither is swiping to change the AC temperature. You do get vibration feedback for pressing a button. Try it yourself before complaining.
Over here in Europe they cost even more… Without even any markups. Just a couple of months ago I bought a second hand Mk8 R Performance. When I checked the normal retail price here in Germany for a 2023 model it was sitting at 70kEuros. That is almost $76000! Insane! Generally cars in Europe are a lot more expensive than in the USA…
Great video. I love my M8 Manual R. My complaints are as follows: (1) no hand brake; (2) "hill assist" is awful and makes the car more difficult to drive; (3) no sunglass holder; and (4) no "back lighting" on the controls. I live with or have remedied everything else. There are far more great features that more than make up for these issues. AWD makes a difference. A simple tune lights the car on fire. Handling / road holding is great. A manual is a must. It is much (as in 18 inches shorter) than the Honda etc. The smaller size is critical. The seating position and visibility is infinitely better than any of the competition and the seats are the perfect balance between being supportive for performance driving but comfortable for daily driving and exit and entry. If I had a UA-cam channel I might change cars more often. As it stands, when you look at what Honda, Toyota, Ford (by leaving the market) and Subaru have done, The 2024 Golf R may be the last true manual hot hatch ever. I regret missing the final model year of the Focus RS. No way I was going to miss such a chance again.
@@AsierRiosMolina HELL YES I tuned it!!! Now my car performs like crazy when "given the beans." I chose the MK8 and "manual" but no "OMG" stock over the Audi RS3 and OMG but no manual EVER. With the tune and MK8, I have the manual, the OMG, and NO clutch problems at all. But let's be honest. The stock MK8 is hotter than anyone needs "on the streets" 99% of the time. The clutch is only stressed if you push the car to tuned torqued levels over stock, I do it. I love it. I can't and don't use it enough to damage anything. I have it when I need it but I really just want it. I love to amuse myself with power I don't need it and I can't "push" the clutch enough to seriously answer without heading to the track or landing myself in jail or memorialized by a road-side cross.
I bought a Mk8 Golf GTI 6MT SE. I wanted an Autobahn but getting one back at the beginning was hard. Drove to Richmond to get it because they weren’t charging any markup. I just never fell in love with it. I was bummed they deleted the H/K stereo on my particular car, the new headlights that didn’t follow curves felt like a downgrade, and within a week my shift knob literally broke in my hand. I was also shocked that it got worse fuel economy than my old Mk7, the interior never felt as nice, software was a disaster, and when I tuned it the clutch started slipping immediately even on the Uni low torque file… and my fuel economy went down even more just cruising on the highway at 78mph (to sub-29mpg). It also would slam on brakes every time I pulled out of my driveway as if I was about to hit something. By comparison when I tuned my Mk7 it ended up getting better highway mileage than it did stock (went from 34 to 36mpg), my clutch held up fine, too. I sold it after a year for just a little less than I paid for it. If I had gotten an R I would’ve been happier, but the GTI never felt that special like my previous earlier generations.
This makes me glad that we get the Mercedes A35 hatchback in the UK, and for a similar price to the Golf R. It's not perfect, the interior isn't exactly solidly put together, but it works really well with all the physical buttons you need and still one of the best infotainment systems around. Mine's 5 years old now, and when I look at what's out there, there's nothing that really seems like an improvement over what I've got (without spending silly money).
I must have a lucky one. After 46,000 miles in my 22 GTI SE after almost two years now I still do not regret it to this day. Only issues I had was the steering wheel, door speakers, and a broken gas door flap from running through a car wash and a puncture in the OEM Goodyear tires. That’s it. I never complained about the haptic buttons or infotainment. In fact I quite liked it. It was something different than what every other manufacturer is doing. I always like to say…remember when we had buttons on our phones? Apple or Android? Look at where we are now and almost everyone has one without buttons. In conclusion I enjoy every minute of my GTI and plan to keep it as long as I possibly can. Hopefully forever so that way I can pass it down one day.
Steering wheel failure and alerts for travel assist? Yup, sure have that on my GTI. Taking it for regular 20k service next week and I am going to officially request steering wheel replacement. Those "pinging" alerts are really annoying.
Just curious, how many trips to the dealership did you have to make for this car compared to your Mk 7.5? I despise going to the dealership and will avoid going there as much as possible. (I have trust issues, I know). I am personally glad that I bought one of the last Mk 7.5 R's and have zero regrets not waiting for the Mk 8. I plan for this R to be my final new car purchase (hoping to retire in 4 years) and I really don't think that I could be happier unless I moved into an RS3 which is financially out of the question. As always, love your content and can't wait to see what your next project is.
My GTi with a piggy back tune drives like a dream. The electronics is not so good at 20k miles. my back camera black out randomly, it brakes hard randomly going over curb exits, Sunroof open/close on its own for 15min, Apple play black out too. I also blew 4 low profile tires hitting potholes. These are truly my experience, but i still love my car.
We have a 2022 GTI. Just finished a 2k mile road trip. I will agree on the infotainment system. It sucks! Everything about it sucks. I hate they stole my knobs. The lag and general functionality is terrible. That being said I adapted to the things that annoyed me. Everything else on the car is great. Was impressed with adaptive cruise, Eco mode is phenomenal on gas and the heads up display on our autobahn is elite. We drove through Moab and monument valley and I couldn’t get enough of how well it handled.
Working in the dealership since the mark 8 and ID electric range I saw allot of problems with these cars and the Volkswagen handles the issues was never an acceptable solution in my opinion The steering wheels that got replaced originally were never modified so they came back for another (nearly all models fitted with them wheels are now affected) when they did finally sort it The infotainment system still has issues in 2024 replacing 5f modules and constant software updates Water leaks are still in the common places of the 7 and 7.5 DSG leaks from the cover plates that you couldn’t get separate until recently Gear selector issues, the brake master cylinders melting from the heat of the engine, the covers that are now available through the recall are still rubber compared to the plastic mark 7 I hope they have adapted the 8.5 properly for that release Although the new 2024 Tiguan is also plagued with faults that the factory have no idea how to resolve
That water pump/thermostat leak and eventual failure is criminal. it's been an ongoing problem for generations of VW vehicles. Using a coagulating coolant to get around the problem is a deal breaker for me. No more VWs in my future.
