Fellow Mk7.5 GTi driver got mine with the performance pack as well great spring, summer, autumn daily. I don't winter drive it as I live in Canada and have a awd Tucson for the winter that my wife drives year round. i love the car I chose the gti because I wanted to mod it and not drive it in the winter regardless because of road salt and corrosion being a factor long term, being almost 15k in price tags vs the R at the time in 2019. got a resonator delete stage 1 unitronic ecu/tcu, APR open carbon intake and inlet upgraded on Bilstein B8's. cars phenomenal, I will say the oem suspension rides hard that was my only quam and once tuned the power stays on full throttle rolling thru shifts resulting in a much faster feeling car. the 7 speed (dq381) was a little underwhelming as well as far as the dsg farts go but the tune fixed that right up. :D
I've got a 2018 PP, love it, didn't even test drive an R as I wanted the lighter car, not interested in launches/0-60's etc. The grip from the diff is laugh out loud amazing, the brakes are excellent too. Mine is stage 1 from Unicorn, made 245bhp prior to map and 305bhp after with 370 lbs/ft. I've since added the pikey R600, MTC turbo inlet pipe/elbow and MTC intercooler which have made a significant difference on top of the stage 1, so running maybe in the region of 320 bhp now. Am considering a bigger turbo etc but for now it's more than fast enough. Great car, can't think of much I'd replace it with.
Love the video and this car. I have a 7.5 as well but in California - managed to track down a manual which is super super rare over here (thanks to my wife spending months making it happen as a surprise!) anyway here is around 220 bhp but I believe that’s a combo of lower grade fuel and emissions laws etc and is such a fun car. Had it since 2020 so not done many miles yet - has been a dream car and always will be!! Also love that you kept the bit when you lost your keys in the video!! 😂
One of the advantages of the torque vectoring haldex diff that i never hear mentioned is in mud and snow. We live on single track roads in east cumbria and pulling over onto the bog of the grass / mud verge's usually means you're stuck, the wheel on the mud just spins out and that's you stuck. This diff pulls me off the mud with no problem, light throttle and you can feel it work and you inch forward. A tractor i pulled over for leaned down out of the cab and said you'll not get off that verge now, 6 inches of snow , i edged forward and no problem....we met a few days later and he asked me how, i said diff and tyre's. With all season tyres I've driven through snow drifts above bumper height with little problem. Great car.
Have the mk7.5 GTI. Love it, love the practicality of it too, for a daily car it's a fantastic all-rounder. A long commute to work I get 40mpg which I think is excellent... may be open to opinion but i genuinely feel 230bhp is a great sweet spot for a hot hatch. Love how iconic they are with tartan. Seems to be a common problem with the leaking water pump and thermostat housing which is disappointing which I had to do, but other than that pretty reliable, especially standard like mine. (Currently 42k)
I just sold my Challenger GT and planned on a Golf R. After seeing so many reviews I decided to buy a 2014 GTI for 3 x less than I sold the Challenger for! After a stage 1, the GTI is faster than the GT! So much fun to drive! Thanks for the review :)
3 years in, I'm loving 'Isaac' - my 2018 'Isaac Blue' Golf GTI 7.5 Performance DSG 5dr (GPF). Currently on 27k miles. Had the ECU & TCU remapped (APR) last year (312hp/476nm) and it totally changed the car! One thing I'd watch is the clutch on manuals - they're really weak. Great to see you're happy with your GTI Performance, I look forward to seeing more videos of it 😁 Keep up the good work! 🖖
Had one with same paint and tartan seats, loved it for the 21 months I had it! Glad you’re having fun with yours. Once nursery bills came in mine had to go… currently looking for another one now he’s started school 😉
Stage 1 deffo worth it, yeah? I'm considering it, too, but really undecided. Part of me loves that you can use all the power in the GTI, I feel like that's what makes it such a good all-rounder. I don't wanna lose that characteristic as it is my family wagon on the weekend lol, but at the same time, I am a little used to the power and wanna feel 300bhp.
I've got non dcc with Eibach springs, they ride smoother than stock and just took away the annoying arch gap, fitted 15mm/12mm spacers too, looks great, kind of oem plus.
I had the EA888 in my Cupra a couple years back, that made 295bhp. FWD with traction off was hilarious. So 300 ish sounds about right for this with that diff!
Wouldn't remap a manual (DSG would be a different story). 3 years on and I still love my 2018 non PP manual WSM (best colour btw). Still on stock power which is quite adequate for daily use and giving my GF a bit of a thrill with some spirited driving up the twisty back roads at the weekend. I was considering stage 1, but my VW technician buddy talked me out of it (didn't want a performance clutch). I scratched the itch with a few minor cosmetic mods, 18 inch OEM Prets, TCR spoiler lip and a Clubsport steering wheel, plus dynamic centre caps and OEM mk 8 GTI interior mats (as they have the red border), I think that's about it. The money I saved goes into regular servicing, ceramic coating, Pilot Sport tyres, regular detailing, etc. etc. I have to say that my car is a fantastic all rounder and I get a lot of compliments on it
Considered the R but bought a new 2019 7.5 PP DCC Manual GTI off the lot. It has been 30k of sublime driving bliss, a few speeding tickets and is more fun than a stolen go cart. It is my wife's daily driver and she isn't a car person but there has been some tension over who gets to drive it.
i have a Mk7 Gti Performance pack, which came fully loaded with leather & DSG rather than manual ,which i now definately prefer, you can still enjoy it,had it ten years this year, due to overseas trips, its only done 23 K but been serviced annually on plan 10 times at VW, 7:5 is nice car but i prefer the Mk7 dash and interior but accept most cars improve slightly dynamically..mine fells better than new and put new tyres all round thats renewed my love of it.
