I had a Mk4 TDi and I loved it. It cost just £1,000 (an 02 in 2016), was cheap to insure, economical but fast, like a Tardis on the inside, loads of seat and boot space. Also inexpensive to maintain with cheap spares. It was more powerful than the non-turbo GTis. I'm not a GTi expert, but as a fast comfortable family car it was great.
Exact same over here in Ireland loved that car was such a step up for me from a 1.4 and 1.6 focus I drove starting off this was my first proper car 2003 150 gt tdi
My buddy had a red one of these. I always liked the styling but for me the Mk4 sits in the awkward time where cars were getting a lot heavier but engines were still fairly old and not making the power to keep up. You're right about the blue dials being a wow factor. I remember when my dad got his Passat TDI SE and I went out in it for the first time at night. Still my favourite dial colour.
Sorry to fact check you here but the MK4 GTI was originally launched with a 1.8 20V non turbo engine producing 125 BHP it was when they introduced the 1.8 20V Turbo engine producing 150 BHP they slotted the 2.0 8V engine in. The car you drive is actually a 180 BHP variant which was added to the range in late 2002 when the 25th anniversary was added to the range. For me the star of the MK4 platform is the V6 4Motion the engine gives the car some much needed character that’s missing from the 4 pot engines and shares the same haldex all wheel drive with the R32 variant. The V6 4Motion was overshadowed by the R32 and a lot of them fell in to the hands of those who couldn’t afford to run and maintain them meaning nowadays they are a much rarer car than the R32 and with a good aftermarket suspension setup and a remap are every bit as good as a R32 for less than half the price.
I disagree. I worked for Vw when these were all new and have owned most variants. A V6 4Motion is a good car, but a flawed packed. Engine sounds nice and makes a nice change to have a V6. However, a sports car it really isn’t. An R32 is so, so much better. Interior/brakes/Suspension different including lower arms and it feels special A regular V6 doesn’t feel anywhere near as special. The used prices of both tell you all you need to know
I actually think the design of the Mk 4 Golf is really good. Particularly the back three quarters in the way all the shut lines of the panels for the rear doors (for the 5dr) and boot are mirrored in the kink in the rear quarter window and rear lights... It's a much better design than the Mk 5 that followed it... Although I accept, that the Mk5 & 6 are probably a better car...
@@paultasker7788 The power delivery of the 1.9tdi leaves a lot to be desired, also refinement is on the level of a tractor. Brilliant engines that use very little fuel and run forever but they are still very flawed, especially nowadays.
@@kristoffer3000 I had the replacement 2.0tdi 140 (still PD) in seat Leon mark 2 and white smoke would come out every time you fired it up, sounded awful especially at low speed but the punch low down was addictive. And it was also nearly as economical as the much slower 1.6tdi common rail that replaced it despite a 20mpg difference in claimed figures. Big error to downsize engines.
MK4 GTI had/has tons of cheap and simple mods to spec it up and blow away many competition, and really make it feel very special, together with it's good looks and interior can't really go wrong with it
My memory says that the 1.8 non turbo was not called a GTi in Germany. Rather it was a GT. I had the GTi and with its cream leather interior it was fantastic. Only a GTi in the UK.
I can buy a $100k car right now easily, yet ive never been happier than when I found a black on black w/sunroof 24v VR6 in Pittsburgh last year lol. Its how a Euro hot hatch should look and sound imo.
I had a 20v Turbo one and it was a great daily. It wasn't the most engaging car but it was fast enough, super comfy with electric heated Recaros and the 6 speed box was notch free. I loved that car and had had a fair few fun cars by that point. It didn't stand out in any single way but did everything just fine. I enjoyed it and would have one again. I always liked the shape too, a box with little flared arches.
An associate of mine had the TDI Anniversary - 130 or 150 I can’t remember but it had a stage 1 on. The way that car scrabbled and surged its way forward stays with me today. Not a fast car but one which entertained! Felt like I was being shoved into the seat in the lower gears.
1.8t was pretty good, although hoses and electrics not so much. I think their downfall was too heavy for a "hot hatch". Diesel GTTDis are always a good shout if a little soft on the twistys. 130 PDs respond well to tuning if done right. Where they make up for it though is styling options and rim upgrades. And then of course the Anniversary diesel and petrol models still look good today
I had a mk4 GTI 1.8 turbo (in bright blue) from new. At the time it was a head turner! I disagree with the suggestion that the ride was wallowy, I found it very firm with great handling and lots of poke! I guess they haven’t aged well! Great to see inside one again!