@@paulherbert5548 yer they are not great that design 🙈 even the metal ones on the 1.5 and 1.0 engines are prone to leaking and the silica bags in the coolant reservoir bottle is another genius idea 🙈
I tried the other day an mk8 GTI and I have to say its a nice beautiful car. One thing that I really hated is the rev hang. On the manual transmission you are forced to granny shift to make it smooth. You try to beat it and the rev takes forever to go down while you change gear. For a sports car, I think that's something that should've been looked at.
I was in the fairly deep into the process of buying one of these when out of the blue the salesman said that that were adding 5k to the price as a "market adjustment". I just walked out of the dealership and then bought a gently used 2021 GLA45 AMG from Mercedes.
![Lp. Сердце Вселенной #60 РОЖДЕНИЕ ЛОЛОЛОШКИ [Финал] • Майнкрафт](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/YoR0pAV9FVQ/mqdefault.jpg)
As much as we poked fun, and pointed out some real issues, I have LOVED my MK8! Im kinda bummed to be selling it. But if you are in the market for a MK8.. HOLLA!
I love my MK8.
Great Vid BTW!!! They have these in Delray Beach Florida.. well.. ONE.. for $45,000.. and a (GTI -Sfor $39K) they can't sell these. VW needs to wake up. GTI's/R are supposed to be affordable for folks in their 30s.. not in their 50/60ss. The Market adjustment is complete CRAP.. and FORD, GM is already feeling it. Good.
I’d hit you up if I was in the market. You’ve solved all the grumbles you can and it looks real nice!
Hey Charles, how did you get a black bumperdillo??
When had those 034 wheels on ur mk8 we're u running any spacers
“The dealers have a lot of power” but the consumer has more. If people would stop buying cars at marked up rates, the dealer has to sit on that inventory.
And stop buying cars with no buttons, switches, knobs and with piano black trim.
What feeds more fuel to the fire is people actually bragging about being able to "afford" said ridiculous markups. I thought people bragged about getting deals on cars, not overpaying for them
This is what happens in the UK. We even get discounts of 10-15% off retail when they have to sell a load for the quarters.
Bingo. The customer has the ultimate power. Just patch up what you have and keep driving past the lot. No car is worth more than MSRP. The dealer profit is already built-in. Charging more, is just highway robbery, and any would-be customers need to tell them that.. Just keep driving and wave to the dealer/salesman.
Consumers can never utilize this power cause they would need to cooperate. Dealers are a much smaller group so they can do that. That's why workers can't do anything without a union.
I don't understand VAGs war on buttons. I can't touch my phone while driving, but it's cool to strap a massive table to the dash and scroll 3 menus to get my heated seats on.
Everyone is trying to beat Tesla to the bottom. In my opinion, the Golf 7 and pre-facelift second generation Tiguan had the perfect interior. Separate knobs for fan speed and temperature, dedicated buttons for defrost and heated seats, and all advanced options were a single button press away with the menu key. The infotainment display was also perfectly integrated into the dashboard. Not this "tablet stuck on the dashboard with Bluetack" look all the manufacturers think their customers want.
@JeanTheron-cf8zl yeah. Can't touch a phone but it's cool tonspend 3 minutes touching a screen to do something because it is mounted to your car.
It's amazing how it's even legal eh?
Because it's cheaper and easier to manufacture without buttons
Doubly click the hot and cold at the same time turns it on and you don't even have to look 😅 different doesn't mean bad you just have to learn the new short cuts like switching better android and apple.
Manufacturers have gone to capacitive touch and screens for one reason and one reason only, Cost Savings. The MK8 is a demonstration in cost savings.
Joke's on them. I'm practicing my own cost savings by not buying one.
Exactly, Jason.
Exactly -- they're cheaper to manufacture. They also advertise well and look good in photos of the car, and the company can market all the crammed-in features and functionality.
To me, eliminating buttons for touch-screens generally makes a car feel cheap. Luxury is now having buttons and switches. If you look at super high-end cars like Rolls Royce, they actually have really good buttons and switches. The opposite end of the spectrum is newer Teslas, with super cheap touchscreen-only interiors.
It's also a matter of feeling they must pile on all kinds of additional functionality/features and need some way to access it all. Many of these 'features' most drivers will never make use of.
Well they sure spent a hell of a lot of money paying the teenagers to redesign the entire interior of a car that was nearly perfect in the mk7.
Golf 7.5 was perfection
My 7.5 Golf R is 10/10 felt underpowered stock but stage 1 it feels amazing
@@jetrhofabrigardoesn't it make the engine less stable? Messing with these stages? Not trying to be a smartass I'm genuinely interested since I'd like a few more HP on my mk7 2016.
Love my 7.5!
@@ErmalStubllaI’ve been running an apr 93+ tune for two years now. It been great.
@@ErmalStubllastage 1 shouldn't be bad
I think a lot of these issues wouldn’t have been such a big deal if it wasn’t following up the mk7, which did such an amazing job of getting the basics right. The obvious cost cutting felt like a betrayal of the GTI/R’s reputation of feeling like it was a class above its price point
My 2015 GTI-S is amazing even after all these years.
I'm not sure it was cost cutting as it was spending the money in all the wrong places when it comes to the interior. A button can't cost that much right? 50 cents?
The "issue" is that these are simple issue no car manufactures should be getting wrong e.g. bad cup holders? No sunglasses storage, "engine cover" issues? With all the technology on new cars today VW is getting the mos basic analogue features wrong? Really? That's just total and unmitigated incompetence.
@@krane15I think there was a changing of the guard. The older engineers were probably overruled by younger designers
Yup, the Mk8 is unfortunately a common plague of modern cars all around with overdone tech that’s wayyy too complicated and no analog anything anymore.
