Chris Harris turns his hand to the Mk7 Golf GTI. He’s at the wheel of a base-spec 162kW model with a proper gearbox. Part of the GTI’s appeal is its understated nature. And yet, when a respected reviewer, such as Harris, takes an understated approach to his work what are we left with?
Just that, a question mark. Yes, Chris does say lots of nice things about the latest GTI, but where’s the passion and the gut feel that we normally get from his videos?
So, are we too comfortable with the Harris style, or has the GTI recipe become so familiar that it’s almost taken for granted? Like Chris, we’re going to leave you with a question mark.
[Thanks to Richard for the tip]
4 replies on “Should we lust after, laugh at or respect the GTI?”
Refreshing to see a manual box for a change. I’m sure it’s a great car to drive and it looks good in person but it’s just not something that I ‘lust’ over.
I’m with Chris……whilst my Mk6 GTI is a fast/capable car, it is not engaging like a Mk1 or Mk2 GTI or Peugeot 205 GTi is.
Boring at times? Yes, actually. You really need to wind the thing up to get a great experience but at the same time, you are just waiting for the Highway Patrol to get you.
Harris says on his Twitter:
“I could happily have one as my only car.”
In Australia the BMW M135i is almost double the price of the GTI so therefore the GTI is actually a bargain compared to the BMW. The only thing going for the BMW is that beautiful straight six engine, almost everything else the VW wins out IMHO!