7 MYTHS ABOUT MK8 VW GOLF INFOTAINMENT!
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 8 พ.ค. 2024
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In this video I explain to you why the seven main complaints about the Mk8 Golf infotainment are not as valid as its critics would lead you to believe. I've spent 2021 screaming out loud when I hear how "the esc option is buried deep in the infotainment system" or how "you can't turn ESC off while driving" or how "adjusting the audio volume means you can end up turning the passenger climate control temperature to tropical" - I could go on but instead of reading this, just watch the video!
THE PIN CODE on startup is optional and doesn't need to be entered every single time, only if the vehicle has been off for around 30 minutes (I use it because it means a thief can't disable the e-sim so the car won't give out its location. VW UK Press Cars won't have this configured nor will they have a user set up other than 'guest' which may contribute to the laggyness reported in some press cars. Having yourself set up as a primary user, with a profile configured how you want it may mean the system runs more efficiently than using the default "guest" user. Or some cars are just better than others but I find that hard to believe with mass produced advanced electronics. Press cars are also reset just before being delivered to the media which may contribute to their poor performance.
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Lag is not a myth....my 2020 car is a nightmare of lag and glitches. Been in for an update but didn't help much. Sometimes it's updating and I can't use it for 30 minutes, no access to climate/phone/nav. Videos like this compromise your integrity, it feels like vw pr. Faults too numerous to mention here.
So because you have a faulty car you think they all behave like that? Because that kind of statement is more if an integrity buster than anything I've said. I've made enough content criticising VW so I have no reason to say something is good when it isn't, what annoys me is when people say something is bad when it isn't. Ive gone to great lengths to demonstrate there on video how the system works so I am not making anything up, you can see it works fine, there is no question about it. Plenty of positive comments from other happy owners too. You might want to try a different dealer.
@@volkswizard and plenty of negative ones below aswell. It goes both ways....posting one that works doesn't mean they all do. Clearly many don't work properly and there was an official maintenance bulletin to that effect on 56000 cars. The insistence that this is a great system and people should/will get used to is very grating for those of us who drive daily with key functions not available and the car bonging like crazy.
@@andrewfinkelsteintennis1915 the fact that VW dealers can't sort the issues and VW have taken back dozens of cars tells a bigger story. It's a shit show and the fact that basic functions need "learning " in a mass produced car shows a huge ball dropped. The vw fanboys are doing nothing to help get this resolved.
VWROC forums have countless members with issues. Its a buggy mess and should never have been released in this state.
@@ChronicBintX how dare you suggest this!!!!! It's perfect, VW aren't taking back cars left right and centre! :)
If you look closely you can see Herbert Deiss stood behind him with a gun throughout this video
Funny but I am just showing you the reality so you can make your own minds up about what's what.
@@volkswizard "this car has dangerous FAULTS".. a few weeks later, "the infotainment system is amazing"
If you look closely you will see a stupid comment. See ?
The prodding at 2:43 shows how awful it is. Prod 1 did nothing. Prod 2 lagged so he tried a third prod by which time it had finally responded to one of the first two. And this is while stationary.
Crikey, I finally got around to watching further. The bit at 8:20 "the way to steady your hand, is to..." . Wow. You don't need to "steady your hand" on a normal interface. You are, intentionally or otherwise, proving the critics totally right.
This chap knows absolutely nothing about UX.
Then at 10:13, he does some interaction and it works. And says "to show it's not a fluke, I'll do it again", but each interaction on the 2nd go DOES take two taps/swipes, thereby, presumably, showing that the first go was quite possibly a fluke. This guy isn't on the VW payroll, they'd never have left this go out. He's just a troll.
thats only right after starting the car. Once its all loaded, it works very well with no lags.
you have just made the point. you should be able to jump from one car to the next and be able to do all these basic functions and in the MK8 and other cars like it you can't do that. I don't want to read pages of manuals or do it trial and error or watch you tube videos and take a few months to be able to use it. It's a car and is meant to take you safely from a to b. This system doesn't provide that. Also knobs and switches are not glitchy and don't need over the air updating and they last for 20 years or more. None of these systems will last and likely if they did they would no longer be supported by the manufacturer. I like tech when it makes sense and this just doesn't.
Even if it's not intuitive, I would be ok with that because I don't use many functions outside of heating/AC and music controls.
Haptic buttons on the steering wheel don’t work better than normal buttons, that’s a load of rubbish. The whole point in having buttons on the steering wheel is that you can feel for them without taking your eyes off the road. When they’re all haptic you can’t feel for anything without operating buttons.
I disagree. I know exactly where my haptic buttons are. I don't have to take my eyes off the road to do anything I would do on a normal drive.
It seems to me, Sean, that you had a Mk.8 for a short while and therefore didn't have the time to get used to it. Is it different? Yes. Does it take a little training of muscle memory? Yes. Is it as bad as you're making out, based on your limited experience? Absolutely not.
As Andrew said, it just takes a little getting used to and it works perfectly fine.
@@Brocky36 I put up with it for 6 months - the hepatic steering wheel buttons are a joke.
Hi, is it possible to search and play media as folders ? My old Golf 7 was able to do it, but my new Golf 8 - I donť know how to do it. Also don't know how to pick up the phone on a steering wheel, only on display...
Let’s call a spade a spade.
One has to work hard to convince themselves of the G8’s infotainment system. I’ve tried it, gotten used to it.. and
it’s poor.
Thats genrous too!
I've just recently bought a VW Golf R-line and I totally agree with this. Controls are fine. Yeah, you might accidently knock something on the wheel since it's touch sensitive, but it's very easy to correct. The only thing that is slightly annoying is that the climate control buttons on the dash aren't backlit!