I have a Mk7 GTI and I could never see myself getting a Mk8 because being analog is such an important factor for me. It’s not just vw, all manufacturers seem to be overdoing and over complicating tech. I’m a mechanic so I have to figure out this new stuff all the time
I personally find it despicable how integrated vehicle functionality has been placed into the infotainment screen. I’m a tech for an vehicle manufacturer and there’s a van that lost its HVAC controls after a botched software update and over a month later we still can’t get the customers van back to them because we’re waiting on a software fix. What happens when the hardware fails and it can’t be replaced because it’s no longer manufactured. Vehicle obsolescence is becoming way to sever of a problem for how expensive cars are becoming.
Great video, very thorough. The main problem with the Mk8 is that the Mk7 was near damn perfect and they changed it a lot, and not for the better. We sold our '22 GTI prematurely and briefly considered a new Golf R, but the local TX dealer wanted $71k 😆 We ended up with a M240i which is good, but we miss our VWs.
71k HELL NO!!!!
@@DontDrinkTheFlavorAidnot it the RS3 is also marked up 😂
@@phillxortrue
nothing wrong with a m240. i feel BMW is still 'that' car for enthusiasts. #drivingexperience
71K? Jeezus - that dealer should be shut down by VW. Absolute batsh!t insane.
This channel has been my go to channel for VW Golf MK8 stuff. I actually ordered mine in the summer of 2021 and got it in the summer of 2022 (through multiple delays and chip shortages in the EU) Even though it’s a regular one and an estate, still the best place to learn stuff about my car. Thank You @HumbleMechanic for being as awesome as you are! 🙌🏼 Greetings from Estonia! 🇪🇪
Across the board, not just VW, not just cars, technology has gone too far. It’s time to back it up about a decade and stay there.
Tech for the sake of tech. Hey, look what we can do!
@@dudley7540 meanwhile we are thinking “hey, look what you can don’t”
We're gonna sound like such boomers to kids of the future
So counter technology? I don't think that's going to happen.
Toyota is staying in the decade behind game
Charles, I met you when you, Chris, Eric and some other car-tubers during a meet at Venice Beach before SEMA 2018. Just picked up a Mk7 GTI, I have a whole bunch of your content to watch now. 👍
Oh man that’s a throwback. Hahah congrats on the 7!!!
Because they botched interior finish quality and topped it off with terrible ergonomics with touch hvac controls.
Then raise the price by $10k
I was super skeptical at the start but after a few weeks it’s no different to operating a phone. Comes second nature.
@@lindsay9697this. The people who complain about it haven’t used it for more than 5 min.
@@Flysh24 absolutely correct.
The interior feels just fine, feels like a $40k to me 🤷♂️
I have a 2022 as well and got the travel assist problem. New steering wheel later and fixed. I also had a problem with wireless apple CarPlay…and replacement of the WiFi unit and that’s fixed too. Other than that, I’ve really enjoyed the car a lot.
Haptics and lack of physical buttons for basic functions.
One word: T E S L A.
Very easy to use…. 🤷🏽♂️
@@rinodoog knobs are even easier to use. You don’t even have to look at them. It’s all muscle memory. It’s ironic how texting while driving is illegal, yet all new cars have a giant phone in the center console.
@@ligma9260 All the cars are like this…. the only button that i touch is the volume on my steering wheel… i put the temperature at 21 and never touch it again.
@@rinodoog yea I understand that’s what’s common now a days. But it’s insanely asinine that you can’t text and drive but you can tap around and take your eyes off the road to fumble with your giant iPad in the center console. One of the main reasons I refuse to buy a new car. That and the prices.
I took the engine cover off my 23 Tiguan SE R-line supa fast suv(😉) when I installed my APR Carbon Fiber Open Box CAI and the engine oil temps are running soo much lower. I was seeing up to 221, but now the hottest it’s read was 214. Also, I tried a really good non-VW 508 0W20 oil for a few thousand miles and the oil temps were out of control! Never use non-VW 508 0W20 oil. These gen 3 and 4 EA888’s truly do operate best on 0W20/30(R). Love your videos, keep it up 🤘🤘
The problem with the MK8 is that the MK7/7.5 was amazing and got the basics right. So the MK8 was a regression.
As a MK7R owner, I'll keep it forever. But swapping the MK8 drivetrain would be sweet...
Swapping the powertrain, seats and HUD, would be awesome.
I just hit 36k on my MY22 MK8 R. I love the car. Its the best that I have ever owned. I even previously owned an MK7 GTI. I've had the steering wheel repair done, and surprisingly, the cupholder had to be replaced twice. The puddle lights warped to where the "R" emblem became a bloated light blob on the ground, but that's been it. I did go aftermarket for a carbon fiber engine cover, but I DO LOVE this car. I enjoy watching you on VW Cup as well!
I went through chick-fil-a the other day in my MK6 R and they wrote down that it was a crossover. So I would take SUV as a compliment.
HAHAHAHAH
I play that game with my mk4. Toss up on "crossover" or "suv". I've also seen sedan a couple times. My mk6 is usually SUV :(
used to work at CFA, they don't have hatchback in their system 😭
THEY KEEP DOING IT TO ME IN MY MK7 like dude this is THE hatchback lmao
Shoulda got the coupe
I just bought a 2024 GTI Deep Black Pearl and I love it . I has some quicks, but everything else is great from the gas mileage and driving of the car on the twists. Love your reviews.
I’m 64 and blessed to be able to have owned brand new Mk I GTI, 2 Mk 2 GTI’s (both 8v, 16v you had to wring the engine out to get the benefit of the 16v) and a Mk I R (2012), and I have to say, the Mk I and Mk 2 GTI’s were the most fun to own and drive. I could do a lot of the maintenance myself and there wasn’t so much electronics on them.
Same for the Scirocco of that era. Although, I have a weak spot for the Corrado, especially in that yellow.
Agreed!
They where fun for there time newer vw gti's R's scirocco also fun especially DSG gearboxes when you getting older and tired of pressing clutches are so much fun😊😊
Hmm, you sound like me. I'm 68 and my first VW was a used 1970 Fastback my dad got me to get to my Summer job. In 1983 I got a new mk1 GTI, then a new mk2 88 GTI 16V (I disliked that you had to wring it out), then a new 92 Corrado SLC which I still own, a new mk4 2004 GTI VR6 that got struck by lightning, a new mk5 2006 GTI, and a new 2015 Sportwagen TDI. The mk1 GTI was the most fun due to the lightness and manual steering. I do all my maintenance. That is why I quit buying new VWs. In a previous video Mr. Humble Mechanic said my VCDS won't work with the mk8s.
