Used 2017 Volkswagen Golf GTI Consumer Reviews
Used Golf GTI for sale
2...
See Edmunds pricing data
Has Your Car's Value Changed?
Used car values are constantly changing. Edmunds lets you track your vehicle's value over time so you can decide when to sell or trade in.
Best Car I've ever bought!
Rod Reichardt, 10/27/2017
2017 Volkswagen Golf GTI SE 4dr Hatchback (2.0L 4cyl Turbo 6M)
6 of 6 people found this review helpful
I tend to be a serial car buyer. This isn't a good thing as I'm not wealthy. I've tend to go between sporty cars and trucks/Jeeps. After multiple back surgeries I decided to move away from trucks as I don't need to be loading and unloading things. I have 2 kids in college so being affordable is a plus. My previous vehicle was a 2016 Ram 1500 diesel that was around 50K. Great truck but I was tired of parking it and paying for it. It didn't help that the fuel economy dropped quite a bit after the last update to better meet emissions standards. I had owned a 2013 Fiat Abarth 500. I liked the concept but it was just too small and had a funky infotainment system and a tiny gas tank. That led me to the GTI. I had just bought a Jetta GLI that my wife drives. I really liked that car. The GTI is similar but a lot better. I got a red manual SE without the lighting package for a little over 26K. It has leather and the Fender audio system. I am about 7000 miles and 5 months into ownership and I love the car. I have carried 5 people a fe3 times with no complaints. It is quick and fun to drive but also feels absolutely rock solid at all times. Mine has all season tires. I was gong to replace them but so far I have no complaints. Interior is really nice. It feels like a much more expensive car.It has Android Auto and Apple CarPlay which works great with my Note 8. Near perfect phone integration. I have also used it with a couple of iPhones. I would never use factory nav if it had it. Mostly have used Google Maps but also Waze. The audio system sounds really good for what it is. Subwoofer adds some punch. There is some harshness to the sound but for a factory system it sounds good. The clutch is light and the shifter is really good. Power is way more than adequate. I live right by Texas 130 with an 85mph speed limit and it feels great cruising a little above the limit. It is smooth and quiet. Very little torque steer. Every now and then I notice a little but most of the time you can barely tell it's FWD. I have had no issues so far. I shopped Golf Rs as well but in retrospect I think I made the right choice for me. The Golf R was about 15K more. I feel like I got a ton of car for the money with this GTI. Since I've owned it it has average 28-31mpg and I drive it fairly hard. The only complaint I have about the car is the lack of cargo room with the seats up. Compared to the GLI it's not much. Fold the rear seats down and there's a lot more room. They don't quite fold flat though. All in all a great car that really may be the best car you can buy for the money.
- Safety
- Performance
- Interior
- Comfort
- Reliability
Again, so much to like in one "sports" car!
rower30, 01/24/2017
updated 02/01/2021
2017 Volkswagen Golf GTI SE 4dr Hatchback (2.0L 4cyl Turbo 6M)
20 of 24 people found this review helpful
I looked at the 2016 Passat and reviewed it so well my wife let me buy an E300 MB, but I can explain. I got the 1989 GLI itch all over again, so I purchased a silver 2017 GTI SE. Yep, same stuff as the Passat except in a SPORT verses luxury bent platform. I didn't want another E300, but a car that excelled at the opposite end of the car spectrum. I had to have a car that was as economical, good or better at hauling stuff, more fun to drive and had a better stereo than my 2008 Focus SE. Slam dunk with the GTI. The E300 drives you, you drive the GTI 6 speed manual (shifts like butter spreads on a warm day). I can't wait to DRIVE this car, same as the 1989 GLI! Something about VW handling that is addictive. The engine is a sweet thing. At idle it simply goes away on you, nothing, not a quiver. But give it the gas and it talks really nice things to you, shift me now. Power with the manual is electric motor