What We Learned After Testing a Volkswagen Golf GTI for 40,000 miles

By now, most of us are quite familiar with the godfather of hot hatches. Always engaging and entertaining yet practical and rational, Volkswagen's Golf GTI has won us over time and again with the formula it introduced to the world nearly 50 years ago. Or maybe it's the GTI's non‑juvenile hot‑hatch persona—sans gaudy wing and shouty exhaust—that keeps us coming back for more. Either way, when the eighth‑generation GTI came out, we knew we needed one for a 40,000‑mile shakedown.

In a rare show of restraint, we chose the $30,540 base model and added only one option: the humble Moonstone Gray paint for $395. More than $30,000 for a base GTI, you say? In a world where you can spend six figures on a Jeep Wrangler or a Ford F‑150, we consider it a bargain.

00:00 Intro
00:50 What we got, what it cost
01:21 What we liked
05:32 What we didn't like
07:06 Fuel economy
07:45 Winter
08:48 Service, maintenance, and repairs
09:54 Tire wear
10:25 Recalls
10:45 Wrap-up

[AudiophileTubes]

I'm 63, and have owned and driven nothing but GTI's all of my life! My Mk1 and Mk2 GTI's were the most fun, and my current GTI, a 2003 GTI VR6, has been my daily driver for almost 22 years now (all of them manual transmissions). The VR6 has been the most reliable, and it still puts a smile on my face when driving it. I would love to own the latest GTI, but can't afford it due to massive medical debt. So i'll just keep my VR6 'panzer tank' until it dies, or I do!

[MichaelSwanson-jl]

I have owned my MK8 40th AE 6 speed manual for over a year now - I’m 67 years old - best, most fun car I’ve ever driven, and I don’t mind the infotainment system one bit. Not one single issue and more smiles per mile than I ever imagined. Love this beautiful car and believe I made a wise purchase!

[homeskillet]

Have had my MK8 GTI S for almost a year. Been a daily commuter as well as weekend fun car. I can confirm the infotainment and haptic touch controls are nowhere near as bad as journalists claim. They work flawlessly and respond instantly. In fact, using them for about 2-3 days, you just get used to them so fast. It's been a fantastic car in every sense, and one I'll keep for an extremely long time!

[poetryonplastic]

I'm glad someone else is having the issue with the car constantly screaming "TRAVEL ASSIST IS CURRENTLY NOT AVAILABLE" every five minutes. This started happening to me after about 34, 000 miles.

[Alfra]

I bought am MK6 brand new! 2 door manual transmission tornado red! Never had any problems with the GTI, except the water pump and the manifold intake, and those were replaced under warranty! 82000 and still going strong! 💪 ❤😊

[mkbluebeast]

I’m at 58, 800 mi on ‘22 on my GTI S dsg. I simply love this car and the design. For the life of me I simply don’t understand what the issue is with the haptic controls and the touch controls. I love how simple it is. I’ve had to cut back on driving this car so much because I’m racking up miles like crazy.

[final_mile_music]

I had to have a new infotainment unit as mine was constantly calling service by itself. Once fixed it’s been amazing. I got the S 380 with the summer tires, bigger wheels, manual box and adaptive suspension. It’s absolutely fantastic. It’s perfect for the road. A LOT of fun and incredible around corners. And bear in mind my weekend car is a manual Cayman. So that’s my comparison. I WOULD recommend the summers though. I got Bridgestone Potenza 235, 35’s and the grip is superb. No traction loss on acceleration, unlike my winter tires. They transform the car so I’d recommend it. As for all the haptic stuff. It works absolutely fine. All these journals just jump on the same bandwagon. I’d prefer buttons, yes. But it all works find. As for the ECO minder, just turn it off.

[hello]

i own a 2005 GTI 1.8T. Never been fixed or timing belt still there never changed. I only have 130000 miles on it because I am a truck driver. This car truely is work of art.

[davidclymer]

I have a 2022 GTI SE with 6 speed manual. It's been great. The only issue I've had was the steering wheel triggering erroneous safety warnings on the dash. It was changed under warranty, and the car has been rock-solid ever since. I've owned three GTIs previously - a 2017, a 2015, and a 2010. I love the GTI format, and I'm glad to be driving the latest version of this fantastic driver's car.

[ODH]

Great review—and corresponds to my experience. My 2020 (7.5) GTI S solves most of your main frustrations (better dash controls, better steering wheel) and I honestly don't understand why anyone wants a larger screen on the dash. With a Class 1 hitch, I occasionally tow a trailer full of lumber. For someone who has to live with one car at a time, the GTI is a solid contender for best all-around daily driver.

[Fmandan]

I have 11K miles my new MK8 GTI 380 edition with the base infotainment system like their test car. I don't understand the fuss about the steering wheel controls or the on screen climate controls. I'm 47 years old and while I'd prefer traditional buttons on the steering wheel and physical knobs for the climate control, I don't find these things annoying ever. The only buttons I use on the steering wheel regularly are volume and track skipping. You simply get used to it if you drive the car.

[samstamant]

I own a 24‘ Mk8 and it is amazing! The haptic buttons always work and they complain too much about them i find them intuitive and functional to be honest and also cool even. The only issue that has come up with 20k miles has been the infotainment recall and no mechanical issues whatsoever. I think this car will last for a thousands of miles to come and it feels very well made and drives incredibly.

[Roadruuner]

Just hit 55k on my 22. Absolutely love it. Kinda hate myself for putting that many miles in a little over a year

[kade]

I have a 2024 mk8 GTI S DSG, and I drive it every single chance I get. It’s such a fun, practical little beast.

Additionally, I agree with others in the comments. The haptic touch controls are not at all bothersome to live with. After a while, you get used to them and actually come to kinda enjoy them. I personally think the current mk8 is more of an enticing deal than the new mk8.5 facelift.

If you’re in the market, jump on one. You won’t regret it. You might regret the giant iPad screen in the mk8.5 though.

[Snioutic]

I've had my 2023 GTI for a year now with 23~k miles on it and had no issues with it besides a check engine light at 10k miles. Absolutely an astounding car for daily and spirited driving. Hoping I get to the track with it soon.

[waxmax]

Really appreciate these long term reviews Carlos, you guys do fantastic work! I had a '20 Veloster N which did have more power, but was nowhere near as economical as this. It looks to be a sweet spot of efficiency and performance. I'm curious to know what the passive suspension is tuned to on this compared to the adjustable dampers on the higher trims. Probably somewhere in the middle?

[ChefDaveWillard]

Recently picked up a lightly used '22 S model (in Oryx White, the fastest color). I don't miss the upgrades in the upper models, particularly, and once I got all the nanny software dialed in as much as VW would allow, am delighted with it. Honest fun, practical sensibility, and amply fits large land mammals like me. I'm not all that bothered by the infotainment system (somewhere, a VW engineer is silently breathing "thank you" for a lone vote of mild positivity) and appreciate some of the thoughtful details that differentiate the GTI from the rest of the fanboi hot hatches. Plan on having this one for a long, long time.

[twobeagles]

Best real world review I have seen on the VW GTI, Thanks.

[asdpoi]

Thanks for doing work like this and the value you bring to this otherwise cosmetic and 4K fancy auto review game.

[davepaek]

my 2022 arteon also needed a new steering wheel because the same error message was coming up.