I review the underrated VW Golf GTI (the mk6 GTI) UK. how does it compare to mk8 GTI?
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 15 มี.ค. 2021
- A quick review of my VW Golf GTI Mk6 and how does it compare to the mk8 GTI? Having owned my Mk6 GTI for over 4 years i the UK I felt it was time for a video. I share my thoughts on the car, what I like and don't like and say why I think it is the most underrated VW Golf GTI of them all!
In future videos I would like to cover a more in depth review and cover some of the running costs during my 4 years of ownership. If you would like to see more of this car then please don't forget to give this video a thumbs up and subscribe if you haven't already.
If you have enjoyed this video then be sure to check out my other videos featuring similar interesting cars such as my Porsche Cayman S 987.
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I bought a 2010 golf gti mk6 4 years ago and it still puts a smile on my face every time I get in it. In my opinion, it's the best drivers car out there.
Totally agree, even compared to my Porsche it puts a smile on my face each time!
What country are you in bud? Is it expensive to maintain? Im here in Ireland and the mk6 are going for good prices, tempted. Last GTI i owned was a MK2 16v in South Africa
@@philipkeeling8647 All I will say is auto mechanics love 'em!
@@mazpr2025 I ended up with a BMW f30 330d. Same price range as the gti and so much more car
Because most of them don't know shit about how to maintain on them.....@@mazpr2025
good to watch ur video,the mk6 golf is the best looking of all of them i think
Thanks:) it has aged very well. Love the mk7 but sitting next to a mk6 it they still look great.
I bought it before a year ago... It was my teenage dream and I bought it finally. No matter how I feel that car puts a smile on my face every fucking time. Love it!
Such an iconic car. I always wanted one and was not fussed what mk I got. Just had to be a GTI and not an R. Thanks for the comment 😃🚘
Just recently got mine and i love it ! Also you're right , there's not that much UK TH-cam coverage on these .
Thank you!! I love mine, such a good looking car still. Even compared the the Mk7 and 8, however wouldn’t turn down either of those!
I loved my mk 6 and love my mk 7. Great fun On the street at sain speeds. Approachable limits with predictable controllable slides. Super neutral handling... Smooth ride. Amazing zippy little engines. Super practical. Loads of fun to own.
Thanks for the comment. 100% agree, would be swapping it for a 7.5 when the time comes. Not in a rush tho.
I bought a mk6 GTI in early 2015 and I’m still driving it today. I’d owned a number of cars before it including a Focus ST but the Golf is the one I’ve kept the longest, so that says something. Mine is a 5 Door in Tornado Red, a 60 plate, the same 17” alloys as yours and tartan seats. After a simple Stage 1 remap it produces 250bhp on the rolling road, and it will still do around 40mpg if you drive it sensibly. I recently had it detailed and it looks like new. The only thing I really need to do with it is upgrade the infotainment system so I can have stuff like Apple CarPlay.
That’s such a good gain on a map!! I’m so tempted to do it. What wonderful cars these are! You just don’t hear of them. Future classic for sure. The infotainment is pretty dire isn’t it. Both my cars Cayman and GTI are woeful but I suppose they are both old cars now.
I'm in Zimbabwe and I love GTIs looking into buying one. I loved my experience with the MK4 and would love a MK6 your video helped a lot still not sure if I want a manual though.
I agree totally. I have a 2012 with almost all the factory extras. Fun car in all scenarios. Mine is standard also and I love embarrassing the muscle on back roads!! Great vid!!
Nice! Rare to have one so highly specced up. 😂 I bet they don’t love it so much!
Love a lot of things you said about the class of the car. Golf R is mechanically a much more superior car tbh imo but this looks so much better and so much less common
Love to have a different car, love a golf R. Wouldn’t be a petrolhead if I didn’t appreciate its brilliance but for me it would always be a GTI. That badge is legendary.
Cool video. I want to see future videos with this car. All that you have mention!
Thank you:) hoping to feature it a lot more. It was so slow to take off from the start I almost gave up but had so much interest. Love this car so glad I’m able to make content on it. Thanks for the comment 👍🚘
Very good :) had mine for 5 years, I'm still smiling ❤
They are wonderful! Need to make more content on the car, always so popular.