I had a 150 hp 1.8T and miss it, the MK5s I had afterwards weren't as reliable. All the same it was a bit of a surprise after having owned a MK2, the MK4 felt less like a Gti and more like a GT, a Grand Tourer. And indeed it smashed it on a trip down to Spain, comfortable, took autoroutes in it's stride and effortlessly powered up steep Spanish mountain roads. It was fun down English country lanes too but then, although I never threw it around much, it still didn't have the lightweight nimble feel of the MK2.
Your description of this particular 'GTi' sounds nothing like my 2001 GLX. Lots of feedback, crisp handling, decent gearbox and excellent clutch. You can either have a car that soaks up the bumps or you can have a car that handles. You can't have both without throwing a lot of expensive tech at the problem. The GLX came with KYB sport suspension as standard. It doesn't give a comfortable ride but it gives confidence inspiring handling. An old Mk IV will just always have a rattly, funny smelling interior because of the bioplastic. It just doesn't hold up over time. Living in the desert in a place with an ozone pollution problem, it is pretty bad.
I owned a mk4 1.8t gti back in the day. I put progressive springs on, remapped it and added a stronger rear arb. I did over 100k miles and loved it. Yes, it wasn’t a sports car (I’d just came out of a 964 after a relationship breakup lol), but I think you got it right in the video. It was a good all rounder and a nice place to be! Quality interior with great climate control, decent stereo, etc and enough power (after the remap) to get it down the road
I liked the Mk4 but then I drove loads as I worked in a VW Dealership....170 bhp V5 sounded awesome and the R32 was something else.GTi was good but I liked them with TDi engines ironically...
I didn't have the GTI but I did have the V5 170bhp version. The engine was terrific, the best part of the car. Sadly the car was otherwise very average, and I had lots of reliability issues. It also handled like a boat compared to the Ford Focus Mk1 that my wfe owned at the time.
Ford's chassis engineers really showed up the weaknesses of the Golf's chassis. We have to be thankful to them for forcing VW to come up with something much better for the mark 5.
@nigelblack5295 I really liked the style of the Ford's interior, it was different, though I'm sure some of the materials weren't as plush as the VW's. I'd far more put up with that though for the quality of the Ford's drive.
The materials were not as plush, but strangely it suffered far fewer rattles, squeaks and bits falling off than the VW. The VW gave the impression of good build quality when in fact it wasn't and the Ford was the opposite.
I worked at a VW dealer in FL when these were new. They were very popular. Very well painted and fit together. Many customers bought them for their kids to drive so several didn’t receive the gentlest care. Even so, Maybe it was mostly due to the heat, but the lovely interior would fall apart rapidly. Lots of creaks from the center console, all of the soft touch coating would bubble and/or turn gummy, fabric would pull away from the door cards, headliner would sag, window regulators failed at a shocking rate. The foam in the HVAC ducts would disintegrate and blow gooey foam chunks out of the vents. Cooling fans and a/c would fail also. Not a car you would recommend to a friend or family member. At least we didn’t have to worry about rust.
I owned a '99 GTi and my only real criticism of it was the torsion beam rear axle which IMHO really compromised the handling, it tended to pitch over to a certain point around corners which made it feel like body roll, but it actually wasn't. As a daily driver it was quite nice (apart from a heavy clutch) and mechanically reliable. I thought hard about getting a mk5 GTi but was put off by horror stories about the early DSG gearboxes, I understand that VW used the Focus as a benchmark for the handling of the mk5 and I often thought that if my wife's 1st gen Focus had the GTi engine it would be a quick car.
Worst Golf GTI? Nope, that was the mk3 Golf GTI 8v. ;) The mk4 was a high quality car, if rather dull. It wasn't a great GTI, but it got a decent engine in the 1.8T versions. BTW - Early Mk4s had the 1.8 20v engine (non turbo) with 125bhp. The original 1.8T had 150 bhp. The non turbo 1.8 20v was replaced by a 2.0 8v engine with 115bhp but with a bit more torque. Interior quality was streets away from anything else in the sector at the time. In Europe only the 1.8T versions got "GTI" badges. UK marketing put GTI badges on the non-turbo and 2.0 litre cars.