Options are DSG, Dynamic Chassis control, Dyn Audio or Bose sound system, sun protection glass, panoramic roof. 7.5 performance is almost the perfect car, great performance and great fuel economy with quality, handling, ride and comfort to equal and best most other cars.
I have also 2019 PP GTI but with DSG. Tuned to stage 1 and it now has 322hp and 460nm. Also car is getting Bilstein B6 shocks and Eibach Pro-kit springs. Only thing I hate is GPF that is very annoying when doing cleaning cycle. Fuel economy drops very much and throttle seems to hesite too.
@@MauriceNL1 It is apparently tied to the temperature of the GPF, the car might still be close to operating temperature but the GPF is too cold for its optimal operating. So the higher rev is basically dumping excess fuel to burn off in the exhaust to bring the GPF up to temperature. :)
Interesting m8. I got a standard mk7 golf r manual and a remapped golf mk7 gti manual 300bhp. The insurance is cheaper on the r. Lol. The gti is more fun, but I think it's because it's tuned, got induction etc. I do prefer the inside because the tartan red seats and extras make it look better. The r is an amazing machine tho, expecially in the winter when the roads are wet and icy, u can put the power down all day long. I think the gtd is redundant aswell, as I had one before the gti, it was actually boring(dsg). Also the mpg in the gtd was worse than the gti, I think it must have been because it was dsg v manual! If the r was tuned then it would probably be a different story. I ❤ my gti!
I had a MK7 Gti for 4 years and traded it in for a BMW X1 (what was I thinking??). I kept it for 4 weeks, it was sooo boring, luckily WBAC bought it off me for a great price and I ended up with about £250 in my pocket 🙂I then went and bought a Mk7.5 Gti ( which I've still got) and took the 19" Brescias off to replace them with 18" Belvedere's, which, because of their lightness, really improve the handling. Absolutely love this car, I will say though that the standard wheels on the MK7 (Austins?) do look quite good and I used to get loads of compliments with them on too. Just to add, that when I was looking for a 7.5 there was also an R (same year) at the same dealers. I test drove both and preferred the 7.5. I also think there are too many base model R's about. I'm sure I also read that in the 7 or 7.5 R's, that sat nav wasn't standard (actually think it was the mk7). I also straightaway noticed that the standard exhaust definitely sounds more meatier on the 7.5 than the 7 (even my wife mentioned it and she would just buy a car based on badge design and/or colour 🙂)
You have one of the most tunable engines made today so you may as well take advantage of that. If you go with the APR+ (available at licensed dealers), APR will replace the factory warranty on the engine, providing you with the same warranty protection as stock, and giving you the nearly 300 HP you desire. I have a MK7 Golf R manual (with upgraded clutch) that is tuned to Stage 2 (by APR). It is crazy fast, is very easy to launch, and sticks like glue to wet pavement making driving in the rain a cinch. You can't say that about the GTI.
I sold my ABM golf gti performance yesterday after a wonderful 2 years and 33k miles. its going to be missed and ngl I think ill be back in a 7.5. likely to be a TCR but yeah I cant recommend a Mk7.5 golf gti enough. they're such good cars
I sense you like the car as it is, so don't change it. Spend your money on the Clio (if you still have it - i can't keep pace with the chopping and changing) or other projects. Did you ask my opinion? I've forgotten.
Just wanted to say thanks for this video. Im in the market to get rid of my 2010 MK6 GTD and I've had my heart set on a 7.5 R for a while and been researching up plenty - started seeing a lot of mentions for the 7.5 GTI PP and I'm seriously considering it. Weighing up the differences between the 2 and in reality I think Im leaning towards the GTi PP more now - all about whether I want that weight saving vs AWD (when it comes on) - theres about a 5k diff between age/miles of ones Ive seen. Ideally would like DCC but seems like a very rare option. Theres a showroom with a DCC R and Non DCC GTI PP near me so might have to try and arrange a drive with both to see the difference. Read in another comment about you getting a remap so going to look up to see if youve done a vid on it. Hoping you are still liking it - thanks again for a nice video with some decent in-life comments. Mine is going to be a daily driver for some fun and also for my family of 4 so I need some middle ground!
Thanks for the kind words Jonathan! I am indeed still loving the car. And I promise to do a remap video soon. In my latest 'ring trip video you can see some autobahn stuff which is where the remap has really excelled.
@@TyredFormat Yeah I did watch that seemed a lot of fun. Seem to be reading and watching alot between the 2 variants and my head is sayinng GTI just because Im probably not going to utilise all of what the R offers. Deffo need to get out to try some 18 vs 19 with/without DCC as the answer to that seems to be the key to unlocking what to buy.
@@jonathanphang I havent really tried DCC so im not the best to report, but personally i find the standard GTI ride is "Just right". 100% have a go in some Dcc/Non DCC cars.
