This car is a blast to drive. It is extremely torquey in second gear and is very comfortable to drive at 100+ MPH. For 2001 they changed the suspension set-up so that it is ALOT stiffer, (bilstein struts) also like the bbs alloys that now come as standard on the car. Gotta love those heated seats!!!! I have taken everything from civic si's to mustang 5.0's with this car. You gotta watch out for the cops though, you could be doing 100 and not even know it (no kidding) Overall an extremely fun car to drive. More fun than a BMW 3 anything and about 15 thousand less. YOu can't go wrong.

Not to many weaknesses, however the rear cupholders are absolutely useless, the fronts I actually have no problems with maybe they are different then everyone elses?!? There are a few too many rattles for a car with only 12,000 miles on it. Overall this car doesn't have many.

What are you waiting for go out and BUY IT!!!! You won't be dissapointed :)

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97' Golf GL, 2000' GTI 1.8T 95' Honda Civic

In my opinion, great styling and performance. Interior is really comfy, especially driving in the cold with the GF thanks to the heated seats.. Really shuts her up when it warms up.. go figure. =) Lots of room for such a small car... haven't had a chance to break car in, but just rev'in it softly, i can tell this car is going to be a monster! Monsoon stereo is niiiiice, just needs more bass for my taste! (easily fixed with a nice box)

The cupholders were built to hold 6 year old girls tea set, very weak... As soon as i get enough money, time to alter the suspension, kinda soft for hard driving which I do! kinda hard to get out of car when people are in the back, and i have to slide the seat forward a little bit, but then again i can just get my legs removed to solve that problem!

I recommend it to anyone who wants a sporty car, with some added use other than just zooming from street light to light. Lots of usable space, I am 24, i can see me driving this car in 10 years if i get married and have a child. But for now i'm just a young lad with a taste in style and speed! When i park my car in public parking lots, i feel real good about my car, knowing its not a heap that someone will laugh at! After i do some little alterations to it, this will definately be one stellar ride! At least to me! =)

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1999 VW Beetle 1.8t- Car drives almost the same, but i tend to think of the beetle as a chick car. GTi feels more solid!
1999 Honda Civic hatchback- This is my friends car, he has heavily modified it, and now it drives very powerful. GTi drives nicely stock. I think its worth the extra cash for the VW, see too many honda's anyway!

Very quick. 0-60 isn't very good, but 0-50 is almost instant. Car is very nice looking and puts most of the 90s models to shame. Great handling. Excellent brakes. Room for four (kinda). Awesome gas mileage.

Top speed isn't what most would like. Heater/Defrost doesn't warm up that fast. 0-60 for MY car is about 7.

This is a great car to learn in and to drive for the rest of your life. Mine has over 200,000 miles and still runs great. Good use of space for such a small car. This car is great for just about anyone. Seats four and has enough trunk space for a day's worth of stuff. Back seats fold down making it great for camping. Unless you plan on using it as a road trip car for large family vacations, this is great.

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Puts most other 80s-90s hatchbacks pit of their misery.

very nice package... leather interior, heated seats, great stock sterio, good adjustments, 60/40 split a plus for cargo, visability good, lots of airbags, cool blue dash lighting and oh yeah, its a really quick super fun car to drive!

Its a really quick car with a suspension set up for a car with half its power. Not only is the stock set-up a disappointment, it seems down right dangerous. VW's produced a teaser in the performance dept. Additionally the cup holders are pathetic! How difficult is it to design a good cup holder....... clearly a contribution by the same guy they had working on the suspension!

Its a very nice car, lots of get-up-and-go and lots of tastey features which add comfort, safety and convienience. The handling issue is my single biggest problem with the car. Sure, for $2000 this can be fixed very nicely (shocks, sway bars, stickier tires etc) but that the stock package falls so far short of what is needed simply seems odd. Regardless of this I still feel very good about the car and highly recommend it.

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bmw 323ci, prelude, civic si, audi tt, bmw z3, vw1.8t, vw passat

All around great car, loves to cruise 100+, best interior for the money anywhere,POWER!, classic teutonic styling and function, TORQUE!, great sound, build quality, 17 inch wheels are awesome, what more can i say?

