Is 2019 VW Golf GTI Rabbit Edition the BEST Hot Hatch to BUY? 

FYI: I miss typed the contact person's last name. It's Zaq Berridge at Reeves VW.

The best looking hatch for sure in the US.

Great video of the GTI. Appreciate you bringing this to us!

Great review. My first GTI was the 84, and I’ve loved them ever since. Still can’t get my head around a 4 door GTI thought. ;-). Appreciate your great reviews.

I never was much of a VW fan but that looks like it would be a fun to drive and versatile car. The seats remind of the 1970’s. Back then I think it was AMC that had denim seats in some of their cars. Good job Joe! Have a great weekend! 👍🏻👍🏻🇺🇸

You have an exceptional eye for detail! I thoroughly enjoyed this review. Now I want a flipping VW.

This is a great review! I love the 2017-2019 VW GTI. You gave this car the respect it deserves! Kudos to you Joe. Kudos to you.

Oh how do I love the VW GTI! I wish I had time to count all the ways. This baby is my numero uno for the best hot hatch and overall car in the under $35K segment. Haters- don't start nagging me about reliability, et., al. Go spend some time in the GTI and if you have even an inkling of a driver's bone in your body, you will get this vehicle. I spent quite some time in this vehicle as a rental and absolutely loved it!! Great review Joe Raiti!

Great video. Funny enough, I was online shopping Reeves' website today for GTIs since I'm local.

I can very easily see myself buying this once I need to replace my FiST. Thanks for the review @Raiti's Rides

Id like to see more hot hatchbacks and honda's ty Raiti's always good reviews from you guys :)

Nice review. There is no other car that has the same vibe and feel as the GTI

I just purchased a white gti rabbit two months ago. I love it. Another great vid.

The GTi and the -R are my two favorite hatchbacks. Nice Review.

I own the Urano grey rabbit and I love it. Just tuned it as well and it’s hella fun

Great review Joe !!!. I traded in my 2018 VW Beetle convertible for the GTI Rabbit white edition. What a blast to drive !.

Great video:-):-) as always. Watched all your videos on golf r and golf Fri and gti rabbit.. will buy golf r. Thanks. is vw golf reliable and are they built solid????

I agree with the cloth arm rests. however, I owned a Golf TDI for 6 years and it had the same cloth armrests. They were surprisingly resilient and easy to clear, so I wouldn't worry about the cloth...

Love my GTI... I had a bmw 335i and Mercedes C320 and none were exciting like my GTI. I had a Jetta GLI and love that car too

Fantastic Joe! Love to see you do a Rabbit/Golf R compare!

I LOVE YOUR VIDEOS 💯

I really like VW Golf GTI Rabbit Edition, I think it looks great and sounds amazing. Thanks Joe.

Love my 2021 Autobahn. It's my fourth Rabbit. Buy with confidence as this car is the perfect blend of performance and practicality.

Just bought my wife a rabbit Gti in cornflower blue. She loves it. I'm not even telling her I'm throwing a Jb1 and wheel spacers on it hehe

Damn those Vultures! I can feel an Arteon review coming...I feel it, I feel it!

I like this channel he review cars that i can buy haha

Miss seeing bbs recaro combos on the Gti. The day vw puts together something as special as the 20th anniversary I will jump on it ASAP

Joe you know how I feel about GTI's. Just did a is38 turbo swap on my 2017 sport. Whole new level.

Hit one of those pesky speed bumps going around 70 and let us see the Rabbit Edition hop a little! :-P Just kidding... but a good thing you know your way around one of my old neighborhoods in Tampa, and knew where those irritating speed bumps were. As usual... great review, my friend!

Great work as always and like the minor but significant updates on new GTI. Thanks for the detail overview. Just curious how is your Focus RS doing after a bit of time owning. Any thought on long term ownership compared to your long term ownership of Civic Type R. Sorry to be off topic.