I've had my MK8 GTI for 3 years and I love it. For a front wheel drive it has a good amount of giddy up and go, the sound of the exhaust note is really good in sports mode and you remove the parcel shelf and I've got mine with the full luxury package and sunroof and on nice sunny days the car is awesome. The people who complain about the haptic buttons don't own a MK8. I was looking at a Toyota at one stage and all their buttons on brand new cars look like they've come out of the 80s. My version with the heated and ventilated seats on a cold morning just rock. Only issue I have is that when in full sports mode and have a bit more fun the fuel goes down as the speed goes up, so she thirsty!
I love mine. I never had a MK7 but had a 6 GTI, 6 R and 4 GTI and they were all great. I wanted a GR Corolla but after test driving it, feeling how unapologetically rental car the interior is and a 10k ADM, I walked on it . Found a MK8 GTI 40th the next day for MSRP, drove it and realized how I love VW and drove it home. It took just a couple days to get used to the interior functions and I love them now. Crazy thing is my 24 Rav4 Hybrid has a way worse functioning infotainment and a much cheaper interior (and for much more money spent.).
As a driving instructor, my student on skidpad had one of these and I was ultimately impressed how such an inexperienced driver ended up looking so good sideways on a wet circular SkidPad. Just seeing this car sideways and watching the driver able ble to straighten the car back out was very impressive.
It is a great car but the monobrow styling in the front puts a lot of people off.
Thanks for all the little issues , just waiting for my Kings Red 24 GTI arriving in August . It has plenty of power for city and hwy driving plus verry good mileage. NowI have a shopping list of parts to order for mine. Thanks for your informative videos and Love that blue on your R.
Not long to wait now, enjoy your new car bro . Sounds lush
Enjoy! I too bought a 24 Kings Red GTI Autobahn brand new last year. Absolutely love the car! its so much friggin fun, definitely worth the wait.
Just got the GTI end of July and is sitting in the garage waiting for the Stek protevtive to be installed in two weeks. Love the response and quick acceleration and the adjustableity of the suspension and steering feel .
@@drhav1c981 I totally agree , wife and I enjoy the six speed , yes well worth the five month wait.
@@russellvoth5161 glad to hear! Such a smooth ride. Have a good one bro
Not to mention us DSG owners that have to kill auto/start-stop every time we start the car, and it’s also in the infotainment menu, no physical button. Yes, it can be flashed off permanently, but already have a passive/aggressive relationship with the dealer, rather not make it even more complicated.
Would the stop start being on at startup possibly be to newer Euro regulations or something? Have been in a few newer Euro cars and they all seem to behave this way.
@@diarx1 yes. the emissions testers will not reconfigure the car at all, so OEMs make sure the most compliant settings are present at ignition.
that in itself would drive me crazy.
They sell a module that plugs in the button that automatically pushes the button. No flashing needed.
I’ve fitted an inline module to the stop start switch and no longer have to worry. It only cost a few quid too 👍
Some of the design choices felt like the engineers were justifying reasons to have their jobs, instead of actually improving driver experience. I had the 2023 AE for a half year prior to trading. The thing that absolutely bugged me the most was the headlight controls or lack there of. Instead of a circular dial as in previous models, VW swapped in a tap button, WTF. The headlights are completely automatic and cannot be dimmed while driving over 5MPH. This was aggravating because there are situations when I need control to dim my headlights on a daily basis. This type of tap control put me in awkward situations and is terrible in when a driver needs to adjust the headlights. The car was a blast to drive, no complaints there, and only suffered from annoying features.
Have a Mk7.5 GTI and have zero interest in the MK8. I think it looks fat/bulky and kind unattractive. The interior/cockpit treatment just makes it worse, no buttons and putting everything behind a screen that’s slow and laggy. 🤦♂️ The cost is still about $7-10k more than it should be…count me out and probably will be switching brand when it’s time to unload the MK7.5
I really wish you guys over the pond got the mk8 gti cs
My Mk1 Jetta GLi coupe laughs at your haptic steering wheel and dodgy infotainment center. But cup holders and a hood strut would be nice...along with all-wheel drive, AC, and a turbo. Oh, and sunglasses holder too! 😄
All joking aside it's a technological wonder, but sadly it isn't made to last. I doubt these will last 40 years like my Mk1, but you'll have fun for a time. Always enjoy your videos Charles - cheers!
Still loving my 7.5 R and this makes me feel even better
7.5 is peak vw design other than mk4+mk2 IMO
It's a love / hate relationship for me with my 2024 R. I was lucky and my dealer didn't jack the price up. The infotainment is a HUGE pain. The lag between the gas pedal and the actual "go" is way too long IMO. Sweet rims on yours and I hope it found a good home. Thanks for the honest review.
I hate it because it doesn’t have enough touchscreens. I wanted touchscreens to replace the steering wheel, pedals and the transmission lever. I can’t wait for all glass windows/windshields to be replaced with touchscreens, requiring the driver to operate the vehicle via a VR headset.
Why not make the car itself a touchscreen with wheels? And then to top it off we can put some touchscreens on the rims too!
@@DioTheGreatOne My touchscreen spouse said that would look ugly unless tire sidewalls are touchscreen as well.
Thanks Charles - great summing up (as usual). I can get used to pretty much anything as long as I have a good driving experience. What I cant forgive is a boring color palette and dealer rip-offs (I mean "mark ups"). I was fortunate that my local dealer wasnt attaching a mark-up when I bought my Spektrum but I am certain that when the 8.5's come around he will go for the gusto - cuz, you know, GREED is the in thing
The haptic only buttons isn't a good move, but it will really be bad for the 3rd+ owner at 6+ years old when they start acting up.
It's not even a problem for reliability's sake. The problem is that you can't literally do ANYTHING while driving, without removing your eyes off the road.
In my 370z; while driving, I can effortlessly touch and feel exactly where the buttons are for adjusting volume, station, heating, climate, ventilation, seat heating, seat adjustment, mirror adjustment. Everything, without taking my eyes off the road.