DCC is great (sport is super firm and the car is on rails) that said I'd personally choose the car in the best condition/miles. Also it is just another thing to break eventually.
Genuinely considering one of these as a replacement to my Abarth 595 (a similar jump in size from your Up!). I'm doing more miles recently and it's not cutting it in terms of comfort anymore. I decided to compare insurance of a GTI PP and R and the GTI was cheaper by over £500 a year. Absolute no brainer in my mind to go with the GTI I think.
I've got the one with DCC and tbh its too stiff, even on the smooth roads i got locally here (Sweden). Also i wish for more in-depth customizable drivers profiles, wish i could choose the sharper steering ratio without the suspension getting stiffer. Overall I'd say the car is great and drives great, gonna remap it soon. I've got a Racingline intake (for now) and it's worth the money just for the pure turbo sounds it makes.
Its funny to hear you say how nice the gearbox is because on the GTI forums I have been on all think it is crap. I didn't think is was great but with a couple small mods it is way better.
I think a lot of it is personal preference. Also, a lot of people blindly believe the DSG is better because it makes fart noises and can do 0-60, and anything else is a bit too oldschool. But as I say, I personally prefer the connection it gives.
Hi just found your channel, I'm a Fast Ford owner Iam not a chav before anyone comments. Just wondering what ford are you reviewing? As a package I think the Ford Fiesta ST either the MK7 or the Mk8 is better than the Focus. I had Focus RS and I didn't enjoy that car as much as my Fiesta ST. I know the Fiesta has a image problem but the car is fantastic from a pure drivers point of view has a diff and they feel that they have a better power to weight ratio. Good video, VW cars haven't been on my radar, I have been tempted by a Seat Cupra, I guess it is an image perception, good review was a good insight👍
Thanks dude! I love the MK8 Fiesta ST, such a shame its going away. The car I had for a week was the Puma ST, which as you probably know is a Fiesta ST with a few more pounds added on... will release a video on that next week probably as well as a written article.
@@TyredFormat I look forward to your review, I was offered a Puma before I got my 8.5 last year, not sure about the Puma🤔 I was lucky I got one of the last 3 door models, I'm keeping this car feels like they have improved the way it drives from my previous MK8, feels better damped still firm but handles the bumps better and has slightly better traction in the bends👍
@@stephenheyes1487 Damping on those Fords is always incredible considering the price point and its beam axle. I took it out on my favourite local route (also used by Harrys Garage lol) and usually its a real bump-stop finder. Fiesta ST was fine... so was the puma!
@@TyredFormat Yeah I have seen some other reviews about to the Puma ST for a SUV you would be fooled thinking it was a smaller Hot Hatch, it handles that well, I just didn't need the extra space the Puma offers, sad it Will be the last ST, soon😥
Nice chilled videoZ just bought an s3 2018 with a great spec but do have something for Gtis, especially the mk7.5! S3s/Golf Rs do have a bad name which is annoying because I don’t associate but lovely cars power wise
Love it dude, great video and hopefully we see more of this one. It's reignited my hunt for a decent one! Did you say it has DCC or not? If not, how is it with the standard set up? I've been craving one with everything à la Prosser, but might need to get used to the idea of compromising on something. More GTI content please!
Ive got a mk7 GTI PP and i know that the mk7.5 is a better car, but is it 4k better (what i would need to upgrade). Im not sure...hate the digi dash, but would love the stereo and diff upgrade. Nice video, more gti reviews would be good if you end up doing the mods 👍
Hi great video, i've had a mk7 performance pack in the past. I currently have a mk3 TTRS but looking to reduce my outgoings as i have a mk5 golf for a daily. I have been looking at golf R's but im not sure if i need it. Was there any reason you didnt consider the TCR? or even the cupra's?
TCR is DSG only! And I don’t like DSG. Also since I’ve had another GTI 7.5 it was a safe bet getting one over a cupra. I’m sure the cupra is just as good!
Great review. Was watching a magazine video just before, that was 10 min of BS cliches stitched together. Am looking for a 7.5 Performance, but cannot decide on gearbox. I would love to hear more of your experience of it. Town driving, hill starts, rpm in 6th vs dsg in 7th, sort of stuff.
Anything with a turbo is worth mapping but the manual gti standard clutch won't like it so if you're talking about being cheap don't bother. Dsg is not a problem
I’ve bit the bullet and mapped it. Few hundred miles in and the standard clutch is still fine! Must’ve had an easy life for it’s first 18,000. Taking bets on how long before it starts slipping 😂
@@TyredFormatwill at some point mate. Just be sure to have about £1k budget for a Sachs organic etc. would love an update video on your thoughts of the power
Hi, great video, have a look at AET Motorsport/ VUDU for your remap. They did (transformed) my Polo 6C gti, now 271hp, 244whp. Virtually standard apart from a racingline intake. Highly recommended.
