Used 2017 Volkswagen Golf Consumer Reviews
Impressed
J F, 01/03/2017
TSI S 4dr Hatchback (1.8L 4cyl Turbo 5M)
12 of 12 people found this review helpful
Great fuel mileage, very sturdy on the highway. Previous GTI owner (1989 European model)...performance with manual is better than the 8valve GTI. Shifting is a bit vague, and clutch release is very short. This Golf continues to be fun to drive, extremely economical, and after almost 16,000 miles, still surprising. I am averaging over 35 mpg combined, and often see over 40 mpg going to work--no traffic and hitting no traffic lights. Have considered trading for a new truck, but the trade value is very low in my opinion. The clutch is finally feeling good--a gearbox support installed by the local VW speed shop made all the difference. I was hesitant, but was assured they would remove it if I didn't like it. The guys at the dealership car wash even commented on how much better the clutch felt. Perhaps I drive like a grandma, but I am greatly exceeding the EPA estimates for fuel mileage. As far as handling and interior quality--the car feels as tight as it did new. If you are looking for a car that is relatively fun to drive, but do not want to fork out the money for A GTI or Focus ST, the Golf is a superb alternative at a fraction of the price.
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GTI Lite
Dan, 01/04/2017
TSI Wolfsburg Edition 4dr Hatchback (1.8L 4cyl Turbo 6A)
21 of 23 people found this review helpful
Have had a 2017 TSI Wolfsberg w 6 spd AT for a month and 800 miles now. Still a little too new for good evaluation but so far I'm thinking this is gonna be a great car. Nice thing about the '17 Wolfie is that it is better equipped than the any of the 2016 TSIs. Comes standard with 16" Alloys, Front Assist with Autonomous Emergency Braking, Blind Spot Monitor with rear traffic alert, automatic headlights, and such niceties as a power sunroof, heated front seats, keyless access & start, and rain sensing wipers. Although I have desired a GTI for the last 6 years, I realized the extra performance was something I would benefit from or use < 5% of the time & simply couldn't justify the added cost. Got the Wolfburg for $20,830 + T & L; that was about $10K less than a GTI with DAP which was a must for me. But of course to be perfect (at least for me) it needs about $1,500 in accessories such as larger rear sway bar, Auto dim Homelink mirror, pop up hatch, LED tails & headlights; and of course better tires - upgraded to Michelin Premiers for best suite of AS characteristics for Pacific Northwest weather. Even with these upgrades it is still a steal compared to the GTI. Items such as pop up hatch, larger RSB & Homelink mirror not available on GTI at any price so I would added them to a GTI also. Only weak point I have detected so far is the OEM lights are quite poor. It's a shame that the Lighting Package was discontinued as an option for all Golfs except high end GTI models. This Golf replaced a much loved 2011 Honda Fit -- very similar utility, almost identical interior & exterior dimensions, but quite a significant boost in performance & comfort over the Fit. The best brief description I can give for the Wolfsburg edition is "GTI Lite" or "Honda Fit On Steroids". So far in love with my Wolfie, but with < than 1,000 miles so far I've got my fingers crossed for reliability compared to many Hondas & Subies I have owned. 1-8-18: First Year Update: My Golf now has 7,800 miles on it and has done a great job hauling my butt and stuff. I did the fore mentioned upgrades including replacing the poor head & tail lights with Euro spec aftermarket units - mucho better! I'm averaging 35 mpg highway & 28 in Seattle traffic which pretty good but a bit less than I had hoped. So far it has needed two repairs: fuel door was sticking & replaced under warranty and blind spot warning signal on drivers mirror just stopped workingwas due to snow covering sensor after heavy snowfall. Overall I'm happy with car, but unfortunately it the minor repairs tend to support the impression that this car is gonna have more problems then my previous Hondas and Subarus. 6-7-18: running trouble free past 7 months. Highway mileage has improved to 37 (ave speed 65 mph) 1-9-19 Update: Still enjoying the ride but not the leaky sunroof. Was repaired under warranty and no longer leaking. 7-9-19: No issues the past 6 months, still happy with it except I have a hankering for slightly larger car that uses less fuel. Looking hard at a Kia Niro PHEV 10-2019: Past 3 months have been trouble free with my Golf , no issues. But our city driving had more than doubled due to becoming "taxi service" for our granddaughter & a friend. We decided we would like something a bit larger and better city fuel economy. So we traded Golf for Kia Niro PHEV.
