Used 2017 Volkswagen Golf GTI SE 4dr Hatchback (2.0L 4cyl Turbo 6M) Consumer Reviews
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Best car I have ever owned
Jesse S., San Diego, CA, 01/06/2018
Volkswagen Golf GTI SE 4dr Hatchback (2.0L 4cyl Turbo 6M)
13 of 14 people found this review helpful
I have owned a 2010 500hp Camaro SS, a 2015 Dodge Charger R/T with all of the gadgets and technology, a luxurious 2014 GMC Sierra Denali, and a rocketship E46 BMW M3. This Golf GTI is far and away my favorite. It is economical, very quick and tunable, handles like it is on rails, has a fantastic interior, and has a great amount of room and storage for a hot hatchback. You can Google the car's metrics and performance data, but at the end of the day, it's how a car makes you feel. This car makes me grin every single time I drive it. Seriously, go take a test drive right now. You're welcome.
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Best Car I've ever bought!
Rod Reichardt, Round Rock, TX, 10/27/2017
Volkswagen Golf GTI SE 4dr Hatchback (2.0L 4cyl Turbo 6M)
6 of 6 people found this review helpful
I tend to be a serial car buyer. This isn't a good thing as I'm not wealthy. I've tend to go between sporty cars and trucks/Jeeps. After multiple back surgeries I decided to move away from trucks as I don't need to be loading and unloading things. I have 2 kids in college so being affordable is a plus. My previous vehicle was a 2016 Ram 1500 diesel that was around 50K. Great truck but I was tired of parking it and paying for it. It didn't help that the fuel economy dropped quite a bit after the last update to better meet emissions standards. I had owned a 2013 Fiat Abarth 500. I liked the concept but it was just too small and had a funky infotainment system and a tiny gas tank. That led me to the GTI. I had just bought a Jetta GLI that my wife drives. I really liked that car. The GTI is similar but a lot better. I got a red manual SE without the lighting package for a little over 26K. It has leather and the Fender audio system. I am about 7000 miles and 5 months into ownership and I love the car. I have carried 5 people a fe3 times with no complaints. It is quick and fun to drive but also feels absolutely rock solid at all times. Mine has all season tires. I was gong to replace them but so far I have no complaints. Interior is really nice. It feels like a much more expensive car.It has Android Auto and Apple CarPlay which works great with my Note 8. Near perfect phone integration. I have also used it with a couple of iPhones. I would never use factory nav if it had it. Mostly have used Google Maps but also Waze. The audio system sounds really good for what it is. Subwoofer adds some punch. There is some harshness to the sound but for a factory system it sounds good. The clutch is light and the shifter is really good. Power is way more than adequate. I live right by Texas 130 with an 85mph speed limit and it feels great cruising a little above the limit. It is smooth and quiet. Very little torque steer. Every now and then I notice a little but most of the time you can barely tell it's FWD. I have had no issues so far. I shopped Golf Rs as well but in retrospect I think I made the right choice for me. The Golf R was about 15K more. I feel like I got a ton of car for the money with this GTI. Since I've owned it it has average 28-31mpg and I drive it fairly hard. The only complaint I have about the car is the lack of cargo room with the seats up. Compared to the GLI it's not much. Fold the rear seats down and there's a lot more room. They don't quite fold flat though. All in all a great car that really may be the best car you can buy for the money.
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2017 Volkswagen Golf GTI for sale near you
3 of 24 listings
- S 4dr HatchbackMSRP: $9,45699 mi away
- S 4dr HatchbackMSRP: $13,495162 mi away
- SE 4dr HatchbackMSRP: $12,90093 mi away
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Again, so much to like in one "sports" car!