AET/Vudu aren’t really the go to for the Ea888. People do map them but across all Ea888, there had been a few issues or some underwhelming figures with them. Not sure why though as unsure on their software supplier
Great video bud! Couple questions, what are the front headlights like and full beams at night? Coming from a bmw 1 series with really bright LEDs, just want to make sure the golf's are nice and bright too. Also, what's the exhaust like noise wise day to day? Had an i30N for 2 years and looking for something a little quieter haha. Cheers
Thanks dude! The exhaust is pretty quiet, especially as this car is later and has the GPF. Most of the noise is pumped into the cabin speakers, but you can switch that off. As for the headlights, they're some of the best I've had. My M2 Competition had the LED Adaptive beams (probably the same as what you have on the 1!) and they were excellent, but these are easily as good. But obviously, dont automatically dip etc.
@Tyred Format that's cool mate I was looking at GPF model as well so that works as well! Thank you that's really helpful, good to hear the headlights live up to bmw standards lol. Fingers crossed I'll be in a GTI by the end of 2023
The R would be an upgrade if it had the all wheel drive and the same power but with the weight of the GTi performance, as it is it’s really like a lard rrse carrying a very obese passenger with the all wheel drive and extra power offsetting the weight, waste of time unless you live in Scandinavia or North America.
Nice review, I also have a 2019 PP Manual.. also considering stage 1 remap. Clutch is the cause for concern, I already had to replace the standard clutch at 44k and the car was not driven hard and spent a lot of time on the motorway... God knows what 310bhp would do to the standard clutch... my worry is the feel of an uprated clutch and daily driving it etc etc... thoughts...
The Southbend Daily clutch, rated for Stage 2 or 3, is a vastly superior upgrade. It's a bit heavy when new, but loosens up considerably when broken in. I love its meatier feel so much better than the wimpy feeling stock clutch.
Non-PP Cars it brakes an inside wheel with Traction Control to help turn in etc. (XDS) The PP Cars have the front half of an R/S3. Its a haldex controlled electronically, basically. (VAQ). Its got advantages over a traditional LSD as its locking power can be adjusted by increasing the hydraulic pressure in the system, which is done by a control unit.
Have you heard anything about problems with the clutch in the manual when modding the car? I've seen some US/Canada RUclipsrs claiming that the clutch in the manual is weak and might slip with increased power output. I'm wondering if that issue doesn't apply to European VWs. Great video :)
The stock clutch in the GTI and Golf R is indeed weak. When I started tuning my Golf R, I had to upgrade the clutch. I now have a Southbend Daily Stage 3 racing clutch (rated for up to 500 HP) that is vastly superior to the stock clutch.
@@johnwjeromejr could I ask you where you’re from? I have reasons to believe that these factory clutches might be rated slightly different based on manufacturing location of the vehicle. Even if the rating is just a tiny bit different it might be very impactful. And we can only speculate on that rating, probably no way to get to the bottom of it and know who was/is the supplier of these components to find out any specs.
@@TyredFormat different car then! Thought it typical I found a two owner car with low miles and then have a video of it being spanked on the Green Hill 😂😂😂
If you want the car to go faster on the public road, you'd be better off spending your money on some advanced driving lessons. BHP is seldom the problem for 99.9% of drivers.
I’d agree if you live in Scandinavia or North America or maybe Siberia, otherwise the GTi performance is the better car as it’s not carrying extra massive weight for the all wheel drive system which you won’t need 98% of the time.
@BSlothed. You’re ** Plus not to mention that in today’s market the GTI PP and Golf R are very similarly priced for similarly aged examples. So you’re point is completely redundant 💀 Stick to your grans Corsa “Limited Edition” 😘
Fellow Mk7.5 GTi driver got mine with the performance pack as well great spring, summer, autumn daily. I don't winter drive it as I live in Canada and have a awd Tucson for the winter that my wife drives year round. i love the car I chose the gti because I wanted to mod it and not drive it in the winter regardless because of road salt and corrosion being a factor long term, being almost 15k in price tags vs the R at the time in 2019. got a resonator delete stage 1 unitronic ecu/tcu, APR open carbon intake and inlet upgraded on Bilstein B8's. cars phenomenal, I will say the oem suspension rides hard that was my only quam and once tuned the power stays on full throttle rolling thru shifts resulting in a much faster feeling car. the 7 speed (dq381) was a little underwhelming as well as far as the dsg farts go but the tune fixed that right up. :D
I've got a 2018 PP, love it, didn't even test drive an R as I wanted the lighter car, not interested in launches/0-60's etc. The grip from the diff is laugh out loud amazing, the brakes are excellent too. Mine is stage 1 from Unicorn, made 245bhp prior to map and 305bhp after with 370 lbs/ft. I've since added the pikey R600, MTC turbo inlet pipe/elbow and MTC intercooler which have made a significant difference on top of the stage 1, so running maybe in the region of 320 bhp now. Am considering a bigger turbo etc but for now it's more than fast enough. Great car, can't think of much I'd replace it with.
I’ve got a 3dr 2018 manual PP and can’t see myself replacing it anytime soon
Love the video and this car. I have a 7.5 as well but in California - managed to track down a manual which is super super rare over here (thanks to my wife spending months making it happen as a surprise!) anyway here is around 220 bhp but I believe that’s a combo of lower grade fuel and emissions laws etc and is such a fun car. Had it since 2020 so not done many miles yet - has been a dream car and always will be!! Also love that you kept the bit when you lost your keys in the video!! 😂
One of the advantages of the torque vectoring haldex diff that i never hear mentioned is in mud and snow. We live on single track roads in east cumbria and pulling over onto the bog of the grass / mud verge's usually means you're stuck, the wheel on the mud just spins out and that's you stuck. This diff pulls me off the mud with no problem, light throttle and you can feel it work and you inch forward. A tractor i pulled over for leaned down out of the cab and said you'll not get off that verge now, 6 inches of snow , i edged forward and no problem....we met a few days later and he asked me how, i said diff and tyre's. With all season tyres I've driven through snow drifts above bumper height with little problem. Great car.
