On the top of my brother’s list, we almost thought the Volkswagen GTI 1.8T was out of our budget, and was looking into any used GTI. Although we test drove and considered other cars for the sake of our parents, the GTI was on my brother's mind (and I even tried to make him go for a 2001 Nissan Sentra SE like I had!). We did find a used 2003 GTI with 13k miles on it, but the body had nicks and scratches. They wanted $17k firm. We thought that was the best option we had.
Just for kicks, we went to a VW dealer to look at a new GTI. Somehow, we were able to make out with $18,700 on a $21k car! We have both the luxury package and the winter package (no leather).
The Packages
The luxury package primarily consists of the sunroof and the Monsoon 8 speaker sound system. The winter package comes with heated seats and mirrors.
Exterior
VW is well known for their nice minimalist styling, and their GTIs/Golfs are no different. The distinctive boxy look is what set them apart. I consider it one of the original "cube" designs that only a few can pull off (Audi, Volvo, etc.).
Although the boxy hatch is now being copied by other manufacturers (a design VW probably copied themselves), the GTI distinguishes itself with their large, bold emblem, grill, and multi-circular headlamp enclosures. The rear has the traditional VW stacked design that has each of the lights on top of each other, but shaped accordingly with the boxy hatch design.
The headlamp houses the daytime running light in a separate circle, and is a small bulb. The high beam is also separate, as well as the bulb (no dual filament here). The normal headlight beams are on its own, and stay on with the high beams. The orange blinkers seem out of place.
Overall, the little hatch looks tall. The 17 inch wheels may look out of place (too big), with its R32 style and no R32 snarl. My brother, as well as many of our friends, loves them. The low profile tires (245/45/17) make it look aggressive.
Interior
The cloth seats are firm, supportive, and have very grippy side bolsters. This may prove to be too tight for heavyset riders. There is good headroom for every seat in the house. The front seats are heated and can be controlled by driver/passenger side dials above the stereo (by the hazard lights switch). In addition, there are many adjustments- up/down, back/fwd, lean-for the front seats. The controls are different from most cars. For example, instead of lifting a lever and push back, you use a knob. You use the lever to jack your seat up or down (a first for a manual adjustable seat!).
The innovative procedures for adjustment allows the front seats to be lifted forward and up to let people in back very easily without loosing the seats' settings. That’s right...BOTH front seats!
Back seats are firm and supportive as well. Adequate legroom, but plentiful head room there. Middle seating may be too ambitious for VW...maybe for a child. After all, the center rear headrest gets in the way of visibility.
Cup holders are moved from above the stereo to the center area by the hand brake, under the adjustable armrest. They do not hold too well, though. Rear occupants have only one holder. It can be pulled out for convenience.
Interior lighting is excellent! There are 3 lights in front, 2 in back (on each side), one on each door (2 more lights). The front and rear can be used to read maps, so they can turn on/off independently. All lights come on when the door(s) are open (if set this way).
The large glove compartment is also lit! It is roomy enough for a compact umbrella, and even have a dedicated place for your manual (though ours was too big for it).
The rear hatch is a bit smaller than most compact sedans, but have potential to hold more if stacked up (the beauty of a hatchback). The cargo area is also lit when the rear hatch door is open. Of course, there is also the VW standard issue full sized spare. Also back here, there is an easy and hidden access to the factory CD changer and amp if installed. Good place for aftermarket units to hide as well. We did not opt for a changer, but was surprised to see a factory amplifier. Must be part of the Monsoon stereo.
Sound System
Speaking of which, the stereo ergonomics is good. It comes with cassette, CD, and AM/FM tuner with 2 FM bands, and 1 AM (x 6 presets for each band). Not only does Monsoon have knobs for bass and treble, but for mid as well. There is the usual balance and fade controls, too. AS (auto search) is a button that will scan thru the band and stores all stations found on the presets so you don't have to set them manually. It's not too useful if you already know where you want your stations. The cassette, by nature, hisses on quiet passages, so Dolby NR helps cut most of it down. The whole shebang is packaged in a standard full din unit. The large flat display takes up most of the space, and is very attractive and informative. Too bad VW opted to place the clock on the cluster gauge instead. The buttons and dials are backlit with red, while the huge display is backlit with blue. The contrast between the two colors works, and looks great.
The sound is horrible when using the tuner, no matter how we adjust the bass/mid/treble. CD playback, however, was much better. It still lacks a bit of quality bass and treble. Overall, the system sounds tinny, as if the speakers were made of tin cans.
Although the unit may be easy to use, the unit is hard to get to. The stick shift may get in the way for passengers to adjust and play with settings. Could be a good thing, if you're picky about your stereo settings. A true "driver's car" characteristic.
Climate Controls
Worse for both driver and passengers is the HVAC. Controls are located below the double din stereo, putting it too low for quick access. If the stick shift is potentially in the way for stereo controls, it's nearly impossible for the almost anyone to change the heating, AC, and ventilation controls. The driver can still take charge, since only that person also commands the shifter.
Location not withstanding, they are easy to learn and intuitive to use. There are three dials to control temperature, fan speed, and ventilation directions. Two buttons for AC on/off and air recirculation rounds out the functionality of climate control. Every button and dials are backlit with red, and glows bright amber when activated.
Driver Controls
Driver interface for these essential controls are strange for drivers coming from Japanese vehicles. Headlights, wipers, stick shift, windows, all have little differences that adds up to become confusing German normalcy. HVAC is the only controls that operate the same way. The sunroof control is very innovative, in which it uses a dial so you won't have to keep your finger pointed upwards until the window is completely retracted. The wipers and headlight switches are different, too. American automobile drivers would feel at home with the dial-operated headlight switch. All of the buttons and dials (including the door locks and window buttons) are backlit with red. Are we seeing a common theme here? The window buttons have auto (one touch) down and up on both side - a nice touch.
