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Used 2015 Volkswagen Golf Consumer Reviews

4.2 out of 5 stars
34 reviews
3

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Pros
Cons
5 out of 5 stars

0 problems 100% fun

KC, 04/29/2016
updated 11/02/2018
2015 Volkswagen Golf TSI Launch Edition 2dr Hatchback (1.8L 4cyl Turbo 5M)
3 of 4 people found this review helpful

This car gets great gas mileage. It loves Sunoco - super- for some reason. I get 40 mpg easy. Between 65 - 70 mph. Has great on-ramp acceleration, try 3rd gear at 3 grand. Going to 17's is going to drastically reduce your mpg. I averaged 32 mpg, went back to the 15's for mileage. In town gets decent mpg at 32 mpg. Great passing acceleration. I've had zero issue's with my car. I have a killer 7 year 100,000 mile warranty. At 6'2 I have no issues with room , plenty of it. Motor mounts are soft. The continentals on the car are all season and I have to say great little tires. No issues with rain or now. I believe I have finally found a trouble free car that gets me where I need to go. So I still own the car 5-2-18 and still no issues with car, still gets great gas mileage, and my 40k service was under $500.00. This is a very well built car. Update 11-2-18 Ended up with back issues and needed automatic. Traded up for a 2015 GLI and couldnt be happier. Miss my manual but love the DSG trans.

Safety
5 out of 5 stars
Technology
5 out of 5 stars
Performance
4 out of 5 stars
Interior
5 out of 5 stars
Comfort
3 out of 5 stars
Reliability
5 out of 5 stars
Value
5 out of 5 stars
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4 out of 5 stars

Fun car for the money, but you get what you pay for

mheisey, 03/13/2015
2015 Volkswagen Golf TSI Launch Edition 2dr Hatchback (1.8L 4cyl Turbo 5M)
7 of 12 people found this review helpful

I bought this car brand new in October 2014. A few positives are that it is surprisingly quick considering it is the base model. It handles fairly well and the touch screen interface is the best I have ever used. I love the exterior design of this car and the subtle interior styling is very nice as well. I have gotten better than rated mileage. up to 41hwy. Now, the not so great things I have noticed. Right away I realized the engine mounts are crap. They are too soft to handle firm shifts. At 2,000 miles it developed a hefty crunch when put in reverse. The throttle is very sensitive and takes getting used to. Right now at 11,000 miles I am ready to trade it in.

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4.5 out of 5 stars

Amazing car!

dublove, 05/28/2015
2015 Volkswagen Golf TSI S 4dr Hatchback w/Sunroof (1.8L 4cyl Turbo 5M)
5 of 9 people found this review helpful

I've been a VW guy my whole life and when the mk7 Golf came out, I just knew I had to own it. And no that I have one, I just can't get over how awesome it is. The star of the show is this, gem of an engine, 1.8 TSI. It gets phenomenal fuel economy (over 40mpg, AND I have lots of power and can embarrass many cars on the road at a stoplight. And filling with 87 octane fuel is just another bonus. I love this car to bits! The NAV system is OK, touch screen response is okay, but zooming in and out is laggy and it glitches out sometimes but for the most part, this car is perfect.

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2 out of 5 stars

German engineering gone a little wrong!

Brian, 07/14/2015
updated 01/17/2018
2015 Volkswagen Golf TDI S 4dr Hatchback (2.0L 4cyl Turbodiesel 6M)
10 of 30 people found this review helpful