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My third Volkswagen Golf
LowerEastSider, 05/25/2017
TSI S 4dr Hatchback (1.8L 4cyl Turbo 6A)
15 of 16 people found this review helpful
I turned in my 2014 Golf TDI (diesel powered) and bought my new 2017 TSI (gas powered). The new car is better than the old one in almost all respects. The engine is smooth and powerful. I don't miss the diesel vibration at all. It's hard to imagine anyone wanting more power. The new Golf feels less nervous and handles with greater precision than my old Golf. I also fit a little better behind the steering wheel. Trunk space is a little bit bigger than in my old Golf. I purchased the below trunk floor organizer accessory. This reduces overall trunk room somewhat, but provides hidden storage for tools and small valuable items. The radio, while very functional, does not sound as good as the radio in my 2014 Golf or in my old 2002 Golf. But it is adequate. The car driving position is a little bit low, but I have gotten used to it. I ordered the base "S" model, which is fairly well equipped, but missing heated seats and a few other items. I bought the "S" because I did not want a car with a sunroof (I'm tall). The ventilation system is exceptional, probably the best I've had in any car so far. There's just something about the way it moves air through the car. The seats are OK. They could be a little more comfortable, but they do not give me backaches. The car is a very easy car to drive, especially in city traffic.
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Good car for daily commuter
Shushera, 01/17/2017
TSI Wolfsburg Edition 4dr Hatchback (1.8L 4cyl Turbo 5M)
18 of 20 people found this review helpful
At first I dismissed VW since I could not get features I needed with manual transmission. VW came up with Wolsfburg edition. This was perfect configuration. I loved the car when I bought it. Very smooth, you ride it like on rails, quiet too - unlike Civic and Mazda 3 I testdrove. Has enough power and good pickup on low RPMs. I thought I got luxury car for a price of econobox. Still happy with the car 15K and almost two years later. Ride is smooth and car is quiet, in fact first car I did not add additional noise insulation to. Initially had some vibrations around 1200 RPM on higher gears but I learned to avoid that area. Have not tried GTI but this car is good enough for me. I do my own maintenance and certified oil is on expensive side especially if you are after newer VW 504.00/507.00 standard. Dealer will use older VW 505.00 and that has a potential to create more intake valve deposits. Expensive cleaning will be needed then, reported time is 60-100K miles. Just something to keep in mind.
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Happy Golf Girl
Cheryl Warren, 12/07/2016
TSI Wolfsburg Edition 4dr Hatchback (1.8L 4cyl Turbo 5M)
16 of 18 people found this review helpful
Great hatchback, comfortable, peppy, fun to drive and smart looking. My Wolfsburg edition came loaded, didn't need any additional options.
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Love this car
EJP, 12/08/2016
TSI S 4dr Hatchback (1.8L 4cyl Turbo 5M)
7 of 7 people found this review helpful
Test drive this car first. If you are more of a sports car person, look at the GTI. But if you just want a economical car that is absolutely fun to drive, test drive the 2017 Golf. I looked at the Mazda 3, Ford Focus hatchback. No comparison. I test drove the Ford focus and practically fell asleep it was soon boring, had much less to offer, weak engine, AND COST MORE! I never could get past the Mazda 3's looks. I am so happy with my Golf. The quality and common sense functionality make the Golf feel like a much more expensive car.
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My umpteenth VW and probably the best yet!