Thank you for doing a review on this exact spec of a rabbit GTI without the experience pack.

Honestly this car is phenomenal for what is it. If you're someone who wants an automatic over a manual I can't think of a better combination of practicality and performance sub 40k.

awesome ride. Alot of similarities to my 15 Jetta. You zonked the dual climate control...which I have and never use. Also electric seats just add cost to the vehicle. VW's have always had awesome seats, even the manual. I'd like to see more Rabbit badging. Rabbit was my first car at 16! peace out

I love your video but what about doing videos comparing GTI to N series Hyundai. That would be great video.

Its Feb 2020, just saw this, killer little car, are they still making the RabbitGTI?

This is a nice car , handling is superb . I drove one , not on my list since it's too small for a family car .. great review Joe .

Honest question...how do the alignments hold up on these cars? I have a 2012 Volkswagen CC and if you even look at the car wrong, the alignment goes way out of wack. It's a known issue that these cars come from the factory with some alignment problems in the design (cups tires, toe goes out with a hint of wind, etc). Want to buy another Volkswagen, but do NOT want another car with garbage alignment issues.

You're right Joe, those tail lights lights are the best in the business by far!! I also like the fog light design as well. Another thing the GTI/ Volks wagen does well is their steering wheel & seats as you pointed out.

Just bought a GTI S. What an amazing car. This is my car forever.

The best daily car on the market in my opinion, depending on your climate. I may be down in Florida near the end of July Joe, we may have to link up so you can see what that 400 hp R can do with the dsg.

Got this same one last week. 1 of 500 in the states. Got a JB4 and stage 2 suspension kit otw. I got mine for $28k

Joe- did I miss the MSRP? Great job as always- 100k around the corner!

Ohhh I miss my GTI.. Funnest car I ever had! Pained me to sell it.

This is going to be so odd for me to ask LOL, but do you work out? You seem to be in pretty good shape.

Is it true these have a problem with stalling?

Bought my MK5 from Reeves in '08, they did me right

The DSG is a very tempting option in the GTI, but the MT is really smooth / easy to use and I think would be fine in daily traffic. I rarely adjust my seat once things are configured so, I have no issue with the combo electric manual controls. The rabbit has a really good feature set with the LED lighting and the keyless entry / fob -- two high value options for me. BUT the older radio v. the newer unit found in the SE and Autobahn is disappointing. I've found the faux leather seating to be really hot against my body, almost uncomfortably so, so the cloth is probably a better option. I wish that the GTI in the States had synthetic suede centers on the seats.

Joe I had 3 GTI's back in the 80's, an 84, 85 and 87. Back then they were all 2 dr and 5 speeds only. No 4 dr or autos. They were built in PA, my state, and the first was white, second was red, third was blue! How patriotic! The 79 Rabbit was first built in PA and too Americanized! But when the 83 Rabbit GTI was introduced here, 76 in Germany as the Golf GTI, it had an American interior, but not bad and was a blast to drive. It gave me some tickets!!! Like the new ones it has a decent amount of room for people and luggage. They have been very popular in Europe, especially Germany, Italy and England. They were also reliable unlike the latter Mexican models. Also decent on gas. Finally in Europe they even made some GTI Cabrios and Sportwagens, Not to mention the Sportwagen Golf R!

Put 2 10 inch subwoofers in the back and you got yourself a party lol

Yes. I'm thinking about getting one. But heard the DCG is a little slower compared to the 16s

I have an 18 SE, love it. Kinda bland and tame stock compared to the ‘08 STI I had before.. Hard to zonk anything on this car though, it kinda does everything well.. The one zonk I have though is the sound, it sounds like a fart cannon with an exhaust even (keeping the stock pipes... 😑)... Miss that boxer rumble every day, however the GTI is such a better daily, I can’t complain too much!! 😄

If I was in the market for a GTI right now, this is the one I want

That gti doesn't have the virtual cluster and media player Is that an option on these 7.5?