The mk6 is super underrated just like your channel...great and honest review, you deserved more subs... cheers
Love my Mk6 GTI, Such a great car, will be doing more content on it soon! Thank you so much for the comment:) Makes me want to continue to make videos and the subs will come down the road:)
I just bought mines and I can’t agree more , previous car was a f31 335d xdrive stage 2+ with crazy power , I went to view this car having very low expectations but I was so surprised with it and it’s so good to drive and like you said you can thrash it and use all the power , I would really like the leather seats though but 62 k mikes 2010 car and it’s almost feels like new 6 owners and it’s never failed an mot or had an advisory 👍🏻we buy any car of offering close to what I paid for it which is also a bonus
They are so great and to be honest I was the same before driving it. Assumed it would be good but not this good, the Mk5 GTI gets all the praise. The leather seats are fantastic, I really wanted the tartan cloth ones but having a big german shepherd and `baby it was a good thing I ended up with leather. I totally agree with it feeling new, my friend had a 1.4 TSI and went in it once, asked how many miles it had on it expecting 20-30k but it had 130k on, It was like new and drove so well, makes you realise why the golf is the class leader.
Cayman and mk6 GTI, same cars I had 10 years ago! Now, a couple of vans and SUVs later, I am happy to be back with a 2019 GTI.
Nice! Weirdly I have had a couple of people subscribed with the same 2. 🤣
Hey Joe, have you had the upgraded chain tensioner fitted in yours? Looking at buying one but the extra expense of that is putting me off a bit. Seems most people selling are unaware of the fault so its not been done or considered when pricing
Yeah I did the chain tensioner just not the chain. The car hasn’t done the miles for the chain so I had it checked and all ok. If I remember it was about £400 for the tensioner fitted.
@@JoeTalksCars that was incredibly expensive for a tensioner. I would have paid for the timing chain as there is an upgrade version, has dual links instead of single and the plastic guides were upgraded to. There is also a revision on the lower timing chain cover, the old design has a bowl funnel piece while the new design is almost bare, small piece for oil to run down.
Great video. I just got one in the last month and on 48k mileage. Well looked after. If you service and make sure you sort tension and chain issue they should be sweet
Thank you:) absolutely love mine. For the price albeit expensive for an “old” car it’s good value. Enjoy yours!
Tension chain issue?
@@man1cs171 potential issue. They can slip out of time. I’ve heard it’s not that common but plenty of horror stories on the forums👍
@@JoeTalksCars I'm looking at buying one but reading horror stories about them. Among other things like water pump Pcv valve etc.
@@man1cs171 yeah forums are filled with stuff about them. My Porsche is even worse. Not had a single issue with my GTI and only did the tensioner as preventative maintenance and peace of mind. Couldn’t recommend it highly enough.
How do you maintain it, since it's said that they have a problem with timing chain tensioner, water pump issues, intake manifold etc. Does the manual Mk6 Manual have issues with the transmission?
Never had an issue with the gearbox, car is standard and not mapped tho, I think they can have issues tho. I have had the chain tensioner changed to be on the safe side and the inlet manifold is getting done soon! Thats not cheap tho :(
I love my 2012 2 door mk6! Awesome video!
Thank you! More content to come on this little car. 2 door! Don’t actually see many of those. Lovely 🚗
I just got a golf gti ed35 it’s just amazing
I’d love the edition 35! They are something else. Holding money well too
The MK6 GTI always gets overlooked because it's so similar to the MK5. The MK6 is the best looking GTI VW ever made. Interior quality is second to none. I love my MK6 GTI. Manual with plaid seats is the only way to go.
I 100% agree. It is overlooked and rare, I never see any others on the road, Love mine, would have loved the plaid seats but having a huge german shepherd who loves to go for a ride leather was the only choice.