JGage, 06/17/2017
TSI Wolfsburg Edition 4dr Hatchback (1.8L 4cyl Turbo 5M)
7 of 7 people found this review helpful
My first car was a '71 beetle and I've been drinking the Wolfsburg kook ade ever since. I've had an odd Camry or Accord in there, even a couple Audis and the awesome 2002 VW Passat W8 wagon. I have a '14 BMW 335i M Sport at the moment. Awesome car. Yet I find myself enjoying driving the Golf (5M has a lot to do with that) as much as the Bimmer in everyday driving. Quality is fantastic as are features, ride, handling, acceleration, drivability. I worried I'd miss the 6th gear my last '12 Sportwagen TDI had but truth is I was often skipping gears in that car anyway, especially 5th--just shifted straight from 4-6. Even in this car there's easily enough power to go from 3-5. And 3rd gear is more useful than ever before. Would a 6M help 0-60? Probably. But 5 gears in everyday driving is plenty. Even a little less taxing. Anyway for the money (I got mine for just over $19,200 excl TTL) so considering that is less than 1/3 what the Bimmer was brand new, this car is a bargain. Update--I'm still satisfied with this car in every way. It still looks, drives and feels like new with 12K miles. I also find myself driving this car 6/7 days over my Bimmer as I just really enjoy it (and like keeping miles off the Bimmer.) Also keep in mind the extraordinary value... the Wolfsburg Edition offers virtually all of the SE features for several thousand less. Finally, one thing I didn't realize I'd appreciate as much as I do is the collision avoidance. The car has warned me a few times of some close-calls and it was spot on. One time it even braked for me when a dog ran in front of me!
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Too many rattles - sold at a loss
Paul A., 03/02/2017
TSI S 4dr Hatchback (1.8L 4cyl Turbo 6A)
29 of 35 people found this review helpful
All true below, but this car was so poorly made -- five times at dealer in year and a half to correct squeaking, creaking, cracking noises from panoramic sunroof. Could never get it resolved, and despite it being a fun car to drive, overall feeling of driving a worthless piece of junk. Had to sell, and also thanks to VW, residual value dropped like a stone. Lost all my equity from previous trade-in so had almost no value now compared to loan payoff. VW in the US sucks. Maybe they're built better in Europe but this is my second VW made on this side of the ocean and it was again a rattling piece of junk made with poor quality control. ========================= This is my third VW and I love the idea of the brand, i.e., an affordable, well-made, fun-to-drive regular European car available in the US. This segment simply doesn't exist here -- we get Japanese efficiency boxes, highly reliable but dull; or expensive European luxury like Audi, BMW and Mercedes. Europeans have access to ordinary cars that perform well, carry 4-5 people, are well made, economical, and not "luxury" (VW, Peugeot, Seat etc). VW owns that entire segment in the US, so why they screw up so often with scandals and shoddy workmanship are beyond me. That said, despite the outrageous TDI error, I tried VW again after being happy with a Civic for 8 years (great car, not too fun to drive). I wanted economy this time as well, plus good seating for 4, plus more fun. New Golf seemed the trick, especially with the new turbo 4 replacing the ridiculous 5-cylinder knockbox. The Golf is built on the MQB platform, same as Audi A3 and other VW/Audi compacts. So with the turbo 4, it feels like an A3, which is fantastic. It is a traditional compact car so it feels a little old-fashioned inside, especially if you're used to the open, sweeping feel of a Civic interior. You can see VW tried very hard with lots of quality interior components -- soft-touch dashboard, leather steering wheel and shift knob, carpeted storage area in door -- yet still they messed up. The "panoramic sunroof" squeaked and rattled relentlessly for a year; had to bring it to dealer 3-4 times; once they replaced the entire glass panel (I was told the glass had been poured incorrectly) and the last time VW finally sent out a service bulletin and had a fix, a sealing tape the dealer installed that should muffle the squeaks. Still, it came back, and now I used some rubber deal lubricant I read about on a VW forum. In any case, VW really seems to shoot itself in the foot -- offering a great car at a good price, but with quality control issues that make it really unpleasant and seem like a cheap piece of junk. Given the annoyance after only one year, I'm watching with hesitation to see what breaks next. I wish I could like and trust VW, and it seems insane that owning an entire segment in the US, they would make so many mistakes. Consumer Reports is not happy with Golf's long-term reliability, so while the car is fun to drive and has many exceptional characteristics, I don't have the feeling of confidence and security in the purchase. Time will tell. I'll hope to update the review in a year or so with good news.