Yes. Actually, the 1.8 20V was a good 'sportyish' engine - much better than the 2.0 8V (which was a lump which completely ran out of puff at 5,000rpm). I heard that the reason they put the 2.0 engine was because they had loads left over from the unloved Mk3 GTI (I agree that this was a much worse car - the handling was woeful and it was slow as a slug).
That 8v was a boat anchor. It should have never had a GTi badge. It would probably be badged a 'GT Line' or whatever they call them if that was used back then.
My cousin has 2.3 V5 that thing pulled it would do 100 mph up a near vertical hill , think Telegraph hill in Devon that usually causes cars to break down but my cousins was pulling i think 250bhp it had
Taking a Honda B16 engine up to 8500rpm is so much fun though! It's not really fair to compare to a 2.8L or 3.2L VR6 with nearly twice the capacity. Especially with the VR6 being a cast iron engine, it is not a lightweight engine. If you're not convinced by the Honda philosophy, check out Honda test driver (and racing legend) Motoharu Kurosawa testing the EK9 Civic Type R at the Honda proving grounds in the wet... There is also a film of him lapping the Honda NSX Type R around there too. In both cases he is able to have total confidence in the car behaviour and press on with total commitment, all in a bog-standard road car. He shows what sporty Hondas are all about! It should really show the difference between say the EK9 Type R and the Mk4 GTI that didn't come even with a limited slip differential at the time -- it seems like the latter cars were not necessarily designed to be driven as hard or offer as much of a "racing experience" as the Honda products. [And arguably still aren't, unless you go for something like a GTI Clubsport to match up more directly to the modern Civic Type R or Megane RS Trophy.]
@@TassieLorenzo Big volume is only a problem with silly taxes or silly race regulations. Without those problems, a big volume is only good. The VR 6 is just brilliant: Short enough to go transversely into the Golf. But still with only 1 head, only 1 head gasket, a very simple intake, only 1 exhaust manifold and very simple cam chain. The VR6 is V-engine enough to be short enough. With the V-engine disadvantages reduced to an absolute minimum.
I loved my 150 TDI ARL - remapped it was great fun and still returned excellet economy. That looks like it's been lowered (hence the hard ride) and it's had some interior mods done as it's got the Bora air vents. My Golf was a replacment for my 306 XSI.
Owned a Mk4 non turbo from new, agree with you, very well built, lovely interior, the blue hue of the dash and the headlights were special at the time. I loved it, but felt it was a Golf 1.8 with a GTI badge on it. My boss had the Turbo GTI and that was much quicker in comparison. Both decent cars at the time.
Hmmm, you need to test the 2.0 non-turbo Mk4 GTi. I own one of these and it's pretty rubbish at being a GTi. It's great at being a Mk4 Golf, definitely; but not at being a GTi. I also own a 2001 Ford Fiesta 1.6 Ghia. The Fiesta absolutely thrashes the Golf when it comes to acceleration and driving fun. It's not as comfortable of course, but it does have full leather lol 😅
The Mk IV GTI was the only car I ever bought new, and it was fantastic*. I was coming to it from a 1991 Integra and it was a real step up. I bought mine in 2002 and got the 180-bhp 1.8 turbo, and I also had the package that included the larger 18" wheels and the Monsoon audio system. I think you missed the mark in this review because you're approaching it from the 'pure, raw sports car' perspective and the GTI was never intended to be that. Remember that GT stands for Grand Touring, which means a car that combines good performance with the comfort to actually go places. And the vastly-vast majority of these were indeed purchased as a primary vehicle, the car that the owner uses every day but still wants to have fun using. Mine was no different! I've never driven Ferraris or Aston Martins, so to me the handling was pretty damn good- especially considering that it was a tall, 3000-lb car. I did find however that changing tires made an interesting difference: from the factory, it was shod with a Michelin MXV4EIEIO somethings or others, the same tire that BMW M3s came with at the time. When those had worn down and I shopped for new rubber, I balked at the price of those and opted for the next tire down in the Michelin range- and found myself happier with them. The reason was that while the absolute limit of grip -which I rarely ever approached anyway- was less, the predictability of the limit of grip was much more consistent. And other than that, they felt pretty much the same. I had no issues with the shifting or steering or any other aspect of the performance- it was smooth and refined and a joy to drive. And it could haul a serious amount of stuff! I once got an antique desk into it without any dis-assembly. One time on a remote highway in western Texas I did a top-seed run, just put my foot down and waited. it settled at an electronically-governed 130 mph but would do it in either 4th or 5th gear, making me wonder what the true top would be without that line of code in the ECU. But it did that 130 mph just as smoothly and calmly as it would do 30 MPH. *At first anyway. But as the car aged, it became a decrepit POS. The first thing was that the matte-finish on the black interiour bits was just a rubbery paint, and it could be scratched away with the greatest of ease. Cylinder #1 blew coils frequently after a few years, and the cambelt-change service is something I don't ever want to do again- and I did it at least three times! The chassis got creaky, the clearcoat peeled off the wheels, I had issues with the sunroof-drains, etc. The durability/longevity issues of this an one other Mk IV Golf I had made me decide never to have another VW. Just as well, since you can't get a two-door GTI anymore, and I'm no fan of the current spartan, flat-seated interiours VW are making these days.