Has VW made any statements about an upgrade to their infotainment system to address these concerns? Seems like it would not be too difficult to borrow a few design cues from the Audi products (Q4) in the same range (separate HVAC, switches, etc.) and address many concerns. How much of this would be a non-issue if drivers would setup the car properly BEFORE driving? There seems to be an assumption every option / setting should be configurable while on the move. Back in the day, no car was this configurable so to expect every setting to be easily configurable on-the-fly is simplistic.
Sorry but I disagree, I’ve had a mk8 whilst my 7.5 is in for repairs and the mk8 system isn’t as intuitive, and is poorly designed and on the 21 plate loaner it was freezing and required several restarts during the week. I’m a huge fan of VWs but this isn’t their best effort, the poor thought in the design can even be seen in the lack of backlighting on the slider touch panels, vw used to be the standard bearer for quality, ease of use and well thought design, the mk8 just falls short of the mark.
Regular golf right? The hardware is not the same in the earlier regular Golfs
Sorry to hear that John. I think maybe you need longer than however long you've had to get to know the system. As for not being backlit, as a driver all you use is the right hand temperature control and this doesn't need to be looked at to operate (with some practice) so why back light it?
Sorry John, that you such issues. You have to remember that you are driving a redesigned vehicle with new technology. If you got into another 7.5, other than your own, you'd know exactly how to navigate it's systems. Try navigating a Tesla where the only access is to control the wipers is on a tablet. The controls on the Mk8 are simular enough to the Mk7.5 that you'd have not much difficulty getting to what you need. If all you wanted was the same old thing, you'd buy another Mk7.5, not a Mk8. I think VW did a remarkable job bringing new to the old way of doing things.
@@michaelglisson9988 Some good points made there, the Tesla infotainment is even more a step towards a phone or a tablet in terms of use ability. I think vw had to go this way or if it had stuck with the old way it would be less appealing to the younger generation and future long term customers. And those in the older generations only need to keep themselves up to date with this technology, it’s as easy as that... I think we are losing focus on the fact that the mk8 GTI is the sharper drivers car, and to car enthusiasts like us surely this is more important?
Its easy, you just stab your finger randomly onto the black bit that you cant see at all until you get it right. They managed to put RGB leds everywhere except where required. 😂
hi
about no light in front of screen touch volume buttons i think is right to be because at night you can sit in car waiting or talking to someone for long time and radio is playing even if you turn of ignition off, and these touch buttons are working for volume,,thats why no light......
I had a brand new golf in the garage a while back getting a tyre on it, Once I finished it, I jumped in and tried to reset the TPMS, the entire infotainment system completely froze and we were unable to get it to come back no matter what we did, had to explain to the customer that those systems in the new golf were a bit rubbish and he completely agreed, that car had 682 miles on it (had a puncture, hence why it was in with such low mileage)
Have a Mk8 Golf R and its pretty buggy, when it works its ok, otherwise Its crap, utterly crap. The touch controls/sliders below the infotainment screen are crap. Yours appears to marginally quicker on start up. Often laggy, touch screen is poor often presses dont work have to be careful of presses. Often crashes. Gets the speed detection in KPH which then slams on the brakes when using ACC, driving on the motorway the other day past some services it thought the speed limit was 20, slammed brakes on. Detects KPH, wont overtake on the right. Thankfully the actual car is brilliant and I can live with it but the whole system is a badly implemented turd. Not to mention when it wont load your user and sets you as guest. Also the alarm going off detecting activity outside the vehicle and not being able to shuit the alarm off, drove 4 miles home with the alarm going off. Much lols, Volkswagen need to fix the software bugs ASAP.
Agreed
They probably have... you just have to ask the vw dealer to update your system....
I’ve had 1.5tsi variant since 1st nov 22. Only 1 issue with infotainment system is it sometimes reboots even while driving. Other issue i have is with the the dcc thinking i’ve taken a slip road when i haven’t and it unexpectedly brakes the car to the speed limit on the slip road. Booked in for a recalibration. Its scary and dangerous. Aside from this other concerns are build quality. The interior vibrations and rattle which started around three months are absolutely hellish. I traded in a 16 yr old ibiza (owned from new) for this car and it still had better put together interior coachworks at 16 yrs , than this has at 5 months old. Soon as i’m out of negative equity i’m booting it into touch. Christ i’ve had 2 fiats back in the day that had less vibrations than this heap. So info system 1st world problem compared to the things i dont like about mine
Hi Craig, thanks for the feedback. Was you car new when you got it in November? If so it's disappointing to hear these faults with such a late model. With regards to ACC errors (I think you call it DCC) I'd disable the link between traffic signs/sat nav and the cruise control speed by disabling Speed Limit Preview in the Driver Assistance menu, this will then let you use ACC as it was on Mk7/7.5 Golf which was fine. You may still get a glitch on dual carriageways and motorways, where it thinks you are undertaking a car not overtaking it and slows you down to their speed which is infuriating and all to do with left hand drive/right hand drive confusion. The only annoying rattle I had was from the front suspension which I never got around to sorting, interior was tight as a drum so I wonder if yours has been apart from some reason. I also had one from the rear seat hinges which the dealer sorted out when it was in for a software update. I've got a 13k mile 2017 Mk7 GTI Clubsport S now which cost me a good chunk more and that's got from suspension rattles too which I am going to have to sort out myself so the older ones are not immune to issues but they don't compound them with avoidable infotainment glitches which understandably push owners too far. Let's hope the facelift makes it the car it should have been before, lord knows what it will do to Mk8 values though. I wouldn't buy a Mk8 now knowing the facelift is imminent
Let's be honest we all know that VW have skimpt on the new MK8. I've owned 6 golfs currently have the golf GTi TCR 7.5. Unfortunately I think I'll be given the MK8 a miss. The MK 8 has been around now for awhile but the interior as well as the exterior has not grown on me at all.
