When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.
Interesting. I guess I am not too surprised with the shift toward small crossovers. Also there are some good car choices in that segment from Honda, Toyota, Kia/Hyundai and people are unsure of V dubs reliability.
I do understand the crossover thing as my wife loves them. They are smaller then a full size SUV but are higher up then a car so it's easier getting the kids in and out of and more visibility. They have become pretty fuel efficient also which helps.
Yes PCV is on my maintenance list also. Ordering R8 coils next week with NGK plugs. Oil change is coming up and still need to install my short shifter adapter, dog bone insert, downpipe and do a res delete. I am itching for some more sound so res delete might be sooner then later.
My weekend is going to consist of me installing a suspension kit on my '19 F150. VW and Fit will have to just watch while the new vehicle gets more attention.
I keep telling the Fit to be patient. It's turn is coming up very soon. Almost done with the truck.
VW is another story. It gets washed as needed and gets the oil changed every 5k miles. Only other plans for ours is a front brake job. Maybe I'll get around to that in a few weeks.
Whoa! I guess it shouldn't surprise me in view of the Golf's low North American volume, but it if true, saddens me because the price difference between the Golf and GTI is significant enough that we would have instead chosen the Mazda3 hatch.
The automotive business is so weird. People often seem to choose vehicles based on what they see in neighborhood driveways, not what might suit their needs best. Add in unlimited credit and the sky's the limit.
Changed the Golf's engine oil yesterday. Bought the usual excellent kit from Deutsche Auto Parts with OEM parts and VW Spec. oil. I change it every 5K Miles, letting the Dealer do it at the prescribed 10K marks so as to avert any powertrain warranty denials that might surface later. I must say that the oil change process on our MK7 is the easiest and cleanest of any vehicle we've ever owned.
I change it every 5K Miles, letting the Dealer do it at the prescribed 10K marks so as to avert any powertrain warranty denials that might surface later.
We do exactly the same thing. Nearing the 55,000 mile service that I will do here. Then to the dealer at 60k. That will be it's last trip to the dealer until 80k for transmission service. I had them do it at 40k and will have them do it again at 80k. After looking at the procedure for changing the automatic transmission fluid in VW's, I don't want to mess with it and don't even want an independent shop messing with it.
What mileage are you at? I did the plugs at 40k. It was pretty easy and it definitely ran smoother afterward. Will do them again at 80k.
We're at 25,000 Miles. Regarding the plugs, I've read posts that say the job is a nightmare, that the coil packs refuse to come loose and that their wires can be yanked loose in the process. Even special tools are sold to help overcome it all:
I'm about to change out the plugs & coils on my GTI. The coil packs are a know failure point on MK6 cars so I figure I might as well do that too. From what I've seen it doesn't look very difficult to me. Maybe the MK7 is different from my MK6?
We're at 25,000 Miles. Regarding the plugs, I've read posts that say the job is a nightmare, that the coil packs refuse to come loose and that their wires can be yanked loose in the process. Even special tools are sold to help overcome it all:
I'm glad to finally read a post that says differently.
Maybe kids doing it that aren't very good? I read some of that stuff and saw the tool also. I have no idea why you would need the tool.
I will say that the connectors did not want to let go of the coil packs though. I ended up just leaving all 4 connected to the harness and pulled all 4 coils out of the holes together. Just left the wiring attached. Had to unclip the wiring in a spot or two to get enough play in the harness, but was easy.
Heck of a lot easier than replacing the headlight bulbs!
Was wandering the Hyundai lot on Sunday and happened upon the Elantra GT N Line which I knew nothing about as a competitor to the GTI. Has a 1.6L Turbo w/ 201 HP and 195 LB/FT (vs GTI with 2.0L Turbo w/ 228 HP and 258 LB/FT) and either a 6-Speed Manual or a 7-Speed Dual-Clutch Auto. Thousands less than GTI and pretty nice looking.
2019 Hyundai Elantra GT N Line
I'm not ready to buy anything. Sure wish we got the VW T-Roc here in North America, but we don't. It's based on the Golf, but has a higher ground clearance for mild off-roading. It'd be perfect for my needs. As usual, Europe seems to get the cool stuff.
Was wandering the Hyundai lot on Sunday and happened upon the Elantra GT N Line which I knew nothing about as a competitor to the GTI. Has a 1.6L Turbo w/ 201 HP and 195 LB/FT (vs GTI with 2.0L Turbo w/ 228 HP and 258 LB/FT) and either a 6-Speed Manual or a 7-Speed Dual-Clutch Auto. Thousands less than GTI and pretty nice looking.
Hyundai is really bringing the A game! I always considered the Veloster N as the GTI competitor. MSRP = 27,400, 250HP, 3000 lb curb weight. From the reviews I have seen it is a really fun car!! That Elantra GT N looks really sharp though and puts it in line with a Honda Si. Wonder how tunable it is?
Sure wish we got the VW T-Roc here in North America, but we don't. It's based on the Golf, but has a higher ground clearance for mild off-roading. It'd be perfect for my needs. As usual, Europe seems to get the cool stuff.
That is really sharp looking and seems to be a great size between the Atlas and the Tiguan.
