VW Golf 5 GT TDi 170PS

thewanted · 23 Sep 2009 at 15:00

Hi all,

I had the Golf 5 GTi and as much as I loved the beast, it was killing my wallet due to the amount of miles I'm doing at the moment.

If anyone here does own this car, I'd like to know how it does on the motorway with regards to MPG. The book says 58MPG on the extra-urban cycle but let's be honest, none of us do 56MPH.

Does it also require an oil change every 10000 miles like the GTi?

Thanks in advance.

thewanted · 23 Sep 2009 at 15:05

That's pretty good if he's heavy-footed! The GTi got 32MPG on a good day, down a mineshaft. Kinda adds up when you're doing 2200+ miles a month.

thewanted · 23 Sep 2009 at 15:09

iaind said:
I was impressed, my Mondeo TDCI does 50mpg+ if I'm very careful but can drop to sub 40 if I'm not - with his Golf it seems to make sod all difference if you hammer it

It's obviously going to be a step down in terms of performance, but its a perfectly capable car. Were you looking at just selling the GTI and using the funds to change to the GT?

I sold the GTi in July and bought a 2006 Polo 1.4 FSI Sport 86HP just as an interim vehicle. My wife now loves it and will be taking it over, thus leaving me free to get back into something half-decent.

I love my VWs (maybe a little too much) so I'm drawn to the GT.

thewanted · 23 Sep 2009 at 15:14

Bluelion said:
My parents have one which I have access to every now and again. They tell me I must have a heavy right foot as I struggle to get more than 48mpg out of it, unless using the cruise control which I find doesn't work very well in the UK due to the traffic. However they usually get 50+mpg themselves from normal motorway driving.

If I boot it about its usually in the low 40s. I can't decide if I like the car or not. I find the turbo-lag quite frustrating and it doesn't really feel like a 170hp vehicle. Having said that its comfortable to drive on long journeys and when you just need to get from A->B it fits the bill and doesn't cost a lot in fuel.

I drove the 140HP version of the GT as a loan car from VW while the steering rack was replaced on my GTi, and I found it very different. The front seemed quite wafty and it didn't sit firm on the road for a car that boasts a "sport" suspension.

Having said that, it WAS a loan car so maybe it had been treated badly. My main concern about the car are the seats. I found the seats in my GTi exceptionally uncomfortable and no amount of adjusting the lumbar support/back rest made any difference.

thewanted · 23 Sep 2009 at 15:18

iaind said:
Asking about a diesel golf in here is always a bit problematic (give it time), but they're perfectly capable and well built cars. What were you thinking of spending on one?

I've seen a March 2008, dark blue, 5 door model in Weston-Super-Mare for £16395. Xenon lights, iPod prep, multi-function steering wheel, highline computer, rear parking sensors, whiplash protection system (??) and cloth seats with 14750 miles on the clock.

I've checked out the value on Experian's CDC system and it's only slightly above Glass' trade value, and below average mileage for this model.

thewanted · 23 Sep 2009 at 15:27

jamief said:
The 170 non-CR diesel in the Mk5 should see an average of ~44/45mpg, motorway ~49mpg.

The 170 CR diesel in the Mk6 has improved economy by upto 10%.

I have to say, that if I never had to look at the rear of the MK6 I'd love it all day long. Unfortunately, I do need to put stuff in the boot.

Love the front. Hate the rear.

thewanted · 23 Sep 2009 at 15:34

[TW]Fox;14947810 said:
Just make sure you realise its a Golf with posh wheels and nice seats and not a diesel GTI.

Yeah, I know. I wonder how the MK6 GTD compares to the MK6 GTi. Might make for an interesting comparison! Well, interesting as far as Golfs go.

At £16k I know I could get something really nice like perhaps a E90 330d, but that would really be breaking the bank with regards to running costs. At least this vehicle has 18 months of manufacturer warranty left, which is a comforting thought.

thewanted · 23 Sep 2009 at 15:41

unclelonghair said:
I would check the build date on it, as from Sept 2007ish they were offering free leather on the GT Sport.

Maybe look at the 170 TSi as a compromise? I'm averaging 36mpg with mine, but that's predominantly short journeys. Easy to average over 40 on longer journeys.

Leather? Really? Wow. That's definitely food for thought! I'll ask the dealership when I'm ready to take this decision further. Cheers!

40MPG isn't good enough I'm afraid

At the moment my Polo does 42-45MPG and it still requires 6+ tanks a month.

I know over the long run, you have to do moon mileage to compensate for the cost of a diesel but I just can't continue to sit in the Polo for 2200+ miles per month for much longer.

thewanted · 23 Sep 2009 at 15:53

iaind said:
Or save some wonga

http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/1234044.htm

I love the look of the Leon but why did they give up with the interior? It's just so fugly compared to the rest of the VAG family.

Here's the next problem. I might very well have to commute between Hampshire and Cardiff for the next 4-6 months, thus pushing my mileage up to a ridiculous 5940 miles per month. The train isn't an option as the closest station on that line is Reading which is 12 miles from where I'd be staying and takes the same amount of time to get to Cardiff as driving, and that DOESN'T include the trip from my house to Reading which is 14 miles each way.