Not that I need to do those things constantly...but the mere fact that YOU CAN'T do it in these new cars is morbid. We recognize the hazard of texting while driving, using mobile phones while driving - while at the same time, we completely ignore the fact that people fiddle and play around on the screen in their car to do a basic thing such as OPEN THE GLOVE COMPARTMENT (fckn tesla).
Tesla bots: I don't see the problem? Are VW buyers too old to know how to push buttons?
use the info system how they intended you too
with your voice
anyhow it’s a small price when you compare the 7.5 in the performance stakes
Iv not had one mk7.5 R or gti owner come close to our mk8 gti CS
even a TCR doesn’t pip it
(I came from a 7.5 R too)
@@TheYorkshiregolfbandit
Maybe you can talk over a wimpy factory radio....
@@filip000 Wow, you can't develop muscle memory and have to "feel" your way around a car you've owned for, presumably, longer than a week?
That's like... yikes. Have you consulted with a neurologist?
Charles was so much nicer and more professional than I can ever be when discussing the Mk8 quirks and interior… 👀
Great video as usual, friend. 🍻
Despite actually owning and living with a mk8 I think I've thought about the touch screen less than any reviewer who has only had it for a week.
Also, shoutout to a fellow that has set all the lights to purple, the objectively best color.
Great review! You were very thorough and all the attention was on the car and not you, something other reviewers should take notice of.
With the loss of the manual gearbox, it's a little sad to think that the best Golf R was already sold.
I live in ca traffic is nuts.
@@peter-pg5yc The problem is CA, not manual gearboxes.
@acefighterpilot embrace it while you can, because this segment will be extinct in a few years.
@@peter-pg5yc I lived in California for 20 years, SF and LA. Crazy traffic, sure. Always in a manual, as well.
Who wants to shift gears...it was cool when I was a kid
Had a GTI as a rental this year and i loved it. At first the LKA was extremally annoying and it took me few days to figure out how to turn that off but after turning all that stuff off it stays off between the starts (which is a plus in my book) and the car drives awesome. The haptic buttons on the steering wheel are a miss - i managed to turn the steering wheel heating multiple times by accident. But over the car is amazing. Clean design, very peppy, the gearbox is programmed correctly and the interior styling brings out the kid in me.
The biggest thing I hated about my Mk8 GTI was the fob, whoever though it was a good idea to not recess the panic button, but have all the other buttons recessed is a nut... I was constantly accidently pressing the panic button with the key in my pocket, while driving, getting in and out of the car...
Oh same!!! I had it go off while I was driving
Yep, mine went off two days ago. How can they not test things like this?
Yeah, if you have the key in your pocket, it will get stuck between your leg and the bolster and trigger the alarm.
I put a piece of tape over my panic button
It's so annoying, It went off at a gas station when a guy was walking in front of my car, I tried to tell him sorry but he just gave me a dirty look
I passed on the MK8 after seeing the interior and haptics and changed brand entirely. I had a Mk6 GTI, MK6 R, and finally a Mk 7.5 R, finally sold it 3 months ago and bought a Lexus IS500. Other than missing the manual and dealing with a slower (albeit extremely reliable) transmission. It was the best decision I made. No more rattly interiors and nothing but V8 goodness.
And $80+ dollar fill-ups to get 15mpg’s 🤣
@@JacesOwnWorld nah, 18 city 28 highway, not much worse then my mk 7.5.
@@Daeyxnot to mention the IS500 will actually hold value
Yeah bro no shit, that's completely different car and class and everything. How do you compare those two like wtf is your point? 😂
@@ivanjovanovic362 it’s not that much of a stretch, Golf Rs in Canada are 60k now, I bought my 7.5 for 45K in 2019. The problem is the MK8 is in a class of car it has no business being in for its price.
Heavily agree on the "better in person" thing. When I saw the reviews for the generation, I thought it was hideous. Then I saw my coworker pull up with a Blue Golf R, and traded in my Mk5 for a 40th GTI about 6 months later lol. Absolutely zero regrets. It's a fantastic car.
My wife’s ‘22 Tiguan is now on its third haptic button steering wheel. Travel assist error was the reason for the first replacement and probably why it was originally traded in at a gmc dealer. Originally the steering wheels were back ordered for over a year which given the incessant travel assist error I can under why someone would dump a one year old car at a gm dealer. The second replacement was due to faulty steering wheel heating. It just comes on at random and immediately at startup even in 100 degree temps. Really just a failure of engineering and execution on vw’s part.
And the egregious omission of illuminated controls on the head unit for volume and climate still continues in the 2024 atlas. Really a head scratcher they’d continue to push out such garbage knowing that everyone hates it. I’ve owned something like 10 VAG vehicles over the years but these last few years of poor design and execution really make me wonder about them.
Unfortunately we were one of those families. My wife's car came up, a 16 gti manual she took to 170+k, no problems, true love. When I finally asked why she was waffling so much replacing it she ranted at me about the mkviii. Ugly inside and out, far worse ui, same drive...and this is from someone who reads no reviews and had no prior well poisoning. She decided against it, we went on a euro trip where we rented a new golf...and she doubled down hard. It's still the same car she loved mechanically that whole time, but you can't call it better than a mkvii, and it's hard to buy after seeing that.
Still got my mkvii manual wagon, but it's well and truly resolved that they have abandoned my segment entirely.
I was unsure of the mk8 till I seen one in person, then I drove one and the pros outweigh cons imo. The seats are much better than the 7.5 as is the streering wheel, I got over the haptics in a couple of hours due to how good the car drives. I also enjoy the way the interior looks in comparison. Is it perfect nope, but I think its a improvement in all the areas that are most important to me.
Cope
@beemilker88
What am I coping here bot? ,, hum let's hear it
This explains why I kept looking at Rs and none of them had engine covers! Ended up with an S3 when it came down to it.
I test drove it on launch, and hit the r drive mode button twice on accident during the test drive (It's right where I have my thumb). That was that for me. The 8.5 is supposedly December, with the triumphant return of actual buttons. We will see how that goes, as this will likely be the last ICE Golf R.