Have seen the odd one in the flesh and they are just so dam ugly.
Sounds like u r driving your last one for a while then :)
I’m in a completely different boat. The MK8 is the first Golf ever that looks good. Bye bye rounded boring exterior design, the new one is so much better. Same goes for the interior, the car finally looks modern and up to date.
@@jusatin completely agree never liked golfs they just looked to plain and boring imo the big oval headlights and taillights look so outdated to me now. But that all changed with the MK8R and the good news is my23 will come with a 25 percent faster chip and 3 times faster GPU and a power upgrade so happy days for me haha.
how do you turn off the "welcome" message, and "shared info" message at the beginning of each engine start up? any help would be grateful. thanks
Like you, I've had my golf 8 since 1st March. Just hit 10k miles. I don't find it laggy but occasionally it'll hang on 'loading settings' for a bit after I've entered my pin. I don't have any issue with lack of buttons, I control most things via the steering wheel. And like you, I dab the sliders for temp control.
The thing that is driving me nuts are the bugs. Very often pinging at me saying travel assist not available, then it clears. Parking sensors not available then it clears. This happens with a multitude of the various assist systems. It's distracting having the system ping at you multiple times during a journey. Occasionally they don't clear and you have to turn off the engine, lock the car and leave for 5-10mins then it clears. The other main bug is the sos emergency call. Driving along I hear 2 'knocks' from the upper central console which turns off the e-sim and positioning. Then it starts pinging saying sos emergency call not available. Sometimes the Esim and positioning come back on shorty after and the sos error clears but quite often it requires the car to be turned off for 5-10mins to clear it. I've had about 6 ota updates since I bought the car but they haven't resolved these bugs. Funnily enough I didn't get any of these errors in the first couple of months. I've tried one factory reset but issues remain. It's a real shame because I absolutely love the car apart from these bugs. Vw dealership are no help
Dav I have all the same issues, as do may others. Andrew makes himself look ridiculous trying to defend this shambles. Maybe he's too close to vw corporate.
In a country where we are not supposed to even touch our phones whilst driving, it is bemusing that we can sit scrolling through menus and sub menus in car infotainment systems.
How long would we need to take our eyes off the road for to use it whilst learning how to use it?
That is the real test of how acceptable a system is.
it depends on the software version of the infotainment system. Users with software version 16xx have the crapy, bugy and slow working infotainment. users with software version 18xx have a better performance. the MIB2 was much better in many ways.
My Golf 8 oil levels were low after only 6000 miles. A dash warning indicated I should top up by 0.25 litres. A week later the light came on again to put a further 0.25 litres in the car and only clocked an additional 200 miles. I topped the car up and booked it in to the Vw garage. They put 0.8 litres on top of what I put in to bring the car up to the max oil levels. VW want to check the car again when another 1000km (625 miles) is clocked up. is this a known issue for the golf 8 to burn so much oil?
I wonder if there's a 'CPU lottery' with these cars? I've been reading the comments here with lots of people adamantly stating their system is much laggier than Andrew's in the video. Of course firmware version could and most likely does play a part but I wonder if some cars infotainment have different slightly better performing CPU's than others?
Are they logged in as a primary user is what I'd like to know. Let's see some video of lag so we can see some context because talk is cheap.
@@volkswizard cheap, like the new infotainment system?
Not so much the lag that is the issue for me, its the software bugs. Though now and again it is laggy, difficult to video for normal people as we dont drive around with headcams all the time. 😁
@@edwowen no, cheap like your comment more like
@@geronimooo260 glol. Enjoy your fisher price golf 👍
I just wish the climate control screen stayed up after adjusting the blower speed. Instead, it times out and the driver needs to prompt the climate controls again. And if there's a way to turn off the screen completely yet continue to play music, please let me know.
Otherwise, the car is magnificent and fun as hell to drive!
Do you still have trouble with the adaptive cruise deciding on its own speeds?
It's using eutopean speed limits as it thinks its in a LHD country. Still no eta on a fix for that.
The fact you even felt the need to make this video is telling Andrew. ESC on/off is not quite so quick on the move as when stationary per your earlier upload. On Golf 7/7.5 it's button press and hold which, with familiarity, can be done without the driver taking his/her eyes off the road. Remember the days when Golf was an ergonomic masterclass? Time (and Golf 8.5) will tell. Potarto, tomayto. Keep the content coming!
Problem is that alot of owners button bash , I was the same at first. No issues at all now with the system. Taking time to understand it is the key.
The rose tinted glasses are in full swing here! Its an embarassment. VW should be ashamed. The fact volume (And temp) buttons aren't illuminated at night is pathetic. You forgot to mention the cars thinking they are in Germany, the squeaking suspension, the cost saving all over the car, no low washer fluid warning, no struts on the bonnet, cheap plastic everywhere. The accountants have ruined what could have been a great car. Having to "learn" basic controls and learn to deal with foibles is a shambles. Can't wait to get back to BMW infotainment. I pity the dealer and buyer of my rejected car. I tolerated it for 6 months, but frequent lock ups and crashes spoilt the experience, even after numerous updates. The constant squeaking suspension was the final straw. The fact vw accepted rejection without a fight tells you all you need to know.
Requiring 4 swipes/clicks just to turn off ESC on mk8 versus 1 click on mk7 is just bad design. And that's assuming each swipe/click registered successfully on first attempt.
Whilst I think that the system is actually pretty good once you get used to it, the one bug that irritates me is that sometimes the screen can take up to 10 seconds (literally) to respond. It took me ages to figure out that if you then press the clima button on and off this usually cures the problem.
That's weird, sometimes it does stay on a screen for a long time when you've made a change (climate for example) before reverting back to whatever you had on before. Is that what you mean?