You ask a good question about aftermarket support of the Elantra GT. I just looked through a forum and there doesn't yet appear to be much. One thing I overlooked is that the GTI has a LSD standard and the Elantra GT N doesn't offer one (I think).
Sadly, I suppose that the T-Roc is thought to be of limited appeal in a U.S. market that likes BIG vehicles. Also, with the Alltrack's demise, VW may have chosen to not do anything else like it here.
I wonder how that Hyundai really drives for someone used to a VW? My Dad had a mid-trim level Optima and it was good reliability wise, but didn't drive as well as a German or Japanese vehicle. It just felt cheap. He rolled with it for a while and is now in a Honda.
Our Golf crossed the 60k mile mark last week. Each good mile adds to the likelihood of it being replaced with another VW someday.
If we were replacing the Golf tomorrow, I'd try to talk the wife into a Tiguan SE with 4-motion. It would suite 90% of our needs.
I did notice that the Hyundai Elantra GT N's interior was plain and nowhere in the league of the Golf. The Hyundai Kona caught my eye as well, with neat looks, fun colors, decent ground clearance, affordability and a 175 HP/195 LbFt turbocharged 1.6-liter with 7-speed dual-clutch auto transmission. Upper level trims SEL ($20.5K), Limited ($23.8K) and Ultimate ($25.8K) plus a $1.6K "Tech Package" are required to get nicer features. All trims feature unpainted black plastic fenders and like the Elantra GT N, the interior was underwhelming. I guess lessened interiors are how Hyundai keeps costs down. Our Golf has us spoiled. Hyundai is paying $50 to take a test drive. Might be fun, but it's probably not worth the headache I'd have after listening to salespeople jabbering for an hour. :-)
I like the price of the Kona, but would probably stretch the budget and buy a Rav4 Adventure instead. It's likely that you'd get more than 50% more life from the Toyota and a higher percentage of resale value.
With how well our VW has treated us so far though, I'd roll the dice and get a Tiguan as middle ground. Cheaper than the Rav4 Adventure and nicer than a Kona.
Lots of good choices these days.
I broke our car budget by purchasing a loaded Platinum F150. Wife will need to stick with lower car payment options. Thankfully, she was included in the decision to buy the truck.
Hyundai makes some pretty vehicles and a great value per dollar. I think you have to step up the Stinger/Genesis cars to get into German car territory. My standards have been changed after owning a German car.
Have you been in a new Mazda? Very nice interior and I love the current styling.
Yeah, $50 for hours of sales jabbering and then followed up with sales calls for weeks does not sound worth it :)
Originally Posted by GAFIT
Tiguan SE with 4-motion.
Wife and I were looking at getting one in the up coming years. I really like the digital dash VW has but she didn't care that much about it. Don't need the 4-Motion so if one had everything else we wanted but was not 4-Motion that would be fine.
Originally Posted by GAFIT
Our Golf crossed the 60k mile mark last week. Each good mile adds to the likelihood of it being replaced with another VW someday.
Same here. The GTI is your shot to shine VW, and I'll try to stay on top of the know issues so that it stays running strong.
Took Rolf The Golf to Tybee Island south of Savannah and drove local roads most of the way, making 60 MPH on flat "lowcountry" highways and stopping for an occasional photo or red light. As we slowed for a town, I took this shot -- Rolf's Personal Best of 45.1 MPG. This included the average of 1-1/2 Hours of driving beforehand and we maintained this economy for quite some time beyond.
We also hit clouds of "love bugs" which thickly plastered the front of Rolf terribly. These can damage paint, so being motorheads, stopped several times and used microfiber towels and drinking water to clean them away. Rolf got a good sudsy bath last night when we arrived home. :-)
Our fuel mileage readings on Otto are EXTREMELY optimistic. To the tune of 6mpg and more at times. Have you hand calculated your fuel mileage? We've seen over 40mpg on the Lie-O-Meter and then hand calculated 33. That was an extreme, but it's almost always off by a fair bit.
Good point GAFIT -- I'd forgotten that our display is optimistic as well. "Lie-O-Meter" - funny! I think the last time I checked, ours was about 3 MPG too high. Oh well, we're still pretty happy with it, especially with a car that is so such fun to drive. Also, we sure appreciated its size when seeking a parking spot in a downtown Savannah parking garage. :-) I was thankful we hadn't chosen my Nissan Frontier for the trip. How owners park their full-size trucks and SUVs I don't know.
How owners park their full-size trucks and SUVs I don't know.
In trucks I went from a '96 Silverado to a '99 Ram to an '03 F250 to an '08 F150 and now a '19 F150 that is slightly lifted and on large tires. There are some places that I simply can not park.
We are headed back to New Orleans later this year. We will take the Golf again. I would not want to park or worry about my truck in that town.
At 75,500 miles now. Just ordered spark plugs and filters for it's 80,000 mile tune up.
I'm starting to wonder why so many report that VW's aren't reliable. It is definitely more expensive to maintain than a Honda, but so far so good on the reliability. Plus, we've gotten to drive something quiet and high speed stable for this time which Honda doesn't really offer. Even my father in law's Acura is louder on the highway.
Not that VW ownership is all roses. Like I said, it is more costly to maintain and it has it's weird quirks. However, still no repair expense. Hope it keeps going with that trend.
05-03-2019, 05:46 PM
