The first reaction from my wife after slamming the door shut was a big smile. She was reminded of our Ford Ikon that we had back in India.
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TEASER
INTRODUCTION
We decided to move to Canada, a couple of years back. However, with COVID-19 things had changed and we were not sure of what would happen next, since there was no progress on our file. In March 2022, things looked positive.
After 2 years of slowdown, the world started moving on. I immediately started my homework to decide on a vehicle we would own once we move to this country. We had sold Quicksilver (our Ford Ikon 1.6 EXT back in 2020), so it had been more than 2 years without owning something decently quick. I wanted to fill in this void.
Our movement also meant saying goodbye to Red Rhino (our 2016 Mahindra Thar) and Falcon (Our RE Desert Storm). All in all, a painful moment for any petrolhead. So, while preparing the movement I spent hours watching videos and browsing Canadian websites that would give me some insight on a replacement for the sedan or the 4×4. Since the 4×4 was not what we bought, the points below would be around the hot hatch.
The wants
- A quick/performance-oriented car.
- Decent on mileage, I know the above point contradicts this.
- Budget to be around 40k to 45k (CAD)
- Decent room to accommodate passengers even with a child seat at the rear – for our 2-year-old son.
- Some premium features like heated seats, heated steering, a sun/moon roof.
- A family car – elegant to look at
Cars Considered
Honda Civic Type R and Golf R
While the specs on the Type R and Golf R were amazing, the factor working against these two was the price. With both of them starting at 10k more than my base budget, it was way too much. Also, while the Type R looked amazing in its sporty attire, I could not imagine using it for my regular trips to-and-fro my son’s daycare.
WRX STI
For most of the competitors to the GTI – for me, it was mainly the looks that worked against them. Not that they looked bad or anything of that sort. It was just that I could not picture myself in them for my usual daily drive. Something that did not work for me with the WRX was also the fact that no one I knew in Canada, previously owned a Subaru. Though everyone I spoke to say it is a great brand, something in me did not want to take a chance given no first-hand ownership experience.
Veloster N
The looks again, especially being pretty small in comparison and tapered a lot at the rear, the boot space would be a concern.
Golf GTI
This ticked all my requirements, it’s not big, yes, but was not a showstopper in that regard too. Enough space to carry something pretty large, more on that later. With the car seat for my toddler, yes, it is a little tight for 2 passengers at the rear, but for a short drive, it is fine. For the usual occupants of the vehicle, 3 of us, including my wife and kiddo the room was sufficient. For a sports car, the mileage is pretty decent too, at 10 – 14 kmpl. Back in India, I was absolutely certain to pick the spec that was one below the top of the line – The Autobahn (In the US the Autobahn is top of the line, in Canada, it is the Performance trim) with the 7-speed DSG gearbox. I always loved VW as a brand and in spite of the CEL that VWs are famous for, the vehicle has been lovely so far. So, while I anticipate surprises, I hope they are not going to ruin my ownership experience.
BOOKING EXPERIENCE
It had not been too long since we landed, and we made our visits to a Jeep showroom for the 4×4 I was talking about earlier. This was back in June-July 2022. The treatment we got there was pretty cold. They had stopped taking bookings for 2022 models and were going to resume orders for 2023 only after a few weeks. Thereafter it would take a minimum of 6 months or more to deliver. We needed something much earlier. Next, we visited a VW dealership. The sales executive was a fan of GTIs himself. He mentioned that getting a GTI would be difficult since they get sold as soon as they are in the factory for production. With production volumes also not too high, due to the worldwide chip shortage, dealerships have been asking for up to 5k to 10k above the market price from desperate customers. He added that he would not be able to help us with a vehicle anytime soon either but recommended that we browse the inventory online for all dealerships nearby. We came home pretty sad.
A day or two later, my sister-in-law, showed me the inventory for Humberview, VW on her mobile and pointed to the 3 GTIs in stock. The only problem was that I was not getting the Autobahn trim with the DSG and some other features I wanted. Also, by now I wanted some of the premium features coming on the Performance trim that included the dynamic chassis control, three-zone front and rear electronic air conditioning and ventilated front seats to name a few. There was a Deep Black Pearl DSG Performance trim in the inventory. Without any wait, I made a call to the dealership and transferred the booking amount online, the tentative timeline I got was 2 months or less as we already had a VIN and the vehicle was in production at Wolfsburg, Germany. And yes, I booked our GTI without seeing one in flesh. During the wait time, I did see one on the road and I loved it. So, no regrets on the decision after having the first look.