@@volkswizard no it’s when you select music on CarPlay, I think the issue is related to the CarPlay because the VW controls all work fine but this happens when the phone is plugged in as well as when it’s in wireless. Not the end of the world really.
@@ian7675 Clear the cache in the car play / android auto apps on the phone see if that helps. The system in the car is only an extension of whats driving it, the phone. Also i have learned that i have to keep my phone unlocked for android auto as the system can freeze when the phone locks. I use smart lock on my phone now and have set the bluetooth ID from the car system as a trusted device so when I'm in the car the phone remains unlocked and now nothing freezes up.
@@Sidmi5utc thanks, I’ll give that a go.
Just put my car in the garage for a software update & it failed during the update. I told them I want money off the next Golf
“Once you get used to it, it’s fine”. I always loved that I didn’t have to get used to my GTI. It was easy and enjoyable, not something I had to get used to.
I was on the verge of placing my order this weekend. And while the video is great, it really does show me it’s exactly what I do NOT want in how I interact with the car. In addition, being in Canada where we get -40C I have to wear gloves on the morning. I wouldn’t be able to do any of this with my gloves on. I’d have to use those thin gloves you are supposed to use with a cell phone, which themselves don’t work properly.
This car would cost me $55K in Canada. That’s a lot of money for something that’s going to be frustrating to use.
The car comes with a heated steering wheel. Just think, no more gloves for you !
@@Sidmi5utc definitely a nice feature, but unfortunately that doesn’t work well at such low temperatures. It takes a good 10min in the bitter cold for the internal temperature to be warm enough to have bare skin exposed.
I went from a mk7 to my mk8 and personally I don't see what the deal is with people hating on the controls. I agree with your review.
I would argue that it is more important that the system is quick to use than it being intuitive. Because with time you learn how to operate everything and then all that matters is how fast you can do it, not how difficult it is to learn.
The GTI Mk8 is so new down under. Due to our six lockdown and 263 days lost. I have only seen a couple at the dealers. I have not sat in one. A buyer wrote to our Motor Magazine unhappy with his $66k GTI and its problems already. It does not bode well. The magazine contacted VW and got a so so answer. Oh dear. Cheers Andrew.
On the screen it shows your mk 8 golf with folding wing mirrors I have a mk 8 r line but it doesn't have folding mirrors ?
Got a 72plate loan Golf. Reverse parked, stopped short of hedge to get stuff out of boot. Car was switched off. Sorted myself out, and restarted to finish parking. Selected reverse and the rear camera kept coming and going as things loaded. It is a terrible system, including the heater controls that you have to enter a menu to get to, then it goes by itself if not touched. Bizarrely, when driving its happy for you to faff with the 'car infotainment' stuff, but throws a fit and pauses if you use Android auto to scroll through a phone list.
Just imagine trying to select anything on that screen on a bumpy road. This is a problem with all touch screens of course. Give me Idrive Controller any day please. Stupid Daimler for getting rid of theirs and bmw in the cheaper New ones.
It is laggy, I have a may 2021 build R , when I get in and start it up and put it in reverse I’ve completed the manoeuvre and driven off forward before the camera even shows up! Also trying to change the driving mode to individual takes until the end of the road.
At least 3 times a week the front and rear parking sensors stop working and come up with an error message. The infotainment reboots whilst driving, or completely freezes, happen last week when I couldn’t switch the heated seat off! The steering wheel buttons don’t respond half the time . This is just a few of the issues, I have lots more.
VW dealership and vw uk exc office just say I’ve got to wait for a software update, but they can’t tell me when this will be or if it will fix the problems
Ive got an early 2020 build date car, its laggy when it first turns on but about 30seconds its fine
You are lucky with your car. All
The setting on my gti 8 reset to default most morning. I don’t have so much time at 5am when set off to work to mess around trying to reset everything?
That's not good, have you set yourself up as a primary user?
@@volkswizard yes I always the primary user and always connect to we connect. I don’t have any problem been primary user.
At every start up I get a notification saying changing profile setting even when I click cancel it set most things including most assistants functions and most annoyingly air temperature to whatever it wants .
Vw is aware of the problems on 1803 SW but no solution yet.
I have officially requested for purchase price reductions otherwise am rejecting the car.
I know several people on VW Forums in uk & Germany that have rejected there GTI and this are proper VW fan boys
Hello, great videos!
Do you know please; re navigation,
If you pick a place say 100 miles away you'll get 3 options for the route on the map,
There's NO WAY TO PICK one other than default selected. I'll be impressed if someone actually knows this! I thought would be just tapping on one of the other route lines but that just gives a new destination!
I received a brand new Golf 8 GTE in September 2021. I have not had any lagging at all with my infotainment system.
For the heated steering wheel I havent hit it once by accident, but I could see how someone with bigger hands could have this issue.
My favorite is everyone says theres no way to quickly mute the radio, hit the fucking power button in front of your face and it only turns off your music..... dang, its like they thought of that lmao
Doesn't necessarily look too laggy in your video, but you did show you having to press buttons twice for it to work. 99% of our touch screen interaction is with mobile phones - which in the main feel much snappier than what you have shown. A mobile phone experience is what we all expect as the norm. This just isn't it.
Depends on what phone you have..
When did I press a button twice? I had to slide down twice with the ESC shortcut but I'd put that down to filming and driving and operating a touchscreen which is lot harder. I don't expect the performance of a phone in a car, having a similar interface is what is important and working reliably and consistently and fast enough not to frustrate. Car tech has always lagged behind phone and other consumer electronic sectors so to get even close to that with Golf 8 is remarkable, to criticise it for being slightly less snappy is missing the point (though I honestly don't perceive that to be the case anyway).