linear and STRONG. The front limited slip differential drive system keeps both wheels pulling in snow, wet or dry with excellent throttle modulation. The engine is a tiger or a pussycat. Drive it like the 2008 Focus and I get 38-45.5 MPG. Yep, same 34 mile route each way as before with the Focus. Drive it like hard like a sports car and still get 28 MPG. The best way to explain this car is that all the pieces are seemingly of the exact same quality level. Nothing irks you to say, "wow, that's seems cheap". OK, except that the rear view mirror should be auto dimming, weird it isn't. The odometer goes away when you set the cruise as the set speed takes its place, weird but not a problem. The instruments are clear and a German conservative white on black LCD illustration. I like it that way, too. Everything ergonomically falls right into your hands. I will also say that the interior of the SE NEEDS those Clark Cloth plaid seats or something other than red stitching and a few red lighting accents, big time. I am not a fan of black interiors, but it is a good black interior. Still, give us a two-tone option, PLEASE. Oh, the seats are superlative for my 155 LBS frame. BIG guys may want to try before you buy. I needed the stereo (OK, wanted) and a few other bits I know would make long term ownership nice (ya, I paid cash for it). This is a sports car, so the ride is heavenly responsive to the road without being harsh. If you think it rides harshly, this isn't your car, or any other sport type car. For a sports car it is sublime. Not only does it go really well, with near no lag in the turbo (I have the manual, so I can drive around it without thinking) or torque steer (the 1989 GLI had PLENTY of that) but it STOPS like NOW with the R series brakes. The green house is WONDERFUL old school lower belt line, like the Passat...so you can SEE yet it has five star safety ratings. Bi-Xenon lights are very good, not the LED's on the E300, though, but way over average. The entertainment is just like my Passat review. It is fast and easy to use with the jump buttons on the side and 100% intuitive touch from there. I've never felt it to be slow or unresponsive. I use a 128GB SD card with WAV file music and the USB for the phone and carplay apps and navigation. I'm smitten with the overall assembly of this car. OK now the negatives. This is maybe the third EA888 engine iteration. Fixed are the cam chain tensioner issues. Left are likely the longer term carbon on the intake valves common to DI injection engines (no fuel across the intakes to clean them anymore) so a 80,000 mile cleaning is in the cards. Not a deal breaker as it is cheaper(~$800.00) to do than a rubber belt cam chain maintenance interval. The PCV valve can fail (this is the latest version that is again, supposed to work) and pressurize the crankcase (rear crank seal goes) or pulls a vacuum (oil is pulled through the intake). Turbo engines can be hell on the PCV valve with the boost pressure. But, this is a $200.00 part and an easy hour in the garage to fix at 50,000 miles. Fix it like an airplane BEFORE it fails. So I'll replace the PCV valve every 50,000 and not ever know the original one would have lasted the life of the car. Pity me but it is cheap insurance. Otherwise this engine is to die for. This is a poor excuse for a mid life crisis car, it is way too affordable, way too practical, way too sublimely sexy in appearance, and yet still way too much fun. Count me in. The GTI is still the best, I drove the rest. 01/20/2020 - @31,000. This car has been flawless. NOTHING has gone wrong. Oil consumption has been ZERO in oil intervals. I get 40 MPG on backroads in the summer and 37 MPG in winter (worse gas mix for mileage). The car is EXACTLY what it says it is, a small fun zippy car. Yes, it is stiffer than the GOLF. My wife liked the physical layout of the car so well she sold her 2012 Focus and bought the Wolfsburg automatic edition. She wanted the same car minus the bumps. Her language, not mine. Same reliable car as the GTI. Now have 2020 GTI Autobahn!
- Safety
- Technology
- Performance
- Interior
- Comfort
- Reliability
- Value
The perfect balance.