I don't know why, but I want to fight this guy. Great video sir.

I’m deciding between the wrx and a gti for my first car. I feel like gti will be a better first car. Any suggestions?

How tall is Raiti? This car looks absolutely teenie next to him

I’m actually looking at getting one of these next summer as I want something more fun over my Mazda3 hatchback.

I love history lessons

Kool car

I'm really liking this GTI Joe, what a fun car to drive it seems! Enjoy the interior not to crazy, just right, only thing I would change is the silver protector on the rear bumper, I would switch that to black I think. Joe do you recommend this as a manual instead of DST? To me the manual seems more engaging, even if it's slower, besides who doesn't want a Golf Ball Shaped Shifter. 👍🏑

Also the black wheels rock!

The thing is.. next year they'll have a brand new car. Buying one now instead of waiting is a bad idea when the new one will be so much better. But feel free if you must.

does it throw you back in your seat on full throttle?

Just bought this exact car (all black). Gotta say it’s definitely BY FAR the best car I’ve ever owned! I didn’t even know that this has the same breaks as a Golf R 🤯, probably why it feels so “sporty” compared to others. I couldn’t imagine spending money on an SE or Autobahn tbh. You may get things like a sunroof and leather seats but personally I prefer the traditional plaid cloth seats (which are still heated) and for the price of an Autobahn trim you might as well get a Golf R.

16:50 cop in the top left when u floored it lmao. he just pulled into that spot too lmao.

VW GTI is great car and great video. However I think it’s overpriced if you compare it to the new Hyundai Velster N. Especially if you get the autobahn edition

I’m trying to decide if I want to get this or wait for the mk8 smh

Does the rabbit edition comes with performance package?

Good car but not my type. 👍video👍

I love my MK7. Fastest car I’ve ever owned

Do more Golf R videos....please :)

This would be the perfect GTI if it had a decent sound system. No satellite radio is just ridiculous.

Oh yeah great a review on a golf gti awesome guys next a another mustang please 🤟🏽

Civic needs to take notes

Why didn’t they include the digital cockpit

Apparently the Golf Mark VIII will only be sold in the GTI and Golf R trims in the US.

Love the plaid seats but the excessive side bolstering makes it feel like a prison. Great review.

We aren't going to Zonk it for that weird silver trim on the rear bumper?!

I gotta be honest. Joe Raiti’s reviews from 2 plus years ago, like this one here, are much more polished, well put together and dare I say, professional…? I’m no psychologist but there’s a duality going on with Joe Raiti. Watch this video and then watch the one he posted today or yesterday. It’s not even the same person! Amazing transformation I must say

Do Honda Civic Si, Ford Focus ST, & Mini JCW drivers sing 'Kill The Wabbit' when they see a GTI?

Buyer beware, there is a serious stalling issues in the 2019 GTIs and Jettas. I belong to a forum where there were hundreds of people who had a stalling issue and VWOA still doesn't have a solution. I just completed a buyback for this very vehicle. My suggestion, wait until a recall is announced.