Totally agree with what you say here. Love my mk6 Gti
They are amazing aren’t they! Need to do more videos on this car while my Cayman is broken
Joe Talks Cars I just got back from the highlands of Scotland with mine, where it was 1st class
@@darrenbailey1364 I bet it was. I am often up there in mine. Comfortable, fast enough and with the way the suspension is set up it can carry a lot of speed on the more rugged roads.
I have an Edition 35 golf 6 gti DSG almost full opt and I loved it at first but I've grown to hate it so much at times. Now own it for 6 months and already had 3 check engine lights. Garage i bought it from I have 2 years warranty but the last time I went there it was to get 2 new rear tires mounted on the 19" glenndales and it took over 4 HOURS for 2 tires. Since then I've been going to a different VAG specialist garage and I've already been there over 3 times to replace and get stuff fixed and its already over 570€ in costs and it's still far from ok. Everytime I fix one thing another thing pops up the very next day.
It's not even fun driving it anymore because I'm now paranoid at every new noise.
It makes me so sad and mad knowing how much I paid for it.
It's heartbreaking since I really like the looks and always wanted to have one.
I had so many plans for this car and now I'm debating wether or not I should sell it..
Mines been really good to be fair although the timing tensioner wasnt cheap and its having an inlet manifold to do soon and thats really expensive! Not the best for a VW but I have been lucky so far. Shame to hear about yours and I totally get why you would be thinking of selling, it can just spoil ownership.
I have one of these. Stage one as soon as you buy it folks. Great car mine is mechanicaly sound and running 263bhp. I will only change for a mk7 or a vrs
Don't tempt me to remap it! The local garage I use is always trying to encourage me haha.
Yup totally agree. Have one which I stage 1 mapped straight away to 260bhp. Means when you want it you've got 'modern' hot hatch performance. I also find it really improves the power delivery which stock is a bit turbo laggy for my liking. This is also particularly helped by increase in torque by 36% from 280nm to 380nm
@@lukesaxton318 and also and this is the mad bit.. not a real noticeable difference in what you are spending on fuel. People think mapped cars drink fuel.
Just got mine a few days ago. My life is nothing but this car right now. I don't if that'll change over time😅
They are great arnt they! Love the sound it makes too! A perfect daily.
I go way back with the GTi, I owned a 1983 Mk1 is Lhasa Green and 3 Mk2's, an 86 8v in Alpine White, an 88 16v in Tornado Red and the last I owned was an 1990 8v in rare Stratus Blue Metallic, all were great cars.
The last Gti I drove was my boss's car which was a new demonstrator Mk5 with the DSG gearbox, a fantastic gearbox compared to my Alfa Romeo 147 Selespeed which I had at the time.
We are due a change of car, well my wife is actually who drives our daily driver and I fancy "Electric", either a late Vauxhall Ampera if I can bring myself to live with the badge as I'm a bit of a badge snob or pushing the boat out and going for a BMW i3S Range Extender, very clever cars, free road tax, free parking and around 145 miles on a full charge costing about £1.50 on mains electricity at home overnight.
Amazing car history! Wish I could sat the same. Started out in a 1977 MG Midget, followed by a Megane CC then the Cayman and GTI. Not had many cars and once I like one I hang on to it for a long time. I think we will continue buying GTIs as our everyday car, prefer them to an R. I do actually fancy and electric car at some point, not sure I could live with a Vauxhall but I’m guessing the Ampera can be picked up for little money compared with new.
£1.50! That’s incredible also! I always wondered how much it would cost, thinking it would be way more than that. I think I would go BMW tho but I’m a badge snob too!
@@JoeTalksCars The Ampera was groundbreaking at its launch but GM abandoned it in favour of the booming SUV market and driverless technology in the US. It's really a Chevrolet Volt and it sold here as the Vauxhall Ampera and Europe as the Opel. They're quite rare at 1200 units sold here in 3 1/2 years from 2012 to 2015. A late run out model with around 40k miles goes for around £10k.
The BMW i3S was also launched in 2012 and is still in production after 2 or 3 facelifts but has evolved since to become one of the best electric cars on the market, excluding your Tesla's and Taycan's of course which are different money altogether.