Not for the R. The R will have haptic still. Allegedly anyway
I wonder if the GTI buttons can be retrofitted. I’m sure DAP will come up with something
Yes, like Charles mentioned, the 8.5 Golf R will be haptic-controls only. According to VW, they've modified the sensitivity of the controls on the periphery of the wheel so it's very hard to accidentally activate them.
@@hovan2yourjunk If I would ever buy a Mk. 8 with a haptic wheel, the first thing I'd do is see if they could swap the steering wheel for the one with buttons. There's no way it wouldn't work -- not only did VW already have a version of the wheel with buttons on lower trim levels of the same exact car, but just in the name of cost-cutting and inter-platform efficiency I'm sure the wheels are probably plug-and-play.
@@HumbleMechanic With the sensitivity "improvements", how will the haptics compare to real buttons?
Got it bang on - I’ve had my Mk8 for 18 months. To begin with I wanted my old car back, but once I got used to its new tech, I actually quite like it!
GTIs should max out at $30k and R’s should be $40k max. These things are ungodly overpriced, and no real buttons are the absolute worst.
Those days were both short-lived and long gone.
in EU they still ask 60-70k new
How can they be overpriced if they had a years-long waiting list?
I remember a few years back when the mk7 R was under 40k new.
the mk7 r msrp was 40k
Wow wow wow. Great video, appreciate the insights. Haptic Touch buttons that aren’t illuminated, bum shift knobs and no sunglasses holder are unbelievable whiffs by VAG on this gen.
I love my MK8 and I love the infotainment and steering wheel controls. Once you "get it" it's super easy to control in my opinion.
There are things that I dislike though like every car.
Golf 7.5 was probably the best generation of golf... Had the reliability of the Mk7, with some of the modern amenities of the 8 without the problems.
Love mine. Big upgrade from my wrangler. Everything was new to me anyways so I didn’t mind the touch and setup of controls and infotainment. Apple CarPlay is awesome. Lighting cable ports are cool. Cup holders are dumb, if you put anything there it gets directly in the way of shifting gears. I mostly drive in custom with the sport exhaust but it’s very nice to switch to comfort mode for a much less race-feel.
$22k for my new 2018 mk7.5 gti was a steal compared to these mk8 models. So happy i bought when i did.
Charles, I’ve been following you for years and have really enjoyed your content. I’ve had many VWs (1995 Jetta, 1999 Jetta, 2003 Jetta, 2010 Passat, 2018 GTI) however, I really don’t like the direction they’ve gone. I had that they’ve just continued to go down market over and over. I’m thinking the GTI will be my last VW and jumping over to Audi, however, I’m seeing that the new interiors are all going to the touch capacitive stuff, which I hate…
I drive a MK7.5 GTI. Stock for stock, the MK8 is unquestionably a better car to drive. It feels tighter, it's quieter and it's noticeably quicker. I love my Clark plaid, but I do find both the cloth and leather chairs in the MK8 to be comfier. But... the MK8 interior overall feels a bit cheap. The screens are sharp and the touch controls really aren't that bad, but climbing back into my 7.5 after sitting in a MK8, the older car has a certain "rightness" about it that's hard to quantify. The MK8 is good enough that I've seriously considered trading in to get one, but the MK7 is just that much better (to me) that I can never quite go through with it.
About the "it looks better in real life" thing, he's so right. I didn't quite like how it looked when I first saw it.. until I actually went and saw one in person, much better.
Great review, but I got a ‘23 anniversary edition and I absolutely love it!!! Sure the no button thing had to get some “getting used to” now it’s basically set and forget. As a daily it’s very good, and a “b” road carver it’s excellent, as a track day fun toy, bet you it will get to your limits before you get to its limits. All in all, my first Vee Dub and I’m impressed.
sweet thanks for this. Ive been looking at R's for a bit and was cautious of all the digital side of the R models. Glad to hear the issues have been solved. Also ive been finidng a bunch of R's now selling for under MSRP.
you can buy mine HAHAH! The car overall has been so much fun
@@HumbleMechanic lol I'll go through all the videos of you mk8 and decide from there!
I'm Keeping my MK7 R , Love it still, after 7 years of ownership. 😊
Same
I have a 2024 GTI DSG as my daily beater car and absolutely love it! The infotainment was a bit cumbersome at first, but now I don't think about it.
Removing the strut from the engine bay was enough for me to skip vw from now on. If they skimp on a hood support, that was there on the prior model, what else they cheapin' on?
I got my 2017 GTI and I love it. It feels like the perfect mix of mechanical switches and touch buttons. I'm hoping the Mark 9 is closer to the Mark 7 in that way.
I love the MK8 GTI as I bought one for my daily and I am a long time 911 collector so that should speak volumes. It’s light on its feet, chassis is dialed in and has outstanding build quality for a hot hatch. I am very experienced with performance cars from exotics to track cars over the last three decades and I know what I want and don’t want in a small performance car. The key to the MK8 GTI is get the 8.5” info screen with actual volume knobs. It gives you everything you could possibly want in a much smaller and less intrusive screen at eye level in a driver focused car. The GTI is damn near perfect and lighter on its feet than any awd that might be quicker from a start but not near as fun. FYI: my last daily was a M2 Comp and believe it or not the GTI is better built with no rattles or squeaks going over bumps even in the cold. It’s solid as a rock and at this price point, a bargain.
You hit the nail right on the head. I love my 24 GTI but those are definitely things that annoy me. Especially the dash temperature and volume controls not being illuminated. You can’t see them at night. My Road Sign Display has been acting up lately. The haptic buttons are okay but are a little too sensitive at times.
Starting the video strong with a clip from Charles' acceptance speech at the Playa Haters' Ball 😂
Hate hate hate hate
Took delivery Feb 2022. Heard all of the complaints and comments pre-delivery. Safe to say I have not had all of the problems others had to put up with. Love the car. It's a blast to drive and own. Got used to the haptics and submenu stuff. Had a 76 Scirocco, 84 and 2011 GTI and they were all wonderful cars, but this is the best.