@@volkswizard why don't you expect the performance of a mobile device in a 40 grand golf?
@@volkswizard 2:19, 2:45 and 2:54 were the ones I thought were two presses on the home button, but wasn't sure if you had pressed them the first time or you were just hovering over them before pressing.
I do agree with you that car tech has usually found itself behind mobile tech, so it's fine for the MK8 to be behind that but to be slower and less responsive than the MK7.5 Infotainment would be unacceptable and at least from my observations that does seem to be the case.
How many software update’s and versions of phones have we gone through to get to where we are now. You cant compare mobile phones to cars. Technologies move at different speeds. We have folding phones just released now. Car manufacturers can’t keep up.
Can I ask you why some GTI has the red strips on the front lights e some not?
Can anyone tell me how one selects the route option after setting a destination 3 routes are present but impossible to select another, you'd think just tapping the route would do it, but not!
Big issues I had , profile error meaning car had to be wiped. Issues with fake lighting errors , screen not loading , wireless CarPlay sucks , Audi volume silent then jumping to full blast.
As a car dynamical it’s amazing ( mk8 gti ) but VW are basically using owners as beta testers and even the dealer techs have had enough with how buggy it is.
Sold mine today
Good! Go buy an Audi 👍
Different problem. The connected car technology is a different thing. Once you understand how connected car works then it's easy to understand why it sometimes fails. It relies on the car maintaining a data connection when you exit the car for several minutes. There are so many factors that can disrupt this and mess up the software. There are also a lot of myths about the car doing weird things. Not saying it does not but a careful read of the handbook explains the limitations of the assistance systems. I think it's sad that so many people focus on these toys and lose sight of the amazing driving dynamics. The mk8 is a massive step forward from the mk7.
I've heard about more issues with new A3
I just sat in the Mk8 and I don't understand what's with all the hate. Mk8 has most beautiful, minimalistic, intuitive interface that is dead easy to use even while driving in the dark. Touchscreen based controls offer far better flexibility + comfort and make the the car feel more expensive than it really is. Physical knobs make even brand new cars look cheap and dated while offering no real advantage over touch based buttons.
The only thing that I really dont like with the infotainment in the mk8 is that the security settings for the user interface keeps resetting itself so the car looses the internet connection all the time. We are getting a software update on Monday. Hopefully it will get better after that
I don't have that issue. I bought the car in 12/2022 so I'm assuming mine already had the update when I bought it.
My Golf is horrendous! Gateway was replaced at 1500 miles as the car kept ringing emergency breakdown on loop. They fixed it and it started again at 2000 miles. They updated the software again and it has gone away.. .for how long i wonder
Great video, I have a new Style, love everything about it except the Climate controls, I absolutely hate this with a passion. I think VW messed up with this part of the system. I really really wish that the volume slider would have been a fan speed slider instead, I mean who sets the volume on the radio other than the driver who does it from the wheel controls.
I think the volume control is for the passenger primarily but every car with steering wheel controls for volume also has a separate one on or close to the head unit. I think this might be because you can listen to the radio with the ignition off at which point the steering wheel controls aren't active.
@@volkswizard Yeah thank, makes sense. Ps. Any passenger starts messing with my volume controls will be asked to get out of the car, that includes my wife! :)
Very interesting video, Andrew. The interface doesn't look too bad overall and I can see myself getting used to this quickly, though the trend away from buttons is troubling. The sliders look to be more usable than I first thought. But, I tried the haptic buttons in an ID.4 and I hate the feel of them!
It’s like anything computerised, not very different, the more it does, the more possibility of frustration at times. Great when you master it, I think lol. I’ve got one, still frustrated at times but great at other times.
Hi Andrew I’ve had my mk8 GTI 245 manual for a week now and I am now very comfortable with the infotainment. It takes a few trips to learn it but now it’s very easy to use. I think car journalists just don’t have the time to learn it or add the shortcuts. It’s a bit like when someone hires a car at the airport after a long flight. All you crave at that moment is simplicity as most people’s patience is at their lowest ebb.
But that is exactly my point. If it does not work for the rental user, it's a bad design.
@@harryspeakup8452 if someone was to treat their own car as a rental car I would not like to buy it off them 😜
I have Golf 8 and I have no problems with infotainment system. I think a lot of people are passing judgment on something they have never tried.
The judgement stems from the reviews from members of media who haven't really given it the time it needs to get proficient with it nor have they looked at it from the perspective of an owner who doesn't hop from many different cars in the course of their week as part of their job.
So how when you get in do you set screen demist then as you move on and dont need it do set auto cc? Does voice control let you do that as the roads on my commute are way too busy to be fiddling with the touch screen Same for the hrw?
Still too many negative comments about this system, even about the golf 8 as a whole. My golf days are over when my MK7 gti clubsport is worn out. Golf 8 in general is a flop, i cannot see more then one per 3 days driving here in belgium. The MK8 is out now for a decent time, previous versions, here in belgium, you can see drive a lot of them after even a few weeks, but now after months, almost no mk8 lol. Sorry to say it andrew but the mk8 is a flop.
Have you heard about the semi-conductor shortage which means that car factorys around the world are closed so you won't see many new VWs around.
@@volkswizard I know but i see the new A3 more then that golf....
Hi Andrew, I agree with most of what your saying, but I think you’ve been pretty lucky with your car. I’ve mentioned in a reply to another post above, but until 6 weeks ago I was a VW Sales Exec for 3.5 years and mostly had a Golf GTI’s as my co car. My 7.5’s infotainment systems always worked perfectly. The biggest problems I had on my Mk 8 GTI was to do with Apple CarPlay which I always use. It’s slow to connect when you first get in the car. And sometimes it would black screen on me and then I couldn’t use the infotainment at all. I would have to stop the car, get out, lock it, leave it for 30-60 seconds and get back in. Very annoying when on a motorway journey. I think the latest software update has resolved this.