I have driven numerous Golf IV : 1.8T, 20V and superb 2001 1.9 TDi GTi with bulletproof ARL engine (150ps/ 320nm) - and had this one tuned professionally to 200ps, best one.. on the highway I blew the petrol versions away and still do an average 35mpg with hard driving style. Problems? Only suspension bushings, shock upgrade, dual mass flywheel/clutch and A/C pump/fan assembly 👍👍
Had a 1.8t since 09 (£2200), stage1 still going strong on 150k original clutch and turbo, and had a mapped gt tdi 130 (£2000) for 10 years til last September. Brilliant cars, easy to work on, well specced, quick enough and both cars owe me nothing. Sad the tdi had to go but she served me well with only 1 breakdown in 100k+ miles: selector went in the box for 1st and 2nd 👍
The Mk4 150 GTi diesel is a great car. I owned one for 6 years and it went really well, did over 50mpg, and was lovely to sit in. Way quicker than the 1.8 turbos. Did everything well, but typically German and soulless.
Have a Mk4 TDi estate as a daily. Still going strong. Standard suspension appalling fixed with a Koni sport kit. Remapped. Great A to B car and very good in hilly country. Ride the torque wave...
I went the Seat option with the 210 Cupra R. A lot more for your money and amazing optional Recaro front and rear seats with the bigger side bolsters for rear passengers made it that bit more special. Brembo brakes,18 inch alloys as standard and a good wedge more power.
I think the Volkswagens of the late 1990's/early 2000's where very special cars indeed. There was just something about them that set them apart, in my humble opinion. I have an uncle who owns a Mk4 Golf GTi although I don't know what engine it has in it, it's done over 140,000 miles and is still going strong, despite its age. My first car was a 1390CC Volkswagen Lupo 1.4, it only had 75BHP which is laughable I know,- but its power-to-weight distribution was very well balanced, and as a result it was very quick off it's mark. Very fun to drive around town and particularly at a set of traffic lights where it would take off quicker than big flashy fancy Mercedes and the like. It was like driving a go-kart. And it had the blue lit speed dial too, and was beautiful to look at at night, illuminating the area of the cabin around the steering wheel. I miss that car so much. It was such fun to drive!