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Fantastic Value
Satisfied Golf Owner, 04/08/2018
TSI S 4dr Hatchback (1.8L 4cyl Turbo 5M)
4 of 4 people found this review helpful
Purchased this car because I needed something both comfortable and fun to drive. I was initially shopping for a GTI, but opted for the Golf instead because it has more comfortable seats. Very happy with my purchase after 14 months and 6000 miles. The car is a pleasure to drive; the 5 speed is a lot of fun to shift and the turbocharged engine provides plenty of power for passing and merging. The steering is precise and the car handles well. The suspension is well balanced, being stiff enough to provide secure handling, yet soft enough to absorb pot hole impacts. Bluetooth, Android Auto and Apple Car Play all work well. The car has two screens, one in the center console and the other in the center of the instrument cluster. Having two screens comes in handy when you are using Apple Car Play for navigation and need to, at the same time, change radio stations or call back a recent number. Note for car buyers suffering from hip/back pain. This car has very well placed pedals, that is, the brake pedal is significantly more to the right than it would be in a Honda. This means that you stretch less to reach the brake pedal. For some people this will translate into less hip and/or back pain.
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The "Can Do" car
AJL, 08/09/2018
TSI Wolfsburg Edition 4dr Hatchback (1.8L 4cyl Turbo 5M)
4 of 4 people found this review helpful
I wanted a GTI, but I didn't want to spend the money on the GTI, specifically the GTI SE. I drove a competing car ( Kia Forte SX) and a total outlier ( Alfa Romeo Giulia Ti) before buying my Golf. Having owned a Focus before and other cars in this class, I was fairly set on the VW family. I have not been disappointed a year in to the car. As Car and Driver once wrote, the Golf is the Mercedes (or more appropriately the Audi) of the small car set. This car does everything fairly well and nothing poorly. The driving dynamics (ride, handling) of a German car, even if it's built in Mexico as all US Golfs are, cannot be denied and the competitors get close, they never get it just right. It's a cruiser when you want, it's willing when you want to push it. I replaced the standard 16 inch wheels with 17 inch wheels and Michelin Pilot tires. A bit more noise and a slightly harsher ride are worth the trade-off of this improvement. The hatch holds a great deal of stuff when you need it to and the Wolfsburg trim really lacks nothing. Yes, the seats are V-Tex ( VW's name for vinyl) but most people won't know and they are comfortable (and heated in this trim). The only complaints are the lack of HID headlights and that the air conditioning seems a bit weak on anything less than Max when it's really hot. I'd probably spend the extra on a GTI if I did it again, but I wouldn't hesitate to buy my Golf. Update 2/9/20: My initial impressions of the car still hold up. I wanted a manual transmission, but it took me a long time to get used to the clutch and especially the "Hill Hold". The clutch is my least favorite part of this car, I'd get the automatic if I did it again, especially now that I bought a "fun" car with manual. But other than that, this is a great car. It's fine around town and on long drives. It's comfortable and quiet and competent in nearly any situation. I've gotten as high as 39 mpg all highway, but average 28 in a 50/50 mix of driving with a lot hills and traffic, with some "spirited" driving when the urge strikes. The Golf is a willing partner when you feel like having fun. With the 1.8T engine, the basic Golf is 3/4 of GTI at 2/3 the price. If you want, there's huge aftermarket that will pretty much turn it in to a GTI without the upfront cost. Besides the clutch being a bit weird for my taste, I've had zero issues with this car mechanically and it's been completely reliable . I'm sad that the buying public shuns small, normal cars that aren't pseudo-SUV's or crossovers because this a very good car, one of my favorites out of the 20 I've owned. Also a shame that besides dropping the 1.8T 175 hp engine for the 1.4T 150hp engine in the Golf after 2017 and then allegedly as I write this, only bringing the Golf over to the US in GTI form for 2021.
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