Used 2011 Volkswagen Golf Hatchback Consumer Reviews
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Love it!
oute, 03/22/2011
2011 Volkswagen Golf 2.5L 2dr Hatchback (2.5L 5cyl 5M)
20 of 20 people found this review helpful
I like everything about this car. The quality of the interior was the first thing that attracted me to it. I sat in one at the Cleveland Auto Show and the highly bolstered seats gave me a very welcoming hug. The trip computer is awesome. It drives even better. The 170hp engine has plenty of power and the exhaust sounds really nice. The manual transmission (I have the 5-speed) is really smooth. Better than on a Civic Si or a Kia Soul (other cars I have experience with). If I drive conservatively I can average 35 mpg on my commute. Only down-side is that I don't think you can open the trunk unless the key is out of the ignition?
Golf - fun, solid small car
jimmyz8, 06/05/2011
2011 Volkswagen Golf 2.5L PZEV 2dr Hatchback (2.5L 5cyl 5M)
6 of 6 people found this review helpful
After combing through the small car segment - I stumbled upon the Golf, and my decision was made. The combination of economy, styling, quality and driving characteristics were top in its class. My biggest decision was going TDI or EPV. TDI was my first choice, however decided the extra costs weren't worth it.. After owning the car for 5 months I'm still pleased with my choice. The car ride is solid, not a single issue so far. Fuel economy, despite being the gasoline engine - has been excellent. Am averaging 35-38mpg on my daily 12mile commute, and have averaged as high as 43mpg on longer distances. Would buy it again..
2011 Volkswagen Golf for sale near you
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- TDI Diesel 4dr HatchbackMSRP: $8,995174 mi away
- TDI Diesel 4dr HatchbackMSRP: $6,500222 mi away
- TDI Diesel 4dr HatchbackMSRP: $6,995377 mi away
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2011 Golf 4 dr 2.5
AJD, 10/20/2010
2011 Volkswagen Golf 2.5L 4dr Hatchback (2.5L 5cyl 6A)
5 of 5 people found this review helpful
I has this car for about 2 weeks and I and a very peticular about cars. This is the BEST car I have every owned. Its very fun to drive. Very good pick up and handles like its on rails. I opted for the 17 inch dlr installed alloy rims and bought the center armrest. Now car is complete. I shoppped the Mazda 3,Honda Civic,Toyota Corolla. The Golf beat them hands down. If you like to drive buy this car!!!! PS I getting about 25 MPG mixed driving...
Great Car
nealien, 07/24/2011
2011 Volkswagen Golf 2.5L 2dr Hatchback (2.5L 5cyl 5M)
5 of 5 people found this review helpful
I've driven my 2011 Golf 2.5 for 1500 miles now and I can honestly say that I love this car. It is very responsive while driving, and the manual shifter is very smooth. I have been averaging 28 mpg and drive about half highway and half backroads (and I'm driving it fast). The car handles great, hugging corners is easy - the suspension feels very tight. The interior is immaculate - it feels like the interior of a much more expensive car. I'm so glad that I bought this over the comparable Honda Civic.
Best Bang for Your Buck
nmcrusher26, 04/07/2013
2011 Volkswagen Golf 2.5L 2dr Hatchback (2.5L 5cyl 5M)
5 of 5 people found this review helpful
I've driven 8 beaters in my life (trucks and cars) then a 2008 BMW 335i and then this Golf 2.5 gas, manual, 3DR hatch and this car is a solid 4.5/5. I dont write reviews but this car is so good I had to. I've owned for 2 years and it has 40k miles on it. The engine, interior, and styling make this car. Gas mileage is incredible even above sticker, I consistently get 31 mpg mixed use and I drive it hard. This car is a great value cause the comparable honda or subaru is $3-5k more. You may have costly repairs or quirky electronic issues at the 8 year/100k mark but you saved that money in the front end.