Had a Lupo 1.0E as a commuter car. Bought new in 2001 and sold in 2006. It wasn't quick but it was a very pleasant place to be and after nearly 5 years, it still looked very fresh. Lupo GTi would have a place in my dream garage
@@MacBobCool stuff. Yep, I know I would pay ALLOT of money for a Lupo GTi if I saw one for sale near where I live or the even rarer Lupo GTi Cup car (only 3 of these where brought to the UK from mainland Europe and had a price tag of around £16,000). I haven't driven many cars,- I have epilepsy and had to hand in my license several years ago after my seizures came back, the VW Lupo 1.4 was my first car, that I sadly wrote-off after an accident that wasn't my fault. After 5 years of ownership of the Lupo, I bought a 2010 Vauxhall Corsa that on paper had more power than the Lupo yet it was sluggish in comparison, for example driving on motorways in the Corsa felt like it was towing a caravan or something, it took a really long time to climb the gears in that thing. Whereas with the Lupo, it just seemed to fly through 1st and 2nd gear, despite mines being automatic transmission. I always remember at a set of traffic lights for example, on dual carriageways, it was almost like it had launch control compared to bigger, heavier cars, for about 3/4 seconds it would be ahead of bigger, heavier, more powerful cars. And despite it being an automatic I could always make it do wheelspins. To me it just seemed like a go-kart, lol. Maybe it was just the way I drove it that made me think it was faster than it was. I can attest to the famous Volkswagen build quality too- the little Lupo I had, saved my life. A guy driving a white mini-lorry pulled out in front of me at a junction, I had no choice but to swerve to try to avoid a collision with a vehicle more than 3 times the size of my little Lupo, only I hadn't seen the tall steel lamp-post on an island in the middle of the road, and I drove straight into the lamppost, head-on, at approximately 40MPH. I passed out immediately upon impact and had a Near Death Experience, when I woke back up, half a minute later, my fleece I was wearing was burnt, that fleece smelled of fire for months and months and months afterwards (I kept the fleece as a souvenir to show people), and I had burn marks on my arms that went away after about a week after the accident. I remember my little bright yellow Lupo had a sad face that night, and I never saw it again, it was a write-off (£7,500 of damage to it), but I have always maintained with people that if I had been driving a car made by any other manufacturer that night, I probably wouldn't be here today. That little car sacrificed its own life to save mines. Built like a tank it was. I am hoping to start driving again next year and if I see a Lupo for sale I will definitely be buying one. I agree about the Lupo's looks; it was a very well styled little car. I had smoke tinted rear headlights on mines and it really looked the business. So glad I have photos of it to remember it, 10 years after I wrecked the poor thing.
I owned a year 2000 VW GTi 1.8T. I bought it in 2001 & kept it til 2015. I loved it. I remember a review saying it was not a boy racer car, but more of an executive express. I would go along with that.
I have had one of each model of GTI/ R up to the Mk8 and I found the Mk4 to have been the best in overall quality and was just the right size. I had the 150 BHP turbo in which i covered most of France and Italy and was a great touring car. Ranking them I would say the Mk 4 was much better than the Mk3.
Fresh out of uni I sold these for a main dealer for a couple of years, a couple of mistakes in this video. They came in various guises over the years, the 115 8v wasn’t the first but was by far the worst and was only a GTI in trim, if I’m honest the ones everybody wanted were the diesel GT TDI 130 and 150 as VW seemed to be well ahead of the game with those PD engines. I ran all of them including a newly launched R32. My favourite was probably the GTI anniversary 180. Standard chassis was terrible but far better with sports suspension and bigger wheels. A 2.0 115 GTI was a low point.
I think so, whilst it wasn't the sharpest thing to drive they were truly beautifully engineered and exuded quality that no Golf has since (I've owned Mk5, Mk6 and Mk7 Golfs personally) My Dad had a 110 GT TDi as a company car and I drove it a fair bit, was pretty quick, felt like a bank vault and I recall the stereo being incredible in it. Quality was definitely on a par with the A3 back then. I've heard it from a reliable source that to develop the independent rear suspension for the Mk5 cost more than the entire development cost of the Mk4, hence why the quality went to the floor with the things.
Had a Mk4 GTTdi 150hp for many years now. Can't argue. Car wallows around corners. You do feel connected to the road though. Moreso than newer cars. Third gear is good. Old lady is sadly being traded for a newer model.
Back in the time, my first wife had a Mk4 TDI as a company car. Build quality was excellent, but neither of us could drive it for more than an hour without getting backache. The seats were the worst I have ever experienced in any car. Then I bought a Focus and that really put into perspective how dynamically poor the Golf was.
I have a 1.8t Gti 150 (AGU) completely standard on 195k miles. I believe these were the power outputs on Mk4 GTi's: 2.0 8v - 115hp (I think these were leftover engines from the Mk3 Gti's that weren't sold VW needed to shift) 1.8 20v non turbo - 125hp 1.8t 20v - 150hp then later models 180hp
00:24 You're showing a pic of former VW Chairman, later CEO Ferdinand Piëch and BMW/later VW CEO Bernd Pischetsrieder and you're somehow mangling their names into one. Pischetsrieder's VW time was 2002 till 2006 which might correspond to the Mk IV Golf.
The MK3 was easily the worst one....poor build quality, too heavy, under powered and terrible design. Review a MK3 and then tell us how it is better than the MK4.
