Getting the haters out of the way first, this is a brazen plagiarism of @ochithunder previous post.
Now, for everyone else, I’m sharing my experience in hope that you might avoid some of the pitfalls I’ve fallen through and make better decisions while purchasing and maintaining your cars of choice.
Before I start, lots of thanks to @wheelz and @ochithunder for great advice
[SIZE=6]Equipment[/SIZE]
VW Golf GT '09
BLG Engine, 1.4ltr, TSI
6-speed dual clutch DSG gearbox
1.4tonnes tare weight
Running on 225/45/17 alloys
No mods
The golf was sold as the Rabbit in the US but I particularly don’t like the moniker.
[SIZE=6]Driving[/SIZE]
Can’t complain. It’s dual charged with 2 stage boost. Stage 1 supercharger, stage 2 turbocharger. That makes it comparable to similar VW cars with 2ltr, according to manufacturer. The gearbox, true to form is sublime but takes getting used to as the DSG is dynamic and “learns” your driving technique to give you the smoothest drive. I found that at the 2000 km mark, it was pretty in tune with my driving style.
As always with turbocharged cars, there is some turbo lag but once the boost starts to kick in, the power curve is nice and linear.
Sport mode is the most fun this car can be. Feels very jumpy(in a good way) like a rabbit always wanting to go. The ECU holds the revs up high, around 3K and the engine braking on slowing down is badass! The flip side of it is that the suspension stiffens, so on a not smooth road, the ride isn’t good. Feeling all the small bumps in the road through it makes me think I’m hurting the car.
[SIZE=6]Maintenance[/SIZE]
Being my first German car, I tried doing the Kenyan thing by skimping and looking for cheap mechs. Unfortunately, most of these people have no idea what they’re doing. I even got better advice from a fellow talker than the mechs. Decided to visit the dealership(DT Dobie) and I must say, I was happy with service and value for money. They got the right equipment, spares and everything. Nothing is guesswork. And guess what, I straight up asked for a discount and got one, no hussle. For virgin car owners, I would definitely suggest getting serviced at the dealer unless you can do it yourself.
Price as expected is not cheap, but I would say the value correlates with the prices. I got 7500KM for a minor service. Major service would give me 30,000KM.
[SIZE=6]Running costs[/SIZE]
Minimum manufacturer fuel RON (Research Octane Number) rating is 96. So it have to be V-Power which plays around 98-99. Fuel consumption on normal premium, Shell fuelsave premium and V-power is 7-9kpl, 8-11.9kpl and 11-17kpl respectively. The lower number is city consumption, higher number is highway consumption.
Standard tires come at 16-21K each, depending on brand name(Dunlop, Falken - Michellin).
More to follow later…