The clutch pedal is a bit light, but seriosly, thats all i can say. VERY solid car.

i would recommend this car to anyone, and i routinely do=)its hands down the best car i've ever owned, with only the miata coming close. i loved my other GTI's, and they were great, but they always seemed to lack any real high speed performace, which this car has plenty of. If your looking for a great looking, fast, well built german car thats actually built in germany, this is the car for you... If your looking for an ugly weak rod tin can to get smoked by my GTI in, then buy a civic si=)

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1984 Rabbit GTI, 1988 GTI 16v, 1991 Mazda Miata,
1988 Chevy cavalier z-24(HAHA!)1995 SAAB 900 turbo

They finally got the cupholders right! I'm over 6" 4" and I have tons of room even wearing a hat.. Good Italian-style driving position. Made for power-shifting. Stiffer suspension package really makes this thing handle. The very stylish rear-end is the only thing most cars on the freeway get to see. My timed 0 to 60 is 6.3 seconds at the track! Firmer seats are very restful on long trips (ala Passat) - try it. 25 mpg on freeway driving. This is the first laser-assembled GTI and is tight and quiet. TORQUE! Great storage and comfortable for passengers.

Closest dealer is 63 miles away, so I'm not wild about taking it in for its scheduled service. I don't like using the cruise control to keep from doing 90mph. I don't like all the wrinkles from smiling all the time or the eye strain from looking through the rearview mirror at the "competition".

I strongly recommend you NOT buy this car if you have high blood pressure, no imagination, or have never contemplated skydiving! Besides, I haven't seen another one like mine in the two months I've owned it and I'm getting used to seeing you in my rearview.

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I've owned everything from Austin Coopers and BMWs to Mercedes and Ferrari. Compare the GTI GLX to ANY faster sub-$23K automoblie. Oops, I couldn't find one either!

Very quick, interior styling, leather and heated seating, climate control a plus, good trunk size for a car that looks that small, handling is decent, exterior styling is nice, 17" wheels look great, wood trim is stylish.

stereo and reception is weak, CD player should be standard and not an option, back seat should be taken out completely for this "sports car", seat tilt adjusting is awkward, would like to see 6 way power seating for at least the driver.

This is a great car. I am 22 yrs old and this was the perfect car for me. Gas mileage is decent, I get excellent power, leather seating and interior goodies impress everyone. If you're looking for a car that is comparable to the BMW 3 series but you don't want to pay that price, this is the car to get. I have had it for 2 weeks and have only seen one other on the road. I love the surprised looks on the faces of the Mustang/Camaro drivers as I blow them away off the line. All I can say is test drive it and see for yourself...

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While shopping for a new car I was set on buying the 2001 Pontiac Firebird 3.8 Base model. A buddy of mine recommended I drive the GTI and I immediately fell in love. This is a luxury/sports car for the guy (or girl) who doesn't want to spend more than $25k. Faster than the Bird, more luxury equipment than the Bird, basically a better car than the Bird. I drove a 1998 Mazda B4000 4x4 before this car and I am much happier with the GTI.

VR6 torque, well-spaced gear ratios, excellent brakes, nice styling
for a hatchback, ergonomic interior, luxury appointments (toys)

VR6 horsepower: Why should I Have to install Shrick cams ($$$) and
upgrade the engine controller just to get to the 200 hp
level. This engine really wants to rev, but is limited
greatly by factory engineering compromises. Torque is good
down low, but horsepower needs boosted in the upper rpm
ranges.
Engine Mounts: I have had two complete LH engine mount failures in less
one year. The first occurred at just 3000 miles. The second
failure was at 13000 miles and resulted in damage to the LH
frame rail to as well. Both times the problems were replaced
under the factory warranty, but the reality is, that the
factory engine mounts are just too soft to adequately
control engine movement during repeated 6000 rpm gear
shifts. These mounts could be upgraded to a higher
durometer rubber or polyurethane, but the forces would
then be transferred to the obviously weak frame section.
This is an unexcusable engineering weakness with no simple
or cheap aftermarket fix. Very dissapointing. German
engineering at its finest!
Transmission: Throws are too long for serious performance driving. Shifts
are often "notchy" at part throttle. In fact, it seems to
be easier to powershift this trans under full power than to
make normal quick, clean upshifts at lower rpms. This car
should also be available in the USA with the 6 speed box,
especially with the VR6 in front of it.
Handling: Once again, too many compromises were made in the handling
department. It is waaayyy tooo soft for even spirited street
driving. Excessive body roll when cornering. Excessive pitch
and yaw upon hard upshifting and agressive braking. Too much
luxury and not enough GTI. Weight is too high for the size of
vehicle and tune of suspension. Needs put on a diet and sprung
heavier. Lowering helps, but car needs better sway bars and
bushings to go with the springs and struts. That's alot of
green to spend on a basically new "sports" car. This is supposed
to be a car for the one-percenters, not the wanna-bes.
Traction Control: This function is really annoying. It just can't seem to
tell what to do in most driving situations. Sometimes
it engages abruptly upon hard acceleration from a dead
stop on dry pavement and sometimes it allows tire-smoking
wheelspin under similar conditions. It drags the engine
down with heavy brake application at times, but performs
smoothly at other times. The only good thing about it,
is the fact that it can be turned off with the dash
switch. It just doesn't seem to be calibrated for
performance driving situations on dry roads. Wet and
snowy roads also seem to pose a problem for the sytem
as well. It tends to "hunt" back and forth noticeably
and often over or under reacts to decreased traction
conditions. Mercedes and BMW both have much more
sophisticated and therefore useful systems in their
respective products.
Reliability: This is already the hands-down worst new car that I have ever
owned as far as reliability and maintenance are concerned.
On top of the engine mount failures, I have had several
oxygen sensor failures, as well as numerous trips to the
dea