@@kristoffer3000 yea, I know :) I was just offering possibly worse cars to rank alongside the MK3....to compare a MK3 golf to an AX GT and a R5 Turbo is a big insult :)
I had a diesel GTI PD150 mk4 with those alloys and black leather Recaro interior. It was a cracking little car. Was it a hot hatch though? Nah, not really. But I still really loved it.
It sounds nicer than my mark 7 1.5tsi and previous seat Leon 1.4tsi of similar power. Suspect all the environmental stuff ruins the noise of that especially the 1.5.
I loved the glass headlights on mine but the looms cooked inside the headlight shell and the bare wires didn't play nice with fuses. The interior was not quality at all. It might have looked OK new but the plastics had that soft rubber texture which melted over time and was worse than getting chewing gum out of your hair (because you don't have to put chewing gum in your hair but you do have to touch the interior). Also, those same plastic interior panels got very brittle and it was no surprise to find the under dash panels fall onto your shins when you hit a pothole. I loved the practicality of the flat folding rear seats, I bought a Kawasaki ZX2R in the boot and took it home 100km away without any concerns (tied and secured of course). The handling of mine had been sorted with new shocks fitted just before I bought it, so it was fun to drive anywhere. One of the great plusses was the fact that VW are also made in China so many of the parts I needed could be bought on eBay from China at eBay China prices but they weren't copies, genuine from the Chinese VW factory, so very cheap to maintain (mechanically, not trim).
I think this is a fair assessment of the MK4 GTI, though no mention of the VR6 versions is given, let alone the very special mk4 R32.. I have a 2000 Golf GTI GLX VR6, with under 135,000KM. Its all original and OEM or equivalent spec parts have been used when repairing. I agree that the ride is softer than the MK5 that replaced it and even my VR6 (12v) in stock form is no where near as quick as a MK5 GTI. Given that, it is still a fun and engaging car to drive and no where near as dead feeling as many modern vehicles. I love its driver focused controls, free of modern distraction screens and nanny state tech. And the smooth VR6 makes wonderful noises..
I owned a '99 S3 also based on same chassis (swapped for Mk4 1.8T GTI). The difference is independent rear suspension for the Haldex system. Plus stiffer suspension, faster steering rack, shorter gearing and bigger KO4 turbo. The Mk4 was just a standard car with a GTI badge.
Sometime ago, I had a 2001 2.0 8v GTI for about 3 years as a stop gap car, and it was a nice sold car, but dog slow especially after an S2000, the handling wasn't very good either, so as usual I changed the springs and dampers for a Weitec Ultra GT -30mm kit, which improved it immensely, a set of 16in 4motion alloys on Falken tyres, Audi TT front strut brace and it was like a different car, still pretty slow, 0-60 but at least what performance there was could be exploited better in the twisties, and also having owned a 306 2.0 8v previously the Peugeot was the better car as a drivers car, but as you say after 20 years the Golf interior has I suspect survived better than the Pug would have.
In 2002 I bought a new 3 door Gti Tdi pd 150 with the ARL engine. 21 years later and I am still using it and its on 325,000 miles. When tuned and lowered they are fun and economical cars to have. They have their issues but what car doesnt. A pug 306 was considered at the time but I doubt I would have kept a 306 as long and whether it would've lasted as well
Well....In fact.... Golf MK4 IS a GTI,but it's not a hot hatch...... Golf MK1 managed to be call a hot hatch,Same with the MK2 but afterwards they were mostly Gran Tourers........A fairly fast and steady small car
the v6 4motion with a remap is plenty fun for the road, my one is lowered, on 18" with ps4 tires and wont get boring to drive, enough torque to stick in 6th almost any speed but revs to the moon no issue
Did about 80,000 miles in a 1.6. Jeeez, as a Golf owner for 25+ years it was a lemon. Anything with a Bosch logo on it failed. Aircon, starter motor, fuel pump, and premature coil failure. The passenger window also fell in on itself at the worst possible time. I suspect the people in the comments saying they drive one today and its fine are driving the surviving cars which have had all the bad bits long since replaced.
Nope. Quite rightly regarded as the worst GTI. I owned a 1.8T version. Woolly handling, numb steering and vague gearbox. It wafted along ok but I just felt disconnected from the driving experience. Got a Mk5 a few years later - what a difference! Possibly the best GTI.