Should this happen, it would be a bit daft to buy a £16k Golf only to push the mileage up so high that the resale value is ruined.

£2k Mondeo TDCi? Har

thewanted · 23 Sep 2009 at 16:00

OllyM said:
What about a 120d? Better engine than the Golf, and with its Efficient Dynamics trickery it should be very economical.

Can't say I'm mad about the looks however I do like the coupe version. Will take a look before committing to yet another VW

[TW]Fox;14948032 said:
Why not just spend £11k on a nice GTI? This leaves you loads of change for running costs.

If you are going to do 6000 miles a month though you dont want either - buy a cheapo car and chuck it in the bin afterwards. Thats insane mileage and it'll destroy residuals of anything half decent.

Already looked at cheapo GTis. You can get a decent one for about £12k with the extras I'd like. Wish I could buy my old one back! It had everything I liked and I sold it for £12.5k. Oh well, such is life.

Indeed about the cheapo car. The Hampshire to Cardiff thing is up in the air at the moment. I'd love not to drive 6000 miles a month, but having got married recently and the wife possibly getting a permanent job in London means living in Cardiff away from her is proving to be problematic. I can get a job in Camberley from May 2010 so I'll be moving there at that point.

jamief said:
Bloomin 'eck. 6000 miles a month. I think I'd rather stay in a hotel than do that kind of commute.

Wives 'eh

We have a flat in Cardiff at the moment but she's staying at her mom's in Hampshire while she works in London and it's putting a strain on things.

thewanted · 23 Sep 2009 at 16:09

jamief said:
I'd go for something dirt cheap just now, drive it until it falls apart OR you don't need to do such a long commute. Once you're doing less miles, you can look at getting something a bit more interesting.

After all, if you spend £2-3k on a car now, kill it, you've lost £2-3k. If you buy a Golf for £17k, put 40000 miles on it in no time, you'll lose more than £3k!

That's the sad reality unfortunately. My main worry is buying something cheap and it being unreliable due to that sort of mileage.

thewanted · 23 Sep 2009 at 16:12

The latter really. When you need the car 5 hours a day....reliability becomes paramount.

thewanted · 23 Sep 2009 at 16:38

peterattheboro said:
My mate just picked up an old Merc C220 CDI with 80,000 miles on it for £1500. Absolute bargain!

Which year is that? The shape before the new one?

thewanted · 23 Sep 2009 at 16:42

[TW]Fox;14948388 said:
It'll be the 94-00 shape for that money, not what I had in mind. You want a barge not a small saloon. I'm thinking 1998 S280 or similar

Yeah I figured that. Never been a fan of large cars, but I guess the situation dictates at the moment.

Argh, could really do without this hassle. It's going to suck the big one going from a GTi to a £2-3k diesel. I like my cars too much to compromise

However, I might just have to this time.

If only the train ran directly from Fleet to Cardiff Central

thewanted · 23 Sep 2009 at 16:54

Can't say I have a predefined budget, but like everyone is saying, throwing £10k at a Merc only to put 40-60k on it would be like peeing into the wind.

This is starting to look unfeasible. 5 hour commute for an 8 hour day? I suppose we've all had to make sacrifices in our lives. This might be mine.

thewanted · 23 Sep 2009 at 17:24

Lol! What about something that has been converted to LPG? Or are those considered inherently unreliable?

thewanted · 23 Sep 2009 at 22:27

The Mad Rapper said:
Can I make a suggestion? I do hope you don't take offence, but might it be a possibility for you to rent the Cardiff flat out and stay in Hampshire with her? If that means getting a job in London for you, would that be possible? Could your company tansfer you to a London office/branch?

No offence taken

Unfortunately the flat isn't ours so that isn't an option. I do want to stay with her in Hampshire (hence the 6k miles per month). I have a contract to work at the Cardiff office until Apr 2010 so I can't be transferred anywhere until then.

thewanted · 24 Sep 2009 at 08:44

Jono said:
Is it the one with the DPF - I'm guessing it's not the CR version?
You'd probably see about 44-48 on a good day. High 30s at worst - if you're driving like a granny/nun low 50s.

44-48 doesn't seem all that impressive but I guess 170PS and not being able to stick to a strict 70MPH on the M4 would cause that.

After driving to Hampshire last night (lol) and talking it over, we've decided not to do the commute. By the 3rd day I'd be so knackered that arguments could flare up and it would be pointless.

So, back to nice car hunting and only 2000-2500 miles a month! I'll have a look at the 120d today and see what it has to offer. Thanks again for all the advice.

thewanted · 24 Sep 2009 at 09:45

[TW]Fox;14952945 said:
Mind you, its academic now as he's not doing the commute.

I derailed my own thread and then brought it back on track

BMW 120d Coupe

Hubba, hubba. I thought they cost more than this.

EDIT: Ergh, its left-hand drive. Knew there was a catch!

thewanted · 24 Sep 2009 at 10:12

[TW]Fox;14953143 said:
Don't buy a car there.

I have to say that I'm a big fan of main dealers. I know you pay more, but when it's a car of this value and you have little free time to drive around chasing dodgy 2nd hand dealers.... it just seems worth it.

I work for a car finance company that deal mainly with 2nd hand car dealers and I know how slimey they can be. Painting them all with the same brush? Perhaps.