VW Golf GTD Review - after 8 years is it still any good? 

Rare to see anyone ordering new a car new and keeping it longer than 5 years! GTD have always been such a solid car in general

I’ve had the Golf GTi, Golf R and two EGolfs (mk7 and 7.5’s) and absolutely loved them all, I’m looking now to get a GTE!! Embarrassingly I’ve become a bit of a Golf fanboy, I just think it’s an excellent product

Great video and summary. I have had the same colour GTD, but a year newer, from new. I ordered it with DSG, rear camera and CarPlay - options which I really wanted. It is a terrific car that just drives and does everything very well plus still looks smart and fresh. I have no idea what I would ever change it for. The condition of my car is very good but from the video yours is excellent. Apart from needing new discs and pads my ownership experience has been very similar to you.

Best GTD owner review yet. My GTD estate dsg is flawless except for the low profiles (as you mentioned). I am due a tyre change soon and will take your advice on the Michelins. You make a good point about what to replace it with as it’s such a great all rounder.

I just bought a 19 plate after having my 07 plate GTD for 14 years. Plan to keep this one for a long time. Thanks for the review

I’ve recently got a 2013 mk7 golf TSI GT edition from Japan, it came with a DSG gearbox and only cost £10,495 with 21,000 miles on the clock, it’s a dream to drive and feels so smooth!

Great 8 year report! You're a great advocate for Volkswagen! I'm running a 2018 Mk7.5 Golf GTI Performance 5dr DSG (7-speed) and absolutely love it. Only options are rear camera and metallic paint (Isaac Blue). 5 years on and 30k miles. I buy the service packs, which usually cost about £400 for 2 services and MOTs, as you say there are plenty of plans to suit car mileage and owners' budgets. I have no intention of changing my car any time soon 😁 re: replacement - if you don't like the new Golf mk8 then what about a Seat/Cupra Leon, Audi A3, or a Skoda Octavia (slightly larger), or any of VAG's massive range of SUV's. 🖖

I bought my 2015 GTD in 2018 with 37k on the clock. It’s now on 110k and I don’t see myself moving it on any time soon. I perhaps over maintain it, with services at 6-8k miles, but I always think oil is the cheapest mechanic! It does everything so well, I can’t think of anything I’d replace it with!

I had to get my ACC recalibrated on my 7.5 after I removed the bumper to replace the lower grill and it stopped working with errors. Paid some guy that came out with a load of kit that he set up on my driveway. It didn’t work and he charge me for the call out £180!!. In the end I called VW York thinking it was going to cost a fortune and they did it for £80. Only had my Golf for 10/11 months. This video has me looking at them again now.

I had one of these in almost identical spec as yours, same colour and all. I do miss it, it is an extremely versatile car and great on all fronts. Have had GTIs as well, but always felt the GTD a bit of an underrated dark horse. I don't regret not getting the dsg. I owned it for four years with no issues at all. If you're looking to buy one, I'd say try and get a 2016, it comes with more equipment as standard. Mine was a 2015, but I never felt short of equipment/toys.

quality review! 👍 recently downgraded from my BMW 340i to one of these as I'm looking to buy a house & needed something more affordable. picked up a same year car as yours in the same colour, 80k miles but DSG & dynaudio. Absolutely fell in love with the car already! I have always had BMWs in the past and this was my first VAG product, These cars are way ahead of their time, making my previous newer cars feel dated in comparison. also the performance to fuel economy is refreshing to say the least 🤣fast enough for any UK roads yet achieving almost 60mpg on the motorway, perfect daily! splashed out on a £700 VW major service and DSG oil change a few days after collecting the car as I plan to keep it for several years, car now drives even smoother... as for your gearbox dilemma I think it comes down to the grass being greener on the other side. I test drove both and sided with the DSG as I do a fair amount of motorway driving however I do find myself craving a manual whenever I stumble on any twisty country roads for a more involving experience. depends how you plan to use the car I guess. the fact that you kept this car for 8 years says all anyone needs to know.

I've recently bought a 2016 GTD with 45k miles on the clock in mint condition. By far the best spec, feel and handling car for the money I've ever owned. I unwisely keep a car for a year before I'm bored but I'll be keeping this for much longer in sure. Love it! Oh and I unlocked the android auto for £25 from a guy on ebay. I'll be doing a stage 1 tune at some point when it's on sale next.

