Mk5 Golf

oilsheik · 09-09-2005 12:02pm #1

Thinking of getting 1.6 Mk5 Golf in terms of the extra's I'm thinking of getting ESP. Just wondering has anyone had this fitted and is it worth the extra Eur859 extra!. Also has anyone got Cruise control fitted to the Sportline hows it working out? did it take long to order the car with this fitted.
Tks

ds20prefecture · 09-09-2005 12:13pm

I rented a 1.6FSI recently with comfortline and cruise. As covered elsewhere, the 6 speed gearbox is dreadful. The cruise control works as well as any other, although the controls at the end of the wiper stalk are a bit fiddly.
ESP is standard on them all, I think - it was on a 1.4 I was in too. Largely pointless given the surfeit of grip over power.

The car felt very slow & heavy. It was also surprisingly noisy on the autostrada of Italy - probably tyre roar. Really good wind noise protection - with nothing perceptible at 170kph. The ride was nothing special, but the car did feel well planted in the slow twisties.

The interior was very drab & sombre. Nicely made, but didn't feel as good as the Mk IV.

Overall, for the price I would look elsewhere. Perhaps Škoda? I believe the lead time is about 2 months.

gabgab · 09-09-2005 2:13pm

I would aggree, I have a mark iv gti, not the same to be fair but mark v standard are not great to drive for the money. I would look at a Seat if the Skoda does not appeal,

Dundhoone · 09-09-2005 2:15pm

Traction control is standard in the Golf, and is handy on mucky wet country roads!
I have a 1.4 mark 5 Sportline, Seats are really comfortable, it corners very well but the 1.4 engine is underpowered. Its not so bad to overtake when you get it up to 3-4000rpm but its very slow to take off from stopped.

I dont know if the 1.6 is much better, the 1.6 engine in the mark 4 wasn't supposed to be a great piece of kit and I think the 1.4 and 1.6 engines came straight from the mark 4.

I dont miss having cruise control, you would rarely get a chance to use it. It's similar to having a soft top car in Ireland, nice idea, very snazzy but just not practical on Irish roads!

flanzer · 09-09-2005 3:06pm

DON'T get the FSI whatever you do! It uses a different injection system really only designed for the 98 Octane unleaded. And I've heard if you use the 95 Octane it guzzles the juice. As for performance on the 1.6, I here it's not too bad. I've got a 1.4 MK5 and comments are exactly as above. I only became a speed merchant whan I get up to 100 kmph!

stevenmu · 09-09-2005 3:16pm

Isn't ESP different to traction control, I thought it was VWs name for EBD (electronic braking distribution), which I suppose is a part of traction control and ABS. I think what does is if one wheel has less traction than the others it reduces the braking force to it so it won't spin out. i.e. if you're flying around a corner and slam on the breaks, less force will go to the inside wheel so it doesn't lock, similarly if you're breaking and one wheel hits ice/oil etc, that wheel gets less breaking force and won't lock.

It's really just an electronic replacement for good carefull driving.

AlanD · 09-09-2005 3:21pm

flanzer wrote:

DON'T get the FSI whatever you do! It uses a different injection system really only designed for the 98 Octane unleaded. And I've heard if you use the 95 Octane it guzzles the juice. As for performance on the 1.6, I here it's not too bad. I've got a 1.4 MK5 and comments are exactly as above. I only became a speed merchant whan I get up to 100 kmph!

stop scare mongering. This isn't entirely true.

The FSI engine is designed to use a low sulphur type fuel, of which 98 RON is. In Ireland however 95 RON meets the fuel requirements for the FSI engine.

So don't believe anyone who says in Ireland you have to use 98 RON to prevent engine damage etc. First it will cost a fortune, second the engine will be fine and third the fuel economy increase over using 95 RON will not be worth considering.

Get the FSI, it's the best choice by far. IMHO

flanzer · 09-09-2005 3:30pm

OK, I shouldn't listen to a Volkswagen dealer again, being McAllister's in Airside and Michael Moore in Portarlington!!

Get the FSI then if you want.

BTW The 'traction control' standard on the VWs is ASR (Anti-Slip Regulation). which as pointed out stevenmu isn't really traction control as we know it, but it does detect wheel slippage and applies braking force to that particular wheel.

ds20prefecture · 09-09-2005 3:42pm

AlanD wrote:

Get the FSI, it's the best choice by far. IMHO

I would disagree.
The 1.9TDI is the best choice for value/economy/adequate power.
The 2.0TDi is the best for performance/economy/refinement.
The GTi for performance.

