Nope... interior is complete shit with everything being haptic touch. wouldn't touch one with a 10 foot pole. overpriced and slow also. had one for 30 days in Germany and hated every minute of it. left the VAG team when i sold my mk6 R 5 years ago.
It’s interesting because in other markets, the GTI can be had with 17 inch wheels. But in the USA, the lowest size stock is 18. Guess people here think big wheels = go faster.
As a fellow big dude (6’4” 245 lbs) I would have let you drive by yourself. Not only for the unfiltered thoughts and impressions but also to avoid the performance weight penalty lol
@@F80zcp I may or may not have had a few highway pulls with a Mk7 the other day. With my entire family with me. We were pretty much even, he at least had a downpipe and exhaust, so probably a tune as well (we took a few turns leading and following, I definitely could smell no cat). I also probably had 150 lbs on him 🤣.
@@Notsinthetik It’s part of the 380 package that VW decided to include in all 2024 6MT regardless of the trim level. They did it in celebration of the final year of the manual GTI. The package includes the adaptive dampers, 19” wheels from the Golf R wrapped in summer tires, black mirror caps and a gloss black painted roof. There’s also a new color exclusive to the GTI 380 call Graphite Gray Metallic. For $32K which is the price for a 380 S, that’s a pretty good package to have.
I'll have to get a shirt if I do a follow up video! I would like to eventually get the Club sport muffler. Beyond that, I probably won't do too much else until it's paid off. After that...Who knows. I need more traction and more clutch before I start looking for more power.
I have a gti mk8 S DSG for 2 years now! Love it! Great on gas, fun, has all the tech I need. Doesnt feel cheap. Man for the price this car is unbeatable!
i like kyle he really loves his car and it was entertaining watching him talk about his car with so much passion, almost made me go to a dealership and buy one rn
Thanks for the great drive Gents. With the standard LSD, the GTI S truly is one of the best “bargain” enthusiast new cars out there. Looking forward to the Tophers getting a hold of the Mark 8.2. Thanks again!
I agree with you, Chris, on the tires. I had Pilot Sport 4S tires on my IS 350, and now I have the Extreme Contact Sport 02's on my IS 500. The Continentals are just way more comfortable to drive and feel just as grippy to me, in spite of my IS 500 being heavier and more powerful than my IS 350. I also previously owned a Mk7 GTI, and man... it was a nice all around car. It was so fun, and yet it was very good as my daily driver. I had an off-the-shelf Cobb tune with the Accessport, and that really put a little extra pep in its step. I kinda miss it. I think there's an alternate reality where I kept it.
Love the Moonstone ❤. It was between the GTI & a WRX for me and i ended up with a WRX Limited because it had a little more interior room and 1.9% for 72 months. Really really liked the GTI though!
Nice to see a modded mk8 GTi on the channel. I also have a 2022 (owned almost every Gen) but mine is blue. Mine is also a 6spd, has a BFI knob on it, APR intake w/cover, Milltek non-res catback, and running the APR stage 1 87oct low-torque tune. Had the Unitronic 93oct low-torque tune for a while, but I prefer the current APR tune more. It feels very natural and still rips hard. Also have an 034 dogbone and inserts. There is no wheel hop whatsoever. I'm also running the Conti tires, and have been a big fan of them for quite a while. I had the PS4's before and they're great tires, but I prefer the Conti's for sure. I wish it was a 2 door, but it's still pretty great haha.
Awesome video, appreciate the insight! I have a 2023 GTI S in Moonstone Grey. Now I’m even more excited to slap on some Neuspeed wheels and Conti 02s, looking forward to seeing how it changes the characteristics of the car.
I’m glad to see that you got to drive a MK8 with the right few choice mods. I was super disappointed in the car when I watched your review of the MK8. It drives so much worse than the Golf R in stock form because of the terrible tires, heavy wheels and somewhat conservative engine tuning. When you bring it up to par with some mods you can appreciate some of the advantages this car has over the R, and the value proposition of around $30k MSRP for the base. Sadly the infotainment and electronic ebrake are still a bummer. This car with MK7 switchgear would be amazing.
I guess it's really hard to go wrong! The big question that I would ask is if it is a track car or a fun car. I would pick DSG for track, or if I wanted to just do 0-60 rips all the time. Manual is just so satisfying for the fun factor. It also turns every trip into a mini game of how smooth I can be 😂.
This is how they should've come from the factory. I have a MK7 GLI EA888 with a Stage 1+ tune. 310hp-350lbtq. It's fun. I imagine they don't come that way because it would take away from Audi sales.