UPDATE....July 2017. The car has been boght back by VW as part of the Diesel emmisions issue. This was the worst ownership experience ever. .....................................................................Some design aspects of the car are now driven by cost cutters at VW. Lets take a look at some things simple....starting with the door hinges! They have shrunk dramatically compared to my 2013 Jetta hinges. Door detent stops are pretty useless and you will easily hit your door on the car next to you in a parking lot. Seats....creaking and popping from the backrest of the drivers seat is getting quite annoying. Oil changes look a bit more involved on the EA 288 engine due to the filter location. The dash icons have shrunk in size....you may need reading glasses to see them! Headlights are not as powerful as on my Jetta, high beam is pretty much useless. Get used to hitting your head when exiting this car....you need to be agile to get in and out. Hidden door key slot is not user friendly....ref Jetta again. Interior light buttons hard to find in the dark....four buttons in close proximity. The dash illumination reflects in the side window. The exterior mirror demisters only operate at under 68deg F.....not good for humid Texas mornings that start out at 8O deg F. Exterior mirrors have suffered due to fashion/aerodynamics taking over functionality....they are too small....ref Jetta again, much better! Performance.... pretty good but does get caught out below 1800 rpm....very noticeable turbo lag. Economy....good so far. Mark VII Golf has grown apart from it's predecessor. I'm not sure where VW are going with these design changes apart from cost cutting. Safety wise, add as many airbags as you wish but make visibility better starting with the door mirrors. I am thinking a lot has to do with the adoption of exhaust treatment equipment that has driven costs up and profits down. OK, lots of things have changed since the above review. The VW Diesel Emissions scandal being the main one! On top of this, visits to the Dealership for warranty repairs and a service have left me completely unimpressed. I understand this car will be bought back by VW and scrapped. So much for being environmentally less damaging. This has been the worst buying and owning experience of any car I have owned in over 35 years and over 40 vehicles over that time period. Update, January 2017. The Diesel emission scandal is still ongoing. I opted for the buy back but the process is extremely slow and time consuming with forms to be filled out, notarized and uploaded to the VW Claims portal. Due to an error in my form, the portal has to be reset and I have told this could take 28 days! No option to go back to the steps that was incorrect. On top of this, the Dealership where I go for service and parts have had many people quit since the emissions woes and the replacements are not very helpful. I waited 35 minutes for a parts guy to help last week as he was the only one there. I was the only walk in customer but his phone never stopped ringing. Other issues with the car include front brake rotors warped, (Dealer machined them true, under warranty) a noise from the drivers side front suspension when turning (Dealer can't find what it causing it) engine under tray fell off after an oil change....suspect it wasn't put back correctly ($290 to have it replaced) windshield mists over on the inside first thing in the morning when the blower is turned on, loose drivers inside door handle and drivers seat lumbar adjuster knob keeps falling off. Overall, this has been and is continuing to be, a poor experience and one not to expect from a company such as VW. JANUARY 2018. This car is now history. VW bought it back in March 2017 as part of the emissions settlement.

Safety
3 out of 5 stars
Technology
3 out of 5 stars
Performance
3 out of 5 stars
Interior
3 out of 5 stars
Comfort
4 out of 5 stars
Reliability
2 out of 5 stars
Value
2 out of 5 stars
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1 out of 5 stars

VW issues

Owen s, 10/20/2023
2015 Volkswagen Golf TDI SE 4dr Hatchback (2.0L 4cyl Turbodiesel 6AM)
1 of 1 people found this review helpful

I bought my 2015 Golf TDI in 2019. In February 2022 the Adblue warning light came on (500 km the car will not start). The dealer took the car in and gave me a loner with no knowledge of when the part would come in. It is now October 2023 and the dealer says the part is at least another 6 months away… there is no evidence that the part is ever coming. VW customer support say they care about the customer and the costs involved but they are now $25k + in rental car cost it will be $5k + to make my car road worthy, with no end in site. The car has been sat outside in all elements and is now rusting as the rust prohibitor is powered by the battery which is now dead. The dealer is trying to facilitate a trade assistance but VW Canada are not cooperating. The lack of true oversight and integrity is shameful!

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5 out of 5 stars

Bought this little car new

Collin B, 11/20/2021
2015 Volkswagen Golf TSI SE 4dr Hatchback (1.8L 4cyl Turbo 6A)
1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Purchased new by my parents as a high school graduation gift, 6 years and 106,000 miles later I still have it. Fender audio sounds as good as the day it was new, and everything on the car still works. It's also safe as I was rear ended and pushed into the car in front of me in 2018, and the only damage to my car determined by the body shop was paint compared to the BMW that hit me having it's bumper and headlights fall off. In the time I've had it I've had 3 issues: The shifter malfunctioned due to an unperformed recall, which caused an error transmission message occasionally when it was cold (free repair). The air conditioner fan started squeaking when braking, remedied by cleaning the vents as somehow something had fallen in the interior vents (free). The water pump was "weeping" at 67,000 miles and VW covered 90% of the repair leaving me with a $140 repair bill for a $1,400 parts and labor repair. No trouble otherwise, and not a dime spent outside of oil, gas, filters, brakes, spark plugs, and tires. Great car! I average about 38 mpg highway and 25 city, better than EPA figures, and plan to take it to 200,000 miles.