The Dieselgate bills were also piling up at this point in VW history. For me, it was the different plastics between the front and rear door panels that tipped me off
I love my '22 GTI S dsg. I don't how I would drive without haptic. Its like going back from an iPhone 14 Pro S to a Blackberry. This car is a blast and has been very reliable. Water pump was replaced under warranty due to "seepage" but there was no actual water pump issue. An updated fixed my steering wheel error codes. I'm currently at 63,300 mi. Was APR stg 1 93 and now at Stg 1 E85. Been tuned for the last 30k miles. I had a '21 GLI dsg and a 17' Charger R/T before that. Also a manual NC Miata 6spd in the driveway.
Because it's not the MK7.5. I didn't say it's a good reason, but it's THE reason (the MK7 styling is better though).
HAHAAH the MK7.5 has really become one of the most loved GTI/R. I dont disagree, it's awesome.
We bought a first year (2015) mk7 GTI with a 2.0 6spd manual. We now have 130,000 miles on it, and the car has been amazing. Other than the recall for the suction pump in the fuel tank and a noisy rear wheel bearing ( which just occurred at 129k) it has been rock solid. Still has original brakes.
RIP the manual transmission
I'm tired of shifting anyway, but sucks for people who love to be on and off the clutch 200 times in a traffic jam.
Vag make awful manual boxes anyway, only honda make good/satisfying shift manuals!!!!
I own a Cupra Formentor VZ5, so basically a Golf 8 with an RS3 drivetrain.
And I love how it drives. Cornering is amazing, the power is insane, as is the sound. The car looks amazing, sometimes i just standing in front of it, just looking at it.
I like the seats and the steering wheel, too.
But I have a lot of concerns with the rest. The infotainment is still a topic of it’s own but even after 4 years of existence the software is still poor. It’s fine when it’s working but I am used to no issues at all from my Golf 7 I owned previously. At least I have a big fat button for turning of traction control LOL.
I also think the the interior quality is really bad and has dipped from Golf 7 to the newer platform. Basically everything is cheap hard plastic, you don’t get a cover for the cupholders in the middle anymore, the even got rid of the felt inside the door pockets.
If it wasn’t for the engine, I would’ve bought a BMW 3 series or a Golf 7.5 R.
I know a lot of manufacturers have dipped in quality but VW really has to step up their game interior wise. They charge premium prices for a car which is cheaper build than it’s predecessor.
My 2023 MK8 GTI is badass, nobody could change my mind ❤
I literally JUST bought a 2022 GTI (German here), basically new with less than 7k miles on it, fully decked out besides electric side mirrors because the car was manufactured during the electronics shortage so they left this out to actually have a car to sell. And I love to drive it. It handles fantastically! The touch buttons are.. not so great but also not terrible. You get used to them.
Still, man this thing is fun to drive.
Mk8 tip… if you tap both cold & hot hvac buttons for your side on the center console you turns on & cycle through the seat heater seatings without having to go to the climate control menu.
My 8 year old taught me as I was taking her to school 😂
Or they could just put a damn button on the console like EVERYONE else.
Shiiiiit what
I’ve always hated that interior in videos and pics, until I sat in one. It’s futuristic and makes other cars look old. I was surprised how much I loved it in person!
On the bright side, this is the car that made VW rethink the whole lack of tactile buttons concept.
They're still on the '25 R, I.D.4, Jetta, etc. Nothing has been re-thought because it's good as-is :p
@@nikolaibonnkarovsky6621 no they stated in interviews that they heard the feedback that people have the capacitive buttons. It's just not something that you change over night...
@@nikolaibonnkarovsky6621it takes years for changes to make it to production. They are going to bring back buttons for commonly used features.
I’m in the UK. It took two years for my 2023 Clubsport to be delivered. It the meantime the specifications had been updated and the prices increased. Volkswagen honoured the original deal and even bettered when it came to trade-in. (What are US dealers thinking?) I love the car. All those gripes across social media from people who drove the car for a couple of hours and thought they knew it.
Mk7.5 golf R is peak
Had an mk8 for almost 10k miles now. The buttons on the wheel are honestly completely fine. I prefer them, works just like a phone, never accidentally touch them. The buttons for AC can definitely be annoying sometimes but you get use to it after like a week tops. Otherwise no complaints, the car is awesome and fun.
Yep. Super fun car! Even with the quarks of the UI, you learn ways to work the system.
I bought a MK 7 to avoid the MK 8.
After driving an Arteon for more than 6 months with those haptic steering wheel and AC buttons I must say: It's not as bad as everyone says, it's fine. But it is surely not an advantage over the buttons that I had in my Passat of the previous generation. Being able to swipe to change the volume or the song is not an advantage at all. Neither is swiping to change the AC temperature.
You do get vibration feedback for pressing a button. Try it yourself before complaining.
I'll keep my physical buttons forever
Over here in Europe they cost even more… Without even any markups. Just a couple of months ago I bought a second hand Mk8 R Performance. When I checked the normal retail price here in Germany for a 2023 model it was sitting at 70kEuros. That is almost $76000! Insane! Generally cars in Europe are a lot more expensive than in the USA…
tax, even though this car is german.
To be expected. 19% of the price is VAT.
Only a USian would complain about cup holders.
What I don’t like is being forced to buy an automatic and a five-door. I’m sticking with my 7.5.
Okay 👍
My son just bought a mk8 gti. Such a great car. Impressed thoroughly and is beginning to convert me from jdm to euro
Good call out to the hill assist in the 6spd! It’s too aggressive and sucks until you get the hang of it.
Great video. I love my M8 Manual R. My complaints are as follows: (1) no hand brake; (2) "hill assist" is awful and makes the car more difficult to drive; (3) no sunglass holder; and (4) no "back lighting" on the controls. I live with or have remedied everything else. There are far more great features that more than make up for these issues. AWD makes a difference. A simple tune lights the car on fire. Handling / road holding is great. A manual is a must. It is much (as in 18 inches shorter) than the Honda etc. The smaller size is critical. The seating position and visibility is infinitely better than any of the competition and the seats are the perfect balance between being supportive for performance driving but comfortable for daily driving and exit and entry. If I had a UA-cam channel I might change cars more often. As it stands, when you look at what Honda, Toyota, Ford (by leaving the market) and Subaru have done, The 2024 Golf R may be the last true manual hot hatch ever. I regret missing the final model year of the Focus RS. No way I was going to miss such a chance again.