@@kristoffer3000 I owned a Mk3 16V before I swapped for the Mk4. However it had leaking rear shocks when I bought it and I replaced with Bilsteins plus stiffer springs all round. So my memories is it handled quite nicely and was fun to throw around. I've also driven Mk2, Mk6 and Mk7.5 GTIs and IMO the Mk4 was the least fun to drive.
Agreed. I had the 1.8 turbo 150 hp in a Passat. Car had 200,000 miles (about 320,000 km) had traded it in. I have a couple of friends who drive Mk IV GTIs because it's a fun, good-looking and still reliable vintage car for weekends or even as a daily.
I know people generally dislike these, but I have a weird soft spot for them. They’re a bit fat and not that fast, but they felt pretty solid and well made. I love the original R32.
I'm an American and I had the 24 valve VR6 with a 6 speed manual. My only complaint was that the seats were too hard for a long drive and it needed a spoiler or something, anything literally, to give it some menace. All it had was a nice set of wheels.
The Mk4 has decent steering. It’s light on gas powered models but on the heavier diesels feedback is good. It’s not mk2/mk3 levels but it’s a good hydraulic system and it’s not isolated. The subsequent models are worse in this regard. The brakes are overboosted but the suspension can be tuned well with aftermarket.
I've never owned a mk4 but have had a bora which is based on the the platform. As a golf the gti is great it does everything a golf should do but as a gti too sensible. Infact if I was keeping it stock I would rather go with the pd130 since it has 230 ft lbs is torque
Same here - I had a V5 engined Bora - lovely smooth cruiser with a characterful engine and much more liveable with than the MG ZS180 that I’d also considered.
As you say they were a lovely place to be with a quality interior for the time - Mk5 was a real step backwards on the inside (far better GTi though). For me the best versions were the diesels PD130 and PD150 - not GTi's but awesome mid range made them real world quick!
I have to disagree about the mk5 being a step backwards interior quality wise, my 16 year old mk5 has held up far better than my brothers then 10 year old mk4
Post Mk 4, VW really packed their cars with lots of cheap 'breaky-breaky' plastics both in the car's interior and under the bonnet (US hood). What a shame.
It's a shame they built so many cars with sporting pretensions on the Mk4 Golf platform, like the Audi TT, which quickly earned the reputation of being all style and no substance, which I felt it never truly shook through future generations. I think the Seat Leon Cupra R was supposed to be ok according to the car journo's, but I drove a Skoda Octavia VRS and a Golf Gti of that era, and they both had the wooly, numb steering and stodginess at the limit. They felt like 7-tenths cars. The harder you push them, the stodgier they feel. The 1.8T was a great engine, refined and quiet. Still, at this point, I had been ruined by a few lovely naturally aspirated engines where you got that sweet second kick in the back at the top of the Rev band, which felt manic and exciting, the power delivery of the 1.8T was flat as a bookshelf, and then right at the top of the rev band where you hope things might get a bit more exciting it just dies away ready for another gear. It was the first Turbocharged petrol I drove back in the day, and it ruined my perception of turbo cars...a great engine in so many ways, but to me, at least, it was totally unexciting. To this day, iv never been a fan of that kind of power delivery. It's efficient but not as rewarding in my eyes. Many fans have told me over the years how much better these cars can be with the right mods, and perhaps they are, but it always felt like polishing a poo to me. Why not buy something better in the first place?
I had a three Mk 4s (one with the 1.8 turbo and one diesel) and I loved the lines. I later had a 2011 and a 2013 GTIs, both with the full size spare tires...both with the dsg trans. If we only could have had the Peugeots I would have gone in that direction. But the VWs were all good cars.
Even the mods can't save it! To be fair though the mk4 has lasted really well. Even the youngest ones are 20 years old now and plenty still in the roads. For me the mk4 make more sense as a diesel cruiser or one of the lower petrols. The GTIs sadly didn't cut it.
The Mk4 Golf is probably the greatest example of perceived quality overiding a cars real ability and durability. Damped grab handles didnt compensate for duff electrics, rust, window regulators etc etc. They were too lardy and time has proven they were adequate but not great cars. The Mk4 GTI in any form was an insult to its Mk1 and 2 forebears...and the less said about the Mk3 the better. In fact the best thing that can be said about the Mk4 Golf is that it made Vw pull their socks up when it came to the Mk5.
After 50 years of Golf I still do not understand how that boring piece of sheet could ever be called sporty and being recognized as a benchmark for anything good.