Kyle and I have very similar physical builds. 6'4", 255lbs. I'm interested about his comment relative to the sunroof and headspace. I had a 6spd Mk6 Autobahn with a sunroof and I could easily fit with a helmet. I wonder if they lowered the roofline or maybe the seats don't drop as low. Just my personal opinion: aside from sway bars, good bushings make a huge difference on steering feel. Kind of an obscure mod these days, but so worth it. Also, if he ends up going for 400whp plus and the stock clutch goes out, get a clutch from HS Tuning and pair it with a light Sachs flywheel. I had it on my GTI and my buddy had it on his 500hp Golf R. If you break it in correctly (painful 1,000 mile process) it will take ANY beating. Enjoy your sweet ride Kyle! Those Oz wheels are sick!!
im 6'3 and i test drove a 2023 SE with sunroof. I was surprised that i fit and didnt touch the roof. these things are very friendly towards tall people
Glad you like them! I have learned over the years that not all tall folks are created equal. I have a 36" inseam, so I am a bit more torso than legs. The GTI is 38.5 inches of headroom, I could provably go down to 38. I have sat in some Audis with 37 inches of headroom and my head hits the ceiling. Moonroofs being standard are the bane of my existence.
@@langraman8756 I don't fit into Hondas, which is sad. I had a Mazda3 I used to fit in. I've never actually checked out any Toyota vehicles. I am pretty sure the BRZ/Gr86 is too small, but Subaru has a lot of headroom (usually).
This was my first new car. Moonstone S 6MT. I had 2017 only GTI Sport Nogaros on mine. It looked stunning. I had none stop problems with mine so I traded it in for a 4th gen Mazda 3. It was great to drive but a nightmare to own!
Just got a 2024 GLI manual, couldn’t stand the interior on the GTI. Currently going down the modding rabbit hole. Started this week with a dog bone insert which got rid of wheel hop and and APR intake for turbo noises. Just ordered the intake pipe and turbo inlet for more noise and because it was on sale. Next step is exhaust, then next spring wheels/tires and finally a stage 1 low torque tune. Figure the dog bone insert and wheels/tires are critical to actually put down the extra power. Nice build Kyle! Getting me excited for the future
@@SamLed1111 Yes. VW ecus store the number of times they have been flashed. When a dealer does any significant warranty work, they will scan your car first. If the # of ecu flashes do not match what has been done at the dealership, your car will be flagged TD1 (tuned) with corporate VW, which remains the case for the life of the car. That said, they cannot deny warranty claims for items the tune could not have effected (e.g. sunroof leak), but you will be on your own for anything related to engine/transmission. APR does offer APR Plus tunes, where they give you a powertrain warranty via them with certain tunes, but warranty claims will flow through them.
@@SamLed1111 whether or not a tune is worth it, depends on your appetite for risk. The EA888 engine that is in these cars is very stout, reliable, and proven to handle a lot of power without issue. That said, things can happen and depending what goes wrong it can be an expensive bill. I would always recommend against running tunes if having problems with the car will significantly disrupt your life, either money wise or getting to work. As Topher points out though, tunes on these cars make a very large difference and why people do it.
Topher always posting the videos I need like a mind reader! I can’t wait to tune mine once warranty is up. I need a way to improve clutch feel, feels way too videogamey and I have a hard time gauging engagement in thick soled shoes
ive owned and still do own a gti and even tho they are fun even stock some of the pmi cost and water pump/thermostat issues in the more recent models are hard to ignore. stops a good car from being better/great
Let me tell you something boys...as my first car I bought a VW polo 1.4 1999. This car was a riot, she died because of rust and as time went by she seemed to get quicker (maybe because of carbon build up on the cilinders and higher compression ratio, I really don't know) I will never buy another german car, yes you guessed it german is lower case on purpose. lol...
Bring back the base golf, get rid of all the black plastic gloss and replace all the smudge buttons with real buttons and knobs, and you have yourself a sale
Alot of smooth brains will tell you that an Elantra N with an engine consistenly blows is the best value on the market, but its either this or the GLI 40 anniversary. I work for VW and ive sold a GLI 40 ann for under 30k. What a steal for my client, especially since the anni cars are the lightest with adaptive dampers. Very under rated cars
I have a GLI S. Super fun (my 8th VW). 2019 with only 22k. Had to already replace the right wheel axle assembly (under warranty) and the left CV boot (under warranty) which failed at 15k. VW QC is hit or miss. Besides that an amazing daily. And for the price it's a giant killer!
Don’t say consistently blows when that is not true. Only a couple cases usually due to user error. The 2.0 the n uses is damn good. Both are good cars pick what you want but to say the Elantra isn’t a good deal is insane.
@Stevie4171 yeah I like quality in my vehicles and Hyundau/KIA is not that. So if performance means more than build quality then sure it's a good deal. But your being disingenuous if you say those engines AND transmission don't have catastrophic failures. Multiple documented cases online, car and driver also has had problems with their cars
@@yanick8633 it's unfortunate. I was excited to throw a tune on my GLI. Although already plenty fast the added HP would make it an urban rocker for freeway pulls. Oh well. Next life.