How is the original clutch holding up? Did you tune it?
@@AsierRiosMolina HELL YES I tuned it!!! Now my car performs like crazy when "given the beans." I chose the MK8 and "manual" but no "OMG" stock over the Audi RS3 and OMG but no manual EVER. With the tune and MK8, I have the manual, the OMG, and NO clutch problems at all. But let's be honest. The stock MK8 is hotter than anyone needs "on the streets" 99% of the time. The clutch is only stressed if you push the car to tuned torqued levels over stock, I do it. I love it. I can't and don't use it enough to damage anything. I have it when I need it but I really just want it. I love to amuse myself with power I don't need it and I can't "push" the clutch enough to seriously answer without heading to the track or landing myself in jail or memorialized by a road-side cross.
@@uscscjohnson haha cool! What tune did you use?
I bought a Mk8 Golf GTI 6MT SE. I wanted an Autobahn but getting one back at the beginning was hard. Drove to Richmond to get it because they weren’t charging any markup. I just never fell in love with it. I was bummed they deleted the H/K stereo on my particular car, the new headlights that didn’t follow curves felt like a downgrade, and within a week my shift knob literally broke in my hand. I was also shocked that it got worse fuel economy than my old Mk7, the interior never felt as nice, software was a disaster, and when I tuned it the clutch started slipping immediately even on the Uni low torque file… and my fuel economy went down even more just cruising on the highway at 78mph (to sub-29mpg). It also would slam on brakes every time I pulled out of my driveway as if I was about to hit something. By comparison when I tuned my Mk7 it ended up getting better highway mileage than it did stock (went from 34 to 36mpg), my clutch held up fine, too. I sold it after a year for just a little less than I paid for it. If I had gotten an R I would’ve been happier, but the GTI never felt that special like my previous earlier generations.
This makes me glad that we get the Mercedes A35 hatchback in the UK, and for a similar price to the Golf R. It's not perfect, the interior isn't exactly solidly put together, but it works really well with all the physical buttons you need and still one of the best infotainment systems around.
Mine's 5 years old now, and when I look at what's out there, there's nothing that really seems like an improvement over what I've got (without spending silly money).
I must have a lucky one. After 46,000 miles in my 22 GTI SE after almost two years now I still do not regret it to this day. Only issues I had was the steering wheel, door speakers, and a broken gas door flap from running through a car wash and a puncture in the OEM Goodyear tires. That’s it.
I never complained about the haptic buttons or infotainment. In fact I quite liked it. It was something different than what every other manufacturer is doing. I always like to say…remember when we had buttons on our phones? Apple or Android? Look at where we are now and almost everyone has one without buttons.
In conclusion I enjoy every minute of my GTI and plan to keep it as long as I possibly can. Hopefully forever so that way I can pass it down one day.
Steering wheel failure and alerts for travel assist? Yup, sure have that on my GTI. Taking it for regular 20k service next week and I am going to officially request steering wheel replacement. Those "pinging" alerts are really annoying.
Just curious, how many trips to the dealership did you have to make for this car compared to your Mk 7.5? I despise going to the dealership and will avoid going there as much as possible. (I have trust issues, I know). I am personally glad that I bought one of the last Mk 7.5 R's and have zero regrets not waiting for the Mk 8. I plan for this R to be my final new car purchase (hoping to retire in 4 years) and I really don't think that I could be happier unless I moved into an RS3 which is financially out of the question. As always, love your content and can't wait to see what your next project is.
My GTi with a piggy back tune drives like a dream. The electronics is not so good at 20k miles. my back camera black out randomly, it brakes hard randomly going over curb exits, Sunroof open/close on its own for 15min, Apple play black out too. I also blew 4 low profile tires hitting potholes. These are truly my experience, but i still love my car.
What is the wheel you are running. Maufaturer and spec? Love that look. Thank you. Great video!
We have a 2022 GTI. Just finished a 2k mile road trip. I will agree on the infotainment system. It sucks! Everything about it sucks. I hate they stole my knobs. The lag and general functionality is terrible. That being said I adapted to the things that annoyed me. Everything else on the car is great. Was impressed with adaptive cruise, Eco mode is phenomenal on gas and the heads up display on our autobahn is elite. We drove through Moab and monument valley and I couldn’t get enough of how well it handled.
Working in the dealership since the mark 8 and ID electric range I saw allot of problems with these cars and the Volkswagen handles the issues was never an acceptable solution in my opinion
The steering wheels that got replaced originally were never modified so they came back for another (nearly all models fitted with them wheels are now affected) when they did finally sort it
The infotainment system still has issues in 2024 replacing 5f modules and constant software updates
Water leaks are still in the common places of the 7 and 7.5
DSG leaks from the cover plates that you couldn’t get separate until recently
Gear selector issues, the brake master cylinders melting from the heat of the engine, the covers that are now available through the recall are still rubber compared to the plastic mark 7
I hope they have adapted the 8.5 properly for that release
Although the new 2024 Tiguan is also plagued with faults that the factory have no idea how to resolve
That water pump/thermostat leak and eventual failure is criminal. it's been an ongoing problem for generations of VW vehicles. Using a coagulating coolant to get around the problem is a deal breaker for me. No more VWs in my future.
@@paulherbert5548 yer they are not great that design 🙈 even the metal ones on the 1.5 and 1.0 engines are prone to leaking and the silica bags in the coolant reservoir bottle is another genius idea 🙈
I tried the other day an mk8 GTI and I have to say its a nice beautiful car. One thing that I really hated is the rev hang. On the manual transmission you are forced to granny shift to make it smooth. You try to beat it and the rev takes forever to go down while you change gear. For a sports car, I think that's something that should've been looked at.
I was in the fairly deep into the process of buying one of these when out of the blue the salesman said that that were adding 5k to the price as a "market adjustment". I just walked out of the dealership and then bought a gently used 2021 GLA45 AMG from Mercedes.