Have the mk7.5 GTI. Love it, love the practicality of it too, for a daily car it's a fantastic all-rounder. A long commute to work I get 40mpg which I think is excellent... may be open to opinion but i genuinely feel 230bhp is a great sweet spot for a hot hatch. Love how iconic they are with tartan. Seems to be a common problem with the leaking water pump and thermostat housing which is disappointing which I had to do, but other than that pretty reliable, especially standard like mine. (Currently 42k)
Can't fault the 7.5 pp at all, I'm definitely running it until it dies (Hoping thats a good lot of years to come)
Has it been reliable for you? What mileage is it on
@@wakaflockaproject about to come up on 80k for mine and it's super. confident it'll run well into the 100s while being well maintained.
A Golf still looks good when it’s 10 years old.
I just sold my Challenger GT and planned on a Golf R. After seeing so many reviews I decided to buy a 2014 GTI for 3 x less than I sold the Challenger for! After a stage 1, the GTI is faster than the GT! So much fun to drive! Thanks for the review :)
3 years in, I'm loving 'Isaac' - my 2018 'Isaac Blue' Golf GTI 7.5 Performance DSG 5dr (GPF). Currently on 27k miles. Had the ECU & TCU remapped (APR) last year (312hp/476nm) and it totally changed the car! One thing I'd watch is the clutch on manuals - they're really weak. Great to see you're happy with your GTI Performance, I look forward to seeing more videos of it 😁
Keep up the good work! 🖖
Had one with same paint and tartan seats, loved it for the 21 months I had it! Glad you’re having fun with yours. Once nursery bills came in mine had to go… currently looking for another one now he’s started school 😉
Stage 1 deffo worth it, yeah? I'm considering it, too, but really undecided. Part of me loves that you can use all the power in the GTI, I feel like that's what makes it such a good all-rounder. I don't wanna lose that characteristic as it is my family wagon on the weekend lol, but at the same time, I am a little used to the power and wanna feel 300bhp.
I've got non dcc with Eibach springs, they ride smoother than stock and just took away the annoying arch gap, fitted 15mm/12mm spacers too, looks great, kind of oem plus.
Thanks for that info! Glad to hear it rides well on the Eibachs as well.
Got a 2019 golf GTI performance, love it dsg is rapid so fast off the mark. I’ll be keeping mine for a very long time, perfect car in my opinion.
I had the EA888 in my Cupra a couple years back, that made 295bhp. FWD with traction off was hilarious. So 300 ish sounds about right for this with that diff!
Wouldn't remap a manual (DSG would be a different story). 3 years on and I still love my 2018 non PP manual WSM (best colour btw). Still on stock power which is quite adequate for daily use and giving my GF a bit of a thrill with some spirited driving up the twisty back roads at the weekend. I was considering stage 1, but my VW technician buddy talked me out of it (didn't want a performance clutch). I scratched the itch with a few minor cosmetic mods, 18 inch OEM Prets, TCR spoiler lip and a Clubsport steering wheel, plus dynamic centre caps and OEM mk 8 GTI interior mats (as they have the red border), I think that's about it. The money I saved goes into regular servicing, ceramic coating, Pilot Sport tyres, regular detailing, etc. etc. I have to say that my car is a fantastic all rounder and I get a lot of compliments on it
Considered the R but bought a new 2019 7.5 PP DCC Manual GTI off the lot. It has been 30k of sublime driving bliss, a few speeding tickets and is more fun than a stolen go cart. It is my wife's daily driver and she isn't a car person but there has been some tension over who gets to drive it.
Still proud of my mk7 3 doors clubsport from 2016 with bucket seats from factory
This is my dream car
Mine too
Get one they are the perfect daily
I fulfilled my last dream and has now a 2019 mk7.5 GTI. Best car I ever had
i have a Mk7 Gti Performance pack, which came fully loaded with leather & DSG rather than manual ,which i now definately prefer, you can still enjoy it,had it ten years this year, due to overseas trips, its only done 23 K but been serviced annually on plan 10 times at VW, 7:5 is nice car but i prefer the Mk7 dash and interior but accept most cars improve slightly dynamically..mine fells better than new and put new tyres all round thats renewed my love of it.
Samee and I just bought one last week!
Options are DSG, Dynamic Chassis control, Dyn Audio or Bose sound system, sun protection glass, panoramic roof. 7.5 performance is almost the perfect car, great performance and great fuel economy with quality, handling, ride and comfort to equal and best most other cars.
I have also 2019 PP GTI but with DSG. Tuned to stage 1 and it now has 322hp and 460nm. Also car is getting Bilstein B6 shocks and Eibach Pro-kit springs. Only thing I hate is GPF that is very annoying when doing cleaning cycle. Fuel economy drops very much and throttle seems to hesite too.