The 2000 GTI GLX is a nice concept with poor execution. It could (and should) be so much more. Too many compromises with the performance aspects
of the car and too many luxury add-ons with their weight penalty kill the real performance of this car in stock form. It can be modified to suit, but that makes it really quite pricey when you add that on to the sticker.
Not enought bang for the buck for me. I was very excited to purchase this car and even waited for over six months to take delivery of it. At this point, I am just as disappointed with the reality that is my GTI. It is still a fun car to drive under most circumstances, but has developed too many irritating quirks to be considered as a long-term part of my auto family. I would not recommend this vehicle to most people, especially
long-time VW or GTI owners. They would be disappointed as well, I'm afraid.
Anyone considering purchasing a GTI such as mine can easily contact me by e-mail at EDunkel200@Aol.com for more indepth discussion.

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1985 Dodge Omni GLH Turbo (highly modified) This car was and still is head
and shoulders above my new GTI, as far as performance and handling are concerned. The GTI is obviously more refined, but the GLH kicks its ass
for all-out performance, handling, and fun-to-drive action.

1987 Dodge Shelby GLHS: This car also out-performs the GTI even in stock
tune. This, by the way is my wife's car, and she still prefers the Shelby
to our new GTI

Torque, fit and finish, torque, the monsoon sound system, torque, the heated leather, torque, the raspy little growling noises it makes when you tell it you love it. Did i mention torque?

Something with this much zip deserves a seriously tuned suspension. Thankfully there's aftermarket bolt ons available but at 31 thousand Canadian, just how much bolting on should you really have to do?

Coming off of a semi-supercar as a daily driver, my expectations of this more mundane transpotation were minimal. What a fabulous, make me giddy surprise. Keep it rev happy and there's more than enough scoot to scare the kids and terrorize the neighbours. And should you happen to be interested in golf, you can actually show up at the couse with clubs. Something i never managed to do with the roadster. Did i mention torque?

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just came off of an M Roadster. Did i mention torque? Prior to that had an M3

performance, performance, performance-what a ride!... interior is very well designed- nothing fancy just classy!... feel!

some lines of sight through the back are hard... i would not want to be in the back seat for more than around town, but then again when inside this car there is only one plave to be!

WHAT A RIDE!!!!!!
i have got news for ya, most of the b-mer 3 class does not have the response this car has.. it is trully a monster inside that will clear out your gums if you let it.. although i love the simplistic lines the car has many people yawn at the fact that its a hatchback.. if a modern hip style is what you are looking for or if you are a person that is most interested in getting from point a to point b then this is not the car for you (a nice 4 cylinder automatic mustang will do you nice).. but if you like to drive this car suplies more bang for the buck than anything on the market! watch people get frustrated as they just got embarressed by a hatch-back. the only cars that compete with this animal are the bmw m3's the audi's and cars ranging from 40g and up.. even the saab turbo can't stay with this guy... simply put, that farfanugen thing vw is always talking about??? well this is what they mean- test drive one with an open mind and you'll understand

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honda civic lol!
bmw 3-class .. audi A4 .. all traditional sports cars...
hard to say this is trully one of a kind