Regarding my car history Joe,....I'm approaching 64 years old so have over 45 yrs of car ownership behind me and I still think my CaymanS is the best car I've owned.
My main love is either German or Italian cars and I'd say I've owned more Italians because of the flair and styling, Alfa Romeo and Lancia are my favourite Italians although my Fiat Coupe 20vT was a great car. My Cayman was a retirement present for myself, it's a 2008 Manual Atlas Grey Metallic (very dark blue) with the 19" Lobster Claws, and covered 91k miles.
I'll admit I do hanker after a 911, a 2008 model manual 997.2 S in Seal Grey would be nice with the 19" Lobster Claws but since owning the Cayman I've only covered around 1100 miles in it and I can't really justify doubling up the cost to buy a 911 when it will mostly be a garage queen.
That brings me back to electric cars and why I started looking at them. I've given the government around £1300 in car tax and I want some of that back, if my wife and I do go electric it will probably be our last car purchase as we would keep it until we give up our licences.
Do a little research on the 2 cars I've mentioned, there are some amazing facts to be learned and let's face it, we're all going to be driving Electric with a CVT gearbox eventually.
I enjoyed watching your blast in the North Yorkshire Moors yesterday, that's not too far from me as I'm in NE England. We have nice roads up here in Northumberland,, Weardale and N Yorkshire. Enjoy your weekend.
Lhasa Green! Always wanted one, or a Helios blue campaign. Settled for a silver campaign which was stolen after 6 wks of ownership (this was back in the early '90s).
Interesting you mention a i3S as i want one too, but the age i want is 25-30k at present, and in the meantime until prices come down somewhat, a mk6 gti is on my bucket list to own.
Given the gti and cayman are similar in cost which would you have if you could only keep one?, obviously you are lucky to have both and each has their own characteristics
I think my head would say GTI and heart would be the cayman.
A gun to my head...the cayman 😂
@@JoeTalksCars me too, cayman much more engaging to drive
bring it, more videos
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* just make sure the timing tensioner is taken care of and DSG servicing.
This is a manual but yeah the DSG servicing can often be overlooked. I need to get this thing on the channel more!
MK6 has the perfect balance of analog and digital implementation. If you are in the US, that generation was the last one to be assembled in Germany and quite frankly, it's almost, almost an entry luxury car the way it's appointed, unlike MK7 or MK8, which is worst of the lot if you go by the interior quality.
I’ve noticed that. The mk6 interior looks old and a little boring but build quality is way above the mk7. I’m happy with mine, such a great daily
Looking at one for a second car that my teenage son will eventually take
How has the reliability been?
Very very good. Expensive insurance for a younger driver and although not a quick car for what I’m used to but I wouldn’t want a young person in it. I was a lunatic when I started driving.
For me the mk6 aged better than mk7,mostly because it mixes well sharp edges and round surfaces.
Yeah they have just aged well haven't they.
I have the mk5 gti dsg, is it worth the upgrade? Of do i need to save Some more money and buy the mk7 gti?
I’d say the mk7 Would be the way to go. The mk6 was more of a facelift although I feel a big one. The main difference is the interior. The Mk6 does feel like a much newer car tho. It think the mk7 will be night and day however.
What are your thoughts on the reliability of these at higher mileages? I'm looking at selling my 2015 Fiesta ST for a Mk6 with DSG but for my budget they're around 100k miles. Cheers
Had ours 4 years, only replaced tyres and brakes so all good. New fault however is the inlet manifold, they are prone to failure so need to swap that(not as expensive as it sounds) also the chain tensioner I replaced as preventative maintenance. Check it’s the latest tensioner. Other than that:) all good. 100k is nicely run in for a GTI.
@@JoeTalksCars Awesome thanks! Good to hear that these are still reliable at higher mileages. The one I'm going to view later this week has had the timing chain and tensioner replaced at 89k but I'll double check it's the newest tensioner that's on it, thanks for the help :)
@@DivideSubtract good luck with the hunt:) such lovely cars. Going to feature it a lot more on the channel. It is proving more popular than I imagined.