Have you dynoed it? Plainly curious because some Polish RUclipsr dynoed his Megan RS and the GPF "stole" about 40HP!!! bone stock.
From what i see on youtube the GPF versions also do a sort of cold start with higher revs even if the coolant is at like 70C. Very weird
@@MauriceNL1 It is apparently tied to the temperature of the GPF, the car might still be close to operating temperature but the GPF is too cold for its optimal operating. So the higher rev is basically dumping excess fuel to burn off in the exhaust to bring the GPF up to temperature. :)
Had my mark 7 golf gti performance pack from new ( 2015)never had any issues with it,defentily build to last if looked after.
Interesting m8. I got a standard mk7 golf r manual and a remapped golf mk7 gti manual 300bhp. The insurance is cheaper on the r. Lol. The gti is more fun, but I think it's because it's tuned, got induction etc. I do prefer the inside because the tartan red seats and extras make it look better. The r is an amazing machine tho, expecially in the winter when the roads are wet and icy, u can put the power down all day long. I think the gtd is redundant aswell, as I had one before the gti, it was actually boring(dsg). Also the mpg in the gtd was worse than the gti, I think it must have been because it was dsg v manual! If the r was tuned then it would probably be a different story. I ❤ my gti!
I had a MK7 Gti for 4 years and traded it in for a BMW X1 (what was I thinking??). I kept it for 4 weeks, it was sooo boring, luckily WBAC bought it off me for a great price and I ended up with about £250 in my pocket 🙂I then went and bought a Mk7.5 Gti ( which I've still got) and took the 19" Brescias off to replace them with 18" Belvedere's, which, because of their lightness, really improve the handling. Absolutely love this car, I will say though that the standard wheels on the MK7 (Austins?) do look quite good and I used to get loads of compliments with them on too. Just to add, that when I was looking for a 7.5 there was also an R (same year) at the same dealers. I test drove both and preferred the 7.5. I also think there are too many base model R's about. I'm sure I also read that in the 7 or 7.5 R's, that sat nav wasn't standard (actually think it was the mk7). I also straightaway noticed that the standard exhaust definitely sounds more meatier on the 7.5 than the 7 (even my wife mentioned it and she would just buy a car based on badge design and/or colour 🙂)
Great car, looking forward to more videos on this
Nice review mate. Really likeable guy, looking to get a Mk 7.5 performance in a few months
You have one of the most tunable engines made today so you may as well take advantage of that. If you go with the APR+ (available at licensed dealers), APR will replace the factory warranty on the engine, providing you with the same warranty protection as stock, and giving you the nearly 300 HP you desire. I have a MK7 Golf R manual (with upgraded clutch) that is tuned to Stage 2 (by APR). It is crazy fast, is very easy to launch, and sticks like glue to wet pavement making driving in the rain a cinch. You can't say that about the GTI.
You’re bang on right. But the GTI just looks better.
I had the 7.5 R for 6 months. People thought I was mad for getting rid of it but I found it a bit boring.
2015 gti performance 33k miles lowered on 19s...German spec in Germany happy days and its manual also...3 door
I sold my ABM golf gti performance yesterday after a wonderful 2 years and 33k miles. its going to be missed and ngl I think ill be back in a 7.5. likely to be a TCR but yeah I cant recommend a Mk7.5 golf gti enough. they're such good cars
I sense you like the car as it is, so don't change it. Spend your money on the Clio (if you still have it - i can't keep pace with the chopping and changing) or other projects. Did you ask my opinion? I've forgotten.
Well, I still have the Clio. The car does currently have a family of Robins living in the bootlid...
Just wanted to say thanks for this video. Im in the market to get rid of my 2010 MK6 GTD and I've had my heart set on a 7.5 R for a while and been researching up plenty - started seeing a lot of mentions for the 7.5 GTI PP and I'm seriously considering it. Weighing up the differences between the 2 and in reality I think Im leaning towards the GTi PP more now - all about whether I want that weight saving vs AWD (when it comes on) - theres about a 5k diff between age/miles of ones Ive seen. Ideally would like DCC but seems like a very rare option. Theres a showroom with a DCC R and Non DCC GTI PP near me so might have to try and arrange a drive with both to see the difference.
Read in another comment about you getting a remap so going to look up to see if youve done a vid on it. Hoping you are still liking it - thanks again for a nice video with some decent in-life comments. Mine is going to be a daily driver for some fun and also for my family of 4 so I need some middle ground!
Thanks for the kind words Jonathan! I am indeed still loving the car. And I promise to do a remap video soon. In my latest 'ring trip video you can see some autobahn stuff which is where the remap has really excelled.
@@TyredFormat Yeah I did watch that seemed a lot of fun. Seem to be reading and watching alot between the 2 variants and my head is sayinng GTI just because Im probably not going to utilise all of what the R offers. Deffo need to get out to try some 18 vs 19 with/without DCC as the answer to that seems to be the key to unlocking what to buy.
@@jonathanphang I havent really tried DCC so im not the best to report, but personally i find the standard GTI ride is "Just right". 100% have a go in some Dcc/Non DCC cars.
DCC is great (sport is super firm and the car is on rails) that said I'd personally choose the car in the best condition/miles. Also it is just another thing to break eventually.
