Used 2016 Volkswagen Golf GTI Hatchback Consumer Reviews
Used Golf GTI for sale
End of a mid-life crisis
Steve Lipetz, 09/21/2016
2016 Volkswagen Golf GTI SE 4dr Hatchback (2.0L 4cyl Turbo 6M)
6 of 7 people found this review helpful
I've owned a 1999 Jaguar XK8 for 17 years. I loved the car but it was time to grow up and stop throwing money at it. There wasn't much on the market that interested me and I had already decided that I was through with "high-end" cars. Always had a soft spot for VWs (a Rabbit and two Sciroccos in my youth) and a bright red GTI sitting outside the local dealership caught my wife's eye. "Cute! Cute! Cute!" she said. Okay, a slightly different take than the Jag (which was an awesome-looking car) but I'm secure enough in my masculinity to overcome even that. So I took it for a test drive. Back to a manual (which you couldn't get on the Jag in the US) and a decent technology package (which didn't really exist back then either). I had a ball. It just felt right to me. I did do some price checking and had a number in mind. The dealer met it and I bought it the next day. It's been over a month. I'm seeing mileage between 34 and 38 mpg (I know how to drive a stick economically when I feel like it), acceleration that didn't have me missing the Jag...too much, and a really slick comfortable cabin - maybe no burled walnut but who needs it? looks like plastic anyway. I might have liked the nav package, but I bought the car literally off the display ramp. An SE with most everything but Nav and the Driver Assist package which I didn't want anyway. The GTI fits that middle range between practical and fun. And that first evening when the "ambient interior lighting" became visible (soft red LED bars in the door and threshold), I forgot about the Jag, mostly.
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Awesome car, Buy It
LDD, 06/20/2016
2016 Volkswagen Golf GTI SE 4dr Hatchback (2.0L 4cyl Turbo 6M)
6 of 7 people found this review helpful
Was considering only a manual transmission and wanted fun to drive. I am 47, liberal. Drove a Mazda 3 hatch and looked at Mini. Mini is way over priced for what you get and size wise. The Mazda was good for point a to b, but no fun factor. The GTI is very fun, enjoy driving it all the time. Its like two cars in one. You can drive it easy and normal and get 32-38 mpg, or drive it hard when you want to. The MPG has been incredible. The sticker lies and is less than you will get. I don't see anyone getting less than 30mpg combined unless they drive it hard all the time. I took it on a trip and had my family of 3, two 40-45 pound dogs and two mini dogs and a cat and our luggage. Yes it was packed completely but it was doable. The manual drives nice. not smooth like butter but very firm and drops into the gear solidly. There is lots of cool storage areas, one of which is a drawer under the driver seat. Also you can store some stuff under the cargo mat area where the spare tire is. I have jumper cables stashed their out of the way. If you want a sporty fun car to drive this is it. Don't get less space for your money with a mini that won't perform like this. The Mazda 3 gives you similar space but won't perform like this. The cool thing is you can drive it with performance when you want and drive it "normal" most the time. Only sort of dislike is the sunroof has that shade that is not solid so you cannot black out the sun. It has a nice tint on it but on a sunny day there is no way to black sun out. The shade helps but is not solid. However you can drive with the roof open or tilted and the shade closed. So that is the trade off. The Android Auto works good so don't pay for GPS, just remember it uses your phone signal and data. If you normally have good signal and not worried about losing signal and getting lost the Android Auto or Apple will be fine.
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2016 Volkswagen Golf GTI for sale near you
Showing 3 of 9 listings
- SE 4dr HatchbackMSRP: $15,990In-stock online
- SE w/Performance Package 2dr HatchbackMSRP: $20,590In-stock online
- Autobahn w/Performance Package 4dr HatchbackMSRP: $18,590In-stock online
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Mustang GT w/Performance Pack to 2016 GTI SE
Carlo Falco, 06/15/2016
2016 Volkswagen Golf GTI SE 4dr Hatchback (2.0L 4cyl Turbo 6M)
6 of 7 people found this review helpful
Bought a Mustang GT with all options and the Performance Pack, which adds track level suspension and brakes. While I loved the sound and performance and look of the car, it rode so rough that I could not stand to drive it. Traded it in on a new GTI SE with leather, and I got the lighting upgrade. Excellent! Yes, I miss the horrendous power of the Mustang, but the GTI has some zoom too, especially passing at high rates of speed on the freeway - suprised me! The Fender stereo with Sub is the best I've ever heard in an auto, regardless of cost. I get 32.5 average at 80 mph. If you can stick to 70 mph, I have seen 44 mpg more than once. The only cons are the seat bottom and side bolsters - The Germans must think Americans all weigh 150 lbs or less. But after 3K miles, the seat is breaking in nicely. I wish I had also added on the Adaptive Cruise control, though becomes it also comes with Blind Spot Monitors. I also wish I had gotten the performance pack just for the brake upgrade, only because the GT had Brembos, and once you experience those, you will be spoiled for anything else. Overall this is an astonishing car, very quiet and smooth with the easiest shifting manual transmission you'll ever find. My last GTI went 250K miles and had no engine or transmission problems at all, in fact it didn't even burn any oil. VW's will go forever with proper maintenance and they all have 5 star crash ratings and are very fun to drive. Love it.
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Very refined GTI
Alan Thompson, 01/02/2016
2016 Volkswagen Golf GTI SE w/Performance Package 4dr Hatchback (2.0L 4cyl Turbo 6M)
3 of 3 people found this review helpful
This is my third, and favorite. High value, high quality car. Fantastic feel - materials, road manners, steering, speed, utility and even a bit of luxury. Really great all-around car. My city MPG is higher than our CR-V, even. We live in an actual city, so city MPG may be lower than what most of the country thinks of as city. Highway MPG on the one longish trip taken so far is ~34mpg.
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Great choice in a great model year
Jerry M, 04/18/2016
2016 Volkswagen Golf GTI S 4dr Hatchback (2.0L 4cyl Turbo 6M)
3 of 3 people found this review helpful
Downshifted from a boring BMW boat and now there's suddenly a reason to get out every day.
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