rower30, Troy, OH, 01/24/2017
updated 02/01/2021
Volkswagen Golf GTI SE 4dr Hatchback (2.0L 4cyl Turbo 6M)
20 of 24 people found this review helpful
I looked at the 2016 Passat and reviewed it so well my wife let me buy an E300 MB, but I can explain. I got the 1989 GLI itch all over again, so I purchased a silver 2017 GTI SE. Yep, same stuff as the Passat except in a SPORT verses luxury bent platform. I didn't want another E300, but a car that excelled at the opposite end of the car spectrum. I had to have a car that was as economical, good or better at hauling stuff, more fun to drive and had a better stereo than my 2008 Focus SE. Slam dunk with the GTI. The E300 drives you, you drive the GTI 6 speed manual (shifts like butter spreads on a warm day). I can't wait to DRIVE this car, same as the 1989 GLI! Something about VW handling that is addictive. The engine is a sweet thing. At idle it simply goes away on you, nothing, not a quiver. But give it the gas and it talks really nice things to you, shift me now. Power with the manual is electric motor linear and STRONG. The front limited slip differential drive system keeps both wheels pulling in snow, wet or dry with excellent throttle modulation. The engine is a tiger or a pussycat. Drive it like the 2008 Focus and I get 38-45.5 MPG. Yep, same 34 mile route each way as before with the Focus. Drive it like hard like a sports car and still get 28 MPG. The best way to explain this car is that all the pieces are seemingly of the exact same quality level. Nothing irks you to say, "wow, that's seems cheap". OK, except that the rear view mirror should be auto dimming, weird it isn't. The odometer goes away when you set the cruise as the set speed takes its place, weird but not a problem. The instruments are clear and a German conservative white on black LCD illustration. I like it that way, too. Everything ergonomically falls right into your hands. I will also say that the interior of the SE NEEDS those Clark Cloth plaid seats or something other than red stitching and a few red lighting accents, big time. I am not a fan of black interiors, but it is a good black interior. Still, give us a two-tone option, PLEASE. Oh, the seats are superlative for my 155 LBS frame. BIG guys may want to try before you buy. I needed the stereo (OK, wanted) and a few other bits I know would make long term ownership nice (ya, I paid cash for it). This is a sports car, so the ride is heavenly responsive to the road without being harsh. If you think it rides harshly, this isn't your car, or any other sport type car. For a sports car it is sublime. Not only does it go really well, with near no lag in the turbo (I have the manual, so I can drive around it without thinking) or torque steer (the 1989 GLI had PLENTY of that) but it STOPS like NOW with the R series brakes. The green house is WONDERFUL old school lower belt line, like the Passat...so you can SEE yet it has five star safety ratings. Bi-Xenon lights are very good, not the LED's on the E300, though, but way over average. The entertainment is just like my Passat review. It is fast and easy to use with the jump buttons on the side and 100% intuitive touch from there. I've never felt it to be slow or unresponsive. I use a 128GB SD card with WAV file music and the USB for the phone and carplay apps and navigation. I'm smitten with the overall assembly of this car. OK now the negatives. This is maybe the third EA888 engine iteration. Fixed are the cam chain tensioner issues. Left are likely the longer term carbon on the intake valves common to DI injection engines (no fuel across the intakes to clean them anymore) so a 80,000 mile cleaning is in the cards. Not a deal breaker as it is cheaper(~$800.00) to do than a rubber belt cam chain maintenance interval. The PCV valve can fail (this is the latest version that is again, supposed to work) and pressurize the crankcase (rear crank seal goes) or pulls a vacuum (oil is pulled through the intake). Turbo engines can be hell on the PCV valve with the boost pressure. But, this is a $200.00 part and an easy hour in the garage to fix at 50,000 miles. Fix it like an airplane BEFORE it fails. So I'll replace the PCV valve every 50,000 and not ever know the original one would have lasted the life of the car. Pity me but it is cheap insurance. Otherwise this engine is to die for. This is a poor excuse for a mid life crisis car, it is way too affordable, way too practical, way too sublimely sexy in appearance, and yet still way too much fun. Count me in. The GTI is still the best, I drove the rest. 01/20/2020 - @31,000. This car has been flawless. NOTHING has gone wrong. Oil consumption has been ZERO in oil intervals. I get 40 MPG on backroads in the summer and 37 MPG in winter (worse gas mix for mileage). The car is EXACTLY what it says it is, a small fun zippy car. Yes, it is stiffer than the GOLF. My wife liked the physical layout of the car so well she sold her 2012 Focus and bought the Wolfsburg automatic edition. She wanted the same car minus the bumps. Her language, not mine. Same reliable car as the GTI. Now have 2020 GTI Autobahn!
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Great value for the money.
Patrick Spain, San Francisco, CA, 04/10/2017
Volkswagen Golf GTI SE 4dr Hatchback (2.0L 4cyl Turbo 6M)
2 of 5 people found this review helpful
Best electronics (CarPlay), interior, fit and finish in the segment.
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Great buy
Brian, Thornton, CO, 02/12/2018
Volkswagen Golf GTI SE 4dr Hatchback (2.0L 4cyl Turbo 6M)
0 of 0 people found this review helpful
I own a truck to drive if there is a lot of snow out. It's fast! If I were to do it over I would probably go with the dsg just because having an automatic is nice. But the manual is amazing too. I paid 26k for mine with discounts and I feel like I got a really great value. I haven't had any mechanical issues but I will update if this changes
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