Why consider anything else?
audivin, 12/27/2011
2011 Volkswagen Golf 2.5L 2dr Hatchback (2.5L 5cyl 5M)
7 of 8 people found this review helpful
I purchased my '11 Golf 3 door Manual transmission straight out of college. Prior to making this decision, I tested many similarly priced compact cars like the Dodge Caliber, Various Hondas, and even some subarus. While I really liked the Subaru's and had a hard time deciding between the two, the VW Golf was simply in another league. This is probably the best compact car on the us market for the price. The interior and exterior build quality and craftsmanship are excellent and there are no rattling noises. I have put 17,000 miles since I purchased the car in June of 2011. Thats right, 17000 already. This car handles/performs exceptionally well. At all speeds it feels secure/ planted.
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.
Fun to drive, practical, reliable.
jdmarrapese, 06/23/2015
updated 12/23/2016
2011 Volkswagen Golf 2.5L 2dr Hatchback (2.5L 5cyl 5M)
3 of 3 people found this review helpful
I bought this car as a CPO with 20k miles. It was totaled around 70k miles. Fun to drive car, the 2.5 engine is torquey, but certainly not on par with the GTI. The interior is comfortable and holds up well, except for the headliner, which began to sag when the car was 4 years old; out of warranty & VW won't fix it. That aside I haven't had any other issues with the car, and I drove the car pretty hard. If you're driving it in the snow, I'd suggest getting snow tires. Sad to see the car get towed away. Besides the headliner issue I've been very happy with the car and would buy another one.
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Keeping My Golf pt. 6
Dave Ernst, 03/19/2016
updated 09/24/2018
2011 Volkswagen Golf 2.5L PZEV 2dr Hatchback (2.5L 5cyl 5M)
3 of 3 people found this review helpful
Really amazed at how this car retains its new-car feel. Not a squeak or rattle. Everything works, all buttons/knobs. Have kept up with all scheduled maintenance. Recently made an unscheduled visit, due to a faulty oil filter housing flange breaking. Whether this was due to part failure, or an overzealous oil change-tech (at a local Euro shop), I’ll never really know. The repair was pricey, and I’m not sure if I should dock the reliability stars a bit, or attribute it to tech-error. I can say the car has been totally reliable, incident notwithstanding. All in all, as I approach 7 years of ownership, thus far, it’s been a solid, enjoyable performer.
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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!
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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.
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.
one of the best
johnlewisgrant, 08/01/2013
updated 08/01/2016
2011 Volkswagen Golf 2.5L 2dr Hatchback (2.5L 5cyl 5M)
5 of 7 people found this review helpful
Sold the lexus, kept the golf. Smoother, better on bumps, much better on highway, handling is vastly superior, reliability is equal or better (that's been our experience). Es 350 is slightly quieter, but the handling and ride are demonstrably inferior. Update: 60k later. No problems. 2010 golf (gas) still running as new. And it has not been babied. Far from it.
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Golfer's 2011 Golf
HORUHO, 09/29/2021
2011 Volkswagen Golf 2.5L 2dr Hatchback (2.5L 5cyl 5M)
2 of 2 people found this review helpful
5 cyl, 5-speed, purchased new in Oct 2010 from VW of AH, SATX. Moon roof, steel rims, Candy White, full size spare tire, etc. The only auto I've ever owned that has not required replacement items other than tires, windshield wipers, and scheduled maintenance items in 91K+ miles. No repairs since purchase other than flat tires. Most mileage driven on Interstate Hwys and city streets.
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Pleasure to drive
garyswims, 09/07/2010
2011 Volkswagen Golf 2.5L 4dr Hatchback (2.5L 5cyl 6A)
4 of 7 people found this review helpful
so far so great - this little car is great fun to drive and it feels safe and secure
Fun for a while...
carrdrivr, 09/02/2012
2011 Volkswagen Golf 2.5L 2dr Hatchback (2.5L 5cyl 6A)
2 of 5 people found this review helpful
Fun with utility thanks to its hatchback nature, but it does fall short in a few ways that may be a deal breaker for some. Road noise - It may be the result of being a small hatch' or the fact that there seems to be no sound insulation, but the interior of this car is loud. When I say loud, I mean very loud. Driving over concrete or rough pavement will make you plead for mercy. Quality: The soft materials are nice but the construction is lacking. Interior rattles abundant, loud engine noises, suspension squeaks and creaks, thin paint (chips constantly). Comfort: Nice sport seats but uncomfortable on long drives. Deal Breaker: 25mpg (hwy+city) in a small car (VW can do better).