Used 2011 Volkswagen Golf Consumer Reviews
Used Golf for sale
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.
Fun little car
etomic, 11/07/2010
2011 Volkswagen Golf 2.5L 4dr Hatchback (2.5L 5cyl 6A)
3 of 3 people found this review helpful
After test driving many cars, Honda Accord Coupe, Hyundai Genesis Coupe, Civic, Fit, Toyota Corrolla. I settled on the 2011 Golf because I appreciated the lavish interior, I loved the drive, the insurance wasn't killer, and it had a four door option. I really couldn't find anything that was quite as fun to drive as a Golf in this price range. The Surge/Lag effect that was noted in earlier reviews looks like the effect of the normal drive mode up-shifting out of 1st gear to get the best fuel economy. If you truly can't stand it drive it in tiptronic. I really wanted a small compact fun to drive 4 dour and I believe the Golf offered the best interior and most fun to drive for the money.
Smokin Car - Updated in 2018
Nikki, 05/12/2016
updated 06/26/2018
2011 Volkswagen Golf 2.5L 2dr Hatchback (2.5L 5cyl 6A)
3 of 3 people found this review helpful
I bought my automatic Gold TDI in tornado red in 2011. It was my first new car. It was difficult to find as I was living in Louisiana and had to get it in Texas. This car is so much fun to drive -- and this coming from someone who doesn't particularly enjoy driving! The car has peppy pickup but it's the diesel torque (256 feet pounds of it!) that will blow you -- and other car drivers! -- away. The cabin design is fairly upscale for a moderately priced sub-compact car . . . and once "Red" (yes that's her name) turned over 40k miles, her mileage got even better (averaging 47 mpg). The driving dynamics are solid -- she hugs the road and has no list on cornering. The seats are bolstered, include a lumbar support on the driver's side, and are very comfortable. I wish leather seats and seat memory were offered. The diesels do have one quirky thing: they warm up slowly so they feel quite "hurky jerky" for about five minutes after startup. I understand this is by design and a fuel efficiency thing. If you are looking for a smart car that can hold her own on the highway, has great driving dynamics and will same you money at the pump, it doesn't get any better than this in this class. If you're willing to spend more, the BMW Series 3 Diesel is a plusher ride but it has a much heftier price tag. I am writing this at a time when the diesel scandal at VW has broken. I still love my car and emissions aside, I think it's a better environmental choice than gas guzzlers. Red truly is a smoking car...and my husband loves it even more than I do. UPDATE -- Because my car was affected by the recalls for the emissions, I came to the hard decision to sell it back to VW last year. VW made the process fairly easy and actually paid us 70% of the new car cost for our vehicle which had nearly 100k miles on it. Mind you, the car was in cream-puff shape. We ended up getting a 2015 Mercedes GLK - Bluetech (their version of the diesel) to replace it. I love the Mercedes GLK and as a compact SUV it gives me enough height to scan the road that is now filled with large SUVs and trucks. But...it broke my heart to give up the VW. I actually wept when we had to turn it in and my husband was the one to clean it out. The main reason we let it go was because we were concerned that eventually, the state would force us to have the emission "updated" by VW and I had no idea what that would do to the performance of the car. Also, it was a sweet deal financially to sell a car back 5 years later (regardless of its shape) for 70% of what I paid. I know a lot of people are turned off from VW...but I would buy another VW in a heartbeat. They make great cars that are actually fun to drive!
- Safety
- Technology
- Performance
- Interior
- Comfort
- Reliability
- Value
2011 Volkswagen Golf for sale near you
Showing 3 of 45 listings
- 2.5L 4dr HatchbackMSRP: $6,900231 mi away
- TDI Diesel 4dr HatchbackMSRP: $2,200319 mi away
- 2.5L 2dr HatchbackMSRP: $7,488356 mi away
See all 45 listings
Happy to be back with VW again
flbntz, 02/14/2011
2011 Volkswagen Golf 2.5L PZEV 2dr Hatchback (2.5L 5cyl 6A)
8 of 11 people found this review helpful
I had a 1973 VW Super Beetle, my first new car, and, due to driving around with five full size guys in the car, bought a used 69 Ford Thunderbird coupe, the party mobile, Regretted not keeping the VW longer, really solid, well-built car, and fun to drive. Bought a 2010 Toyota Prius in December 2009, and traded it on a 2010 Golf 2dr gas AT 3 months later, due to lack of driving enjoyment when the cool factor of the Prius wore off, and everything became about gas milage with it, which wasn't as good as they advertised. They said it was due to it being winter, and the gas motor needed to run to run the heater, but they don'ttell you that before you buy it. Fahrvegnugen! Like my VW.
My new commuter car
scanman11, 02/20/2011
2011 Volkswagen Golf TDI 2dr Hatchback (2.0L 4cyl Turbodiesel 6M)
12 of 18 people found this review helpful
Driving 100 miles per day to work & back was not doing anything for me or my 335i. I needed something comfortable and economicle-Diesel seemed to be the best thing. I had just bought a 2011 Jetta for my wife, & loved it. The golf was more fun to drive, and now after 1500 miles I can say that driving across Houston's traffic and getting 46+miles per gallon, makes me happy!! The seats are great for a slightly overweight 5'10" guy, it has all the "Pep" that I need (It supprises me frequently) ok, its not a twin turbo Beemer, but it goes. My only fault with it are the heater controles, which are a little "Cheap" but other than that, I love it. Bravo Volkswagen !!
THROTTLE SURGE-LAG
Gman, 09/14/2010
2011 Volkswagen Golf 2.5L PZEV 4dr Hatchback (2.5L 5cyl 6A)
4 of 5 people found this review helpful
Automatic transmission from a dead stop especially on a slight incline. If you get off the brakes and on the throttle too quick just a light touch on the throttle it causes an immediate Surge then Lag all within one second. Rather annoying and dangerous when in a parking lot or close behind another vehicle in stop and go traffic or pulling into your garage. The service guy says it is because it is the flywheel engaging because it is really a standard transmission with electronic control rather than an automatic transmission. Whatever, just fix it. Yamaha fjr1300ae uses a similar electronic transmission set up and is smooth as silk in 1st gear. Love the vw Golf other than that.