The GTI is old news in Europe, having launched over a year ago. However, America has just begun receiving it, a slightly re-tailored version of the European car, made in Mexico for the 2015 model year and available only since last month. We think a lot of people are going to be interested in buying one, considering 40% of Golf sales in America are GTI, so we need to find out what's what.
Most auto journalists paint overly-rosy pictures of new models from auto events and motor shows. That's why we think this amateur review of the 2015 GTI is worth watching. SubaruWRXfan has some of the most honest amateur reviews on Youtube and he's also a typical GTI customer. In-depth analysis of his own Subaru WRX earned him notoriety and he recently bought a second-hand MINI Cooper S. Ford Focus ST, Honda Civic Si and Mazdaspeed3 – these are just some of the cars he's usually interested in.
The new GTI is apparently a decent car from the powertrain point of view, thanks to a substantial torque increase. The DSG gearbox is also very good. For the first time ever, the hot Golf is assembled in Mexico, which has left many wondering about build quality. For the most part, this isn't a problem, but the plastics on the part of the transmission tunnel that touches your leg are hard. Another problem is the navigation screen, which the review says it's much worse than on any of the competitors.
It's worth noting that that car being tested is the GTI Autobahn edition, the top-spec car that starts at $29,595 with a manual. This adds navigation, a 12-way power driver’s seat, and automatic air conditioning to the list of standard equipment. DSG is another $1,100 on top of that.
Mihnea's favorite cars have already been built, the so-called modern classics from the '80s and '90s. He also loves local car culture from all over the world, so don't be surprised to see him getting excited about weird Japanese imports, low-rider VWs out of Germany, replicas from Russia or LS swaps down in Florida. Full profile
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