I have the 7.5 GTD auto and top spec 3 door. It hit 1ook mls recently and was thinking of selling it but when I looked it hit me that you have one of the best cars in its range, I'm keeping it!

You definitely picked correctly with the manual transmission, I had to daily a DSG MK7 GTI for a little bit while my car was getting some work done. I was all giddy about the DSG for the first week or so, but after a week I really started missing a manual transmission quite a bit. DSG is definitely cool and there is definitely some solid benefits, but I don’t think it’s a replacement for the fun or joy I have driving manual on a day to day basis. Yes there is a “manual mode”, but it’s not at all the same as pushing in the clutch and shifting the gears yourself, there’s something special about that. (Side note: I’d imagine a manual GTD will hold its value better as well).

Once had a 65 plate in carbon grey from new.3 door,manual.Specced it with Dynaudio,rear view camera,park assist.The Dynaudio was superb for about £550.Wish i'd bought the DSG though. The Nogaros are nice but i kerbed them quite easily. The only other colour i might have went for was the Night blue. £20 a year VED for the power was insanely good. Great car,no problems.Chopped it in after 4 years for a 335d x drive (68 plate) whch i've had for 4.5 years now.Been paying the premium car tax (£570) since then.Thankfully it ends on 30April 24. If you want a top value upgrade,get one of the last of the 335's before the M340d took over. 42mpg and all the power you'll ever need.

My GTD is 16 reg, so similar age to yours. Also, I am very pleased with it. Why people in the UK do not pay extra £295 for the Climate Comfort windscreen, is beyond my comprehension. During the damp mornings in the autumn or spring, the misty windscreen is pristine in 1-2 minutes. Also the tinted glass 90% on rear windows for £95 was a no-brainer, given the overall price of the car. The other options can be disputable: £830 Dynamic chassis control (I am very pleased with it--it increases the variability of the car!). £955 Lane assist with side scan, blind spot monitoring and dynamic light assist are very useful safety features. And even the £250 Parking pack helps with curb and parallel parking in difficult city conditions. All the more reasons to stick with the car as long as possible! And yes, I changed the noisy Bridgestones for Michelins as soon as they got down to 3mm. The Michelins last longer, are quiet and better fuel consumption. Great video, Mike! Keep the good work!

Bought a 16 plate same colour, manual, has done 43k miles and paid £14k for it. Love the car especially with the 19 inch santiagos it has on it. Gets a lot of looks off people when its clean and i dont find it that slow once youre moving. Can easily pass bmw 320d and 420d's and the fuel economy is great and its cheap to tax and insure. Will be keeping it for many years.

Loved the review. I've owned my MK7 Golf R for about 7 years now. Also share it on RU-vid and I can't fault it 🎉

I have a GTD mark 7, it's a great all round car and practical. Good performance versus economy and looks the part. The tyre roar at high speeds is a downside and does top out at high speeds. Most of the torque delivery is mid range. I personally like the manual over the DSG, as more driver focused experience. They hold their value too.

Sorry, but you WERE 100% correct, the D.S.G would have been the perfect accompaniment to your golf, but you'll know next time🤭

Extremely good video. You've got a new subscriber. I've had my gtd 15 plate 6 years now and when it did cross my mind at 4 years to replace it I had it mapped and seriously it's night and day fuel consumption is down and the torque when you need it is just ridiculous. By far the most fun car I've had and I used to change cars every 2 to 3 years and this is my 3rd golf. I've had a Scirocco a Passat cc 3 golfs and a I think I may just drive this until it falls to pieces.

Really good review Mike, I too have enjoyed a similar quality mk 7.5 experience. The DSG transmission is a delight, being an old spanner man have always carried out every service using genuine parts, money well spent. Won’t change her for the world.

I basically had the same one, same color, but only 17 inch wheels which was a shame. DSG though, which is great with ACC, and Dynaudio sound system. I loved it! Great review! Cheers, Tom

The MK7 is the best Golf created so far. The design, comfort, quality and reliability was just great! Hope the MK9 (should there be a MK9) achieves or surpases this.

Have the same car same colour. Love it.

Just one more comment - a little know quirk is that the 3 door Mk7 GTD is only £30/year to tax as opposed to £130 for the 5 door. 119 g/km vs 122g/km CO2

I got my December 2015 golf in 2018. Still have it and only has 43,000 on the clock❤

Don't want to make you feel even worse but the adaptive cruise works really well with a DSG box. It will take you from 0-70mph with no input!