The car is too heavy for a 1.6 petrol. The 1.4 is laughable.

Perhaps a 2 year old Mk IV GTi or TDi would be a better choice.

AlanD · 09-09-2005 4:17pm

Well if the OP's query was about petrol's, my assertion that the 1.6 FSI is the better choice. Of course the best choice of all is the diesel units in the Golf. Specifically the 2.0 TDI. What an engine.

Thing is, don't listen to car salesmen. Most really don't know what they are talking about. I was in a Skoda dealer recently enquiring about an Octavia with a 1.6 FSI engine. He told me they'll never sell them because you have to "use a special type of petrol that you have to drive to Dublin for. I mean who's going to drive to Dublin every time they want petrol". I laughed and moved on.

Dundhoone · 09-09-2005 4:37pm

ds20prefecture wrote:

I would disagree.
The 1.9TDI is the best choice for value/economy/adequate power.
The 2.0TDi is the best for performance/economy/refinement.
The GTi for performance.

The car is too heavy for a 1.6 petrol. The 1.4 is laughable.

Perhaps a 2 year old Mk IV GTi or TDi would be a better choice.

Can I (in my ignorance, admittedly) ask why the 1.9 tdi @ 105bhp would be more powerful than the 1.6 petrol @115 bhp?

Im no speed freak, but If I was buying again i'd try and stretch to the 1.6 at least. I like driving my car, I've driven a new corolla, almera and the new citroen (the robot car) and none of those are as nice to drive as the golf.

Skoda? he'd end up buying an octavia - which is heavier than the Golf!

ds20prefecture · 09-09-2005 10:23pm

Dundhoone wrote:

Can I (in my ignorance, admittedly) ask why the 1.9 tdi @ 105bhp would be more powerful than the 1.6 petrol @115 bhp?

The Torque figure is 184lb ft in the diesel vs the 110lb ft in the petrol. The diesel has a much flatter torque curve, so most of that is pretty much always available. This makes shifting the 1300kg of a Golf easier.

[/quote]Skoda? he'd end up buying an octavia - which is heavier than the Golf![/QUOTE]
Only marginally. The octavia is larger though. And 2500 cheaper. And better equipped.

JJJJNR · 09-09-2005 11:04pm

I've a VW caddy and if it helps at all I'd recommend the 1.9 tdi, its a lovely engine, at 120kph, there is no noise from the engine, and there are buckets of power from low down.Its has the same driving dynamics from the golf which are excellent, very light steering and a much better drivers van than the out going model. your not after anything like the caddy but the way they are setup is nothing short of amazing. Oh and I also think the dash is the same in the caddy as the Golf which is very good.

Sorry if this is off-topic a bit...

kevodaly · 12-09-2005 12:16pm

I picked up my new mark v golf 1.6 fsi sportline on friday.
i traded in a 02 mark iv gti.

Sportline = sports seats up front, nice 16 inch alloys, colour coded bumper strips and door handles, leather steering wheel / handbrake / gear stick surround. 15mm lower than base / comfortline models.
I got front fogs and a/c as options.

After 500km's over the weekend, I am well impressed.
Inside, the seats are very comfy, and with the height adjustment, and steering wheel adjustment, its easy find a perfect driving position.
The car feels bigger inside than the gti. The interior is bright and modern looking, with a nice, not too fussy centre console.

Ride and handling in my opinion are superb. The car feels tight around corners, and cruises with very little engine / road noise at all.
The 1.6 litre FSI engine is smooth, powerful enough for the weight of the car and works fine using regular unleaded petrol. As mentioned above, the gearbox is not great, the change from 4th to 5th in my car is notchy. Apart from that though its fine and I'm used to it already.

"Thinking of getting 1.6 Mk5 Golf in terms of the extra's I'm thinking of getting ESP. Just wondering has anyone had this fitted and is it worth the extra Eur859 extra!. Also has anyone got Cruise control fitted to the Sportline hows it working out? did it take long to order the car with this fitted.
Tks"

My car has ASR as standard, I think all new golfs do. I wouldn't bother with ESP. My car took 10 weeks exactly to arrive from date of order, and thats what the dealer quoted.

As for petrol vs diesel ( yawn ) .. the 1.9 tdi costs €2500 extra. If you have very high annual mileage, it may be a better choice.

But, if like me, you actually want to buy a 1.6 FSI, then thats the best choice.

Mk5 Golf

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