2015 Volkswagen GTI Long-Term Update: 10,150 Miles of Fun

Steve Lynch
by Steve Lynch

As my personal GTI is powered by gasoline, you might think this will be the first Volkswagen story you have read in the past three months that doesn’t mention Dieselgate.

You’d be wrong.

When Volkswagen admitted that their emission rigging scandal went beyond diesels — that there were “irregularities” with the reported CO2 emissions on some of their gas-powered vehicles in Europe — I became somewhat nervous. After all, my six-speed manual GTI zips to 60 mph in 5.75 seconds, hits 106 mph in third gear, has a 152 mph top speed, and yet gets over 30 mpg. Is that actually possible in a car with a 210 horsepower motor and clean exhaust? I feared that I would receive a letter like this from Volkswagen:

Your 2015 GTI has been identified as one needing minor modifications to its engine and emission system to meet EPA and CARB standards. Some owners may notice a small decrease in performance after the turbocharger is removed, but you will get to keep the cool wheels and GTI badges so no one will notice. Until your appointment, please do not allow your car to idle for prolonged periods of time near small children or pets.

It’s no fun being a Volkswagen car owner right now. I’ve had two friends look at my car and say, “That ain’t a diesel, is it? HAR-HAR!” But, then again, I’m in the auto journo biz and devour every story about the scandal. Perhaps most Volkswagen owners with gas engines have no such cares.

This 2015 two-door “S” model is the least expensive GTI available with an MSRP of $25,605. If you want leather, sunroof or navigation, you have to opt for the Autobahn model — then the price tops $30,000. In the odd world of Volkswagen option and trim packages, only the base model includes the cool cloth tartan plaid interior, one of the GTI’s signature features.

I hate to sound like all other auto writers slobbering over the GTI, but the little 210 horsepower hatchback is an amazing combination of performance and practicality. My wife and I have done 800-mile days in the car in total comfort with nary a complaint from our backs. With the rear seats folded down, we can haul almost anything our mid-sized SUV can, so we no longer have to drive to Lowe’s while staring at a fuel economy display reporting 17 mpg. Racing up and down the curvy Catalina Highway on Mount Lemmon in the GTI is a hoot, even when the hatch is stuffed with gardening implements.

The stick shift GTI is EPA rated at 25 mpg city and 34 mpg highway. After 10,150 miles, we’ve averaged 31.1 mpg with 70 percent of our driving spent on the highway, typically at 5 to 10 mph over the speed limit. In 100-percent local driving, we see around 27 mpg.

In my first long-term report, I noted some clunkiness in the transmission. Coming out of a Honda S2000, I knew no other gearbox could measure up to its slick six-speed manual, but there was definitely something wrong with the GTI’s 5-to-6 shifts. Fortunately, the transmission must have just needed breaking in because the issue disappeared at around 5,000 miles. The recalcitrant driver’s seat belt also seemed to fix itself.

Living in Tucson with its terrible roads, I thought we would see some pothole-induced squeaks and rattles by now, but the GTI is as solid as Day One. There are some minor imperfections in the paint and the car does seem much more susceptible to picking up paint chips than our other vehicles, however.

There is a fly in the infotainment: The iPod interface often has a mind of its own. Initially, I had zero connectivity and had to replace the dead proprietary VW MDI cable. Now it defaults to the first song alphabetically in the device upon restarting the system, no matter what song was playing when I last turned it off. I have thus had to listen to the first few bars of “Adios Mexico” about a hundred times. Bluetooth connectivity works flawlessly on all of our phones and devices.

For the recently released 2016 GTI, Volkswagen may have fixed this issue with the addition of an all-new infotainment center with universal USB connectivity along with a larger 6.5-inch touchscreen and standard rearview camera. Another change for 2016 is an upgrade to the optional Driver Assistance Package to include blind spot monitoring and parking assist. VW increased 2016 GTI pricing from between $90 and $210, depending on trim. It’s also pledged to increase availability of the hot hatch in 2016.

In November, Volkswagen offered its U.S. dealers a $2,000 “Don’t Panic, This Will All Blow Over” loyalty incentive on all models. Even though the GTI was in short supply, Volkswagen dealers were selling out of fear at the time and most therefore passed the trunk money directly to their eligible customers. You could find 2015 “S” models like mine with an MSRP of $25,605 being advertised in the low $22,000 range, a tremendous deal. (Though, here in Arizona, the actual asking price would be about $2,000 higher after adding the $499 documentation fee, a “Desert Protection Package,” nitrogen-infused tires and other useless items designed to clog up the negotiation process. Perhaps one positive side of the emission scandal may be that some crappy Volkswagen dealers will go away.)

You might think that the bad publicity combined with the incentive offer would suppress the resale value of GTIs — but that doesn’t appear to be the case. A look at Autotrader shows that mine would likely fetch around $21,000. That’s not too shabby after eight months and 10,000 miles. Recent Manheim wholesale auction reports show 2015 GTIs in above average condition are bringing between $19,800 and $24,570, the higher priced ones being the upscale SE and Autobahn editions.

As Volkswagen suffers, the GTI keeps soldering along as one of the best, all-around sporty car values out there. It would be a shame if the company’s current crisis would somehow impact the content or future of this fun vehicle.