Just purchased a GTD 7.5 DSG 19 plate from VW ...Had a 7.5 R DSG in the past...Bringing back the memories i had with the R....So relaxing to drive with the DSG gearbox..😀

I'll say...It's still blends right in in todays market on the roads...A true solid ALL-ROUND performer....

Love these cars, the facelift 7.5 put the radar for acc behind the vw badge on the nose looks neat and is more protected but a new problem is when when snowing or snow flakes gather on bonnet it says acc impaired unavailable. Pros and cons I guess. I have just a regular diesel, not a gtd, but in my opinion these are the best golfs ever made probably even over engineered. The new mk8 has more electronics but they cut costs everywhere else.

I love the golf and they are great all round family cars and are fun to drive I have 2006 mk5 golf R32 78,000 miles and love it. Your GTD is excellent Great review thank you

My daily driver is a mk7.5 GTD in Indium Grey. I’ve had it for 3 years and it’s on 81k miles. Mine is a manual and like you, I wish I had gone for the DSG - But the rest of the car is great, I have no plans to change it yet as it’s still so good!

Before you mentioned it I was thinking “ wouldn’t have had it without a DSG gearbox. Had n earlier one with it and now have a Transporter T6 204 with it . Brilliant . Done well over 150k miles with them now without any issues. Hate the Mk8 by the way. The touch screen operation of everything would drive me bonkers!

Thanks for sharing, good to know it’s 8 years old and still running well. I’ve got a 5 year old A3 and hoping to keep it for 8-10 years in total to get my moneys worth. Worth checking with VW next time you change the cam belt, Audi had the same guidance but recently changed this to 120,000 miles and no time interval, to be fair GTD could still be 5 years though based on the performance.

Lovely put together and filmed video, great job 🎉

Great video. I’ve owned four GTD’s but unfortunately I haven’t had the same reliability as you with all of them having major issues. It’s the definition of madness, but I keep coming back. Having an adaptive cruise control mated with the DSG box makes long drives an absolute doddle. I love the power, practicality and mpg. Just wish they were as kind to me as you! Can’t think of alternative haha.

Mines a 14 yr mk6 and I love it. You don't need anything faster in Britain , has great manners and due to torque crawls in slow traffic with no clutch depressing. Not to mention superb fuel economy obvs.

Excelent review, solid cars. Owned a 14 plate manual for about 6 years and nothing has gone wrong with it, apart from dealing with 2 leaks to the door and boot 😫. A set of premium tyres are a must imo, seccond gear becomes useless in the wet even at 50% throttle on the standard Bridgestones, use Goodyear Assy 5's now and grip/traction is miles better. 👍

Golf Rallye G60 4wd wasn't a 3-litre, it was a 1.8 supercharged engine (160ps).

Great review just bought 1 yesterday 2014

Looking at buying a mk7 GTD. Nice review, also interesting see you driving around the HH area :)

Nice review, I've been driving a 7.5 GTD since January and very happy with it. Do wish it had better grip/traction on the road though. Maybe I need a 4motion R next lol

The Dynaudio option is awesome too. Really miss it on mine, BMW Harmon Kardon is way inferior!

I have a 2005 MK5 GTX that I've owned for a year and a bit with low km's, just hit 100,000 last week. these were made for 3 years (2005, 2006, 2007) for the Japanese market only. You get the EA113 GTi engine with bolstered heated leather seats, wooden trim, GTi suspension & GTi brakes - with the GTi paddle shift steering wheel as an option. Basically a sleeper GTi with all the comfort 🤙 mine is in the rare Shadow Blue Metallic colour and hoh after a wax and polish there's nothing like it, a lot darker and more unique than the Lapis Blue on the MK7 & MK8 golfs.

Ive had my 2018 gtd since it was 2.5 years old,other than a battery its been fault free,just tyres and servicing,mine is the dsg and its great to drive,doubt i will ever have a manual car again,vw changed the cambelt replacement interval in july 23 from 5 years to no time limit and 140000 miles,i wont be waiting that long,mine is getting replaced with the water pump next month. Great all rounder for a daily driver car. Cant see me changing cars anytime soon.

