The New 2022 Volkswagen GTI Is Terrific, But Flawed
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Date: 2022-02-15
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Comments and reviews: 10
west
I have driven already over 10k miles with a regular mk8 Golf in Europe, and here is my take on the mentioned issues.
The climate controls situation is indeed not perfect and a separate panel with a knob would be better. Having said that, my car does not have heated seats, since I do not really need them, so actually I just keep the AC in the auto mode, tapping quite rarely the dedicated slider to adjust slightly the temperature by a degree or so. Therefore I get why people are complaining, but in my case since I do not really care about adjusting all the settings often, I do not get annoyed by the how they implemented the way of accessing them.
Now the infotainment. It could be better, it could be faster and more responsive. However again, personally I am always using wireless CarPlay, which works absolutely fine, with quick pairing and no disconnections, and having the screen split between Waze and a music app is pretty much all I need.
Generally speaking, I am absolutely happy with the Golf and really enjoying driving it.
By the way, it seems that all the Golfs tested in the US lack a nice feature of the optional matrix led headlights, with cool looking dynamic/cascading indicators in the front and in the back. If you order them, even the back lights design is different.
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I have driven already over 10k miles with a regular mk8 Golf in Europe, and here is my take on the mentioned issues.
The climate controls situation is indeed not perfect and a separate panel with a knob would be better. Having said that, my car does not have heated seats, since I do not really need them, so actually I just keep the AC in the auto mode, tapping quite rarely the dedicated slider to adjust slightly the temperature by a degree or so. Therefore I get why people are complaining, but in my case since I do not really care about adjusting all the settings often, I do not get annoyed by the how they implemented the way of accessing them.
Now the infotainment. It could be better, it could be faster and more responsive. However again, personally I am always using wireless CarPlay, which works absolutely fine, with quick pairing and no disconnections, and having the screen split between Waze and a music app is pretty much all I need.
Generally speaking, I am absolutely happy with the Golf and really enjoying driving it.
By the way, it seems that all the Golfs tested in the US lack a nice feature of the optional matrix led headlights, with cool looking dynamic/cascading indicators in the front and in the back. If you order them, even the back lights design is different.
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Michael
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.
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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.
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alxace
I like buttons and I cannot lie
I really do prefer to have buttons for common functions. That being said, I just can't understand why accessing the climate controls is such a big deal in all Doug's reviews. What do You guys do in there and why do You do it so often?
I only change the temperature a few times a year, depending on the season. I turn it down when it's cold outside and up when it's hot outside (there are a few exceptions, of course.
I occasionally turn on the defroster.
Not sure this comment will be seen by too many people, but I really am curious as to why someone would access the climate controls on a daily basis.
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I like buttons and I cannot lie
I really do prefer to have buttons for common functions. That being said, I just can't understand why accessing the climate controls is such a big deal in all Doug's reviews. What do You guys do in there and why do You do it so often?
I only change the temperature a few times a year, depending on the season. I turn it down when it's cold outside and up when it's hot outside (there are a few exceptions, of course.
I occasionally turn on the defroster.
Not sure this comment will be seen by too many people, but I really am curious as to why someone would access the climate controls on a daily basis.
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Moe
I am currently testing the Seat Arona FR right now for an auto magazine in Switzerland and it honestly blows the Golf out of the water even though VW positions Seat below themselves. The Seat look more aggressive, the interior is great, the infotainment is leagues above the Golf's, and it's cheaper! Worst of all, it's literally based on the VW Polo! Its crazy how Porsche, Audi, & Seat get their cars right but VW always gets it wrong.
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I am currently testing the Seat Arona FR right now for an auto magazine in Switzerland and it honestly blows the Golf out of the water even though VW positions Seat below themselves. The Seat look more aggressive, the interior is great, the infotainment is leagues above the Golf's, and it's cheaper! Worst of all, it's literally based on the VW Polo! Its crazy how Porsche, Audi, & Seat get their cars right but VW always gets it wrong.