Genuinely considering one of these as a replacement to my Abarth 595 (a similar jump in size from your Up!). I'm doing more miles recently and it's not cutting it in terms of comfort anymore. I decided to compare insurance of a GTI PP and R and the GTI was cheaper by over £500 a year. Absolute no brainer in my mind to go with the GTI I think.
I was in the same situation. I'll always miss the Abarth but the GTI (mk7 performance) is just awesome. No regret here. Get the DSG if you can.
I've got the one with DCC and tbh its too stiff, even on the smooth roads i got locally here (Sweden). Also i wish for more in-depth customizable drivers profiles, wish i could choose the sharper steering ratio without the suspension getting stiffer. Overall I'd say the car is great and drives great, gonna remap it soon. I've got a Racingline intake (for now) and it's worth the money just for the pure turbo sounds it makes.
Mmmhh. My 2014 Golf R also has DCC and in Comfort is nice and floaty and in Race is very stiff. Works so damn well.
Its funny to hear you say how nice the gearbox is because on the GTI forums I have been on all think it is crap. I didn't think is was great but with a couple small mods it is way better.
I think a lot of it is personal preference. Also, a lot of people blindly believe the DSG is better because it makes fart noises and can do 0-60, and anything else is a bit too oldschool. But as I say, I personally prefer the connection it gives.
Thinking of getting the performance model,will try it & then maybe get a remap!,will see how it drives!
Liked the video I’m currently thinking about purchasing one to replace my old mk4 gti
Reubens Black is the actual colour of Marmite
Hi just found your channel, I'm a Fast Ford owner Iam not a chav before anyone comments. Just wondering what ford are you reviewing? As a package I think the Ford Fiesta ST either the MK7 or the Mk8 is better than the Focus. I had Focus RS and I didn't enjoy that car as much as my Fiesta ST. I know the Fiesta has a image problem but the car is fantastic from a pure drivers point of view has a diff and they feel that they have a better power to weight ratio. Good video, VW cars haven't been on my radar, I have been tempted by a Seat Cupra, I guess it is an image perception, good review was a good insight👍
Thanks dude! I love the MK8 Fiesta ST, such a shame its going away. The car I had for a week was the Puma ST, which as you probably know is a Fiesta ST with a few more pounds added on... will release a video on that next week probably as well as a written article.
@@TyredFormat I look forward to your review, I was offered a Puma before I got my 8.5 last year, not sure about the Puma🤔 I was lucky I got one of the last 3 door models, I'm keeping this car feels like they have improved the way it drives from my previous MK8, feels better damped still firm but handles the bumps better and has slightly better traction in the bends👍
@@stephenheyes1487 Damping on those Fords is always incredible considering the price point and its beam axle. I took it out on my favourite local route (also used by Harrys Garage lol) and usually its a real bump-stop finder. Fiesta ST was fine... so was the puma!
@@TyredFormat Yeah I have seen some other reviews about to the Puma ST for a SUV you would be fooled thinking it was a smaller Hot Hatch, it handles that well, I just didn't need the extra space the Puma offers, sad it Will be the last ST, soon😥
Nice chilled videoZ just bought an s3 2018 with a great spec but do have something for Gtis, especially the mk7.5! S3s/Golf Rs do have a bad name which is annoying because I don’t associate but lovely cars power wise
Love it dude, great video and hopefully we see more of this one. It's reignited my hunt for a decent one! Did you say it has DCC or not? If not, how is it with the standard set up? I've been craving one with everything à la Prosser, but might need to get used to the idea of compromising on something. More GTI content please!
And I was just thinking about purchasing it next year... hopefully 🙏 the price will be lower, cos in South Africa 🇿🇦 it's still in high demand...
Ive got a mk7 GTI PP and i know that the mk7.5 is a better car, but is it 4k better (what i would need to upgrade). Im not sure...hate the digi dash, but would love the stereo and diff upgrade.
Nice video, more gti reviews would be good if you end up doing the mods 👍
Tbh it's most important that you're happy with your car. I've got the Mk7.5 GTI PP and i would not be satisfied with anything less than what it's got.
Nice review how many miles has yours done. And if buying one UK. What's the right price to pay for a 2019.
Hi great video, i've had a mk7 performance pack in the past. I currently have a mk3 TTRS but looking to reduce my outgoings as i have a mk5 golf for a daily. I have been looking at golf R's but im not sure if i need it. Was there any reason you didnt consider the TCR? or even the cupra's?
TCR is DSG only! And I don’t like DSG. Also since I’ve had another GTI 7.5 it was a safe bet getting one over a cupra. I’m sure the cupra is just as good!
Great review. Was watching a magazine video just before, that was 10 min of BS cliches stitched together. Am looking for a 7.5 Performance, but cannot decide on gearbox. I would love to hear more of your experience of it. Town driving, hill starts, rpm in 6th vs dsg in 7th, sort of stuff.
Dsg box is silky smooth, put it in Sports mode and it flies, apparently more tuneable too...
Do you think a golf can take a 7ft4inch surfboard inside straight through the car?