Great video ive always liked this generation of golf and the gtd is pretty cool if you want a car that looks like a gti keep the videos coming

I really wouldn't want to leave it 20,000 miles between oil changes in a turbo diesel. Half that tbh to give the turbo etc the best possible lifespan

I have the GT petrol version and it's superb, good performance if you need it, also has good economy too with around 56 mpg possible or more. The tyre noise is a bit loud at higher speeds in the rear

I've had mine for 9 years exactly the same but 3 door I think it looks better, £20 a year road tax, 52 mpg a great car, not even thinking about selling.😊

Some also say the MK2 was the last proper golf! I rented a Golf 7 last time I was home with the family. Nice, bit small tho for 4 of us plus luggage. Was a smaller TDI, did almost 1000km to a tank

Lovely car. I have the Mk7 R-Line TDI and love it but wish it was a GTD, just wondering if you ever had the issues with water leaks into the boot or into the rear footwells?

nice, ive a owned a mk6 gti and currently got a mk7 R DSG and im gonna get one of these sometime in the near future for my daily commuter because when im not using the R i really miss it 😀

I’ve had my mk 7.5 for 4 years now. Its red and has no options whatsoever (but I have changed the wheels myself) and it still looks good today

the GTD has always been one of my dream cars. Been on the edge for so long between biting the bullet and getting one or not. Torn between the 7.0 and the 7.5 ( All I want is a sunroof haha )I prefer the front end of the 7.5 but that's the only upside

I love the manual. dsg is for connivence, manual for fun and control, the slightly quicker to 60 is a non factor as launching any car like that is bad for them and since diesels pull amazing in 4th and 5th your non changing gear all often.

Gives me hope that it's been good for that long. Having a look at 14 reg one same colour as this on Tuesday.

@9.08 those disks look knackered

it is indeed the last proper golf

Agree with everything you've said I chose basically the same spec as you but with dsg and the best option buy a variant or estate in nonVW talk well worth the extra for the space and in my opinion looks better.

My biggest regret from buying my Mk 7 DTG Estate is the DSG gearbox. The MPG on my DSG auto version is truly terrible. Lucky to get 40mpg. On a mainal version I get about 55, as you do. I'm also always wondering when it will fail, as all the DSG boxes do. Lesson learnt.

My current car is Mark 7 2015 1.4 tsi with blue motion technology, third golf owned two previous were both Mark 3's , all have been dependable trouble free cars . current model owned from almost new !!! . Local VW Dealership took delivery of five cars from V A G, all intended to be used as demos, mine did not get used had eight miles on the clock when I bought it for a great price £ 19 k not the £ 22k list price as per the spec . Current mileage 52 k miles , not sure what to replace it with possibly another VW.

You have kept those alloys unkerbed !! Miracle!!

Great review! Wondering if you have had excessive oil usage? I have a 2015 Octavia with the same engine. Engine still feels very strong and has been very reliable, but it burns a lot of oil in mine, probably about 2 litres every 10k kilometres. It’s serviced every 15k km without fail, with good oil and filter

I bought the MK 7.5 GTD(2018) Estate from Derby Audi with just 27k miles. I have just had the cam belt done £840 ! which is a shame but its gone past the 5 years age. The light system is a huge upgrade on my 2016 Scirocco R Line I had previously. Despite thinking the Golf and Scirocco had the same engine....it was immediately apparent from the first drive that the Golf was nippier. The Golf has the large touch screen in car info/media whatever system. I can't say that I like it as you have to consciously think what you want to do...whilst driving....surely a backward move from pressing a random button !?...Having had the Golf just over a year covering just 2k miles...I have to say it was a wasted purchase and will look towards selling next Spring....not sure why I fitted 4 new tyres and all new discs and pads.....the Technician in his service video did compliment my "immaculate car " though ! 😁

Hi mike. Love my 14 plate gtd, had it for 7 years. Have had to change throttle body and fuel pump in that time. Thought i was coming up to a timing belt change but my garage says vw now advises only doing it every 140,000 miles and no time limit. Any thoughts if that is too long? Thanks

Ive got the seat leon 2.0tdi with the same engine as the GTD great car had it nearly 4 years now getting bored of the power though tempted to remap it

absolutely love mine. Golf's are such good value for money and quick enough to lose ur licence.

It’s been great London to Newbury and now London to Poole drive for work. MPG is just amazing on this, to the point that I drive it economically for a challenge when I just want to enjoy the drive. I’m going to try to hold on to it until carbon vehicles are banned as I was told these should last a while. I’m in the same dilemma as you. With the ACC, DSG should have been a no brainer and now what should I replace it with when the time comes?