Safety
5 out of 5 stars
Technology
4 out of 5 stars
Performance
4 out of 5 stars
Interior
5 out of 5 stars
Comfort
4 out of 5 stars
Reliability
4 out of 5 stars
Value
5 out of 5 stars
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5 out of 5 stars

2015 VW Golf TDI - Perfect !!!

jpl_texas, 01/03/2021
2015 Volkswagen Golf TDI SEL 4dr Hatchback (2.0L 4cyl Turbodiesel 6AM)
1 of 1 people found this review helpful

This car is perfect [for us]!!!! Will easily run 4 adults around town or cross country. Smart. Solid. Strong. Comfortable. Ergonomic. Efficient. Reliable. Good looking. I am a diesel fan [have 3 other diesel vehicles]. Plenty of Fahrvergnugen going on here !!! Love to the run the county roads in central Texas. That TDI and DSG transmission - incredible match. Quiet interior; Fender audio sounds great!!! Everybody loves it ......

Safety
5 out of 5 stars
Technology
5 out of 5 stars
Performance
5 out of 5 stars
Interior
5 out of 5 stars
Comfort
5 out of 5 stars
Reliability
5 out of 5 stars
Value
5 out of 5 stars
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5 out of 5 stars

WOW WOW WOW

james hoyt, 06/29/2018
2015 Volkswagen Golf TDI S 4dr Hatchback (2.0L 4cyl Turbodiesel 6M)
2 of 6 people found this review helpful

I purchase used from Carvana, they delivered to my door for free with a full tank of fuel.The car was one owner Calf car off of 3 year lease.I have purchase NEW cars that were not as PERFECT as this one ! 100% AAA+++

Safety
3 out of 5 stars
Technology
5 out of 5 stars
Performance
5 out of 5 stars
Interior
5 out of 5 stars
Comfort
5 out of 5 stars
Reliability
3 out of 5 stars
Value
5 out of 5 stars
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5 out of 5 stars

A fabulous catch of a hatch

Charles Benedict, 02/26/2017
2015 Volkswagen Golf TSI S 4dr Hatchback w/Sunroof (1.8L 4cyl Turbo 5M)
1 of 3 people found this review helpful

Love everything about this. Driver comfort, convenience, handling - overall a great driving experience. Any excuse or reason to run an errand to town or take a road trip!

Technology
3 out of 5 stars
Performance
5 out of 5 stars
Interior
5 out of 5 stars
Comfort
5 out of 5 stars
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1 out of 5 stars

TDI - Dirty Emissions

Fengshooey, 09/20/2015
2015 Volkswagen Golf TDI SE 4dr Hatchback (2.0L 4cyl Turbodiesel 6AM)
11 of 55 people found this review helpful

I'm motivated to post this review in light of the news that Volkswagen installed a "defeat device" algorithm on its emissions systems for its TDI vehicles that, in short, makes it appear it emits far less nitrogen oxide during emissions testing than it does during normal driving conditions. In short, folks, the TDI Golf and other TDI vehicles in the lineup from VW emit somewhere between 10-40 times the upper limit of acceptable (as determined by the EPA) of nitrogen oxide, a compound that is implicated in smog and worsening of pulmonary diseases such as asthma. Volkswagen apparently did this for years. When I learned about them, I wanted to buy a TDI vehicle in 2010, waited some time and eventually happily bought a 2015 VW Golf TDI in 8/2015. One month later in 9/2015 this issue comes to light and I find that the vehicle I bought in part for high MPG numbers inviting comparisons to some hybrids emits a huge amount of air pollutant. And while this is an issue VW will address with the EPA, it is me, the consumer, who was deceived by the marketing of the TDI lineup which resulted in a sale for VW. Talk about being suckered. If it was a bad component of the suspension or something less maleficent than intentionally misleading the consumer, I would not be so hot about this. Trust me, waiting a few years to buy something and then finding out you should have waited one additional month *really* sucks. Does the car perform well? Yes. Do I get 39-40MPG regularly with spirited driving and 40-50% city driving miles? Yes. Is the interior high quality? Yes. Did I love it prior to the 9/2015 news reports about the emissions being hugely misrepresented? Yes. Is my heart broken? Yes. And this will result in the loss of my business for the manufacturer in the future. There are perfectly lovely Mazda 3s and Ford Focus hatches out there for you. Edmunds rates them highly. Buy them. Save yourself a headache and stick it to a manufacturer that made its business over the last few years in part by intentionally misleading its customers.

Safety
4 out of 5 stars
Technology
3 out of 5 stars
Performance
4 out of 5 stars
Interior
4 out of 5 stars
Comfort
4 out of 5 stars
Reliability
4 out of 5 stars
Value
1 out of 5 stars
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