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Bill
Doug, I want you to actually DRIVE AROUND while you talk about quirks and features, trying hit one of those capacitive touch pieces of crap without tactile feedback. You can't. and keep your eyes outside the car. And you can't just glance at it, because getting close and working by feel is impossible. It takes a concentrated stare and jab, trying to time it with the jostling of the car. Awful. Awful. Awful.
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Doug, I want you to actually DRIVE AROUND while you talk about quirks and features, trying hit one of those capacitive touch pieces of crap without tactile feedback. You can't. and keep your eyes outside the car. And you can't just glance at it, because getting close and working by feel is impossible. It takes a concentrated stare and jab, trying to time it with the jostling of the car. Awful. Awful. Awful.
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Robert
I got rid of my VW Passat because of irritating driver assistants that can't be permanently turned off. The tech is just ruining these new cars. Taking over the steering wheel is hugely annoying. Can the lane keep assist on the VW Golf GTI be turned off permanently? Those touch controls took the car of my list without even driving it. I can't believe they thing that interface is great ergonomically.
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I got rid of my VW Passat because of irritating driver assistants that can't be permanently turned off. The tech is just ruining these new cars. Taking over the steering wheel is hugely annoying. Can the lane keep assist on the VW Golf GTI be turned off permanently? Those touch controls took the car of my list without even driving it. I can't believe they thing that interface is great ergonomically.
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Kyle
Couldn't agree more on the technology flaws. I recently had a MK8 Golf rental (context, I currently own a MK7 Golf Alltrack, and found the controls to be extremely annoying. At first, I chalked this up to a learning curve, but after 8 days, I didn't have any better handle on what was happening than I did in the first five minutes. All in all, the technology and controls would be a deal breaker for me.
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Couldn't agree more on the technology flaws. I recently had a MK8 Golf rental (context, I currently own a MK7 Golf Alltrack, and found the controls to be extremely annoying. At first, I chalked this up to a learning curve, but after 8 days, I didn't have any better handle on what was happening than I did in the first five minutes. All in all, the technology and controls would be a deal breaker for me.
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Javier
I don't get the big deal of the new VW infotainment. I have to admit that I don't touch the climate controls 99% of the times. I just set it once to the temperature I want and forget about it. The only times I touch it is to put heating/ventilated seats or heating steering wheel, defog the glass and press the temperature on the auto feature if I want the selected temperature quicker
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I don't get the big deal of the new VW infotainment. I have to admit that I don't touch the climate controls 99% of the times. I just set it once to the temperature I want and forget about it. The only times I touch it is to put heating/ventilated seats or heating steering wheel, defog the glass and press the temperature on the auto feature if I want the selected temperature quicker
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gopdogg
I d argue that it s more expensive to manufacture these new sliders and integrate them into the electronics of the new vehicle rather than simply recycling a knob from the existing VW corporate parts bin. This is more of an indication of VW trying to be hip and up-to-date rather than being ergonomically and functionally conscious with their interior design.
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I d argue that it s more expensive to manufacture these new sliders and integrate them into the electronics of the new vehicle rather than simply recycling a knob from the existing VW corporate parts bin. This is more of an indication of VW trying to be hip and up-to-date rather than being ergonomically and functionally conscious with their interior design.
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SynchroSk8
I ve been a Volkswagen enthusiast since I was a kid. I ve been a VW owner since 1998. I really like the look of the new GTI a lot but that climate control/seats really does bug me. I am hoping they are listening to us and making those improvements in future versions. I want to have buttons for the heated/cooled seats and climate control.
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I ve been a Volkswagen enthusiast since I was a kid. I ve been a VW owner since 1998. I really like the look of the new GTI a lot but that climate control/seats really does bug me. I am hoping they are listening to us and making those improvements in future versions. I want to have buttons for the heated/cooled seats and climate control.
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