Im finally getting ready to upgrade from my Mk4 Golf🤣 My top choice is the Mk6 GTI but im scared to death that if something like the tensioner fails i will be buried alive with the repair bill… Is there a way to make failure less likely? Like replacing certain parts that will greatly reduce the risks straight away. Getting a GTI would make my dreams come true after getting it tuned a little bit but i know that a major repair bill would kill me…
Yeah so I was worried as it’s an engine out job and a full rebuild. The chance is slim. I upgraded the tensioner which wasn’t too expensive and stops the chance of it going. My mileage was low so never had to do the chain but if you mileage is high (90000 plus) I’d get the chain done too.
@@JoeTalksCars hey man I love your videos. I just bought a mk6 gti not long ago and it's at 90k miles, very well serviced. My only concern is the timing chain tensioner. Out of curiosity how much did you pay to have the tensioner changed? Did you go to volkswagen or an independent garage? Thanks man I would greatly appreciate a reply! Keep up the videos. Mine is also black lol hard to keep clean.
@@nigel485 Earlly mk6,s had a re-call for the tensioner, you should be able to check back to see whether the recall was done.
@@DOBERMAN715 hey bro thanks for the reply. Would it be a case of calling my local volkswagen dealership? Mines a 2009 with 106,000 miles. Engine runs perfectly, no rattle noises on start up, no knocking, very silent on idle, doesn't rattle like a diesel. Thanks.
I love my mk6 gti i have the dsg pattle shift love jumping out of the truck into the car wife can drive it and she rips it all ive done is resonator delete and stage 1 and will never get rid of it sees 4000 kms a year on the road garage stored in the winter
Nice! First GTI I drove was a DSG and my mind was blown how quickly the gear shifts were! Bet it sounds lovely! Enjoy your car!
@@JoeTalksCars yeah man it shifts very quick its alot of fun to drive i want to go stage 2 in a few weeks got to put the intercooler in
Mk6 GTI not considered by the Press to be very good to Drive after the Mk5. But. Possibly a great GTIto own imho. I had a 2012 5dr DSG from new. Kept it for nearly 7 years and loved every mile. Very solid, well built better quality feel than later Mk7.5.
Personally I think if you find a good one,, carefully serviced they could be a clever long term proposition. Mk7 IS both quicker and faster.
I was looking at standard 7.5s when I bought this. Took one out, think it was a 1.6, could only describe it as a glass of water. Drove the much older 6 GTI and wow! Felt newer. Heart won over head. Probably should have got a newer car but just couldn’t ignore the MK6 GTI.
I upgraded to a new R in 2019. Lovely car to drive and own. I regret part Ex ing the GTI. Should have kept it for Wife/ Second car.
I learn it is now Cat N🙄
I have VW Golf 6 TDI (Team) I love it :)
Nice! Love the mk6. It is the most underrated of all the versions of the golf.
@@JoeTalksCars It's unfair to this car has been declared to be underrated. I reckon it's reliable and gorgeous car. P.S: I'm not a VW fan. I just simply love it.
Really good summation of the appeal of GTI's in general, as they're always a good value for money at any price point as long as you're willing to turn a wrench for ones on the lower price end of the spectrum
A key point of appeal you only briefly touched on from the point of view of someone who has a dedicated sports car and just wants something more sporty than a base Fiesta but more liveable than a Cayman is the fact that the aftermarket is so vast that your options for making it what you want are virtually endless.
I bought my mk6 new about a week after they started arriving at dealerships in 2009 and have put over 150k miles in it. For the first eight years my use of it was as yours, a comfortable and refined, but still fun to drive commuter vehicle. I've since added a spouse and a couple of children to the house so rather than parking a Porsche next to the GTI I've had to purchase a larger family focused car.
For me, the continuing appeal of the GTI is as a toy that has legitimately functional rear seats to throw the children in. If not for the back seat I'd either have a Cayman or a highly modified 2.0 MX-5. But because the aftermarket is so vast I can inject Porsche performance into the GTI. Of course it'll never have the balance of a mid engined sports car, but when sharpened and fed a more substantial volume of boost the car offers it's own variety of fun.
Very well put!