I also think the heated steering controls are quite easy to turn on when driving down in a spirited manner down country roads, not really when you’re doing 3 point turns. I’ve had to really try and think how I hold the wheel, rather than just hold it naturally.
However, overall I still love the Golf GTI, and the MK8 is definitely sharper, whilst also being more refined at the same time. So still a great car, and as you say you get used to most things on it pretty quickly. I also prefer GTI’s to the R. It ultimately responds to being well driven better than an R, which is just fast however it’s driven.
Thank you for the video. I was given a Golf MK8 as a courtesy car a few weeks ago while my MK7 was being serviced. I was very disappointed with the MK8, the quality of materials in the cabin are terrible and that infotainment system is rubbish. I was very happy to get back in my MK7 golf. I think that VW are putting all their money in the development of EVs because the MK8 does not feel like a quality product.
I think that VW are putting their money into the development into EV’s because they recognise that their entire business model will have eroded within 20 years if they do not. The Golf will not live beyond 2030 anyway.
Mine is just fine. It may be a luck of the draw thing, but I don't know how that would work.
A car you have to spend months adapting to is a massive ergonomics design failure, pure and simple. If a design choice makes things difficult for someone who's seeing one for the first time as an airport rental in the rain on a dark Friday night, then it has no place in mainstream car design
Took me about an hour to get used to it, not really months.
@@ian7675 yip, me too. I suppose we all learn at different speeds.
There are loads of versions of this Part. As usual, the newer and latest Revision is probably the better.
Although I'm not a fan of the Mk8, I did find that video interesting. It's just the whole philosophy of the touchscreen setup I'm not "into" - I'm not that young (!) & have never been into tech stuff, as such. The Mk8 seems to be geared towards the younger market (which is fair enough). I've never paired my phone with my car (other than to use it as a WiFi hotspot). That's a personal thing, when I'm driving, I don't want any distractions from my phone. I'm not s business person, so don't need to use my phone in the car.
Having said that, the video illustrates that, whilst the infotainment system isn't something I like, it's something I could live with if I had to - although I think I'd seriously consider a BMW 1 series over a Mk8 Golf, as the "iDrive" setup looks more user friendly (I've had a shot of my Sister in Law's 2 Series coupe & it is pretty user friendly).
I do love the lighting in the Mk8 - the central dash & the ambient lighting is much better than my Mk 7.5. However, I'm not convinced by the temp control (although it doesn't seem that big a deal now!) - I can "click" the temp without even looking at it.
I also think you make a good point with the Haptic feedback buttons on the steering wheel - I hated the idea of them, but they actually seem pretty user friendly.
Plenty other reasons I don't fancy a Mk8 (not just now anyway):
Price - VW's pricing for the R is a joke, an R equivalent to my 7.5 would cost near £48k!
The traffic sign/speed reading cruise control - I would turn it off & never use it, that's surrendering too much control for me! Same goes for the lane assist - it's useless (I've tried it on my Wife's new A3 - she hates it too) - at least the Mk 7.5 version can be permanently disabled, rather than trying to remember to disable it every time you start the car.
The one piece seats are also pretty poor for me - they would wear, as I've got a hammock type cover over the back seats for the dog. They sit nicely on the metal struts for the separate headrests on the Mk7.5. Also (& I'm expecting a bit of abuse for this...🤣) I regularly use the CD player in my Mk 7.5! It sounds better than compressed audio & is a great backup if ever I can't access music any other way - no device/online connection required 🤣. I would say the bonnet stay (easily fixed by the aftermarket fit you featured on a video) & the styling (particularly the front), but that's just nit picking & no big deal.
The tech on the Mk8 actually makes me want to go "retro" - a nice Mk5 or 6, with an aftermarket head unit/sound system. The trouble with built in infotainment (goes for the Mk7/7.5 too) is that you're stuck with the rubbish DAC that VW fit - I changed the head unit in my 06 plate Passat estate & the difference was not subtle at all....depends
Thanks Andrew, a great contribution, thanks for taking the time out to comment.
I've just taken in a 2013 with a Pioneer head unit that allows Apple Car Play and DAB and it does increase the appeal and usability of these older cars for sure.
Golf 8 is worth perservering with though because it's significantly more efficient than 7.5 and nicer to drive, 2 opposing attributes but all thanks to good old engineering and just a bit of technology
@@volkswizard that's fair comment - but you're speaking to someone who still listens to music on a turntable 🤣.
I think I'd need someone to actually show me how Apple Carplay (or Android Auto in my case) works, because I just don't understand it at all. I also wouldn't pay the £10k premium to get a Mk 8 R Estate over mine either....who knows, maybe if there's a Mk8.5 sometime & the Mk 8s are discounted? I've near 3 years left on my PCP for the 7.5 & current plan is just to buy & keep it. I love it & it's currently got less than 6k on the clock.
I might give you a shout if you get a decent 5dr non bucket seat Mk 5 R32 in stock though - that's the dream!
My middle name probably should be "Luddite", I guess....!
we have had 8 new golfs, after test driving the 8 ,the screen when blank no air con no nothing, no knobs or buttons,
we should've got new golfs for me and my son but it has bee stripped out and ruined,so no more vw for us
Stabilizer needed for the head camera Please
Let’s be honest it is flawed. It should all work without glitch or delays. We are in 2021 you should be able to press any part of the screen in any menu and instantly have what you have pressed. It’s like they have picked up a cheap Chinese processor for it that can’t cope.