Great vid. May i ask what mileage it's running at now? Thanks in advance

Looks great I'm thinking of getting one after I owned a MK4 gtd for around 10 years

I have a manual GTD also and have owned mine for 7 years next month its a 2014 plate. The manual is cheaper to buy, cheaper road tax if pre 2017, better on fuel and you dont have to service it unlike a dsg. When mine was 6 years old both rear calipers seized so they were replaced along with discs and pads. At 7 years old I replaced the front discs and pads. The backs of the discs were in terrible condition and I should of replaced them sooner. The pads were crumbling aswell. If i were you i would get them changed. Im keeping mine so its a new timing belt and waterpump next year. That will be the second one in my ownership.

Hi, be good to get a breakdown of the cost to own over the years you’ve owned it as I’m either looking to purchase this or the civic, facelift model between 2015-17..the spaceship looking model … Btw does the door cards have a white light strip running through it..? A friend of my had the GT model and noticed that he had this feature on his car which looked really cool..

Dsg with the adaptive cruise control is unbelievable

Great Review Mike ! I have a mark 7.5 GTD and I absolutely love it ❤

Slightly different (but the same) we have an A3 sportback with the 170 TDI it is bonkers reliable quick and averages 57mpg - do love the golf tho

ah I am not sure about the DSG. I had a 2013 Seat Exeo Estate (Audi A4 B7 chassis) for 10 years (same engine as the GTD, manual gearbox). Loved the car but the rack went and I couldn't get a new rack to replace so sold it on spares and repairs. I have bought an A4 Avant 190ps TDI quattro with the DSG box and it is great but I miss the interaction with the manual. Fortunately i have other cars for that though. We seem to drive in a similar manor, my discs and pads on the Seat only required replacement at 93k/9 years.

Great car, love these wheels.I don’t think you should upgrade it for a Golf 8, too much cost cutting. Most hybrids don’t offer this performance and economy at this price point

Had one several years ago and I really liked it but it also sipped too much oil - typical for the engine - sad cause I dont like Golf at all but this MK7 always got me good vibes

Here we go - in support of the manual gearbox! The DSG may be every boy-racer's wet dream for hitting 60mph 0.2 second quicker, etc, but it will not last as long as a manual gearbox. As you are clearly a long-term owner, you will have already entered the kind of mileage where a DSG will get troublesome (please - all you VAG experts out there - I'm only repeating what I've heard from other 'experts' who report that a DSG will typically often need a rebuild after 70k miles - don't shoot me...). If it were me, I'd be happy i had the manual.

awesome vid

Do you regularly do long trips for the dpf?

I'm looking for a decent 16/17 plate secondhand one at the minute, struggling to find one in good condition under 14 grand

I had a Mk6 GTD and went to a Mk7 GTD. The Mk7 felt less responsive and mpg on the Mk7 was a good 10 less than the Mk6. Unacceptable!

My dream car but even as a 41 years old guy can't afford it, life is cruel for me

How has it been reliability wise? Also any oil consumption issues?

DSG not good for long term, you made right choice

Good interesting video music in the background pain

Had mine for 18months now and done 35k in it,love it as my daily but the only thing that annoys me about it is the seats are too thin on the base but apart from that i like the look of them with the grey tartan and am so glad i got DSG as best of both worlds,especially in traffic!

how much would you guys pay for a mk7 golf in 2023?

Mk7 gtd owner great car to drive but anyone else suffering from water leaks ? Currently have seats out and carpets up discovered leak from rear light and speaker in rear left door

Low quality products these days sadly. ULEZ isn't based on CO2 production, it's the emission class, particulates, NOX etc. Good shout on the manual, all cars will be automatic soon enough.

You're wrong. You have a real gem with the manual! Regret not.

Have a 2016 gtd, reverse camera is brilliant, i replaced the standard screen to a bigger one myself, easy to do,

What mpg extra urban u get

Had mk6 and mk7, and i rate mk6 much higher! Only thing better on mk7 was the (electric?) differential. But Mk7 was a headache quality wise…

GTD or GTE?

How's the oil consumption? Does it eat oil?

Anyone reckon a mk8 golf tdi could do 500k miles or more

Dsg all the way