When it comes to handling though, the mk7 is sooo much better, it’s night and day literally. Steering is tighter on the mk7, cassis feels stiffer, turn in has less under steer etc
Yeah I’ve driven the MK7 R but not a GTI I don’t think there is much difference between the 6 and 7 personally. Well not enough to justify the extra cash currently. The mk6 makes amazing value for money in comparison.
Myn got 90k miles and just bought it, will it last?
It may have been done already. If it hasn’t I’d do a chain replacement and do the tensioner. Big job tho. Most garages will be able to tell you which version of the tensioner is on the car. I could be wrong but 2012 onwards are the new version, could be wrong tho
@@JoeTalksCars it’s either 2012 or 2013 have to new tensioners but you can tell from the serial number on it
Cheers:) my garage knew because of the tool that’s used for the new one won’t fit the old.
@@matthewkehler1230 do you want the new tensioner or old one ? also should I do it anyway ?
@@mr.exclusive5361 the old tensioner has a tendency to fail which could destroy the engine so you definitely want the new one. I’m not sure how much it is to buy the new one though
I transitioned from a Cayman S to a Mk6 GTI!
How weird! I have a few followers that have made that same move or have both, good taste in cars ;)
2016 car was 11k..Now after 6,7 years they are around 9,10k Sick price..
Yep. holding value nicely.
Me: "I love my MK6 GTI"
The internet: "TIMING CHAIN!!!"
Me: "I have the updated tensioner and whatnot."
The internet: "....TIMING CHAIN!"
This is all I’d heard when I bought it. It’s the same with my Porsche and bore score. Too many experts on the internet but it gets to you after a while.
I own a 2013 MK6 GTI Wolfsburg with DSG, Laguna wheels, and Tartan cloth. One of the first things I did was check the tensioner, and was relieved to find that I had the revised model. The previous owner had the waterpump replaced from the recall. I did just have to replace the intake manifold at almost exactly the 75,000 mark (a very common repair). This car is a dream to drive as a daily.
@@davidrossbach1578 my intake needs doing now. Stupid car. The Engine management light has been on some time already.
@@JoeTalksCars im on mk6 gti done everything to it and now im gonna move onto porsche cayman s
@@floatfacebook2013 very nice!! Good move! You will love it.
Lets talk about oil consumption
Oil consumption is fairly high for what I’m used to in past cars. This will need 1L per year in between services easily. Not a lot but compared to my French cars I’ve had it’s thirsty.
Solid cars for the money, fuel efficient, fast enough for UK roads, decent technology, decent storage and seating space, overall, good cars but internet forums slate em for being unreliable, funnily enough, most the people who say they are unreliable have never owned them and just spread a horror story they heard.
Couldn’t agree more. Weirdly the unreliable rumours I have heard with the GTI I have the same with my Porsche Cayman. Every forum is the same it seems, find the 2% of cars that’s failed and tell everyone.
very much not underrated tho...maybe underrated in power from factory cuz vw doesnt give a f
Everyone just went crazy about the Mk5 GTI. The mk6 was forgotten.
@@JoeTalksCars well around here it’s the mk5 that is forgot 😂🙏🏽
Weird!! Both are great. Just love the GTI!! Watched some of your videos on your channel by the way. Really good:)
@@JoeTalksCars thank you I just stumble on yours 🙏🏽
Where are you
This was a while ago but it was near Dalby
You copied almost word for word what carbuyers video said 😂
Never seen it but will take a look. Not a lot that can be said really, be easy if it was rubbish.
So i just looked at a 6 and a 7. I did like the 6 better. It just felt that bit more raw and mechanical and sporty. It had that perfect vibe of a and aesthetic of the classic german road car that gives them their appeal. But the 7 just seemed a bit bland and too refined and a bit big compared to the 6. I think the 6 or maybe a 5 would be the one I'd get.
Good god we are over here paying 25k+ for a 7-7.5 and the mk8 is like 40k off the lot in the USA 🥲
Yeah cars over here are a lot more reasonable. They have got more expensive over the last year or so but still compared to USA they are cheap