🤷🏻♂️ typical impatient Volkswagen driver. Your entitle to your opinion but it’s wrong 😑
@@johnmcfall375 perhaps you might be wrong? :)
So, it took Andrew seven months to 'get used' to the system, that's seven months of being distracted from actually driving the thing safely. The mind boggles! Buttons and rotary knobs can be accessed and operated WITHOUT taking your eyes off the road. A major flaw in the car. I won't be buying one despite having driven Golfs for years.
Dash looks a bit like KITT's.... Michael
That is not an insult...Devon
@@volkswizard 🤣
How the hell do I stop route when I am within my home district?
How laggy is the display in cold weather? LCD screens are a real problem when you first drive a car in Canadian winters where temp can be -40 C inside before the heater eventually warms it up.
Is that a VW Corrado in the back? I love them! I used to have a G60 (US model). Now after four SEAT Leon CUPRA's I have a mk8 Golf R Variant 👍
Yes it is, it’s a project car on the channel so check it out👍
CarPlay is laggy. Impossible to use waze or google maps due to gps position lagging.
Not only is it terrible, it’s ugly. Worst front dash in the segment. Sad as the Golf used to be the standard.
A PIN code, are they serious; that’s just poor design.
It’s all fine ‘n’ dandy using the system when stationary, but it’s while driving it becomes a mega PITA. And the sliders should be backlit at night/when it’s dark.
It’s a badly conceived cost-cutting design, which is also dangerous.
This is my sixth Golf and i just hate the fact that most commands have to be carried out on the touch screen. Try using it when you are 77 and have somewhat shaky hands…………..we are not all youngsters! This is certainly the last Golf I will buy,
I get that, the trick is to rest your hand on the top of the screen and operate it that way but this may not work for everyone
@@volkswizard I agree. Age 63
Thanks for this! I'd be rewatching it when I get my golf in a year's time!!
Myth? Not so, my friend. How about the frequent black screen on the infotainment cluster that requires a hard boot (hold down for 10 seconds). This black screen prevents control of everything, including the AC. What an engineering disaster.
Have had my Golf8 eTSi for a year now. Absolutely love it and have had few if any of the problems mentioned. Then again I did take time to learn how to use it. But if knob twiddling and button pushing is your thing then look elsewhere.
Golf 8.5 perhaps...?
@@markrennie6659 Nope golf 7.5. This the way of the future. Ever driven in a tesla ?
Have my gti for 3 months now and idd the "lag" it's when it starts up but to be fair it is a entire computer starting up so this is to be expected.
My only problem with is was the back camera sometime it dose not work I get a black screen.
The one thing I can't find is where to dysplay the outside temperature😅
If you can’t work out how to use the infotainment and all the associated shortcuts available within about 10 minutes then you shouldn’t really be driving.
Imagine having to do all this while driving this with the manual transmission though. F*** me what a pain. I was finally ready to buy a gti that I’ve always wanted and they come out with this nonsense🤦🏽♂️
Have 8gti for the 6 months now, with a 1803 sw from factory, the infotainment is laggy as hell, but I found the main problem, it is wireless CarPlay, when you turn Wi-Fi off, everything start to operate fast with no lags or freezes. Last week tried to use wireless again, sadly only proved that this is the main issue. Have top discover pro with harmann btw.
I rarely use wireless car play because my phone is in a case and the wireless charger doesn't like that. Even with a cable it quite often doesn't work and just gives me a black screen. Having said that had similar on a 7.5 recently.
7.5 far better. 8 is a backward step. Why have they got rid of the gas struts for the bonnet? Why have they got rid of the mini glove box on the driver’s side? Why are the dashboard materials more plasticky and scratchy, why have they got rid of the sensible easy to use and very visual Aircon controls and replaced with slider controls that aren’t even illuminated? Infotainment system is too much orientated to touch screen. Bring back dials. I love Golf’s and have had every marque except 1 and 2. Absolutely no way I’m buying an 8. If there is an 8.5 I’ll consider if they sort out what virtually everybody I’ve spoken to, even VW sales people, is wring.
Grate information video, does the car have voice commands ?
Hi Andrew. i own a mk8 etsi golf and am very please with it, but it has what a call a funny five seconds were spurious warnings come up and then disappear very strange, but car still goes fine
your tutorials have been very good to help with learning the various screens thank you.
you do a great job, only the sound, your voice really is rather soft....
Thanks! Sorry about the sound, hopefully sorted in later videos as that was 2021.
The infotainment in the last GTI I drove was super slow with a delay after touching, it was properly awful! it also occasionally slid across to other screens when I selected something on screen! Drove great though. 👌
There will be a dud here and there and I do think not having a primary user set up won't help matters as the press cars are the same
Had my mk8 just over year now, the system takes a bit of getting used to but while it was in for the update I loved a 2021 T Cross with all it's buttons and I found it really awkward. I was glad to get back to my mk8. It is a good system it is a computer and like all programs they take time. Just as a by I am 75 yrs old and owned all golf models bar the first this is the way it is going, don't be a dinosaur go with it it works.
Thanks for the 'more mature' perspective John, good to know you are getting on OK
@@volkswizard all do respect, why does an opinion that jives with your view / video make it more mature? I am nowhere near as old and I am very tech-oriented. I just like being able to feel the buttons. It’s a tactile feedback that’s not well replicated yet, and I find it’s just damn easy to use. There’s nothing immature about disagreement on something. I am a huge fan of VWs and especially the Golf. I want this car to be a huge success, but they either moved to quickly or did not adequately prepare for what are some legitimate concerns. This iteration is likely going to seem intuitive in 10yr from now, but they are ripping the band aid off and clearly there’s enough people that (rightly or wrongly) don’t like it.
Leave the name calling to people that are not mature.
@@ADDG880 and how about not buying the car? Look at Tesla cars, not a single button and no one complains
I think this response completely misses the point of my comment.
