Skip advert
Advertisement
Long term tests

VW Golf GTI

The Golf, not unlike its keeper, has an occasional reluctance to wake up in the mornings. It has never actually failed to start on the first turn of the key, but it does have a tendency to chunter away somewhat.

The Golf, not unlike its keeper, has an occasional reluctance to wake up in the mornings. It has never actually failed to start on the first turn of the key, but it does have a tendency to chunter away somewhat. On one occasion it spent a worrying few seconds on what sounded like a less than full complement of cylinders. A couple of blips of the throttle acted like a cold shower and roused the remaining pots, but it was still slightly concerning. As with so many cars nowadays, the Golf decides for itself when it would like to be serviced. Nonetheless, I thought I'd have a squint at the manual and check that GOX wasn't due a fettle. The glovebox file told me that I could easily discover how long the Golf had left until a meeting with its dealer by pressing the trip computer button for two seconds. The answer was a surprisingly lengthy 6400 miles or 438 days, which means I'm obviously not giving the Golf enough of a caning. Consequently I will be setting off early every morning from now on to give the GTI a damn good thrashing - assuming I wake up in time, that is.

Running Costs

Date acquiredSeptember 2005
Total mileage9,533
Costs this month£0
Mileage this month936
MPG this month31.0mpg
Skip advert
Advertisement
Skip advert
Advertisement

Most Popular

MST Mk1 Evo is an extreme Ford Escort road rally recreation
MST Mk1 Evo front
News

MST Mk1 Evo is an extreme Ford Escort road rally recreation

MST’s Mk1 Evo is a tarmac rally weapon that only vaguely resembles a Ford Escort
7 Jul 2026
Alpine A290 and Renault 5 get rally-style body kits from exhaust icon Milltek
Milltek Alpine A290
News

Alpine A290 and Renault 5 get rally-style body kits from exhaust icon Milltek

The A290 and R5 don’t have an exhaust to upgrade, so Milltek has turned to modifying the bodywork
10 Jul 2026
One-off Ferrari 599 shooting brake is the dream supercar estate
Niels van Roij Daytona Shooting Brake Hommage front
News

One-off Ferrari 599 shooting brake is the dream supercar estate

If a Ferrari FF isn’t quite to your taste, or a bit too common, why not commission a coachbuilder for a one-off 599 shooting brake?
8 Jul 2026