Drove a Mk5 Golf 2.0 FSI today...

…and was not very impressed. The chaps who came down to photograph my mk1 came down in one and they let me have a go.

It's solid on the road and the ride is good, but that's about it to be honest, oh and the seats are quite nice.

What I didn't like…

1. Dashboard and general quality level. Feels a big step down from the plush mk4. Thin cheap feeling plastic abounds, nothing like the quality in my 4 year old A4. Doesn't feel or look very expensive to me. Some quite flimsy parts.. very disappointing.

2. Can't see the bonnet! At all. Infact, placing the car on the road is hard, visibility is poor in all directions, particularly out of the back. Reversing is pure guesswork.

3. Sills are 1/2 a foot wide, actually quite hard work getting in and out of the car. Solid though.

4. Performance. Or lack of it. Considerably more engine power than the mk1 GTI…. but where did it all go? This engine is pretty gutless to be honest, but is supposed to have 150bhp…

5. Wing mirror mounted indicators. Very irritating. When pulling out your pireferal vision picks up the flashes and makes you think something is coming alongside… almost dangerous in my book.

6. Rear boot opening. The lever is in the badge, which is counter intuitive, a triumph of design over practicality.

I was actually relieved to get back into the mk1 where everything was sensibly positioned! My 4 year old Audi is a much better car, despite 100k miles on the clock, no independant rear suspension and a diesel engine.

I'll give the Mk5 GTI a try, but the cooking models… no thanks.

Cheers,

Drew.