James, 01/03/2017
updated 01/07/2019
2017 Volkswagen Golf GTI Sport 4dr Hatchback (2.0L 4cyl Turbo 6M)
16 of 19 people found this review helpful
The Sport trim offers you the best value in your GTI I feel. It is almost like the Autobahn compared to the SE, just spend the $1500 or so more, you won't regret it. I got a great deal on my GTI Sport. I will get the negatives out of the way now since the list is still really short after 1 month of ownership. There are no fog lamps on this trim level. This was quite troublsome the other night in a white-out snow. THe road holding wasn't the issue, visibility was, and fog lamps would've been really nice to have. You get the lighting package, however, which gives you the lovely and aggressive looking xenon headlights and LED DRL lights. Ties the front together nicely, every GTI should have these. The adaptive lighting when turning at slower speeds is also much better than in was on my 2012 Golf TDI. Quicker to respond, quicker to turn off, and better at throwing the light. Second negative, rides a bit harsh I feel for normal driving, the last generation of GTI was a bit more comfy in a straight line or during casual driving, however, it also didn't turn like the Mk7. This car's new MQB platform from Audi is a MAJOR improvement in the Golf/GTI lineup, and handling is bliss in a corner when you throw it around a bit. Sharp, direct, and almost like an extension of your arms when you hold at 3 & 9'o clocks. Also, you could teach someone with getting comfortable with a manual transmission, or at least the principles of it. Super easy clutch, almost too easy, I plan to do some aftermarket work in there anyways but for the masses, it is decent. I have had one defect so far, a piece of cloth that forms the backing of the rear armrest fell off, and the armrest is back-ordered, minor detail. Can't even see it unless you look in from the rear. I am not concerned with it right now. The positives go on and on and on. But, I will let you find out for yourself! Update: One thing I have noticed in the almost 10k miles of owning the vehicles, is that the paint is far too delicate. The piano black decorative trim on the door B-pillars is liquid and even fingers leave marks that require abrasives to remove. If you are very picky about your vehicle upkeep and like it perfect, like me, be prepared to work hard for it! 1/5/2019: Recently, at 34,000 miles, the water pump began to leak. As a wrench at a VW dealer 5 years ago, these were a fairly common issue on some models with the 2.0L TSI engines. I was sorta disappointed to see they are still an occurrence at such low mileage, and even more so that I got stuck with one. But repair was fast and done neatly by the dealership. I have also replaced all 4 tires at 34,000 miles. The Golf/GTI platforms seem to devour rear tires, even with a 5,000 mile rotation frequency. I have owned two Golfs/GTIs now, and both had significant tire noise by 30,000 miles, even with 5/32 tread left. The front tires seem to wear just fine, until they spend some time in the back. Alignment specs are perfect(per OEM), trust me. But again, this is an issue I have lived with as a VW owner for 7 years now. I sorta expect it before the buy, so I can't really hold it against the car, however I will be fair and honest and update the review as such. I plan to hold onto the vehicle for at least the life of the front brakes, at which time the loan and my checking account will hopefully be ready to climb the Golf family tree further. Being Golf R brakes, OEM parts will run me around $500. Would rather put that towards a new GTI or possibly even a Golf R.
- Safety
- Technology
- Performance
- Interior
- Comfort
- Reliability
- Value
Nimble Rocket
DR, 03/27/2017
2017 Volkswagen Golf GTI S 4dr Hatchback (2.0L 4cyl Turbo 6M)
5 of 5 people found this review helpful
I rated acceleration 4 of 5, not cuz it's slow (it's actually really quick), but because there is a bit of turbo lag. But once you get the swing of how to work with it with the manual trans, it's not a problem. This car is so solid, confidence-inspiring and neutral feeling, yet it feels ready to play at all times. And it's an absolute monster on twisty roads. All that, and it's as sedate of a cruiser as you like when you want it to be. Amazing all-arounder of a car.
- Safety
- Technology
- Performance
- Interior
- Comfort
- Reliability
- Value
falling in love with my GTI
Scott Kramer, 01/04/2017
2017 Volkswagen Golf GTI S 4dr Hatchback (2.0L 4cyl Turbo 6AM)
7 of 8 people found this review helpful
The car is only a month old for me but I absolutely love driving it. I commute 100 miles a day and this car makes it much less of a chore. Acceleration on the highway is amazing and the nimble handling makes it a blast to drive around town. The only knock that I would give it is that I am struggling to get close to the advertised MPG. That might be attributed to a heavy foot though. :-)
- Safety
- Technology
- Performance
- Interior
- Comfort
- Reliability
- Value
2...