Steve Lynch
Steve Lynch

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  • Quentin Quentin on Jan 02, 2016

    "hits 106 mph in third gear" Seems like an odd brag. A high speed in 3rd gear just means that the gearing is tall and that isn't good for sporty driving. On a track it would likely mean that you'll likely need a heck of a straight stretch to make it into 4th.

  • Alexdi Alexdi on Jan 03, 2016

    I'm in the market for a replacement for my '10 Maxima. So far, I've tested the Accord V6 coupe, the WRX, and the GTI Performance, all stick. Focus ST was a possibility, but they didn't have one on the lot. The GTI is it. If anyone else is also in the market, here's why: Accord: An anodyne grand-tourer. Very competent until about 8/10, but doesn't want to play. Good-- Comfortable. Wide seats, soft cushions. Some useful features (e.g., memory seats, lane-change camera) that aren't available on the others at this price. Interior finish is typical for the price class; it's not punching above its weight like the GTI (or below it with the WRX). Power to spare from a smooth and linear engine. More than enough for any normal use. Second-gear rush is addicting. Minimal torque steer. The stick is low-effort with fairly smooth engagement and a forgiving clutch. Very smooth ride. Relatively flat handling in the twisties. Bad-- Only available as a coupe. Makes it impractical and space-compromised for no good reason. (The sedan looks better to me.) Feels big, wide, and front-heavy. Sightlines and visibility are acceptable given the various cameras, but not great. Seating is low, but the car feels tall at the same time, particularly in turns. Not enough bolstering for the pace. Steering is always light and has no feedback. There's no limited-slip diff: in a straight line in the dry, it'll cut power from wheelspin on the 1-2 shift. Gearbox gates feel a bit mushy. I didn't have much urge to play with the car after the novelty of the big six wore off. WRX: Focused and fun. Cheap interior and rough edges keep it from greatness. Good-- The car is a hoot. Feels low, corners flat and taut, terrific sightlines, piles of traction. Limit handling is controlled with effective, yet unobtrusive brake-steer. Better with the ESC on than off. Good steering feedback. Engine is very impressive. Big power off the line and noticeable pull even in sixth on the freeway. It makes you drive like an idiot. When you're not, the ride is on the border of what's acceptable for a daily, but still acceptable. Adequately smooth on the freeway for distance driving. Rear seats are surprisingly comfortable. Front seats are hard with decent lumbar and very good lateral support. Has a trunk passthrough. Looks hot in person. Bad-- Interior looks and feels cut-rate. Missing common features unless you opt for the highest trim. Some rattles (e.g., from the upgraded factor subwoofer) right off the lot. Touchscreen is sluggish and minimalist. Wind and road noise at speed are high. Not a lot of suspension travel for speed bumps and the like. Gearbox is old-school. Clutch engagement is very difficult to get right without bucking. Rev-matching needs to be perfect. After two hours in the driver's seat, getting a smooth shift was still grounds for comment. First is geared short, but it won't start in second, so there's a lot of shifting in traffic. Engine hates low RPMs. It'll vibrate a lot from a low pull at 1500 RPM. It also hangs revs after you let off the gas, which makes rev-matching even harder. GTI: James bond. Good at everything, if you can fit in the seats. Good-- Kitted out perfectly. Everything relevant (except the Performance Pack) is in the base model. Interior quality is better than my Maxima, interior design much better. Fold-flat rear seats. Height-adjustable armrest. Great visibility. Fairly powerful engine. Lots of fun, and paired to a limited-slip that feels like it'll take a lot more power. Gearbox is one of the best available. Super-easy rev-matching. Gearing is tall enough to make first useful. The DSG has no appeal at all after this. Smooth ride with flat handling. Feels small and light and fun. Sharp reflexes. Less wind noise than the WRX. Bad-- Seats are hard and a little narrow for my 6'1 170 frame. The seat design is the same on all trim levels, so you can't option yourself into something different. Undertuned. Chips add 75 WHP and 100 torque immediately. But then again, the stock clutch won't take the extra. Two-second turbo lag on the freeway. More than the WRX; I wonder what the other journos are talking about? ---- I was originally set on the WRX. I tried the VW last year with the DSG and didn't like it. Didn't feel special, but my expectations were very high and I'd just come from an E90 335i. The 6-speed and PP change the game entirely-- they make the car wildly fun around town with none of the one-wheel burnouts that I find so bothersome in the Maxima and Accord. The WRX is even more fun, or would be if the stick wasn't such a bear. The friend who owns it has had at least a dozen sticks and still has trouble with this one after 2000. But when he's driving the thing in anger and ignoring the little bucks, it's such a wild ride. Better than the GTI, yeah, but not by leaps, and not enough to make up for all the other stuff.

  • ToolGuy Once again my home did not catch on fire and my fire extinguisher(s) stayed in the closet, unused. I guess I threw my money away on fire extinguishers.(And by fire extinguishers I mean nuclear missiles.)
  • Carson D The UAW has succeeded in organizing a US VW plant before. There's a reason they don't teach history in the schools any longer. People wouldn't make the same mistakes.
  • B-BodyBuick84 Mitsubishi Pajero Sport of course, a 7 seater, 2.4 turbo-diesel I4 BOF SUV with Super-Select 4WD, centre and rear locking diffs standard of course.
  • Corey Lewis Think how dated this 80s design was by 1995!
  • Tassos Jong-iL Communist America Rises!
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