Still waiting for that new supra review or a old supra review 😎

I own a 2018 GTI DSG Autobahn trim that I purchased last year when I replaced a much loved 2013 MK6 version with a Stage I APR tune. Had 70K miles on the MK6, the last GTI on the old platform and the last version built in Germany. My MK6 was trouble free including 30K miles with the Stage I (APR) tune. The 2018 model built in Mexico on the MQB platform has likewise been trouble free while being tighter, quieter, and somewhat quicker than my (untuned) MK6 version. I could go on and on about my impressions but I'll try to restrain myself to a few comments. () The difference between the 2018 and 2019 models comes down to a seventh gear in the DSG and the addition of Golf R brakes to lower trim levels. (They were already a feature of the 2018 Autobahn trim.) The additional gear does nothing for performance; it was added primarily to make the automatic shifts slightly less noticeable and to improve highway fuel efficiency by an mpg, or so. The eight HP bump is mainly marketing-speak, possibly resulting from a difference in the calculation of HP. In any case it's virtually invisible even on a dyno. And of course with even the mildest ECU tune, it disappears completely. No criticism intended. VW needed some bells and whistles for 2019 while waiting for the 2020 MK8 generation but an 8 HP bump, even if it exists, is simply not an issue. () Trim levels for the GTI in North America are often confusing. Never more so than in 2019. The Rabbit is a limited edition in the US slotted between the S and SE trim levels. It's apparently just a separate trim level in Canada with no limit set and there are no "S" or "SE" trim levels. The plain GTI appears to correspond to the US "S" trim. The Rabbit comes with Dynamic Chassis Control (DCC) which is apparently not available (or not mentioned) for the upper Autobahn trim. (It was standard on the Autobahn in 2018.) My guess is that this all has to do with some parts availability issues and will disappear once those are resolved and the supply of the supposed "limited" edition Rabbit is exhausted. The fact that the Rabbit sticker is now sent to a US purchaser rather than placed on the car at the factory suggests a buyer should check the exact specifications of the model to see just what is included in the "Rabbit" they're considering. () GTI vs Golf R. It's often noted that a Golf R is only "a few thousand dollars" more than the top trim GTI. In my experience that's very misleading. In the first place finding a Golf R in the US can be difficult. (That's apparently not true in Canada.) And when I was shopping dealers routinely applied "market adjustment" stickers to the few Golf R's available that made the real world difference in price $10,000 or more. Second, while the R is far more powerful than the GTI, it's also about 200 lbs heavier. That's like putting an NFL cornerback in the back seat. The GTI is considerably more nimble as a result and the performance difference can be significantly reduced by adding a Stage I tune to the GTI. (That's especially true for the DSG equipped GTI's that don't require a periodic clutch replacement to handle the additional power.) Both the GTI and the Golf R are magnificent machines imo but in my case I decided that a $10,000 price difference was a bridge too far. () All in all, I'm a long time VW fan. I drove a '61 Beetle in high school, two Rabbits (when all Golfs in the US were called Rabbits) in the '70's and more recently two GTI's. When I was shopping last year I also considered the larger Accord 2.0L turbo and the Mazda6 2.5L turbo. Each is an impressive vehicle. But when I drove the MK7.5 GTI, I was at home. There are quicker and less expensive "hot hatches." But for all round driving enjoyment combined with versatility, I don't think the GTI can be beat.

Scotty KilMore approved.

Love the rabbit edition especially in cornflower blue but just wish they had given it satellite radio.

If you lower this car and black out the vw logo, it’s perfect🤩🤩🤩

Love this review! Love this GTI Joe. I even like the 7 speed DSG....DID I actually just say that? No sunroof is a major zonk! I have to have my sunroof. Once you get used to having one you can’t live without it. One more thing. Don’t you think the HP is underrated in these GTI’s? They are awfully quick for 228 HP and 258ftlbs of torque.

No on noticed he said the car was a 2009? ......

Why there is no 2doors in us ? Thanks

I’m strongly considering trading in my STI for one of these

Would you prefer the GTI or the Veloster N??

Short answer: Yes

I think you're nit picking bout the cloth on the arm rest.

Is this car reliable?

The GTI will always be an iconic, nostalgic, special and another other adjective one can come up with. Too bad the GTD and GTE won’t rip U.S. roads

Wabbit Twax!

Dual climate control and full power seats come on the Autobahn trim. The Rabbit Edition falls between the S and the SE.

The GTI is a amazing car!!

I love it! It looks great in white! You don’t need a sunroof. Mine creaks! I still love my 2018 Autobahn. It’s so much fun to drive! I only wish I had those black Pretoria wheels instead of mine! The brakes are solid! Especially when stopping on I4 traffic.

No golf r Apr stage 1, done.