PRICING
- The total price inclusive of tax was around 54k CAD. The major heads apart from the vehicle itself which was at $41.2k were the following:
- Vehicle surface protection (optional) – $1,799
- Freight and PDI – 1,750
- 3M Protection film hood/fender edge + door sill/trunk top – $1,599
- Admin fee and rubber mats – $399
- Tax and others – around $7,000
The vehicle cost included a rebate of $450 since they had stopped producing units with the Harman Kardon audio system either due to a few complaints or due to the nonavailability of the sound units themselves – who knows!
There were no discounts on the GTI, but I was lucky enough to have the sales executive throw in a set of VW tire covers that would be used for the extra set of tyres (summer/winter).
BUYING EXPERIENCE
Around the end of July, the sales representative, Abdo gave me a call and asked me to come in for the paperwork sooner than later since the vehicle would be at the dealership pretty soon. It was in the beginning of August that we went for the same. Robert – our man from the finance department attended to us as Abdo was not around. His words as soon as he greeted us, got me very excited – “Hey Navtej, I guess your GTI is here, it’s parked at the lot I think, let me check”. He went and got the key fob for the GTI – our GTI! I was thrilled, as we were there only for the paperwork and did not expect to see the vehicle! He gave us the key fob and asked us to go have a look. The vehicle was parked at their lot where new vehicle had arrived. I did the PDI to my heart’s content, with a smile throughout the inspection. After the Thar, the GTI was next level to me, for starters – a keyless entry, an infotainment system! We completed the paperwork with Robert and headed home, all excited that we would be getting the vehicle very soon.
PDI shot
Alas! All good stories have a bit of a hiccup after all. A few days later we got a call from Robert (since Abdo was on his summer break) saying our financials were approved, but (there is always a but) there has been a recall issued on GTIs for the sun/moon roof switch to be oversensitive. Being a safety issue, the vehicle would not be delivered until it is rectified. Since there was not much information on the batch that had the recall the dealerships needed to wait until further notice.
For us, each day passing by was a long time since we had seen the GTI ready for pickup! I was irritated, to say the least. I sent an email to the sales manager, and the service manager, and asked them for confirmation about the recall on my GTI’s VIN. To my satisfaction, I got to know that our GTI did not have the recall. Robert was back from his holiday and confirmed the same. We were back in excitement mode. We fixed a day and went to pick her up with my brother-in-law. All excited to drive back the GTI alongside his Mustang GT.
We completed the formalities, and apart from the cost of wheel lock nuts that were included in error, it was all well explained (the wheel lock nuts are a part of the GTI and are not to be added as an extra, I made sure I did not pay for it). Abdo was not around but left us a small gift in the truck (wheel covers – the performance trim comes with summer tyres and I would be purchasing a set of winter tyres for the GTI). Another sales representative handed over the vehicle to us with some basic explanations. We were all set!
Happy owners
Change of registration plate – syncing with the handle!
EXTERIOR – Design and Style
The design and style of the GTI Mk8 is spot on. I love the Mk7/7.5 as well but felt the back could have some sort of change to make it look even better. The Mk8 made all the right changes IMO with respect to the design, giving it more elegance. The rear looks even better now with the sharp edges to the rear lights and the spoiler giving the top a good finish at the rear. The rear design is very similar to the VW lineup, be it the Tiguan or the Atlas, you can see the same family traits in them.
The low stance combined with the 19″ alloys and the low-profile summer tyres make the side profile of the vehicle look incredible. The honeycomb-inspired fog lamps have been one of the most talked about plus points in its design feature. I admire the lighting (the DRLs) on the GTI and the design that it forms once the exterior lights are on.
The exterior lighting
The golf ball-inspired ORVM welcome lighting
Random shots – to emphasise the fact that it is a stunner
Her first snow
The build quality and VW go hand in hand. The first reaction from my wife after slamming the door shut was a big smile, she was reminded of the Ikon and the satisfying clutching sound the door would make. The vehicle feels absolutely solid and well-planted when being driven as well.
Some of the confidence-inspiring safety features include Electronic Stability Control (ESC), Front Assist with Autonomous Emergency Braking with pedestrian and cyclist monitoring, Side Assist (Blind spot monitor) with Rear Traffic Alert, Travel Assist (Adaptive Cruise Control and Lane Assist). These are very useful features to have especially in a country where traffic is following lane, strictly.
Some from summer – Notice the summer tyres
The transition from summer to winter
The wheel covers in use – for storage
Keyword: Our VW Golf GTI Mk8: Buying & ownership experience in Canada