Anything with a turbo is worth mapping but the manual gti standard clutch won't like it so if you're talking about being cheap don't bother. Dsg is not a problem
I’ve bit the bullet and mapped it. Few hundred miles in and the standard clutch is still fine! Must’ve had an easy life for it’s first 18,000. Taking bets on how long before it starts slipping 😂
@@TyredFormatwill at some point mate. Just be sure to have about £1k budget for a Sachs organic etc. would love an update video on your thoughts of the power
@@TyredFormathow's the clutch holding up?
@@Birmingham_racing I did 8,000 miles on the map and had no issues, car has now been traded in for something bigger though.
Hi, great video, have a look at AET Motorsport/ VUDU for your remap. They did (transformed) my Polo 6C gti, now 271hp, 244whp. Virtually standard apart from a racingline intake. Highly recommended.
AET/Vudu aren’t really the go to for the Ea888. People do map them but across all Ea888, there had been a few issues or some underwhelming figures with them. Not sure why though as unsure on their software supplier
Great video bud! Couple questions, what are the front headlights like and full beams at night? Coming from a bmw 1 series with really bright LEDs, just want to make sure the golf's are nice and bright too. Also, what's the exhaust like noise wise day to day? Had an i30N for 2 years and looking for something a little quieter haha. Cheers
Thanks dude! The exhaust is pretty quiet, especially as this car is later and has the GPF. Most of the noise is pumped into the cabin speakers, but you can switch that off.
As for the headlights, they're some of the best I've had. My M2 Competition had the LED Adaptive beams (probably the same as what you have on the 1!) and they were excellent, but these are easily as good. But obviously, dont automatically dip etc.
@Tyred Format that's cool mate I was looking at GPF model as well so that works as well! Thank you that's really helpful, good to hear the headlights live up to bmw standards lol. Fingers crossed I'll be in a GTI by the end of 2023
Golf R is a upgrade to a gti it like saying the mk3 st focus is better than the mk3 Rs focus
Depends what you want in a car….
The R would be an upgrade if it had the all wheel drive and the same power but with the weight of the GTi performance, as it is it’s really like a lard rrse carrying a very obese passenger with the all wheel drive and extra power offsetting the weight, waste of time unless you live in Scandinavia or North America.
Nice review, I also have a 2019 PP Manual.. also considering stage 1 remap. Clutch is the cause for concern, I already had to replace the standard clutch at 44k and the car was not driven hard and spent a lot of time on the motorway... God knows what 310bhp would do to the standard clutch... my worry is the feel of an uprated clutch and daily driving it etc etc... thoughts...
The Southbend Daily clutch, rated for Stage 2 or 3, is a vastly superior upgrade. It's a bit heavy when new, but loosens up considerably when broken in. I love its meatier feel so much better than the wimpy feeling stock clutch.
Did you get it remapped? If so, what're your thoughts?
How do you find getting in & out of the drivers seat being so tall ? Is it a bit too low or is quite fine & no problem ?
Is the lsd on this an actual mechanical one like a torsen or some sort of clutch pack one? Or is it still electronically controlled?
Non-PP Cars it brakes an inside wheel with Traction Control to help turn in etc. (XDS)
The PP Cars have the front half of an R/S3. Its a haldex controlled electronically, basically. (VAQ). Its got advantages over a traditional LSD as its locking power can be adjusted by increasing the hydraulic pressure in the system, which is done by a control unit.
@@TyredFormat thanks
Have you heard anything about problems with the clutch in the manual when modding the car? I've seen some US/Canada RUclipsrs claiming that the clutch in the manual is weak and might slip with increased power output. I'm wondering if that issue doesn't apply to European VWs. Great video :)
The stock clutch in the GTI and Golf R is indeed weak. When I started tuning my Golf R, I had to upgrade the clutch. I now have a Southbend Daily Stage 3 racing clutch (rated for up to 500 HP) that is vastly superior to the stock clutch.
@@johnwjeromejr could I ask you where you’re from? I have reasons to believe that these factory clutches might be rated slightly different based on manufacturing location of the vehicle. Even if the rating is just a tiny bit different it might be very impactful. And we can only speculate on that rating, probably no way to get to the bottom of it and know who was/is the supplier of these components to find out any specs.
I have just bought a GTI PP in the same year, identical spec. I wonder of it's the same car? VRN ending ZND?
No idea what the vin was! Was a 68. I know it went to CarShop I think, traded it into Sytner Cov for a 530D.
@@TyredFormat different car then! Thought it typical I found a two owner car with low miles and then have a video of it being spanked on the Green Hill 😂😂😂
dropping the car 20mm will put you just around 10 to 15mm lower than a golfR at stock ride height.
Keys? What no fob?
If you want the car to go faster on the public road, you'd be better off spending your money on some advanced driving lessons. BHP is seldom the problem for 99.9% of drivers.
NOT BETTER THEN GOLF R .............
I’d agree if you live in Scandinavia or North America or maybe Siberia, otherwise the GTi performance is the better car as it’s not carrying extra massive weight for the all wheel drive system which you won’t need 98% of the time.
No it's not better then an R, your only saying that because u couldn't afford the R LOL
Ah the classic reply. Horses for courses.
@BSlothed. You’re **
Plus not to mention that in today’s market the GTI PP and Golf R are very similarly priced for similarly aged examples. So you’re point is completely redundant 💀
Stick to your grans Corsa “Limited Edition” 😘
Spicy