The nice gauges are large and easy to read. The tachometer is a bit strange though. It reads in 10, 20, 30, etc. X100), instead of the usual 1, 2, 3, etc. X 1000. My brother sometimes mistook it for the speedometer. The numbers are lit up blue while the needles get the red treatment at night. This matches with the Monsoon's red/blue theme. Again, the clock resides in this area.
The keys are also different. It fits the playful aura and fun to use and show off. The key fob has the key on it, as it folds into the fob. Hit a button and the key swings out like a Swiss blade. The usual lock, unlock, trunk, and panic buttons are there. It is larger than most key fobs, but not that much bigger. Not needing to carry a separate key makes this much easier to excuse. But the key fob/key would be too expensive to replace if you should damage or loose it.
The hatch, I found, have a security issue caveat that I feel should've been addressed. Unlike sedans, the hatch doesn't open when you hit the trunk button. Instead, you just hear a faint click, as the hatch unlocks. There are no other indications that warn the owner that the hatch is unlocked. If you accidentally unlocked it (and know it), you will have to walk to your car and lift the hatch and close it back. The remote does not allow you to lock the hatch. The LOCK button only applies to the driver and passenger doors. This is not only inconvenient, but can potentially invite thieves.
Driving
Driving experience can best be described as oh-so-soft and silky, video game-like, and plastic-like.
The shifter offers no feedback, feels way too soft, and the knob is made of plastic. It is loose and seem to rattle over what it covers (assuming there is a real metal rod it is covering). Throws are truck-like long, and does not feel like it is connected to the 5-speed transmission. Then again, it is a cable shifter.
Again, Japanese and American automobile drivers will strike this strange - to shift this GTI in reverse, you mush first push down the shifter, then move it all the way to the left past the 1st gear gate, then move UP, as if you were going into 1st gear.
The small diameter, but thick grip, leather wrapped steering wheel gives the GTI a sporty feel - almost Logitech-like. Feedback is very good, and steering response is excellent. This is also partly due to the wheels, tires, and suspension.
The clutch is soft and has a high grabbing point. This caused my brother and I to over rev in many occasions after driving my Sentra. It does offer super smooth engagement even if you aren't that experienced in driving a stick shift.
The gas pedal feels light like a toy - a part of that Logitech wheel feeling I described above. It may be cause of the drive by wire nature. But because of this, there is no feedback - feels like it's not connected, much like shifter.
As you can see, it all adds up to a very surreal, almost toy-like feel. It certainly handles like a cart as well. It is quick and nimble, thanks to the above combo with the tight suspension, low profile tires, and large rims.
The engine, itself, is powerful for a 1.8 liter 4 banger. The turbo helps it put out 180 hp to the crank. It couldn't be too much boost, as there is no intercooler visible nor could we hear any air recirculate or blow off. Not only that, but the familiar turbo spooling sound was absent. At this point, the GTI looks like it was robbed of a turbo, and gut-less.
The gears are long, as 1st pulls a little faster than most other cars' 2nd, but less than most other's 1st....could be good thing for daily driven tasks, but bad for 1/4 mile times.
You can barely feel the turbo during most daily driven days. The turbo must be small, as there is almost no turbo lag. The engine revs smoothly from not to redline. It certainly has power to pull hard in higher gears. The engine purrs like a cat, but can bite like a tiger if you have a lead foot. Speed builds up fast and silky smooth (not to mention quiet!).
Handling
There is some body roll during hard cornering, but not so much as to disturb the handling. The supple suspension is perfect for imperfect urban roads as it soak up bumps without making the driver flinch, but stiff enough to not bow to centrifugal forces change its handle on course.
Again, the steering response is excellent due to low profile tires. The stock tires offer good grip, as they are wide (245/45/17). The GTI is more neutral handling than most FF cars. Is it because of its compact size?
The brakes are also good, with ABS as tested. There is no skittering around during hard braking, though there is some front plow due to the suspension. Overall, stopping power is stable and very confident-inspiring. The ABS doesn't seem to kick in when not needed, so auto crossers should be relieved.
Safety
There are no less than 8 airbags in the people cage we call a car. Where would all these bags be? What is their purpose?
Well, the usual front 2 are accounted for. Then there are side air bags...that makes 4. Where else?
Ah, side curtains! These also help with side collisions or rollovers, much like the side impact air bags. But wait! Where did the last two air bags reside?
The last two are located in the front (A) pillars by the windshield! My brother was hoping to install aftermarket gauges whenever he decides to upgrade the turbo set up on the driver side pillar, but the air bags may kill his dreams of doing so.
Overkill? Maybe, but better to be overcautious than not throwing any caution in the air at all.
Overall
...the 2004 Volkswagen is a good value at the paid price of $18,700, and a great last chance for the devout GTI enthusiast to own the last year model with the MK4 body style.
Unless you absolutely want to have the new 2005 design, this is a good time to hit up your local VW for remaining 2004 GTIs! Yes...it's that good!
From the factory, the car is nimble and just oh-so-fun to drive! Power delivery is smooth, and creature comfort is very high - even without leather! The only reservation we have with the car is the toy-like feel and the Monsoon sound system (which probably is just the speakers), which could be remedied by aftermarket persuasion. As it sits, it's still a good buy for year-end 2004.
And... a tidbit - I wrote this review (outlined, then actually tapped out the whole review) on my Handspring (now PalmOne) Treo 600 PDA/Cell Phone combo, since I've been on the road much more. I only used Microsoft Word to spell and grammar check the review before posting. Happy reading!
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 18700
Condition: New Model Year: 2004 Model and Options: GTI 1.8t 5-speed
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