Yea you can, the MK2 16v golf was more of a smile than the GTi-6 for me....but the build quality on the pigs were the big downside....rattles everywhere.
After I drove my first MK4 GTI I was really pleased to have bought the 130 TDI, the performance difference was not so great as to warrant the extra money! Still a great car though.
The 1.8 turbo and the 2.3 V5 was epic this car thanks to its wide arches could take corners at 90mph , I kept up with an Audi A3 turbo basically the same engine in that 90mph round corners not really tight corner but twisty village ones anyway it was a great car the Mk5 Golf was the worst as most rusted in a few years and gearbox blew lol
Had a red 1.8t hated the thing was heavy slow and looked no different from a 1.6 petrol,used to eat coil packs and was crap on fuel when the clutch went after a mate changed it stored it and sold it a year later then had crap family cars,bought a mk5 gti later on loved it still have it bought a mk7.5 gti and don’t really like it so the 5 is coming out to play again much more fun
I had an early 8v bought to sell on never driven a GTi before, it was a OMG moment the car was great looker red with R32 wheels lowered but slow to the point of embarrassing
It was very good GTI. It absolutelly met all the GTI criteria, stylish (damn it was back then it was by far the cleanest design), practical, comfy, well made, and .... could go bit faster if you needed to. GTI was never meant to be Toyota Supra.
I own 2 MK4's. A 01' GTi 1.8T and a 03' Jetta 1.8T. The GTi is the 150hp 1.8T. is going on 377 000km's. Been a VW guy for many yrs. Had a few MK2's. Always will be my favorite. Unfortunately the clutch burned out on it just recently. So it is not being driven right now. Was my daily driver for almost 18 yrs. It's seen it's days. Age has caught up to it. Everything I maintained is being beaten by rust. The engine will outlast the body in this case. Debating to fix or not. It still has a lot of life in that engine. Will last pass 400 000km's if I do the clutch. It's been a constant maintenance after the warranty had run out. My 03 Jetta has the 180hp 1.8T. it's only a occasional driver. has only 94 000km's. Not even broken in yet. The GTi is a lot more fun to drive. Keep up on the timing belt and water pump maintenance!!!
Biggest problem with the mk4 was the early non turbo 2.0 gti which let the side down. The 1.8T was a great car. Mine was an import with the much nicer tdi wheels, seen at 3:53
I bought a 1 owner 2003 V5 mk4 Golf (170hp AQN) 10 years ago for £2000. Diesel models then were £4000, but I never enjoyed driving diesels. Still have the V5 - not worth selling it and it is a good car. Well equipped and comfortable. On paper, incredibly similar engine and performance specs to my other car, a 1990 Audi 90 20v... which I love. Both: 2.3L 5 cyl (albeit narrow V versus inline 5) DOHC 20v aluminium head Bosch Motronic electronic fuel injection 170hp@6000rpm 220Nm (V5 @3500rpm, 90 20v @4500rpm) 5 speed, fwd. Interesting, should feel similar, right? No. The Audi engine, even though it lacks the lower end torque, is less linear in its delivery and much more exciting to use. It comes alive 4.5k-7krpm and encourages the driver to get involved and give it stick. Basically has more charisma and excitement, and feels quicker when above 4.5krpm. V5 feels pointless to rev out. Audi's handling and ride are way better too, even though that is also a rear torsion beam. The Golf always made me feel anxious, lurching and rolling into corners. I'll be keeping them both as I love 5 pots and older cars. The Golf engine had become much more (and unnecessarily) complex though; variable valve timing, variable length intake manifold, electronically controlled throttle body - more electronic sensors basically and a maze of a vacuum system components. Engine paper specs aside, in reality they're characteristically totally different beasts. I like what the VW chief engineer said re. too much marketing involvement. Absolutely right and probably the main difference in my comparison. My Audi definitely feels like the product of engineering focus and priority. Mk4 Golf was trying to be too many things, targeting mass appeal and hotter versions just don't have the whole factory tuning package / weren't special enough (except the R32, perhaps). Great video, Jack - thank you. Btw, I thought the internet consensus was the mk3 GTi is the GTi low point & mk4 too!
I like the IV, particularly the 1/8T which is easy to mod - here we got 150hp I think? Gen 3 was the crap and the 2.slow engine was not up to the GTI label.