On the Tesla example, you will find confirming evidence of whatever you like on the internet. So, I don’t agree that there is “not a single button and no one complains”.
@@ADDG880 you’re basically complaining about the lack of buttons and that there are people who don’t like that, I’m giving the example of Tesla, all Tesla are basically huge tablets on wheels, you can safely say that this new golf have more buttons than any Tesla, everyone praises Tesla, me included, and I haven’t seen any complain about the lack of buttons on a Tesla, most complains are about safety and the autonomous driving, and I honestly think that VW is moving in the right direction making everything more digital, but I agree the OS is very laggy and they should fix it asap, I also know that not all MK8 golfs have the buggy infotainment that some people love to complain about, I know there are many but not all of them are faulty
Says it isn’t laggy
Shows it being laggy 😂
I am driving the latest 22 model year mk8 (produced in the second part of the year), did already over 5000 miles with it and I am quite delighted with the car to be honest.
The 1.5 eTSI + DSG combo is great, being both quite fast already, while also economical. As for the infotainment system, I did not experience any annoying bugs or crashes, even wireless CarPlay works as expected. The system probably got better with time and numerous updates, which represents good news for people that have yet to order or receive their new Golf. I can also compare the system with the one in the Audi A3 8V, and the Audi's one was neither faster nor more stable.
I still think that the temperature slider should be illuminated and placed maybe a little lower, but it is really a minor point, not worth calling the mk8 an ergonomics disaster or saying that the more old-school mk7 was better. Apart from that, the interior is modern, in my case rattle free, and I am just enjoying driving a problem-free car equipped with plenty of new technologies, most of them actually useful.
Thank you to the mk8 owners for sharing their real world experiences. Like or loath the infotainment, no one is hailing it as an improvement over a mk7. ( other than monetised chimps) My two pennyworth is that while driving our bodies are never perfectly still. Which makes it very difficult to hit a 1cm target on a screen accurately, especially while concentrating on the road. This gen seems to be an example of tech over function, combined with petty cost cutting. Unlined glove box anyone?
It has nothing to do with speed, it's just not intuitive. Some controls just shouldn't be replaced with a touchscreen.
I found when driving it was dangerous to use when driving. You have to take your eyes of the road.
It's not laggy compared to other cars - but, as your video proves, it's laggy compared to phones, which is annoying.
The problem is that people are used to the very high responsiveness of modern smartphone touchscreens and UI, so when a system isn't as quick as those it will feel unacceptable, even if it might do the job fine.
VW should have known that people will inevitably expect the car's UI to be as responsive as their phones, and put in faster processor(s) or optimised their code for speed more.
I agree with the sliding volume control on the steering I love it on mine but I have had my Mk8 a year now and a few times the system has been laggy on start up but even new phones can be like that nothing to worry about mind.
The biggest problem with the Mk8 is the ACC braking when it shouldn’t and VW have no fix for it, so many people are rejecting there cars because of this
Had a Mk8 R for about 6 months. IMO the infotainment is the second worst part of my experience. It’s not great, but I’ve come to the realisation that it’s not been designed to be used on the move, so whilst not fast, it does seem to work when stationery. The EU doesn’t want us doing anything other than focusing on driving when driving. The worst part of my experience is the driver assist / safely systems trying to kill me. Lane assist is dangerous in the UK on our poor roads IMO - it has pulled me towards oncoming traffic more than once as I avoid pot holes. The crash avoidance is also equally dangerous scaring me at least once a week because a vehicle in front has usually turned right and “disappeared” so it seems to think we are going to imminently crash. Bugs aside though, very nice to drive.
Agree. Not as bad as it was spoken about, but the utter disregard shows as well. Being suave vs. convenience is a blatant design choice thrust on us.
I was driving a loan MK8 the other day while my car was in for a service and the infotainment stopped working completely, my windscreen misted up and I couldn’t clear it because I couldn’t get into the climate menu, I had to wipe the screen while at I was driving. Unfit for purpose and a danger on the road.
You could've simply said "Hello, Volkswagen. Clear the windscreen" and it would have done it.
@@Brocky36 shouldn’t have to though because it should work.
@@jryalls Mine does. I haven't had an issue with it. I have had my infotainment freeze on me once in the 8 months I have had my ClubSport. I rebooted it and it was fine again. I can live with that.
My point was that you saying it's a danger on the road is a little hyperbolic and if people took the time to learn how the system works, then they would see that most of these processes that people point out as being broken, actually have more than one solution - such as the sliders being completely un-needed, as the wheel controls and voice control work so much better and are essentially safer.
Could the infotainment be better? Of course. Is it unfit for purpose? Not at all.
Had a loan Skoda something or other with touchscreen, driving back to the garage using satnav - screen went blank [no radio either], 20 seconds later booted back up. Sat Nav started another 20 seconds later with my route no longer programmed - meanwhile I had driven past my junction. Brilliant!
You have a button for windscreen where the light buttons are so you dont need to go to climate menu
That's a complete BS of usability. And I reason I will buy audi instead of VW
Good video, Andrew.
On the topic of the temperature, you didn't mention that it's extremely simple to just say "Hello, Volkswagen. I am cold / hot" and the temperature will be adjusted by a couple of degrees. The infotainment also differentiates between driver and passenger when doing this! Between that and the audio sliders on the wheel, I have not touched the dash sliders in the 8 months I have had my ClubSport.
*Edit* - You also left out the simple way to turn off the Lane Assist by clicking in the left stalk and pressing 'Ok'. It took me all of five minutes to discover this back when I picked mine up.
Andrew. I think we will have to differ on this. The fact that you are having to “defend/justify” the design says to me that VW have got it badly wrong. Looking forward to Golf 8.5 and hoping that VW have sorted what I believe to be poor design and very poor pre-launch testing.